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Seicento Seicento Sporting MS in faded red :)

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Seicento Sporting Michael Schumacher in faded red :)

Just picked up one of these for a 70 mile a day commute and so far, great fun.

It's a 2001 Y reg, 80k miles, full service history, new rad, alternator, battery, handbrake cables, clutch and clutch cable and exhaust were done by the previous owner.

So far ( 20 miles in ) i've fixed the following ...

Seized cooling fan and a blown fuse, WD40 on fan bearings and a new fuse fixed that.

Leaking sunroof - removed all the bolts and siliconed up the rubber washers, new gaskets made from bike inner tube and silicon greased the seal. No more leaks.

Things i might fix ...

Both fog lights are not working, one definitely due to water through a cracked lens and the other .... probably got bored years ago.

Clunking from the steering, presume / assume it's either track rod ends or balljoints / arb bushes.

Paint - it's a faded sorry state, good enough condition, just looks like FIAT forgot to put suntan lotion in the original paint :)


The only thing i'm stuck with now are what tyres to get, have seen you can get Pirelli P6000 175 50 R15 or 165 60 R14 in more choices, am inclined to go for the higher profile as it's cheaper and will probably dent the mpg less. I take it there are no issues with using a 165 60 R14 tyre on that wheel? Miata tyre calculator reckons it's within tolerance

175/50-14 3.4in 10.4in 20.9in 65.6in 965 0.0%
165/60-14 3.9in 10.9in 21.8in 68.5in 925 4.3%


Bit more searching reckons 185 50 R14 will fit - Maxxis do their MA Z1 in that size and that'll do fine. Will get 4 of those ordered and fitted next month - i'll play with what's left of the P6000s for now
I'm aware this won't sharpen the handling but that's fine.

Since everyone on forums likes pics, here's a few of it, nicknamed it 'Shooey' which seems entirely apt. Outside is faded in many places, once i get some time i'll buzz the DA over it and give it a few coats of decent wax but i suspect the paint has faded beyond help. It is utterly manky inside but now the leaking roof is fixed ( and its no longer carrying a dog around) i'll get in there with an aquavac and make it a lot nicer :)

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Click to expand...
Fuel pump issue

Right that's 2 ( very dead) coils changed and a set of plugs ( also badly worn) but the issue remains .... however i remember reading something about a fuel pump gasket perishing that causes the car to run like a nail if the tank is less than half full ...

You can guess the rest.

Filled it up to max and the issue is completely gone. This is the first time i've had it less than 3/4 full as i don't like to run tanks down.

So ... where do i either get a fuel pump gasket or is it worth just replacing the entire pump assembly?

Also where is the fuel tank breather on this - is it under the shiny metal inspection plate under the rear seats?
 
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Looks like i'm suffering from previous mechanic syndrome. 3 of the bolts holding the pump cover in were missing and one of the captive threaded studs is gone - snapped completely off. Only real fix for that is a new tank / pump and i'm not quite in the market for that yet. If it lasts through the winter, that's one of the jobs i'll add to the suspension when it's back in the garage and my other car is out for play.

Replaced two of the nuts and i'll see how that goes, failing that i'll remove all the nuts and the cover and put a thin bead of RTV gasket around and retighten. Assuming that was the problem i'll leave it at that and not run the fuel down past half way. :)
 
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Full tank this morning - no fault and no problems and with the new coils and plugs ... it sang its merry little heart out all the way to work.

That said, i upgraded the Bike RAC cover to include the car, just in case .
 
Did it again tonight, RAC chap tested both lambda sensors, the 2nd one in the system is barely showing any activity.

Is there a preferred place / price for these things as i want to replace both of them at the same time?
 
The second one only tests that the first one is working. No, really. It'll not affect the running of the car, just put on the EML light.

I've no idea what your RAC man did. But a lambda that works one day and doesn't work another is pretty unlikely unless it's a wiring issue or witchcraft.

Eurocarcare.net or Shop4Parts. Non OE ones can be extremely flakey.

But -- assuming the EML light came on, code read. Post the codes, not the diagnosis.
 
Going to replace the primary one as its the original one. Also going to check the crank sensor too. However no hot or cold start problems. Just bogs and dies and tries to stall out .... Once it has sat a while it's fine. When it dies, you can't drive around it ..... Only seems to happen after a high engine load period or higher revs ( over 4000). I think its heat that causes a sensor to go bad. If this was a pump problem or a fuel pressure problem I'd see it more often. Also no faults in the mornings .... Colder is all I can think.
 
Chewed through about £5 of fuel last night in not much time so mixture is definitely out. Garage are going to do some exhaust probe tests today and give it a good run, we suspect primary lambda is failing. I want the temperature sensor changed out and also the crank sensor just for peace of mind. Basically rule out the things that are affected by temperature and then control the mixture.

It could even be something as simple as a loose bolt on a crank sensor and once the engine cools down, everything contracts back into the right place and the issues disappear without recording a fault.

Once the above is checked, all that is left is a a physical fuel supply / pressure issue. I have an idea the fuel pump / gasket may well be next and if i do that ... it gets a new tank at the same time ( pump is coming out today to inspect the contents of the tank) as labour is cheaper whilst the car is already in the air.

In the meantime, i've dug out my Bluetooth ELM module and will connect it up to my phone and use the DashCommand app to read the bits and bobs the ECU will send. If it includes coolant temp, i'll just use the Phone to display it and the other data - saves farting around trying to add gauges.
 
After they spent the day watching it on an exhaust probe & ECU scanner, they noticed the Primary 02 sensor was intermittent and very sluggish at changing readings.

They've done a good run in it today and apparently, it's all fine. Will see how it behaves on the way to and from work the rest of the week.

Fingers crossed that's it for replacement parts and i can get on with enjoying it :)
 
Fixed.

So if you want to add a coolant temp sensor and you can't be arsed with extra gauges / cutting holes in things etc ......

I realise this only works for MPI cars with the OBDII socket .....

BT OBDII - http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/161086010508?var=gv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&_lwgsi=y&cbt=y&lpid=65&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=65&ff19=0

BT enabled smartphone

DashCommand - http://www.palmerperformance.com/products/dashcommand/iphone/

Total cost - nothing as i already had both the ELM and the Dashcommand app.

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Mine seems to sit around 70 to 80 degrees on the move and will climb up to the 90 to 95 mark when it's sat and then fan kicks in and seems to drop it back to 85/90 or so.

Nice to see the 02 sensor bouncing away on its full signal range this morning too :)
 
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unclebloodyfester said:
Mine seems to sit around 70 to 80 degrees on the move and will climb up to the 90 to 95 mark when it's sat and then fan kicks in and seems to drop it back to 85/90 or so.
Click to expand...

Then smile away, sounds like your cooling system is in absolutely perfect running order ;)

I like that app, very clean and clear display - shame my turbo sei can't do that so easily :(
 
Hello,
Old man here with no knowledge of smartphones at all! My wife has one though so what would I need to get on order to run this stuff? She has an HTC phone using Android. Other than that I know nothing! Guess this doesn't work with an 899 Sei anyway? Would be useful for my other car though as I am having problems with emissions at the moment and I know it has the OBwankanobi socket thingy.

My phone is an ancient Nokia with a monochrome screen so I know I'm onto a loser with that, doesn't even have Bluetooth. Makes phone calls though!

Ian.
 
you just need the bluetooth elm327 OBDII thing that unclefester posted up a few posts, and then an app on the phone. Just go on the mrs' phone and open the android market and search for 'dashcommand', i had a look on their site and they do the app on android as well as iOS.

Plug the Bluetooth ELM into the car, turn bluetooth on the phone and open the app, should be pretty self explanatory from there.
 
well most people seem to manage with the cheapy ones.. If you want a decent quality one try Gendan, they are a UK manufacturer and there stuff is great quality, theirs works via wifi rather than bluetooth though. But i think all smart phones have both bluetooth and wifi these days.

you pay extra for the quality though... http://www.gendan.co.uk/product_ELM327WIFI.html
 
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