yes chrisfix for step by step or
ericthecarguy if you like to see more realistic repairs that don't always go to plan. He shows failures as well as the final fix.
General Panda vs. 500
- Thread starter Theleman
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General Panda vs. 500
yes chrisfix for step by step or
ericthecarguy if you like to see more realistic repairs that don't always go to plan. He shows failures as well as the final fix.
I recall watching the EricTheCarGuy dropping an engine while hoisting on a ramp almost hitting him. It could have been seriously injuring or even killing him he confesses later in another of his video. Yeah he is another good car youtuber.
Are there any equivalents of chrisfix or ericthecarguy in UK youtubers? It would be better because then they would be covering cars actually we own and drive.
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Project Binky by Bad Obsession Motorsport takes some beating. They've put a Toyota GT4 engine and 4WD under a classic Mini.
23 episodes and still not finished but the workmanship is amazing.
Make the Noise!
23 episodes and still not finished but the workmanship is amazing.
Make the Noise!
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dad's have a Panda
mums have a 500
not a hard and fast rule but watch how the numbers of 500 shoot up around school run time.
yesterday a start counting
4x Pandas
5x 500
30x Mini gave up counting when I got to 30
this was late on
normally around school leaving time there's twice as many 500 vs Pandas
mums have a 500
not a hard and fast rule but watch how the numbers of 500 shoot up around school run time.
yesterday a start counting
4x Pandas
5x 500
30x Mini gave up counting when I got to 30
this was late on
normally around school leaving time there's twice as many 500 vs Pandas
I like Scotty Kilmer because he speaks truth about German cars. But I think he’s wrong about Fiat, Chrysler was a lousy make before fiat bought them. But he blames Fiat for it?! Lol
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I like Bob Flavin and his "The Next Gear" Youtube reviews.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5-KHIRFPeeurU-GJwa7zFw
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5-KHIRFPeeurU-GJwa7zFw
Yup, I see so many 500s on the road every day. Must be really popular car. I don't see that many Pandas anymore, nor the Mini.
Before watching SK videos, I used to think German cars were great, but not anymore. They were great once when VW classic Beetles with air cooled engines and W124 and 190D were in production.
Modern German cars don't interest me after watching sk, so he definitely influenced me
But Yes, I think sk is wrong on Fiat. I don't think he ever has owned or driven or worked on any Fiat in his life.
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Scotty K is just too frenetic for me! (don't like the way he abuses cars with wheel spins etc either.) There are some other quite interesting Yanks though. If you're wanting a British slant on things I have come across a couple of the "Bodgit & Legit Garage" offerings which were quite informative.
Before watching SK videos, I used to think German cars were great, but not anymore. They were great once when VW classic Beetles with air cooled engines and W124 and 190D were in production.
Modern German cars don't interest me after watching sk, so he definitely influenced me
But Yes, I think sk is wrong on Fiat. I don't think he ever has owned or driven or worked on any Fiat in his life.
In my experience, the legend of VW aircooled reliability is a myth. They can be very unreliable, need constant fettling to keep running properly.
The reliability legend comes from there always appearing to be so many around, but if anyone looked closer, most were not very old. But because they looked mostly the same, the newness was not obvious. Once they stopped selling them here, they disappeared very quickly.
VW only became reliable when they went front engine water-cooled, which of course was not VW tech, but Auto Union/ Audi that they'd bought.
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The old Air Cooled were robust rather than totally reliable.
Simplicity at it's simplest, they didn't really breakdown as you'd have it running again with a bit of a fettle.
As Portland states they needed a certain amount of care, but they were pretty under stressed engine compared to most engines at the time.
They were designed to run flat out all day but gave up little power.
My Dad's old Type 2 Camper went 45 years on it's original engine with just basic care. (which involved a screwdriver, a hammer and some swearing)
Considering it was just a 1.6 litre, made around 50 hp and had to drag a camper van conversion with six passengers (and a lot of duty free) around Europe year after year, it didn't really have an easy life, but we never broke down, though there were a few niggles, mainly due to a dodgy carb and poor fuel in the Balkans.
I guess a lot ended up like Trigger's Broom.
It's so easy and cheap to keep them running, pistons and cylinders, heads and so on can be swapped in situ for little money.
One of my favourite scenes. (that and the Orgasmatron scene)
Simplicity at it's simplest, they didn't really breakdown as you'd have it running again with a bit of a fettle.
As Portland states they needed a certain amount of care, but they were pretty under stressed engine compared to most engines at the time.
They were designed to run flat out all day but gave up little power.
My Dad's old Type 2 Camper went 45 years on it's original engine with just basic care. (which involved a screwdriver, a hammer and some swearing)
Considering it was just a 1.6 litre, made around 50 hp and had to drag a camper van conversion with six passengers (and a lot of duty free) around Europe year after year, it didn't really have an easy life, but we never broke down, though there were a few niggles, mainly due to a dodgy carb and poor fuel in the Balkans.
I guess a lot ended up like Trigger's Broom.
It's so easy and cheap to keep them running, pistons and cylinders, heads and so on can be swapped in situ for little money.
One of my favourite scenes. (that and the Orgasmatron scene)
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reliability charts are tainted by people's perceptions
if you spend out on a top of the range car your expectations will be higher than if you buy from the budget end
Also people who have problems shout the loudest.
making reliability charts err unreliable
if you spend out on a top of the range car your expectations will be higher than if you buy from the budget end
Also people who have problems shout the loudest.
making reliability charts err unreliable
Yes, I know where your coming from. First time when I saw his video, I didn't take him too seriously.
But then he has 2.1 million subs, and has been working with cars for 51 years he says, so I was watching his videos time to time as half entertainment and half info source.
Yeah, I think I have seen the B&L garage channel. Was OK but thought it was a bit slow going making feel you bored. Will get back and watch the channel again sometime.
Yes, maybe the old air cooled VW beetle wouldn't suit todays motoring on motorways or anything long distance trip.
And it may not be most reliable car either, but as said they seem very robust.
I recall when I was in the univ in late 1980s, quite a few of my mates had the VW air cooled beetle. Because mainly they could be bought for £300 - £500. And they were cheap to fix and run.
On weekends, I saw my mates working on the beetles flat out with just hammer, screw driver and pliers.
And we used to go for drive to various loches on it. It was very noisy and uncomfortable and felt like being on a motorcycle converted to car.
But we never broke down. Slow it might be, we got back no problems.
One of my classmates was from Turkey, and he was one of the dedicated VW beetle owner. He drove back home in it with his wife after graduation. I think I still got a few photos of them somewhere
I noticed the air cooled classic VW beetles go for quite inflated prices on eBay recently.
And it may not be most reliable car either, but as said they seem very robust.
I recall when I was in the univ in late 1980s, quite a few of my mates had the VW air cooled beetle. Because mainly they could be bought for £300 - £500. And they were cheap to fix and run.
On weekends, I saw my mates working on the beetles flat out with just hammer, screw driver and pliers.
And we used to go for drive to various loches on it. It was very noisy and uncomfortable and felt like being on a motorcycle converted to car.
But we never broke down. Slow it might be, we got back no problems.
One of my classmates was from Turkey, and he was one of the dedicated VW beetle owner. He drove back home in it with his wife after graduation. I think I still got a few photos of them somewhere
I noticed the air cooled classic VW beetles go for quite inflated prices on eBay recently.
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VW are a bit like Disney or Microsoft ... very popular and important for many people but evil and rotten at their core ;-) a bit like your friendly cigarette company before all the advertising banning
I wouldn't buy one now. But I am sure some others will.
Maybe purely for novelty or nostalgic reasons rather than practicality, I guess.
But the idea of air cooled engine system defintely is attractive, because it is one less thing to go wrong, i.e. Radiator, coolant, thermostats and water pump ... in fact quite a few, right enough for the price of sacrifice of the engine power and efficiency.
Maybe purely for novelty or nostalgic reasons rather than practicality, I guess.
But the idea of air cooled engine system defintely is attractive, because it is one less thing to go wrong, i.e. Radiator, coolant, thermostats and water pump ... in fact quite a few, right enough for the price of sacrifice of the engine power and efficiency.
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Don't be fooled by the air cooling being foolproof. Being in the back of the car, there is no natural airflow, and the cooling is controlled by a thermostat and flaps to direct the air. They do overheat, with various symptoms.
When you open the engine lid, it should be sealed, in that you should not be able to see past the engine to the ground below. Air flows in through the grilles at teh rear pillars, is then pushed by the fan down under. How much is directed across the cylinders is controlled by the thermostat.
If there are any gaps in the undertray, hot air will re-enter the engine bay to recirculate, then the engine runs too hot. An overheat does not have to be a significant rise in temp, just above the tolerance threshold will gently cook it, taking a long time to cause failure.
A popular failure is fitting the inccorect plug leads. These must seal. If they don't the air recirculates, and often a plug will pop out, bringing its thread with it. This can also cause the plug to run hot, burning a hole in the piston. The forward cylinder on the left of the car is the most susceptible to this.
A good reconditioned engine will include a new thermostat, and instructions on how to set it up.
Other symptoms.
A piston starts to 'pick up' in the bore. Small aluminium filings are created. There is no oil filter, just a gauze strainer in the sump. The filings can get seize the oil pressure relief valve. If seized open, low oil pressure results, and a big end will seize on the crank. If it seizes shut, the oil pressure is too high, causing leaks at every seal, and often the oil cooler, sitting on top of the engine will burst.
Valves have been known to seize in their guides, pistons in the bores, big ends on the crank. Result seems to be a bit random, but overheat is the cause.
As well as gaps in the undertray, the fan at the back of the engine can get dirty. It picks up dust which builds, until the fan is seriously out of balance. As this is driven directly by the shaft through the dynamo or alternator, the vibration can cause the dynamo/alternator mountings to break, or alternators to crack their casings.
Add to this, working on them is like sticking your head in the kitchen cupboard.
Not a fan.
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I had a very rusty 1967 Type 1 Transporter van with the 40bhp 1500cc engine. It was pretty much flat out at 60mph but would go all day at 50. Fuel consumption was horrible. Not because it was running too badly just that 2 tons with house brick aerodynamics take some shifting along.
The clutch was ridiculously easy to change with a surprisingly small friction plate. The engine was held on with four bolts so all you had to do was disconnect throttle cable, electric loom and fuel pipe. Engine and exhaust came out sat on a trolley jack. Mine had cylinders caked with oil which cant have been good for the cooling but it felt just the same after a good cleanup. It did wonder about fitting a Golf 1.6 diesel but thought better of the idea.
Sadly the shell and chassis were terminally rotten so it was scrapped. Today it would have been worth £oads as a "restorable project" but in 1984, it needed so many new OEM panels and miles of welding so never got done. I would have another split screen in a flash if I could afford the silly money they fetch today.
The clutch was ridiculously easy to change with a surprisingly small friction plate. The engine was held on with four bolts so all you had to do was disconnect throttle cable, electric loom and fuel pipe. Engine and exhaust came out sat on a trolley jack. Mine had cylinders caked with oil which cant have been good for the cooling but it felt just the same after a good cleanup. It did wonder about fitting a Golf 1.6 diesel but thought better of the idea.
Sadly the shell and chassis were terminally rotten so it was scrapped. Today it would have been worth £oads as a "restorable project" but in 1984, it needed so many new OEM panels and miles of welding so never got done. I would have another split screen in a flash if I could afford the silly money they fetch today.
