I am in the process of restoring a 1991 DGT to full glory. The wiring between the main body and the tailgate is knackered. Wires are broken and rubber bellows all chewed up. I guess this is quite a common problem and wonder how others have solved it. Do any of the aftermarket kits fit the Tipo? If not, I guess it is probably best to rewire from scratch but how would I replace the rubber bellows/sheathing. Thank you for any advice.

Iggy64 said:

I am in the process of restoring a 1991 DGT to full glory. The wiring between the main body and the tailgate is knackered. Wires are broken and rubber bellows all chewed up. I guess this is quite a common problem and wonder how others have solved it. Do any of the aftermarket kits fit the Tipo? If not, I guess it is probably best to rewire from scratch but how would I replace the rubber bellows/sheathing. Thank you for any advice.

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Hi. Ive never had it fail on any FIAT.

Obviously OLD now though..

Worth googling : ebay the bellows part number though.

Look forward to seeing the car my Red DGTs went 15 years ago..

1.4 and TD.. 'Identical Opposites'!!

Charlie

Thank you Charlie. Will post some pics in due course. Just got rolling shell back from body shop after full respray. Ian

the rubber connector unclips from one side or the other and then becomes useless. You can buy sleeving in various circumferences for individual wires or looms I used the convoluted tube and ran it into the holes on either side.


http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/section.php/58/1/sleeving/08aa5a5e79f42b4bc8e9c9f1b89b24c1

Also some of my wires required rejoining with heat shrink. What happened to your Mk11, I think I saw it for sale?

The rubber gaiter for the body shell to tailgate wiring consist of 3 parts:

Body Shell Clip: P/N: 7594309
Rubber Gaiter: P/N: 7594308
Tailgate Clip: P/N: 7630457

All of these parts are no longer available from Fiat.

A quick web search found:

https://www.ebay.it/itm/7594308-TUBO-CAVI-PORTELLONE-FIAT-TIPO-/292651718191

Hi Iggy64, sounds like an interesting project. What colour have you had it painted? Is it the original factory colour? Would be great to see some progress pictures if you have any.

Many thanks for looking out the part numbers s130. I did try to find them on EPER but obviously didn't choose the right section. I have the old wires exposed and ready for splicing in some new sections and it would be good to fit the proper gaiter and clips. The hatch side one is actually still sound.
The car is resprayed in the original shade, storm blue metallic. The front end is almost back together now so will get round to posting some pics soon.

Took advantage of milder weather today to tackle a few more jobs on the Tipo. Removed defunct and broken electrical stuff including alarm, headlight wipers and o/s door mirror. Soldered in new tails to tailgate wires while waiting delivery of new clip/buffer from Italy. Also repaired rust hole in C pillar which I found when internal trim taken off to reach wiring loom. Have some pics but don't know how to upload them, sorry!

On a different tack, I wonder if there are any Weber carb experts out there who can advise me on a (hopefully) minor issue I found when starting up the engine today. It fired up with no problem on full choke but engine speed stayed fast (min 2000 rpm) even when fully warmed up and choke returned. When I switched off and restarted, idle speed was perfect and even at around 1000 rpm. Referring to my trusty Haynes, I think this could be due to a faulty accelerator pump diaphragm but would appreciate a second opinion from someone who knows before I do anything further. Thanks as usual.

Pics.

Click on ADVANCED..

Next to smiley is a paperclip.

Click on paperclip.
Add pics to the list. Download.

Should work fine.

Charlie

Is it 1.4 or 1.6 ? And how much was the respray,I was talking to a painter guy on Friday and I said how much would a full respray be as a ball park figure,he said what make of car,when I said fiat Tipo he said oh it's only a small car 2 to ,3k ,seems a bit pricey to me,last time I had a car repainted was a fiat 127 in the 1980s and it cost £300.

It's a 1.6 DGT SX. Full respray cost £1500 all in. I saved a bit by having it stripped down and glass removed etc. before it went to the painter but he still had a lot of prep work to do as loads of parking dings and making good after welding on rear doors. Very pleased with result. Not concourse but great for everyday driver.

Thanks for the tip Charlie. Pics of wiring as it was now attached.

If you remove the wheel arch carpet the wires to the tailgate terminate in a couple of plugs and sockets,it's also a good idea to look for rust here also.

Thanks Michael. That's the real value of this Forum having someone knows the cars literally inside out!
I have just finished renewing the windscreen washer hoses under the bonnet and scuttle as the old ones were brittle and broken at the joints with jets etc. Think I may have found a possible reason for the carburettor problem. The earth strap fixing from engine to car body has snapped and just pushed loosely into place. Will fix this and see if it helps.

Iggy64 said:

Thanks Michael. That's the real value of this Forum having someone knows the cars literally inside out!
I have just finished renewing the windscreen washer hoses under the bonnet and scuttle as the old ones were brittle and broken at the joints with jets etc. Think I may have found a possible reason for the carburettor problem. The earth strap fixing from engine to car body has snapped and just pushed loosely into place. Will fix this and see if it helps.

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Thanks for that,I do have a little experience with the Tipo,I have 2 of them,one I bought in 1991 and I still have it ,and another I bought 5 years ago I am doing a nut and bolt rebuild on ,the plan is to make it concourse so no rush to finish ,these are rare cars now.Keep posting loads of photos of the restoration.

Tailgate wiring now sorted! A great relief when I got live feed from all the right switches. Just hope I don't break anything getting it all the attachments back on tomorrow. The tip about the connectors behind the carpet was a great help in tracing everything back to source. Thankfully no rust there either. Will post some pics of the finished job.
Another question. Do you have a preferred type/grade of engine oil for your Tipos? I am leaning towards Selenia 10/40 which seems to suit my Lancia Prisma and is well priced now at Shop4parts but wondered if anyone has a particular recommendation.

Restoration work going well with most of car back together and everything working as it should. As always though, the simplest things give the most problems. Decided to take out the washer reservoir and give it a good clean inside and out as pretty cruddy. Ended up dropping the thing and now have a water leak. GRRRR!

Which side of Chester are you on? We moved here last year and I do have a spare one somewhere. I hope we can have a local meet when our Tipos are finished.

I've managed to stop the leak with sealant and a patch but not sure how long it will hold. Hopefully enough to have a working washer for MOT which is booked for Thursday! Obviously it would be good to have a spare if you have one you don't need.
I live on the outskirts of Chester just off the A41/A55. Thanks.

Another Tipo in the area... I'm in Bromborough (late Mk2) and there's a nice one (Mk1) over in Liverpool.

As regards oil I'd say your choice is a pretty good bet, I've used Valvoline MaxLife 10W40 a fair bit, or a similar Morris oil (from Shrewsbury..).

FYI there were different oil filters between earlier and later Tipos... they started out with Imperial threads (UNC ?) but later switched to Metric. I think (from memory) that the later ones will fit an earlier car but a but feels sloppy going on until its tightened up.

Glad to here your working through the issues on your car.

Have you got a sunroof ? Any leaks?

John