Well I just drove from Manchester to Oxfordshire with a long detor due to roadworks and closed sections of the M40 and I have to say I'm impressed with how well my Mk1 Punto handled the journey.

Even though it was a nightmare journey it gave me the chance to check how she is running. Ticked over well when sat in traffic temp gauge sat around or under half way only issue is screeching noise when the disks get hot think my next job is to get the rear drums and front disks changed over in the new year

Anyway I know this is probably of no interest with many but just thought I would share.

Always good to hear when a car does well!
IMO anyway, doesn't happen enough, we all like a moan or seek help when things go bad of course!
Keep the lil girl in good fettle. Flushing the cooling system annually, re-fill with the right spec and quantity of coolant additive, and making sure the servicing gets done using decent stuff etc... All helps!

A well looked after car should happily chug up and down the motorways

You might find it works a bit better after that if anything should have had a good decoke and battery levels will be well topped up! Although being a mk1 I always checked the oil after long runs and checked i had no new/worse leaks, i tend find the car runs better after something like that few hours on the motorway and all of a sudden the idle sounds like a sewing machine.

im not sure about decoke on high mile motors.ive heard that when heavy build ups have been removed you might find that some parts are so worn they need renewing as the carbon was previously taking up that wear

dukeboys said:

im not sure about decoke on high mile motors.ive heard that when heavy build ups have been removed you might find that some parts are so worn they need renewing as the carbon was previously taking up that wear

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The carbon build up could of caused the wear? who knows

This is why - regular servicing and regular good long runs are vital for cars to allow the oil to fully circulate, upto temperature, allow moisture in the oil to evaporate off, the thermostat to fully open, the alternator to have a steady speed to charge the battery

The Catalystic converter, gets red hot, allowing the trapped bits inside to be blown out, allowing the car to breathe better once its running etc etc

A good run will do no car harm unless its already in trouble!

Ziggy

This car has not seen the best of owners from what I can see I get the impression she has been run on cheep and cheerful mostly

I reckon if she had top notch it would be detrimental to her I have put specified grade oil in her apart from that I have no idea of the coolant and have done a visual under her and see no oil drips although she does have a slight dirty undercarriage

She has had a good old soap and water wash down after a short run out today and I'm thinking coolant and oil and filter change after Xmas and those break disks drums pads and shoes done, and who knows maybe a belt and water pump change.

Had the Exhaust done before we came away and can confirm improved mileage and better pull.

After having bad things to say about Fiats over the years for very good reason I finally have something good to say about the Mk1 Punto at least

Long drive back to Manchester Sunday so fingers crossed

I'm glad it's running well, as said a good run DOES help any engine,
"the Literal Decoke..!!"

as you say on cars that have done a fair bit of work , modern super-thin oil can be a bad idea.,
Charlie - Oxford

I realise it might be a bit far to go, but my Panda and Mrs. Beard's 156 go to Heath Road Garage in Sandbach for all their servicing. Alfie who runs the place did all his training at Mangoletsi the FIAT and Alfa main dealer near Knutsford.

In fact the Panda is going there in the next couple of weeks for its timing chain change.

We had a Punto 60S Mk. 1 a few years back which was my mum's first of all and then we inherited it when it was 4 years old. The only issue with it was a head gasket failure for which they were quite well known.

You could also do worse than give it a shot of Redex or similar every so often and having the cooling system flushed out wouldn't hurt either.

Hi Beard Yes it's a bit far to Sandbatch although we did drive through Knutsford on the way to Oxfordshire

I was thinking about Redexing her but wasn't sure of the benefits?

When I replaced the HG for the first time on my 60S decided to take the valves out and lap them. I remember the inlet valves were heavily chocked with quite a bit of thick carbon deposits. I expect those deposits to have caused some restrictions. So if redex can remove some of that carbon and keep the valves clean then will be worth giving it a try.

Did the trip back from Oxfordshire yesterday and she was sill a happy bunny when she got home my only gripe is that bloody screeching when the disks warmed up when I pressed the breaks slightly on the drive it stopped until i took foot of break is this likely contaminated disks or worn pads / disks?

are the disks and drums you get of ebay OK or would I be wasting my money?

I found cheap disks are not the issue. What is the issue is cheap front pads do not work well on my punto 60S. I used cheap Eicher disks and pads at the front and although the disks seem fine the pads fade. Had to replace the pads with Pagid and the brakes are OK. However, noise may not be cured when using good pads it all depends on the overall condition of the brake system. As my punto has no abs, the brakes are designed at the limit so they don't lock the wheels easily, so using cheap brake pads will affect braking performance. If the car has abs usually they are uprated as abs will take over if braking is to strong. In this case cheap brake pads may still work OK and you can get away with poorer performance but not so on non-abs cars.

Discs and pads are cheap enough over the counter at your local parts place GSF car parts, partco, eurocarparts etc.
don't be tempted to buy on eBay they really are no cheaper and it makes returning/exchanging incorrect parts a total nightmare, especially when you find the problem half way through a job and your car is off the road for a week waiting for the right parts to turn up.

My mk1 punto had no problem locking its wheels up if needs be with no abs, generally abs or non abs the rest of the components in the system are the same, so you shouldn't find any real difference up to the point of locking the wheels

AndyRKett said:

My mk1 punto had no problem locking its wheels up if needs be with no abs, generally abs or non abs the rest of the components in the system are the same, so you shouldn't find any real difference up to the point of locking the wheels

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With cheap pads is almost impossible to lock the wheels on a no abs mk1 (at least my one was behaving like that). With good pads I can lock the wheel if I want to. ABS kited mk1 do have larger disks, pads and calipers, which effectivelly uprates the braking system. The effect of the uprate will be that the wheels can be locked easier with an ABS braking system. In this case usually the driver adjust to the way he is braking or if he cannot adjust the ABS system will kick in for him. Cheap pads in an ABS system may work as the system is already uprated and the cheap pad can do some more braking.

Hi guys thanks for the advice.

Mine is none ABS so that is not an issue to me I do tend to buy riveted instead of those nasty adhesive type easy ware disk pads.

I was more interested in the viability of disks and drums bought on ebay, as they are no less cheaper than shop bought that has helped cheers. Would contaminated disks cause the screech that goes when the break is pressed? Or is it likely just poor break pads?

billathome65 said:

Hi Beard Yes it's a bit far to Sandbatch although we did drive through Knutsford on the way to Oxfordshire

I was thinking about Redexing her but wasn't sure of the benefits?

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It does depend which part of Mancland you live in, but even on a weekday it's only about 40 minutes from our 'ouse to Sandbach and it's a nice place to wander round and have a coffee or two while you're waiting. In fairness it can take 40 minutes to drive from one side of Manchester to the other.

As for Redex, I can't see as it will do any harm. I've used it in the past and although I can't say it's made a massive improvement, it doesn't seem to have ever harmed petrol or diesel cars I've owned.

We're toying with the idea of driving to Tuscany again next year in the 156 which, by then, will be 13 years old and have 100,000 miles on the clock. Apart from a full service, it'll probably have a change of brake linings and a radiator flush, and that's about it. I may replace the discs as well as the rears are getting pretty crusty around the the hub area.

This resulted in an irritating squealing noise where the edge of the pads was coming into contact with the rust. A large screwdriver was used to rub it away and the noise hasn't re-occurred, but it's only a matter of time before it does.

Good quality pads are really not that expensive:

http://www.ebcbrakesdirect.com/car/...unto&year=1.2+(Original+Car+=+60+BHP)+(94-99)

http://www.ebcbrakesdirect.com/car/parts_disc.asp?part=disc&make=FIAT&model=Punto&year=1.2+(94-2003)

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/performance/brake-pads/car/fiat/punto-94-99/1996/1-2-60-75

Along with tyres, your brakes are by far the most important parts of your car, along with the steering of course. Buy a cheap stereo by all means but don't scrimp on your brakes.

billathome65 said:

Hi guys thanks for the advice.

Mine is none ABS so that is not an issue to me I do tend to buy riveted instead of those nasty adhesive type easy ware disk pads.

I was more interested in the viability of disks and drums bought on ebay, as they are no less cheaper than shop bought that has helped cheers. Would contaminated disks cause the screech that goes when the break is pressed? Or is it likely just poor break pads?

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Daft question but you tried washing the wheels thoroughly? Squealing can be caused by something a simple as build up of brake dust.
Also they did fit the bigger brakes to none abs mk1s, my car was a 16v so had the same discs and pads as a sporting but as an elx had no abs, brakes were still crap tho...could be locked up if you stopped hard twice, but on a long descent the pedal would get noticeably longer.
Suppose they were better than the ones on my 55s which faded completely then caught fire...