Asbestos in 1979 1600 motor/clutch???

[andyxlh]

Hi all
I’m exporting my car to Australia where I now live. They are very strict about importing asbestos (which is hilarious as most of the houses on the south coast are made if the stuff). I’m going to have a huge problem if there’s asbestos in the engine.
The danger bits are
Clutch
Exhaust manifold
Head gasket
Does anyone know if Fiat used asbestos in these areas in a 1979 1600TC?
Brakes are all new…

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi all
I’m exporting my car to Australia where I now live. They are very strict about importing asbestos (which is hilarious as most of the houses on the south coast are made if the stuff). I’m going to have a huge problem if there’s asbestos in the engine.
The danger bits are
Clutch
Exhaust manifold
Head gasket
Does anyone know if Fiat used asbestos in these areas in a 1979 1600TC?
Brakes are all new…

Hi and welcome

To be frank I would be
Shocked if it didn't,

That is just before I started driving and all kinds of parts still had Asbestos warning labels through the 90's

My 2004 panda had clutch issues due to Asbestos free materials, as did the BMW MINI of that era

Member @portland_bill may well give far better info regarding dates of policy shifts, etc



The vehicle sounds great.. Where are you moving it from?

It's 'home market'. May just have a bearing..

 

[andyxlh]

Hi and welcome

To be frank I would be
Shocked if it didn't,

That is just before I started driving and all kinds of parts still had Asbestos warning labels through the 90's

My 2004 panda had clutch issues due to Asbestos free materials, as did the BMW MINI of that era

Member @portland_bill may well give far better info regarding dates of policy shifts, etc



The vehicle sounds great.. Where are you moving it from?

It's 'home market'. May just have a bearing..

Thanks! Not the news I was hoping for…
From Welwyn to Sydney

 

[The Panda Nut]

Hi and welcome

To be frank I would be
Shocked if it didn't,

That is just before I started driving and all kinds of parts still had Asbestos warning labels through the 90's

My 2004 panda had clutch issues due to Asbestos free materials, as did the BMW MINI of that era

Member @portland_bill may well give far better info regarding dates of policy shifts, etc



The vehicle sounds great.. Where are you moving it from?

It's 'home market'. May just have a bearing..

Agreed.

 

[portland_bill]

Asbestos became a big thing in the late eighties, with asbestos-free brakes and clutches being developed and fitted. By 1990, there was very little asbestos still used by manufacturers, except Russia and China, but in those days, cars form them were scarce.
The legislation to prohibit asbestos was later, of course, 1999 according to HSE. https://www.hse.gov.uk/mvr/mechanical-repair/asbestos.htm

If your car has not had a replacement clutch since 1990, then it will be asbestos.

Some starter motors contained asbestos, so Australia might quibble about that too.

 

[andyxlh]

Thank you!!!
Ok that makes sense. So I’ll need to strip out the clutch. Which bits of the starter, the clutch?
As I’m currently in Australia I might not be able to make this work

 

[portland_bill]

Thank you!!!
Ok that makes sense. So I’ll need to strip out the clutch. Which bits of the starter, the clutch?
As I’m currently in Australia I might not be able to make this work

Sadly, I never did find a defenitive answer as to where the asbestos was. I think it might have been part of the insluation in the commutator, so only a very tiny amount.

Have you asked the Aus authorities about this? Do they have guidelines? If lucky, you might get to speak to someone with a bit of knowledge and enthusiasm.

 

[andyxlh]

The guidelines were implemented in 2017 for Australia. If I’d brought it in before then it would have been an issue.
It will be tested, but I’m not sure to what extent. I have to sign a statutory declaration stating there’s none in the car, but that seems I can’t do it.bits a big problem if it is found out at the docks in Sydney.
Not sure where to go from here, they will be looking, and will find it

 

[portland_bill]

The stuff that may be included in the starter motor cannot be 'found'. They can only reject it if they know that it has it in there.
I'm still thinking the Aus govt. department will give more definitive answers than we can on here.

 

[andyxlh]

The stuff that may be included in the starter motor cannot be 'found'. They can only reject it if they know that it has it in there.
I'm still thinking the Aus govt. department will give more definitive answers than we can on here.

Agreed. I’ve attached the Australian government document if anyone is interested
A modern clutch kit for the 1600 will solve that problem, I have to get the old one out…

 

[portland_bill]

Agreed. I’ve attached the Australian government document if anyone is interested
A modern clutch kit for the 1600 will solve that problem, I have to get the old one out…

Perhaps all you need is a receipt for a new clutch. How could they check whether it is in there? As long as you don't ship it in the boot.

 

[andyxlh]

Perhaps all you need is a receipt for a new clutch. How could they check whether it is in there? As long as you don't ship it in the boot.

That’s not a silly idea…… and pop it in the post

 

[andyxlh]

Update, my cousin runs a garage in Hertfordshire so I’m enquiring about having them swap out these parts, clutch, brakes, exhaust gasket

 

[varesecrazy]

Planned to post this 24 hours ago..

Part of me is thinking..

Are they thinking of sound insulation and other 'Matting'.. With 'loose fibres'

Rather than Cast Components?

 

[andyxlh]

Both, the govt document shows testing a brake shoe.
I’m pretty certain there’s no matting like that in the car anywhere tho’

 

[s130]

I also note:

"vehicles provided with written exception from the requirement for a VIA (for example, manufactured
before 1 January 1989 and registered within the Specialist and Enthusiast Vehicle Scheme)"

This looks like some form a Classic Car scheme. Worth investigating this as you may be able to qualify under that scheme.

Still worth getting the work done for obvious reasons.

 

[RalphM]

A friend wanted to ship a very nice Merc out to Australia some years ago,
he went into it and found that by the time they had inspected it it would
be more or less scrap he did not bother and sold it here.
This is some years back and things may have changed but worth inquiring
about.

 

[andyxlh]

There does seem to be a rather large number of hoops to jump through…

 

[andyxlh]

Anyone got a part number for a clutch kit (non asbestos) for a 1979 131 1600 TC???

 

[varesecrazy]

Anyone got a part number for a clutch kit (non asbestos) for a 1979 131 1600 TC???

Use the genuine FIAT number from ePER parts system

Google ; Ebay should find modern kits to that number