General Looking to buy a car finally !

Currently reading:
General Looking to buy a car finally !

I've personally had no problems in jacking up on the sills, but make sure that the axle stands go, unsurprisingly, on the axles. ;)

I wish I had a trolley jack really...
 
I've personally had no problems in jacking up on the sills, but make sure that the axle stands go, unsurprisingly, on the axles. ;)

I wish I had a trolley jack really...

well using the standard jack sills are ok, but a trolley jack will just crush the sills/floor pan upwards in my experiance, have to put it on the bottom of the rear shocks or front subframe.
 
Ah yeah good point :)


The standard "lip" jack (where a rectangular plate with a groove in it is put against the sill) is great, not for anything extensive.

Like Beau said, if it is not a sill jack, then jack it up on the frame. :)
 
Sump plug is 12mm... not usually part of an Allen key set, but usually in those relatively-expensive 1/2" drive sockets that have Allen key 'stubs' permanently fitted. 'jjhepburn' bought me a top-quality metal box of those for my birthday and although at first it seemed of limited use (I already had a 12mm Allen key ;)) they have turned out to be worth their weight in gold, easily the most useful gift I've received in a long time :D Useful for all sorts of jobs on cars other than the Uno (come to think of it, essential for getting the driveshaft joints apart on the Uno Turbo...)

Like Beau, I remember the floor and sill starting to crumple on one rusty Uno when I used the original jack :) I think it's worth having a trolley jack, safer really.

Jacking up the Uno can be a bit awkward because the strongest place to put the axle stands (under the curved 'saddle' of the suspension arm rear clamps) also happens to be where you want to put a trolley jack. The next best place is the 'jacking points' (which aren't really jacking points) in the front floors - a double-thickness piece with a round hole - which is where you want to use a trolley jack. That doesn't leave much space to get the axle stand in.

If you have a big enough trolley jack - has to be bigger than the small ones, real workshop-size 2tonne plus - you can place that under the clutch bellhousing, at the join between the engine and transmission (as shown in the handbook), then raise the car with speed and ease (it will be unbalanced, as the jack is off-centre), and then place the stands under the suspension arm clamps. The bigger the jack, the better for this, because when you lower a jack that's near the end of its capacity, the car tends to move backwards and misses the stands. You know how well the Uno handbrake usually works, so you could also chock the rear wheels. The other problem is that the bigger jacks won't fit under a lowered Uno. Jacking up my Turbo has now become a bit of a fiddle since I bought a big new trolley jack - I have to use the car's own jack to raise it a bit first :eek:

Never be tempted to use two of the car's own jack, one each side (I think you'd work that out pretty quickly...) jjhepburn and I operated one jack each side... his side went up faster and the Uno lunged towards me as the jacks folded... we laughed and laughed ;) I guess it makes a fun game... the winner is the one who manages to get the Uno to lunge towards the other person... Oh forget I said that, health and safety etc. :eek:

Seriously, I think it's best to ALWAYS assume that the jack you're using, whatever the type, is about to collapse! That means keeping clear of the car as you raise it...

-Alex
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the jacking advice !

Though i was hoping to be able to do it without jacking it up, i can get under the car on my drive as it slopes up and then down. I guess it also depends on what bowl i can actually fit under the car to catch the oil as well.

...anyway, i succesfully changed the sparkplugs, vacuum unit, air filter and sealed the sills this morning. Drives much better now (starts stronger, if you get what i mean, throttle is also much more responsive), seems to have more power as well, might just be a placebo effect i guess.

I did find it hard to change the plug, from left to right is the second one along, though. Quite hard to get to, had to take some 'bits' out to reach it.

...got my steel brush for the angle grinder as well.....muahahahha....rust watch out !!!
 
Thanks for the jacking advice !

*giggle*


The throttle being more responsive will be due to the diaphragm actually working properly - it really does make a huge difference. :)
 
Last edited:
Indeed.
Hopefully they'll save you from jacking up too much and casuing yourself a trip to the hospital for a shot of adrenaline.

;)
 
...Just an update; ordered a 12mm allen key socket 1/2 drive. Rust is now gone, the metal is primed fibreglassed and primed again. Went and got the paint the other day and i also picked up some bumper paint as they need painting too.

...Was going to do (or at least attempt) the oil change today but it's raining, so it'll have to wait til Wednesday.

Gonna post pics of the rust repair once it's all done !
 
They did the welding, unstuck the brake levers, put new shoes on both rear brakes, new wheel cylinder NSR, new CV gaiter, put the spare tyre on (turns out it is near new condition) and drove it to the MOT centre where it passed with no advisories and they drove it back to my house for me as well !

Cost £130, not bad IMO.

I know it's taken me two weeks to pick up on this... :eek:

...but isn't that wonderful to read about proper full service from a workshop - not only did they fix everything (welding - a cramped and uncomfortable job, especially upside-down), brakes (can you say 'rust dust'?), CV joint (that grease makes this THE messiest job on a car)...

...and then, after all that, they drove it to the MOT centre, either waiting around while it was tested, or going back and forth, before delivering it to your place!

Top marks I reckon... it's good to know some of England is still like this, I know I've experienced the opposite kind of cold, calculated "we don't do that, sir" service... ;)

I hope you're able to support that workshop over the coming years, they sound like great allies.

Cheers,
-Alex
 
^^
Yeah they are a great bunch of guys ! No doubt i'll be taking it back there if i need anything else doing that i can't/won't do myself. They are primarily a haulage firm which service and repair their own lorries and sounded quite surprised when i asked about doing work on a car.

...anyway i come bearing a question !

uno1.jpg


Could anyone enlighten me as to what goes in the circled reservoir to the right of the brake fluid reservoir :confused:
 
^^
Yeah they are a great bunch of guys ! No doubt i'll be taking it back there if i need anything else doing that i can't/won't do myself. They are primarily a haulage firm which service and repair their own lorries and sounded quite surprised when i asked about doing work on a car.

...anyway i come bearing a question !

uno1.jpg


Could anyone enlighten me as to what goes in the circled reservoir to the right of the brake fluid reservoir :confused:

The circled reservoir IS the brake fluid reservoir! The smaller one on the inner wing is for the hydraulic clutch ;)
 
:doh:

...automatically thought the one on the left was the brake fluid as it says DOT whatever on there.


thanks for clearing that up !!

EDIT: Shot in the dark here, but i'm desperate for some sort of audio in the car. The only speakers i have are the standard ones (i imagine they sound like a dying koala bear...sorrowful) and i was wondering if anyone on here has a crappy radio they'd be willing to part with for say £30 or so to see me through until i can put some money into a half decent system. Even a stock Uno radio would be better than absolutely nothing !! All i hear at the minute are the odd creaks and squeaks i'd rather forget about.
 
Last edited:
The thing about the Uno standard mount points is not size but the total lack of baffle. at low frequency the negative pressure is cancelled out by positive pressure cos the air is free to flow around the edge of the driver. Forget bass from the standard speakers. this is less of an issue at higher frequency (say 120 hz) so these mount points are good for mids.

Get a decent pair of 10cm speakers for the front, and fill the boot with a sub of some description and away you go. – nothing in sight.

I got a set of these http://www.sahibinden.com/jbl_gto425e_4_2_way_hoperlorWQQaXQQ10668832WQQpXQQdisplayitem and as long as the bass was -8 on the head unit, and cranked up on the sub, they never farted or blew (y)

cracking sound too but I don't think they are in the current range. I got them a fair few years ago from Maplin in the sale

Don't forget out Ice section https://www.fiatforum.com/classifieds/index.php?cat=12

I have a MK2 parcel shelf with Sony Xplode 6x9s in: to sell ), but I used to fade the sound to the front stereo pair to avoid the [ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comb_filter[/ame] effect.. Rears wast of time really and how often do YOU go in the back :D.

I'd say build it up bit by bit, so for now, spend the cash on a decent set of 10 cm (not inch) for behind the dash, then head unit (which plays MPS discs) and then amp / sup.

Plan ahead and get a head unit, which has RCA outputs (for amps) and a line in for Ipod or whatever.

If you really want to waist some cash for a quick fix, I have a Sony Mind Disk HU I'd sell, but who plays them in this day and age?
 
Last edited:
Just to add to what Louie says...

The 10cm (4") speakers in the dashboard are never going to sound great (due to the mounting, as Louie says). Personally, I think you should aim for mounting 6" speakers in the doors. It means cutting holes in the trim, but the trim probably isn't so wonderful that you'd be upset to modify it...

As low as possible and as far forward as possible is generally the go when fitting speakers in doors - on the Uno I also suggest using MDF to make a brace for the speaker to screw into - also reduces the flexing of the handle when you close the door.

-Alex
 
Back
Top