Technical Sciocento 52 reg torque setting & Allen Key size

Currently reading:
Technical Sciocento 52 reg torque setting & Allen Key size

Hi Paul hope you're doing fine as well, when you turn the ignition on you should hear the fuel pump priming as it's located underneath the rear seat, if you don't hear the priming then the fuel pump is probably at fault, SPI & MPI are different pumps though due to the fuel pressure so if you put an SPI pump into an MPI or vice versa it'll either not run or not run properly, your brother's Seicento is an MPI being a 52 reg. Usually though Seicento fuel pumps will give you a warning that their failing with a constant very high pitch whining noise before finally giving up.

Although what you are describing my first & probably only suspect would be the crankshaft sensor as on both Seicento's & Cinquecento's it's a very common issue on both 899 & 1108 engines as the sensor will either be covered in muck, the sensor bit itself might be cracked as it has been known to happen or there will be a break somewhere the wire & they do just go without warning, It'll be located somewhere around the crank pulley, be sure to get a reputable manufacturer part as the cheaper ones are not so good. Magnetti Marelli will be the best as that would be what was originally used but any decent brand should be good enough & they come with the wire as part of the sensor as OEM, it'll usually be around the £20-£30 mark so much cheaper than the fuel pump. If it's on a bracket like the 899 be careful not to bend the bracket in any way as it can alter the timing & signals to the ECU as there are tolerances for firing, fuel etc. Again it seems that SPI & MPI are different but if you buy from either Shop4Parts or Ricambio it should tell you on their site.

Below is the sensor of my 899 with the bracket on the block when I had minor running/starting issues last summer, although in a different position to the 1108 the principle is virtually the same, luckily I was able to clean this one up & reuse it as the wire was intact & the sensor wasn't cracked although. As yours isn't running at all I'd suspect the wire being broke or sensor cracked more than it being grubby. Hope this helps as it's the only part really that would stop a Seicento running apart from a pump as they are pretty basic & robust little cars but if that's priming all good then it'll most likely be the crank sensor.

IMG_20240917_110727.jpg
 
Wow thanks for your very comprehensive reply Mat.Ive just phoned my Brother and its now started after fuel being put in tank.We think it's got a leak from pipe work.Im going to jack it up Sunday to look. The sender unit gives false readings evidently .This may be due to years ago a mechanic where he worked cleaning tank of debri and possibly putting sender unit 180 degrees out of kilter ,if that's possible ? Is sender unit removal a tank drop job ? I will pass all your kind info to my Brother .I'm also going to find source of Engine oil leak off side .It doesn't use hardly any oil but its all over alternator area and below.Not dripping but fairly damp to dripping at times..I've got a new rocker cover gasket just in case.Although I've felt round that area and it's dry. I don't like jet washing near electrical items it leads to misery and pain lol.Is there a known fault area re oil leaks know to the forum or yourself please ?
 
You're more than welcome 👍 The sender & fuel pump are all one piece so to replace the sender you'd have to get the whole pump. The tank doesn't need to be dropped to change the pump/sender unit, all you have to do is lift up the base of the rear seats which will reveal a cover, remove this cover which is held in with 4 x 10mm nuts from memory which will then reveal the top of the pump & tank, remove the connector & the 2 pipes which go into the top of the pump taking note which one goes where & also expect a little fuel spillage from the pipes, then there will be a metal ring around the pump with I think 10 x 8mm nuts from memory which need to be removed as it's the securing ring for the pump, once the securing ring has been lifted off twist the pump whilst it is still in situ & then lift it out of the tank.
 
Once again Mat ,many thanks.That sounds cheaper and easier to sort if that's the problem.Maybe that's where leak is originating from? Also we've both smelt petrol occasionally in and out of car.He says fuel gauge shows half full when getting low and a bit later fuel light comes on I think.If you know anything about oil leak let us know as I do hate oil drenched undersides and it eventually rots those wonderful CV Gaiters haha.
 
Once again Mat ,many thanks.That sounds cheaper and easier to sort if that's the problem.Maybe that's where leak is originating from? Also we've both smelt petrol occasionally in and out of car.He says fuel gauge shows half full when getting low and a bit later fuel light comes on I think.If you know anything about oil leak let us know as I do hate oil drenched undersides and it eventually rots those wonderful CV Gaiters haha.
If there's an oil leak on an 1108 it'll either be

A) rocker cover gasket leaking & running down the back of the engine
B) rotten sump
C) I'm not too sure if the later ones had it but the earlier cars had an o ring between the cam & coil packs same as the distributors on the earlier carb FIRE engines (Panda's, Uno's) & SPI FIRE (Punto, Cinquecento, Seicento) so this could be worth looking into, someone can correct me if I'm wrong as I'm not 100% sure as I cannot remember whether MPI cars had it or not as I've only had 1 old MPI Fiat which was a 1.2 16v Super FIRE Bravo many years ago.

Those are the 3 main common places for FIRE engines to leak in oil.
 
Last edited:
Many thanks Mat ,sorry for late reply. I will bear all this information in mind on Sunday afternoon as we attempt to solve some haha of these defects .Will let you know the outcome as we progress.Paul.
 
Hi Matt,hope your and your family are all well.More help needed and advice needed please . Where can we get a fuel tank new or good second hand or overhauled .Also he has
Hi everyone, on my Brothers car . Ive changed drive shaft Gaiters o/s and now need torque settings for hub nut, lower ball joint to hub nut and hub to suspension strut bolts and track rod end nut also front caliper bolts please.No Haynes Manuals avaliable ? Also what size Allen Key is Gearbox filler Please mine only go up to 10 mm and its bigger. Many thanks in advance.P.S.this job has been fighting me all the way lol.
Hi Matt ,I do hope you and your Family are fine ? After a recent visit to his mates Garage he's con firmed Fuel tank rotten and need replacement new second hand or referred and where are the bolts to remove it.He says hound some under rear seat ? but not rest.Also it's got oil leak between block and head osf is this known about or a blanking plate gasket leak etc etc.Doesnt use hardly any oil and none in water ? Many thanks in advance as always.
 
Hi Matt,hope your and your family are all well.More help needed and advice needed please . Where can we get a fuel tank new or good second hand or overhauled .Also he has

Hi Matt ,I do hope you and your Family are fine ? After a recent visit to his mates Garage he's con firmed Fuel tank rotten and need replacement new second hand or referred and where are the bolts to remove it.He says hound some under rear seat ? but not rest.Also it's got oil leak between block and head osf is this known about or a blanking plate gasket leak etc etc.Doesnt use hardly any oil and none in water ? Many thanks in advance as always.
Hi Paul we are good thanks 👍 fuel tanks are one of the few parts for a Seicento that are actually still quite plentiful, your best bet for a fuel tank are eBay as brand new they are just over £100 you just have to make sure you get one for a MPI in your case as the SPI ones are supposedly different although I'm not sure in what way, I know the pumps are different so it could be that. There are 3 bolts underneath that hold the fuel tank in 1 at the front & 2 at the back which are all prone to snapping, there is also a breather/valve on the top on either side but I'm not too sure how they come out. The 8 nuts under the seat are for the fuel pump. Just browsing Google & Alfa Fiat Parts currently have a brand new tank advertised for £62, the link is below but I'd be quick as it's the last one


It says Seicento MPI but type your reg in to make sure it's correct, I've never bought anything from Alfa Fiat Parts personally but have heard goos things about them, also I'd see if I could get replacement bolts for the tank in case they do snap. I'll be changing the tank on mine within the next year I think as mine is looking a little scabby around the seams, I'm dreading it to be honest 🤣. As for the oil leaks between head & block only thing I could think of is possibly the rocker cover gasket leaking & the oils running down from the top, rocker cover gaskets are notorious on FIRE engines.
 
Last edited:
Hi Paul we are good thanks 👍 fuel tanks are one of the few parts for a Seicento that are actually still quite plentiful, your best bet for a fuel tank are eBay as brand new they are just over £100 you just have to make sure you get one for a MPI in your case as the SPI ones are supposedly different although I'm not sure in what way, I know the pumps are different so it could be that. There are 3 bolts underneath that hold the fuel tank in 1 at the front & 2 at the back which are all prone to snapping, there is also a breather/valve on the top on either side but I'm not too sure how they come out. The 8 nuts under the seat are for the fuel pump. Just browsing Google & Alfa Fiat Parts currently have a brand new tank advertised for £62, the link is below but I'd be quick as it's the last one


It says Seicento MPI but type your reg in to make sure it's correct, I've never bought anything from Alfa Fiat Parts personally but have heard goos things about them, also I'd see if I could get replacement bolts for the tank in case they do snap. I'll be changing the tank on mine within the next year I think as mine is looking a little scabby around the seams, I'm dreading it to be honest 🤣. As for the oil leaks between head & block only thing I could think of is possibly the rocker cover gasket leaking & the oils running down from the top, rocker cover gaskets are notorious on FIRE engines.
Hi Mat,thanks for you last reply,I passed all info onto my Brother who ordered tank from alpha fiat parts £68.07 delivered 7-10 days delivery time since last Thursday eve 26th of June.It said new ! Amazing if so as Europarts say about £355 approx from Memory. Any way yes rear 2 bolts snapped off (Brother managed that even after pre soacking with oil and WD) and I removed with a long breaker bar 17mm socket 3 spot welding each as they were captive.We've paraffin cleaned many bits for reassembly and I will get replacement nuts bolts washers etc from my extensive stock from my garage as necessary. I need to knew can the fuel pump sender unit go in only one way in tank or 180 degrees out ? You may recall I said fuel gauge says half full when full.Previously repaird years ago by his previous works mechanics .Thanks in advance Paul.ps I've also wire brushed more visible rear suspension of surface light rust and painted with old black chassis paint for protection. Remarkably rust free underneath as said before. Thank God lol.
 
Hi Mat,thanks for you last reply,I passed all info onto my Brother who ordered tank from alpha fiat parts £68.07 delivered 7-10 days delivery time since last Thursday eve 26th of June.It said new ! Amazing if so as Europarts say about £355 approx from Memory. Any way yes rear 2 bolts snapped off (Brother managed that even after pre soacking with oil and WD) and I removed with a long breaker bar 17mm socket 3 spot welding each as they were captive.We've paraffin cleaned many bits for reassembly and I will get replacement nuts bolts washers etc from my extensive stock from my garage as necessary. I need to knew can the fuel pump sender unit go in only one way in tank or 180 degrees out ? You may recall I said fuel gauge says half full when full.Previously repaird years ago by his previous works mechanics .Thanks in advance Paul.ps I've also wire brushed more visible rear suspension of surface light rust and painted with old black chassis paint for protection. Remarkably rust free underneath as said before. Thank God lol.
Hi Paul, Euro parts always seem to be on the dear side 😂. Cento senders/gauges all tend to do their own thing & are very rarely accurate it's a well known thing with them 😂 mine even does it's own thing with a new pump lol & my first Cinquecento used to only read just under a quarter of a tank when it was full 😂 the pump/sender usually goes back in very easily, what I usually do is at the beginning go in at a slight angle so the bottom bit of the sender goes in first otherwise if you try to do it straight from above it won't go in due to the bottom of the sender being in the way so do it at a slight angle & then once the bottom of the sender is in you can start to straighten the position whilst guiding the pump in, you won't be able to have it in there 180 degrees out as the pipes will not reach the outlets on the pump itself so the final resting position of the pump has to be exactly where it was before for connecting the fuel pipes up, when you connect the fuel pipes to the pump you should hear them click into place, it can take a couple off attempts 😂
 
Hi Paul, Euro parts always seem to be on the dear side 😂. Cento senders/gauges all tend to do their own thing & are very rarely accurate it's a well known thing with them 😂 mine even does it's own thing with a new pump lol & my first Cinquecento used to only read just under a quarter of a tank when it was full 😂 the pump/sender usually goes back in very easily, what I usually do is at the beginning go in at a slight angle so the bottom bit of the sender goes in first otherwise if you try to do it straight from above it won't go in due to the bottom of the sender being in the way so do it at a slight angle & then once the bottom of the sender is in you can start to straighten the position whilst guiding the pump in, you won't be able to have it in there 180 degrees out as the pipes will not reach the outlets on the pump itself so the final resting position of the pump has to be exactly where it was before for connecting the fuel pipes up, when you connect the fuel pipes to the pump you should hear them click into place, it can take a couple off attempts 😂
Hi again Matt, my Brother asks what are the 2 white tubes for that locate in the top of fuel tank for please ? Breathers ?
 
Hi again Matt, my Brother asks what are the 2 white tubes for that locate in the top of fuel tank for please ? Breathers ?
Breathers is the only thing I'd be able to think off, they must be different on the MPI's then as on the SPI the tubes for the breathers are blue, either that or it's what Fiat picked out the parts bin on that Friday 🤣
 
Back
Top