The Fiat 132s 1800 Thread!!! YAY!:slayer:

Currently reading:
The Fiat 132s 1800 Thread!!! YAY!:slayer:

Persica

New member
Joined
Jan 3, 2006
Messages
18
Points
2
hey guys, Im a newb here...


so happy to have found a fiat community. I recently purchased a fiat 132s 1800 and i like very much! is nice!

Ive heard that the old fiats rust a lot coz the Italians built a car plant for the USSR and they gave em a whole heap of crappy steele...is this true?

also, has anyone here owned a fiat 132s? is there anything i should know about them? Ive had so many troubles so far, I need to go register it and it's not roadworthy; had troubles with rust, engine smoking, electrics and it has no mirrors or visors... i took her for a spin and she flies though! love teh twin cams. :worship:

anyway, I just want to rest easy knowing there is a Fiat 132s thread up on teh net.

will add pics soon.

peace.
 
Persica said:
hey guys, Im a newb here...


so happy to have found a fiat community. I recently purchased a fiat 132s 1800 and i like very much! is nice!

Ive heard that the old fiats rust a lot coz the Italians built a car plant for the USSR and they gave em a whole heap of crappy steele...is this true?

also, has anyone here owned a fiat 132s? is there anything i should know about them? Ive had so many troubles so far, I need to go register it and it's not roadworthy; had troubles with rust, engine smoking, electrics and it has no mirrors or visors... i took her for a spin and she flies though! love teh twin cams. :worship:

anyway, I just want to rest easy knowing there is a Fiat 132s thread up on teh net.

will add pics soon.

peace.
yes, ive owned a 132 ! :) worked on plenty too.
the steel story is true. they used "black metal" which is recycled metal pressed together. they also imported it from australia[ who supplied the japs]. the waferering of the metal would start to turn back into ferous oxide causing chunks to fall off cars.
the engines are pretty much bom proof as long as proper servicing has been done. i would change the cam belt and tensioner as soon as possible. the smoking could be hardened valve seals, valve guides or rings. if you change the belt, take the head off and check it out.
the rust issue is uncertain. they can and will rust everywhere. i would take the capet out and check all the floor and if the sills a good, waxoyl everywhere especially the box sections.
the electrics are typical 1970's italian car. will mostly be poor earthing and broken brittle wires. lights will be the main problem but are easy to fix.
enjoy the car. they are fast. infact, they were quicker then the later 2000 models.
to moderators. maybe this should move to other fiat section? :)
 
sumplug said:
yes, ive owned a 132 ! :) worked on plenty too.
the steel story is true. they used "black metal" which is recycled metal pressed together. they also imported it from australia[ who supplied the japs]. the waferering of the metal would start to turn back into ferous oxide causing chunks to fall off cars.
the engines are pretty much bom proof as long as proper servicing has been done. i would change the cam belt and tensioner as soon as possible. the smoking could be hardened valve seals, valve guides or rings. if you change the belt, take the head off and check it out.
the rust issue is uncertain. they can and will rust everywhere. i would take the capet out and check all the floor and if the sills a good, waxoyl everywhere especially the box sections.
the electrics are typical 1970's italian car. will mostly be poor earthing and broken brittle wires. lights will be the main problem but are easy to fix.
enjoy the car. they are fast. infact, they were quicker then the later 2000 models.
to moderators. maybe this should move to other fiat section? :)

:wave:
Thanks for the feedback guys, i'm so excited as I have no idea what waxoyl is, possibly coz of 2 reasons, A) im a newb or B) Im in sydney.

ummm :chin: I also hate to mention that even though I have a service book that's printed in the UK on it's way in 2 weeks I have very little Idea what to do with the tensioner, although I have some idea of where it is...Im assuming the main wheel of where the drive belt runs?

2nd Question is:
if I open the head...is it easy to put back on? as far as an ignorant car user goes; I have no idea how to open the head properly and I heard (I think, I tend to dream things up) that heads must be tightened at a certain tension and cannot be done by the average tom dick n harry.

if you could answer these i'd be really gratefull.

Ive also been advised that with 70's italian electrics; it's a necessity to carry 'round 1200 grit sand paper. esp if u keep the original clay fuses.:idea: (which mine has)
 
Persica said:
:wave:
Thanks for the feedback guys, i'm so excited as I have no idea what waxoyl is, possibly coz of 2 reasons, A) im a newb or B) Im in sydney.

ummm :chin: I also hate to mention that even though I have a service book that's printed in the UK on it's way in 2 weeks I have very little Idea what to do with the tensioner, although I have some idea of where it is...Im assuming the main wheel of where the drive belt runs?

2nd Question is:
if I open the head...is it easy to put back on? as far as an ignorant car user goes; I have no idea how to open the head properly and I heard (I think, I tend to dream things up) that heads must be tightened at a certain tension and cannot be done by the average tom dick n harry.

if you could answer these i'd be really gratefull.

Ive also been advised that with 70's italian electrics; it's a necessity to carry 'round 1200 grit sand paper. esp if u keep the original clay fuses.:idea: (which mine has)
waxoyl is a thick rust protector/neutroliser that you spray in to the cavities. proberly not reqiured in australia, but would use some form of anti rust anyway.
the tensioner is the small pulley that tensions the cam belt. you will see it when you remove the yellow cam belt cover.
the head is easy to remove and put back. on re-fitting, as long as you torque the head down in the right sequence and right torque[ref to manual], no real problem. use the later ritmo/ beta volumex head gasket.
anything else, just ask. i will try and answer your questions. btw, is the service manual by haynes? :)
 
thanks a lot!

I'll have plenty of questions in time. don't you worry. the manual Ive ordered is an oldy. VERY old. but I will be getting a haynes one too.

thanks a lot for the advice. Im not sure if I'd be able to find the head kit u described coz a lot of stuff out here from the auto shops such as repco, auto barn etc are generic.

thanks again. will post soon.

as for the rust, its RUSTY and Ive sprayed the hell out of it with silicone spray and then will try to get something that lasts longer.


peace.
 
Persica said:
thanks a lot!

I'll have plenty of questions in time. don't you worry. the manual Ive ordered is an oldy. VERY old. but I will be getting a haynes one too.

thanks a lot for the advice. Im not sure if I'd be able to find the head kit u described coz a lot of stuff out here from the auto shops such as repco, auto barn etc are generic.

thanks again. will post soon.

as for the rust, its RUSTY and Ive sprayed the hell out of it with silicone spray and then will try to get something that lasts longer.


peace.
for the head gasket, ask for a fiat ritmo 130 abarth asadur gasket[standard item] or lancia beta volumex gasket[standard]. they are inpregnated with a polymer which sets with heat to give a cast iron seal.:) good luck.(y)
 
thanks, will let you know around next monthish.

I just have one question, after staring at the electrical diagram, looking all over the user's manual I cannot find the bloody hazard...any ideas? there is a light for it in between the oil and water temp gauge, but I cannot find any way to put on the hazards... :bang:

thanks a lot for your help(s)

I am 2 days away from the Fiat on the road!!! YAY!!! :slayer:
 
Persica said:
thanks, will let you know around next monthish.

I just have one question, after staring at the electrical diagram, looking all over the user's manual I cannot find the bloody hazard...any ideas? there is a light for it in between the oil and water temp gauge, but I cannot find any way to put on the hazards... :bang:

thanks a lot for your help(s)

I am 2 days away from the Fiat on the road!!! YAY!!! :slayer:
there was no hazard switch fitted to the 1800 models. only later 2000 models! you could wire one in using a relay and dash light.
2 days to go! nice one. good luck, and enjoy:) (y)
PS;- I bet its hot in sydney at the moment!!
 
it is raining today, and has been the last few days, its really good because there was bushfires up north a little while ago, but it is stinking hot out here, if any of you head down give me a buzz yeah?

anyway, I put in some stop smoke (thick oil) today to stop it from smoking, it still smokes but less, what ive noticed coz its been raining lately is it blows a lot of misty stuff out the back...is this normal? I cant figure out what's going on.

thanks a lot for your help sum plug.

if this car get's on the road i will go nuts!:worship:

I love driving it; except i'm used to my old 240 volvo and that had a great power steering and even better turning circle, alas! i'll get used to the fiat's twin cams of glory instead.:slayer:

thanks again
 
Persica said:
it is raining today, and has been the last few days, its really good because there was bushfires up north a little while ago, but it is stinking hot out here, if any of you head down give me a buzz yeah?

anyway, I put in some stop smoke (thick oil) today to stop it from smoking, it still smokes but less, what ive noticed coz its been raining lately is it blows a lot of misty stuff out the back...is this normal? I cant figure out what's going on.

thanks a lot for your help sum plug.

if this car get's on the road i will go nuts!:worship:

I love driving it; except i'm used to my old 240 volvo and that had a great power steering and even better turning circle, alas! i'll get used to the fiat's twin cams of glory instead.:slayer:

thanks again
the infamous poor turning circle of twincam fiats:D
misty stuff is possibly condensation. it should clear when you rev it a bit, then return when it idles. if it is very white looking and constant, then that shows headgasket blowing. check dipstick for water droplets and radiator for oil. i think either the valve stem seals have hardened[not uncommon on twincams] or the valve guides are worn or both. see how it runs after a good blast at speed.
btw, ive got family in bundaburg, 45 mins north of Brisbane on the south tip of the Great Barrier Reef. actual town is Baggara. always warm to hot with hardly any rainfall. paradise!!
hopefully going out to aussie in dec for several weeks. you never know, might drop in on you in sydney. you can give me a tour of the place:D
 
photos coming soon, it looks awful at the moment... I'm gonna paint her soon.

what colour makes it go faster? red only works for sport cars


will be glad to give you a tour :D
 
Last edited:
Persica said:
photos coming soon, it looks awful at the moment... I'm gonna paint her soon.

what colour makes it go faster? red only works for sport cars


will be glad to give you a tour :D
i always like 132's in silver or light met blue. flat colours dont suit it.:)
if the visit to family go's ahead, i will take you up on that. ive always wanted to see sydney.:D
according to websites, there is a thriving fiat club scene in aussie. plenty of classics around[ good climate]. 124 sport my favorite;)
 
fotos of her when i bought it.

rusty as hell.
 

Attachments

  • Fiat.jpg
    Fiat.jpg
    26.5 KB · Views: 89
  • fiat2.jpg
    fiat2.jpg
    24.2 KB · Views: 90
  • fiat3.jpg
    fiat3.jpg
    29.6 KB · Views: 83
  • fiat4.jpg
    fiat4.jpg
    24.8 KB · Views: 89
Persica said:
fotos of her when i bought it.

rusty as hell.
that takes me back.:)
it doen't look too bad in the pictures.;)
that engine will have the weber carb with progressive power jet pump. great for power and torque. when set up correctly, will go like sh*t of a shovel(y)
what have you done to her since the photos?:)
 
i messed around with the electrics, the carb, changed oil, flushed radiator 3 times, put around 2 kg of car bog in the car and painted the rusty bits. its very patchy and the paint is different colours :)

I put in visors and a mirror, i gots a lots of work ahead of me, i have no idea what im doing and sadly its in auto :(

i have no idea how to set the jet pump or carby, i need to set the carby coz when its still cold and i thrash it, it drowns and dies.

will be looking forward to you coming to aus! bring your license! :)
 
Persica said:
i messed around with the electrics, the carb, changed oil, flushed radiator 3 times, put around 2 kg of car bog in the car and painted the rusty bits. its very patchy and the paint is different colours :)

I put in visors and a mirror, i gots a lots of work ahead of me, i have no idea what im doing and sadly its in auto :(

i have no idea how to set the jet pump or carby, i need to set the carby coz when its still cold and i thrash it, it drowns and dies.

will be looking forward to you coming to aus! bring your license! :)
conversion to manual required(y)
please do not thrash when cold. you will wreck the cam bearings.
the carb has a fast idle tickover setting when cold. this must be set correctly before fine tuning the carb. also if not fitted, fit an inline fuel filter close to the carb. they are arrowed to fit the right way.
i presume its manual choke? tell me the model number of carb and i will tell you how to set it.
god, i wish i lived in aussie. fiat paradise with low rainfall [depends where you live:) ]
another place i would like to visit, is tasmania. hobart and around look fantastic. are internal flights cheap as in america?
andy.
 
bad day today.:cry:

my electrical know how friend did not show up as his house is having septic probs and tomorrow is D-day. i did all i could myself and the car started smoking a lot. I think when i put the stop smoke in it went over the max. not sure yet coz the car is unmovable as the folks are putting in an antenna and its blocking the car from moving down the driveway(it's on a hill at the moment). anyways the car used to give a bluish tinged black smoke before and it smoked less after the stop smoke; today it started misting in idle and then when i gave it some gas a lot of white smoke showed up. bad day today. I'm so bummed out coz ive got no car and im gonna put the roadworthy check off till next week coz the electrics are still giving me the sh*t. I can't afford to spend any more money on the bastard. if it doesn't pass the rego, im going to have to get rid of it :cry: coz i got no place to put it. :(

a lot of people want to come to australia thinking that this is paradise, after living in london for 3 months, I think it is but I love travelling and sydney isn't all that. still a great place...but...I've seen better. If you want to come to aus, why don't you get a working visa? depending on your age, you can work in australia I think for a year or so. anyway, definetly come down and give it a shot, i'll be glad to give as much assistance as I can.:)

i'm gonna go back to sobbing and trying to think why the powers that be hate me.


ps. I checked the dipstick and i found a drop of water half the size of a match head and im not sure if it came from in or out, because i gave it a rinse yesterday. :cry:

there was no oil in the radiator though, as far as i could tell...
 
Last edited:
Persica said:
bad day today.:cry:

my electrical know how friend did not show up as his house is having septic probs and tomorrow is D-day. i did all i could myself and the car started smoking a lot. I think when i put the stop smoke in it went over the max. not sure yet coz the car is unmovable as the folks are putting in an antenna and its blocking the car from moving down the driveway(it's on a hill at the moment). anyways the car used to give a bluish tinged black smoke before and it smoked less after the stop smoke; today it started misting in idle and then when i gave it some gas a lot of white smoke showed up. bad day today. I'm so bummed out coz ive got no car and im gonna put the roadworthy check off till next week coz the electrics are still giving me the sh*t. I can't afford to spend any more money on the bastard. if it doesn't pass the rego, im going to have to get rid of it :cry: coz i got no place to put it. :(

a lot of people want to come to australia thinking that this is paradise, after living in london for 3 months, I think it is but I love travelling and sydney isn't all that. still a great place...but...I've seen better. If you want to come to aus, why don't you get a working visa? depending on your age, you can work in australia I think for a year or so. anyway, definetly come down and give it a shot, i'll be glad to give as much assistance as I can.:)

i'm gonna go back to sobbing and trying to think why the powers that be hate me.


ps. I checked the dipstick and i found a drop of water half the size of a match head and im not sure if it came from in or out, because i gave it a rinse yesterday. :cry:

there was no oil in the radiator though, as far as i could tell...
lets not write the car off yet.
what you need to do is check the oil cold. if its over the top, let some out.
next is to check several times on the dipstick for water with engine cold and hot. you could have a blown headgasket though but only just. its not hard to replace the gasket. i feel really sorry for you. she is an old girl playing up.
my father was stationed at freemantle and sydney for a year and was with the pacific fleet. he stayed on a working station[farm] which was so big, you could ride a horse for a day and not reach the bounderies!! but sydney has changed a lot. still worth a visit though.
PS;- whats wrong with the electrics?:)
 
Back
Top