This writeup is in regards to this guide as written by Louie Bee - https://www.fiatforum.com/uno-guides/43921-curing-distributor-oil-leak-fire-engine-uno.html
My lil' engine has been pissing oil for a while now and after being inspired by the "Dude! What's wrong with you car?" thread, I ordered the ring I needed from ebay which was waiting for me when I got home today.
The job is an easy one in my opinion. If this were a Haynes manual, I'd give it half a spanner. I managed to do it in under an hour (after printing out the guide from Louie Bee to take outside with me) without rushing, and not really knowing what I was doing....
Here we have the new ring, and the printed instructions.
As you can see, my engine really has been pissing oil, for as long as I have had the car, and for ages before that I can assume.
Took the distributor off easily, its a 10mm nut by the way
As you can see, the old ring (the black band in the middle of the bit that sticks out from the end of the distributor - NOT the bit nearest the camera with the two nobs on, that is NOT the bit Im talking about ) is flat as a pancake and as flush as a pancake in a pancake sized hole.
As you can see in this picture, the new O ring stands proud like an erect *****. :slayer: Rock on.
New one fitted, old one (which was flat and as hard as plastic, not rubbery at all - I had to split it with a small flat head screwdriver to get it off!) at the side.
Looking in the end of the distributor, 2 of the rods are very, very small (almost totally gone) and the other two seem to be ok. Should I replace these ASAP or, as it is working, should I leave it?
I also took the air filter off so I could get at the pipe from the diaphragm a little easier (it was a BITCH to get off, I had to pry it off with a flathead screwdriver in the end as it didn't come off as easily as Louie Bee says it does! ), and noticed that there was a good amount of brown liquid not only round the seal of the carburettor and the air intake, but also around the pipe that goes underneath the filter was coated in this liquid. Could it be petrol, or is it more likely to be oil? What would be causing this also?
I would have loved to have taken more pictures, but my phone battery was low, and it wouldn't let me. Which sucks.
I started the car up, and the first time I did, it sounded quite rough. I had a look in the engine bay and noticed the exhaust manifold inlet wasn't connected. Put this back together, and gave it a rev, and it sounds much better now. There does seem to be a ticking noise in the distributor though. Might take it into the garage when I get it its' yearly service and get them to look at the timings too.
I had a look at the diaphragm like Louie Bee suggested...and mine seems to be knackered. I can blow and suck continually ( :yum: ), but I know the pipe is fine as I blocked the other end and there was a proper airlock. One quick phone call to dad, and I have a new (spares and repairs) entire distributor (and thus the diaphragm) on the way. However, I'm surprised that the car has been fine without it. What exactly does the diaphragm do?
Also, when I turned the engine on and it started warming up, around the exhaust manifold started smoking. Is this just the bits of oily crap that I cleaned off and that had fallen onto the manifold, and started smoking when it got hot, a kin to a frying pan full of overly hot oil?
All in all, a good guide (pictures could be better though Louie Bee (no disrespect to you for doing the guide though, just a suggestion!)) and an easy job to do yourself if you don't mind getting caked in oil.
Thanks much Louie for the guide!
EDIT - Have just been out for a 20 minute spin up and down the bypass (upto 80MPH ish) to test the car. It is mainly fine but it does seema bit "spurty" when in 2nd and 3rd gear (and first to an extent). Does this mean the timing is off slightly? It did seem to not have as fast acceleration as is 'normal'.
Charged up my phone too so i can take some pictures:
This is where the oily cable starts - is it the speedo cable?
Underneath the distributor doesn't seem to be coated in any new oil! However, only time will tell as I doubt a quick spin out would produce much!
The only dripping bit is directly under the distributor, where I can only assume that old oil has warmed up and dripped down. Other than that, all is fine
My lil' engine has been pissing oil for a while now and after being inspired by the "Dude! What's wrong with you car?" thread, I ordered the ring I needed from ebay which was waiting for me when I got home today.
The job is an easy one in my opinion. If this were a Haynes manual, I'd give it half a spanner. I managed to do it in under an hour (after printing out the guide from Louie Bee to take outside with me) without rushing, and not really knowing what I was doing....
Here we have the new ring, and the printed instructions.
As you can see, my engine really has been pissing oil, for as long as I have had the car, and for ages before that I can assume.
Took the distributor off easily, its a 10mm nut by the way
As you can see, the old ring (the black band in the middle of the bit that sticks out from the end of the distributor - NOT the bit nearest the camera with the two nobs on, that is NOT the bit Im talking about ) is flat as a pancake and as flush as a pancake in a pancake sized hole.
As you can see in this picture, the new O ring stands proud like an erect *****. :slayer: Rock on.
New one fitted, old one (which was flat and as hard as plastic, not rubbery at all - I had to split it with a small flat head screwdriver to get it off!) at the side.
Looking in the end of the distributor, 2 of the rods are very, very small (almost totally gone) and the other two seem to be ok. Should I replace these ASAP or, as it is working, should I leave it?
I also took the air filter off so I could get at the pipe from the diaphragm a little easier (it was a BITCH to get off, I had to pry it off with a flathead screwdriver in the end as it didn't come off as easily as Louie Bee says it does! ), and noticed that there was a good amount of brown liquid not only round the seal of the carburettor and the air intake, but also around the pipe that goes underneath the filter was coated in this liquid. Could it be petrol, or is it more likely to be oil? What would be causing this also?
I would have loved to have taken more pictures, but my phone battery was low, and it wouldn't let me. Which sucks.
I started the car up, and the first time I did, it sounded quite rough. I had a look in the engine bay and noticed the exhaust manifold inlet wasn't connected. Put this back together, and gave it a rev, and it sounds much better now. There does seem to be a ticking noise in the distributor though. Might take it into the garage when I get it its' yearly service and get them to look at the timings too.
I had a look at the diaphragm like Louie Bee suggested...and mine seems to be knackered. I can blow and suck continually ( :yum: ), but I know the pipe is fine as I blocked the other end and there was a proper airlock. One quick phone call to dad, and I have a new (spares and repairs) entire distributor (and thus the diaphragm) on the way. However, I'm surprised that the car has been fine without it. What exactly does the diaphragm do?
Also, when I turned the engine on and it started warming up, around the exhaust manifold started smoking. Is this just the bits of oily crap that I cleaned off and that had fallen onto the manifold, and started smoking when it got hot, a kin to a frying pan full of overly hot oil?
All in all, a good guide (pictures could be better though Louie Bee (no disrespect to you for doing the guide though, just a suggestion!)) and an easy job to do yourself if you don't mind getting caked in oil.
Thanks much Louie for the guide!
EDIT - Have just been out for a 20 minute spin up and down the bypass (upto 80MPH ish) to test the car. It is mainly fine but it does seema bit "spurty" when in 2nd and 3rd gear (and first to an extent). Does this mean the timing is off slightly? It did seem to not have as fast acceleration as is 'normal'.
Charged up my phone too so i can take some pictures:
This is where the oily cable starts - is it the speedo cable?
Underneath the distributor doesn't seem to be coated in any new oil! However, only time will tell as I doubt a quick spin out would produce much!
The only dripping bit is directly under the distributor, where I can only assume that old oil has warmed up and dripped down. Other than that, all is fine
Last edited: