Hi, it seems I am giving up the refurbishing job ony my tRUSTY 45.
However, this is not the end of my life with carb Uno 45, the most practical car I ever had - if everything goes OK, I am getting another one before Wednesday (fingers crossed), which is not rust-eaten on the critical parts (guess we all know them).
BUT - the other 45 is equipped with Ecobox, while my old one is not. A brief description of the device is present in my Etzold manual, but it is not detailed enough to troubleshoot the device.
My electronic copy of Haynes manual does not include Ecobox description at all.
I wonder if somebody equipped with a Porter manual can shed some light on this matter - say, scan the manual pages dealing with Ecobox and post them here?
Thanx in advance for all help.

Hi there,

I’m not sure what an Ecobox is TBH. Is it part of the econometer?

ecobox is proberly the gearbox having economy gearing!

sumplug said:

ecobox is proberly the gearbox having economy gearing!

Click to expand...

Perhaps its powered by small children and rhodents rather than the conventional inline 4 engine?

(Really I suspect you're right)

No, it has nothing to do with a gearbox.
Ecobox is a device attached to the Weber 32 TLF carburettor via plastic/rubber piping. It is a plastic box that sits in the RH part of engine bay and is some 20x20 cm big, the casing is black or white plastic.
It contains an electropneumatic system of solenoids/membranes with at least one fuse. Its purpose is to regulate mixture with a goal of improving performance/exhalation characteristics while running with cold engine and choke.
I am unclear about how it influences the cold starting when not working.
I do not think it was used on any but 750/999 Fire engines with carb and breakerless ignition.

Hi Edna,

I have had a good look through the carb sections of the porter manual and I can’t find anything on the ecobox. I’m suspecting it was not a UK option. Which model Uno 45 is it?

Maybe Chas or AlexGS could shed some light on it

Regards,
Louie.

it then sounds like an emission device.not on UK models.

Huh. It is then quite possible the Ecobox was installed for continental Europe only.
While my first 45 was sold locally (87, stripped-off version without any extras), the second one was imported second-hand from Germany, 89, 45 Selecta.
The engine is the same - 999 Fire.

Remember to keep your old carb and swap over if you get any problems - presuming you can get away with the higher emissions?

Yes, I will become my own breaker
I will swap over all brand new things I had purchased for my old one (front and rear shock absorbers, lower arms, brake discs/pads/drums/shoes/pistons, remote central locking, front fenders, windshield) and keep a complete engine/gearbox (250k km, still going strong) and all things I can find room for in the shed.
I am also planning to strip the "new" one completely and give it a thorough treatment with some anti-rust agent/paint to prevent the rust story from repeating - I know exactly what is to be treated .
It means a busy weekend, but the old one will then turn to the barest body cut down to easy-to-handle pieces with the grinder. These will surely meet the furnaces of Beijing Steelworks to come back to Europe reincarnated in form of one of those Chinese cars we can expect to flood the market in years to come .

At least it sounds like the story has a happy ending!

Sorry, I haven't heard of the ECOBOX either, though it sounds like an attempt to smooth out the lumpy running of the FIRE engine when cold. I've never seen anything like you describe attached to the FIRE engine. I suspect it must have been a short-term measure before the SPi systems became common.

-Alex

Yes, it was, but it is quite common in this part of the world.
Anyway, I begun to inspect the "new" 45 - I am really grateful for my old one standing next to her. The major problem seems to be the electric part - I have already identified a few bodgered connections which will be fixed ASAP.
However, the diagram of Ecobox is missing painfully - the layout of 6 wire connector leading to the device is not very clear at the moment, nor are vacuum pipes leading to it.
Unfortunately, local forum of Fiat enthusiasts deals with alloys and bad-boy styling rather than paying attention to technical questions .
I am thinking of swapping the older carb over and getting rid of the Ecobox. I have already checked the pollutions data - they are the same for both engines, i.e. I think that Ecobox is a comfort rather than environmental device.
BTW, the engine codes are 156A2048 (no Ecobox) and 156A2100 (with Ecobox). The rest of the engine is plain simple 999 Fire as we know it.
However, as the weather is still sunny, the hours spent with the car are much nicer than those spent in front of my computer screen .

The ECO box, sounds like a way of saving fuel ie when you are off the throttle it cuts the fuel supply.
It does that by the use of solenoid's cutting the fuel supply, however when they go wrong then can cut the fuel at the wrong time causing all sorts of problems, i would remove the box and wiring and then replace any solenoids with small bolts (with washers and PTFE tape to keep the fuel in). It should cue the problems.