captainawesome said:
Problem solved!
Pulled the trans and no obvious signs of cracking or leak points but based on the video I knew that the part where the elbow is pinned was pushing fluid out.
So I took a bearing tool cup set with the threaded rod to hold the bearing tight and not allow it to move. This was suggested in another thread I started. It worked perfect to keep the bearing from over-expanding which can damage the seal. I needed to just test that it could hold pressure. I didn't take video but it was gushing right out of that elbow joint. A lot of fluid.
I disconnected it from the line and decided to dissect my old one that this one was supposed to replace. A pair of pliers pulled the metal clip and voila an elbow with an o-ring.
When I started to pull the clip on the new one that was leaking, the elbow was SUPER loose. It wiggles quite a bit which obviously explains the lack of sealing. On a whim I decided to swap elbows and surprisingly enough it's a SNUG fit! So I stole the new o-ring and installed the old elbow into the new bearing.
I quickly set it up with the cups and thread to test it in the car. As soon as I hooked up the bleeder I knew it was fixed. On the previous install the pump wouldn't hold vacuum. I thought maybe I was screwing up the setup or it was just the way the bleeder is on this type of system. With the hodge podge setup it immediately held vacuum and even better pulled bubbles out like a treat. As soon as I tried to press the pedal it was rock solid and held pressure without a single drip. With the threaded rod keeping it from extending it couldn't move so the solid pedal makes sense.
I danced a little jig and started to clean everything up. It's going back in the car tomorrow with this setup. I have no doubt the problem was a poor fitting elbow on the Sachs part. YEEHAW!
Oh and another thing worth mentioning. One benefit of doing things more than once is they tend to go quicker the second time around. It didn't take much time to remove all the bolts and brackets needed. It also didn't take long to get it back out knowing what goes where and how. So hopefully it goes back in smoothly. I want to pull the pressure plate to check the clutch surface for fluid. I don't think any got inside but better to check.
Awesome. Yea every fluid coupling on that system is prone to leaks. The automated manual that the use in the 4C and 500L does it all the time.
Fun fact. The 4C and the 500L have the same exact automated manual...like programming and everywhere lol. The 4C is basically a 100k 500L built backwards lol
In reply to RonnieFnD :
I don't understand why they have the elbow joint junction at all. It seems like an added potential leak point for zero reason unless they were just modifying something that existed on the shelf already?
Email me your address. I'll send you this. I did a cylinder head on one because 87 octane gas burns valves in these and their extended warranty wanted me to change the brick while I was at it so here sits a perfectly good brick with no core. I don't want to throw it away. As for why they put all of those extra failure points that don't need to be there.....welcome to Fiat ownership friend.
In reply to RonnieFnD :
Message sent through the forum private message.
Any thoughts on the "upgraded springs" that Tork is selling?
Got your address, I'll work on putting a Fiat care package together. As far as springs they all kinda suck and have way too high of a rate to be honest. I would just go with the lightest advertised spring rate if they have it and if they don't just go cheap. Look up the b spec rules and see what those guys are running. I know there is a lot of b spec that is part number specific.
In reply to RonnieFnD :
Sorry, should have clarified, the multi-air springs that Tork is selling.
https://torkmotorsports.net/collections/fiat-abarth-500/products/1-4-multiair-upgraded-springs
captainawesome said:
In reply to RonnieFnD :
Sorry, should have clarified, the multi-air springs that Tork is selling.
https://torkmotorsports.net/collections/fiat-abarth-500/products/1-4-multiair-upgraded-springs
I've never really found valve float to be a problem. Never seen one break a spring either. We have one here that is tuned beyond the max and it's never had any problems.
I will add again that the multiair isn't really a bad idea, it's hacks that can't diag a car that gave them a bad name lol. Case in point I'm sending you a multiair with 94,000 miles on it saying it's perfect, I would put it on my car.
In reply to RonnieFnD :
Supposedly these address the issue with power control up top and boost loss at redline.
The springs simply make the mid range power and top end power stronger due to a more complete fill of the combustion chambers with more air.
In reply to RonnieFnD :
I forgot to ask you, but looks like my passenger engine mount tore when my jack let out pressure over the weekend. Fluid is draining out so it's toast. Go with OEM replacement or are there other options worth exploring?
Lemme see if I have one I can send you tomorrow
The car is back on it's feet.
It's running.
It's driving.
It's stopping.
I still hear a little chatter from the transmission that goes away when the clutch pedal is pressed. It's no where near the sounds that were present when I purchased the car. The dual mass flywheel in my DCT Audi had a similar sound so I think at this point I'll just run it until an actual problem pops up. I'm missing the inner splash shied where the trans case and inner wheel liner meet. Maybe this will quiet down some of the chatter I hear?
I kinda freaked out when I started to try and back the car out of the garage. The idle was still high from warming up and it wanted to grind into reverse which had me worried the system wasn't bleed well. So I took the battery back out and re-bleed the clutch. Same problem but less severe with the idle lower no matter how well it's bleed. After doing a little reading I guess this is normal. Shift it into first before reverse and it's all gravy. I also read it may pop out of reverse so hold it in gear until you no longer need it. No reverse synchros or some such stuff. I don't recall ever having a car with this "feature" but now I know all about it.
The rear suspension still needs installed. Probably will do that sometime this week. I'd like to make a round trip from home to work sooner than later.
I definitely need to install the short shifter thingy I bought off ebay. Shifts are sloppy and vague as expected but it would be nice to know 3rd from 5th. It would also be sweet to have a reverse lockout.
The slop in the drivetrain is massive. Part of that could be worn trans/engine mounts or it could just need a poly insert for the lower engine dogbone to firm up things. I hate added NVH so we will see how that works out.
Before I wasn't certain about getting any of the aftermarket chassis braces up front but I think they've made it to the top of my list.
I've got a squeeky driver seat from the seat belt buckle rubbing the bolster. I think some felt or something like OEMs use would remedy this quickly.
Here's the only pic I took. Pretty sure this is the first car I've owned with red calipers.
I love this thread. I have a fantasy of finding a modern Fiat 500 cheap and running it in the 24 Hours of Lemons. We currently race an old Fiat X1/9, and a modern Fiat 500 would be a fun addition (assuming I don't get our rusted out basket case 124 Spider welded back up and running with some yet to be determined donor engine first.)
Autovelox said:
I love this thread. I have a fantasy of finding a modern Fiat 500 cheap and running it in the 24 Hours of Lemons. We currently race an old Fiat X1/9, and a modern Fiat 500 would be a fun addition (assuming I don't get our rusted out basket case 124 Spider welded back up and running with some yet to be determined donor engine first.)
They are out there. I picked up my abarth for $576 due to a blown slave cylinder. We get people monthly that don't want to fix 500 turbo cars and will offload them cheap.
captainawesome said:
In reply to RonnieFnD :
I forgot to ask you, but looks like my passenger engine mount tore when my jack let out pressure over the weekend. Fluid is draining out so it's toast. Go with OEM replacement or are there other options worth exploring?
We are digging thru the penny stock parts looking for a whole mount kit for your car. We probably have them laying around somewhere.
You can use flocking tape or (my preference) adhesive loop tape to mitigate rub squeaks and noises.
Reverse grind is normal on non-synchro reverse if you go straight from idle with the clutch out to reverse. All the bits in the transmission are still spinning - putting it into another gear first uses the synchros of that gear to stop the spinning, then it can go into reverse. Some transmissions get grumpy depending on where the gears stop, so if it won't go in, let the clutch out in neutral to get everything spinning, clutch back in, put it in gear again, then try reverse or let the car roll a little while you're pulling into reverse. Some cars are worse than others about this, I have one that's bad enough that I consciously try to park only on hills or where I don't need reverse.
If the clutch engagement is a decent distance off the floor and the shifter isn't balking if the revs aren't perfectly matched, you probably don't have a clutch drag issue.
In reply to brandonsmash :
I probably already have some velcro kicking around so I'll give it a go.
In reply to gearheadE30 :
This is the first car I've had that was this sensitive. Clutch engagement is good everywhere. No weird shifts at all. Just the non-syncro reverse grind but sliding it into a forward gear fixes it right up.
I think I have read that swapping in a 6 speed from a Dart is fairly popular.
In reply to Aaron_King :
I think that is a Euro market thing. The US market has some extra structure that exists in the space a 6 speed gearbox would try to occupy. I could be wrong about that though and would be curious to see if there are work arounds. Maybe the removable subframe just needs a notch or two?
captainawesome said:
In reply to Aaron_King :
I think that is a Euro market thing. The US market has some extra structure that exists in the space a 6 speed gearbox would try to occupy. I could be wrong about that though and would be curious to see if there are work arounds. Maybe the removable subframe just needs a notch or two?
The firewall is completely different than a EU spec car causing the 5 speed to be the only trans. The 6 speed and the dct won't fit without serious massaging of the firewall.
Fun Fiat fact. The Ford KA and new 500 are the same platform.
RonnieFnD said:
Email me your address. I'll send you this. I did a cylinder head on one because 87 octane gas burns valves in these and their extended warranty wanted me to change the brick while I was at it so here sits a perfectly good brick with no core. I don't want to throw it away. As for why they put all of those extra failure points that don't need to be there.....welcome to Fiat ownership friend.
Was that only on the turbo cars? We ran our pop on 87 and never had an issue.
I'd love to find another one cheap for a commuter some day.
Wally (Forum Supporter) said:
RonnieFnD said:
Email me your address. I'll send you this. I did a cylinder head on one because 87 octane gas burns valves in these and their extended warranty wanted me to change the brick while I was at it so here sits a perfectly good brick with no core. I don't want to throw it away. As for why they put all of those extra failure points that don't need to be there.....welcome to Fiat ownership friend.
Was that only on the turbo cars? We ran our pop on 87 and never had an issue.
I'd love to find another one cheap for a commuter some day.
Yea, just the turbo cars. They seem to go about 100,000 miles on regular until stuff starts going wrong with them. The NA cars run forever as long as you stay on top of oil leaks.
Finally got a block of time to tinker again so I wrapped up the rear suspension install.
The Bilstein stuff took only a few minutes but the ST swaybar was a different animal. The tolerance for the bolt holes were too tight and the hardware was awkwardly positioned. After a little frustration getting them aligned and the required new holes to be drilled it was back on the ground. I trimmed a 1/2" off the rear bump stops as that was recommended by others with experience. The passenger factory bumpstop was just flopping around inside the spring which was neat to see. Ride height still needs to settle a bit.
The handling seems decent so far. I need to get proper pressure in the tires and check alignment since the front dropped so much. I was worried it would be too harsh since that's some of the complaints from other Bilstein owners, but I am pleasantly surprised in the few miles I've driven. I purposely was hitting rough areas of pavement with good compliance but no "harshness" really felt. Maybe the chassis braces are the culprit?
Unfortunately bad weather came through last night so test miles will have to wait another day or two. Still deciding on tires but pretty sure I'll just go with the Firehawks.
This seems like a crazy comment but I'm not sure I've ever seen a stock-looking one of these lowered. It looks awesome.
