Club126UK
Fiat 126 Chat => Fiat 126 Mechanical Problem Solving => Topic started by: Draigflag on March 20, 2012, 08:07:17 PM
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Hoping to get the 126 BIS on the road again next month. After leaving it until August last year, then breaking down 3 times in one day before SORN'ing her and locking her away in the garage, i've learnt to not leave things until the last minute now ;) Only managed some 200 miles in her last year! Took her out the garage, charged the battery and she started after a few minutes of cranking and cranking, ran sweet as a nut once warm though, considering she's been sat for 6 months!
Couple of questions. I'm still having the fueling issue. If i wait until the engine has warmed up, and then it conks out and won't start, is disconnecting the fuel to carb hose and placing it in a bottle whilst turning the key a good way to diagnose a faulty pump? Any better ways before i buy a new one? And if it isn't the fuel pump, what are the other top suspects?
Also, hoping to put my 13" steelies on. Anybody know what pressure to put in the tyres? I think they are 165 in width, not sure what profile though!
Ta people
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Fuel filters (can mimic pump failure), vacuum problems, electrical problems, or not having any petrol ;D
Marc
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This thread probably gives you the full list of possibilities.
http://club126uk.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=6501.0
Marc
Think there may have been a previous thread as well
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;D Tee Hee that was me and I replaced everything and it came down to a simple thing!
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I remember it well :D
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Mine still bogs down horribly if the choke is in, but as the emissions test came up with 0.16 with 3.50 being the max allowable I may turn the screw a tad.
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Mine runs superb now but is pinking under load I think it is the timing.....
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It should only take you five mins to retard it a touch
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Yes that's right but which way do you turn the dizzy to retard? never been too sure on this!
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Try anticlockwise, if that doesn't work, try clockwise :D
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Titter :D As clued up as I am then!
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I probably wouldn't remember even if I did know. Possibly why I am such a fan of the old trial and error method :D
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Thanks. Got the mechanic looking at it tonight. Took her up the road last night then let her run for a bit and sure enough, as she got up to temp she cut out and wouldn't start again! >:( Very frustrating!
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Sounds like coil or condenser, unless it is getting hot enough to evaporate the fuel.
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I'm getting afraid that i won't be able to dedicate enough time to this car. I'd hate to have to sell it because i don't have time to fix it :(
Getting my Abarth 500 back tomorrow with a bit of luck...
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There doesn't seem to be many long jobs on a 126 except body repair. Just the normal carb/points related hard to identify problems, try one thing (30 mins) if it doesn't work, try something else (30 mins) the next day.
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Coil, condenser and fuel pump the 3 main suspects then. They cost £85 all together, is it worth me just changing the lot?
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as long as your fuel lines are all good and tight and put two new clear fuel filters (under 2 quid each + fuel line clips 25p each) in (one before the pump, one between pump and carb), get someone to crank it over for a minute when you watch the filters, if you get fuel in a filter, your pump works.
I have also put one on the return line, I had a split in the top section of the pipe and didn't want to replace the whole thing until I change the tank (tomorrow!! cheers Stuey (again)), so I used a spare filter as a join in the pipe. I have found that this lets me see how much extra my pump is pumping (seems a bit much at the mo, may increases the gasket size under the pump), will be leaving it in now.
Marc
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I'm beginning to think it might be electrical now. Really struggles to start now, i usually end up draining the battery until it's dead. But then when the battery is fully charged, it starts in a milli-second on the first turn! What could that indicate?
She broke down day before yesterday, luckily the neighbour was passing and he towed me up the hill. I'm refusing to use it now until it's fixed, it's embarrassing braking down, girlfriend found it hilarious... :$
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If your battery is losing power it will give a weaker spark when starting. Is your battery beyond it's best (if you haven't changed it it could have been on there since last century), Or is there a power drain? Power drains are normally caused by aftermarket stereo or alarm fitments, so they are easy to disconnect to see if the problem goes away. If none of that works, you will need a multimeter, fuse plyers, and a mate (might not need a mate on a 126 ). Good luck.
Marc
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2 years later, think I've fixed it!!!
Finally found 10 minutes spare to swap the fuel pump. The underside of the old one was caked in yellow/brown rusty oily crap, the spring on the trigger mechanism was knackered so i think this was causing the problem. I cleaned it up and then fitted the new one but after draining the battery again trying to start it, i realised there was still a problem. She just wouldn't fire up, but i could smell fuel so i knew it was pumping through.
Anyway, luckily my Dad's had a few old cars, he looked and said you haven't moved this thing have you? pointing to the black disc thing next to the pump (which i had to loosen and turn to get to the fuel pump bolts) Little did i know that this controlled the spark timing so even turning it a tad had knocked the timing out!
So she runs now and i've done a few laps of town with no problems so far. Hopefully this is the fix she needs and i can start to use her more now....once it stops raining! :D
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I did the same when I did my fuel pump. Pleased you got it going. Was wondering where you'd got to.
Marc
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Yeah, I was wondering as well. Well done! Pleased to know that your 126 is now sorted. Shall we be seeing you at Retro Rides Gathering?
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Well not sure about that. Living in the middle of nowhere, i'm miles or hours away from anything big!
Done 50 miles in the 126 today, didn't miss a beat :)
Also, done 1000 miles in the Abarth 500, just in this week! :o
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Take your Fiat Abarth the RR then!