Getting ready for 3ma13 (or maybe not...)

[Thotos]

With the St Patrick's Day Navigation Run just a few weeks away on the 17th of March and with the possible Goodwood track day the day before on the 16th of March and with the MOT certificate for the 131 running out on the 9th of March, I thought I'd better get the 131 tested soon. Today was one of the warmest days we've had in ages and as the day was expected to be dry I thought it would be a good day to get the car tested. So I called the test station this morning and made a test appointment for 2:00pm  

So armed with the battery off the Trevi (I knew the battery on the 131 - which is the old Gamma battery - would be flat, don't ask....   )  I went to my rented garage to retrieve the 131 from its winter hibernation. With the charged battery fitted, it fired up instantly (almost) and all seemed well. I quickly tested the lights (couldn't check much more and lights often go wrong in 131s   ) and I was good to go  





As I got near the MOT testing station I tried to turn the radio off and the push-button on/off switch broke off and fell inside the fascia    I had to take the radio front off to make it go off   But it went off and I was there slightly early so I parked outside the garage as there was a Golf being tested.

Then it was my turn so I started the car to drive into the station and as I drove up the garage ramp I noticed steam coming out the front of the engine and I could smell the very distinctive "leaking coolant" smell   The bottom radiator hose split about 1 inch creating a very good imitation of the Jet d'Eau (Geneva fountain) and spraying coolant everywhere    Now I'm no Albert or Heini, not even Kevin   so I don't have the sort of clean engine that I could eat my breakfast off but the spraying coolant made a real mess of my engine  



The MOT tester was laughing and said "You can't even go 2 miles to get here without breaking down and you expect to drive all the way to Bavaria and back?"

But they are nice guys in that garage and even though they didn't have a replacement hose the young mechanic spent some time with a reel of self-amalgamating tape and made a very temporary repair so they could test the car and hopefully get me home. It didn't look good but the repair lasted well  



The car passed the MOT with no (other) problems  

Incidentally, the MOT tester (who must have not been there last year when I had the car tested) said to me "You didn't have those wheels on before!" I was surprised and impressed that he remembered. After about a minute's deliberation he said "I like them! They are of the period and I think they look good. I've seen them before but never on one of those cars. I like them!"  

On the way back from the MOT testing station I went to my favourite motor factors, "The Pits", and got a replacement hose and fresh antifreeze.



And while I was at it I sprayed the copper elbow (which replaces the thermostat in my car as the thermostat is in the head) black    And the eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed that the 131 also got its original battery back as it was fully charged by then  

Then copious amounts of Swarfega Duck Oil was used to clean the radiator, cam covers and the rest of the engine quite well (but it's still not up to Albert, Heini or Kevin standard   )



I think I'll be changing all other hoses before 3ma13. The hoses from the back of the engine to the heater radiator feel quite soft so they should certainly be changed. Less than 70 days left to do it  

(PS I managed to fix the radio button too by using a spring out of a pen  )

[Robert]

Wow, cool story! And your once-in-a-lifetime chance to get rid of those wheels by unloading them onto a real connoisseur:

"I like them! They are of the period and I think they look good. I've seen them before but never on one of those cars. I like them!"

Μη διστάσετε, σας πεισματάρης ελληνικά! 

Ah, and concerning the coolant hoses: maybe you try those silicone hoses some of us do use (me, Phil, Heini, Enzo...), they are said to last more than 20 years without any problems?

[irisheyes]

Brilliant. Nice one.

Tell me Theo, when you have your baby stored up over the winter, do you need to do anything in particular either before or during such an oli/water change, disconnect the battery, have it up off the floor/ground, remove wheels etc? What would be the typical amount of time between going in to storage and then first start after the hibernation?

Thanks, Rich 

[Heini131]

The copper elbow looks so much nicer in black 

I am still waiting for better weather...

[jasonh131]

And they had your 131 hose in stock 
 Ill have to take some of thst tape with us just in case 

[Thotos]

Brilliant. Nice one.

Tell me Theo, when you have your baby stored up over the winter, do you need to do anything in particular either before or during such an oli/water change, disconnect the battery, have it up off the floor/ground, remove wheels etc? What would be the typical amount of time between going in to storage and then first start after the hibernation?

Thanks, Rich 

Car "hibernation" is not extreme in my case as I use my cars as much as possible    The Fiat remains taxed throughout the winter and it gets used if it's dry or if I have a good excuse to use it   I just avoid using it when the roads are salted. Fiats don't mix well with road salt plus 131s are not that brilliant in snow and ice. Fun, yes! but brilliant... no    Because of recent bad weather and a number of other reasons, the Fiat has been living in the garage I rent since before Christmas while the Gamma was in the garage at home. Normally it's the other way round   So, to answer your question, I don't really do anything special for "hibernation" other that disconnect the battery and (if I remember, which as it happens this time I didn't  ) to leave the handbrake off.  The other actions you mention would be wise but only for very long storage (six months or a year and more). I believe that instead of taking wheels off and having a car stored on jacks or axle stands it's better to start the car and drive it a short distance every couple of months. That way you won't get tyre flat spots or internal engine rust or brakes seizing up etc. And of course it's important to always have a good quality antifreeze and rust inhibitor in the cooling system  

[Thotos]

And they had your 131 hose in stock 
 Ill have to take some of thst tape with us just in case 

Yes "The Pits" always have everything! It's an old fashion motor factors with a huge store of bits and people who are willing to rummage through their store to match a part. The hose I got was a perfect fit 

My 3ma "emergency kit" already has two reels of self amalgamating tape in it  But I emptied everything out of the boot of the car before I went to the MOT station   

[irisheyes]

Car "hibernation" is not extreme...

Brill. Thanks for the reply and info. 

[Sev131]

Last week at retro race show i was browsing a silicon hose stand with Lancia written on the banner, I got chatting and asked wether they could make or get a set for the mirafiori, in which the lady replied "mirafiori that seems to ring a bell"  two minutes later a bag appeared with mirafiori written on a sealed bag with 6/7 different black silicon hoses. It appeared to be a full set and the only ones I could identify were the rad pipes. I am awaiting an email for some pics then may need some help here for model identification. Lets hope they are the ones and see what they can do on price.

[williefiat]

Hi All.
I am glad Theo your car got the test.Very helpful fellows that helped in the MOT Centre .I for one would be interested in Silicone Hoses if they can be located.
     Willie.

[Thotos]

If "The Pits" said to me "we have a full silicone hose set for your car" I would have gone for silicone but I don't think the advantages are that great and there are disadvantages. Yes, as Robert said, they can last 20 years or more but I'm not sure I'll last 20 years and I'm sure the car won't last that long   If I had a 'blingy' or even very clean engine then silicone might look ok but as it is I think the shiny silicone finish, especially in bright colours doesn't look right in an old engine. Plus silicone might be resistant  to oil and other chemicals but it's softer than rubber so can be easily damaged if the wrong hose clips are used. I can be quite heavy handed at times and I've managed to strip many a thread or even break bolt heads clean off (I've done that to my daughter's Peugeot wheel bolt!  ) and I've certainly over-tightened hose clips and made them cut into silicone hoses. If I was rebuilding my engine and it was 'like new' as Enzo does and Robert did, then like Enzo and Robert I'd probably go for silicone (but do my best to get the hoses in black  ) but for my old dirty trusty twincam rubber is just fine  

[williefiat]

Hi All.
Theo of course there is at least 20 years left in you  .So don't worry .
    Willie.

[Rob 131]

Previous comment:

'I'm sure the car won't last 20 years '

I would suggest that with the care it receives it would easily last that long. Many 131's were rusty at between 3 to 5 years , and if they reached 10 years old they were 'well filled' and 'welded' .

With Hugo approaching 33 years old, I would suggest he'll get past 50

[Thotos]

Last year I felt that 3ma12 crept up on me so that I and more importantly the car, weren't quite ready for it    There was no real problem but the car wouldn't idle properly which was annoying more than anything else. April is going to be a busy month for me with holidays and other motoring events keeping me very busy so I decided that now is the best time for me to get the car ready for 3ma13 

Halfords have a 20% off offer on all Mobil oils right now and that's a ?10 saving on the Mobil 1 10W-60 Motorsport oil which I normally use 



I have a remote oil filter fitted to my car which sits next to the oil cooler and is visible through the grill so I want it to be black  which is getting to be a problem these days as most manufacturers make their filters white  I bought a new-old-stock original Fiat filter a couple of years ago and that was blue and just didn't look right  Luckily Champion (C102) still paint their filters black and I managed to get the last one from my local motor factors 

And here's a "Theo top-tip"    Don't throw away your old cam-belts as they make excellent oil filter removal straps 



I have a couple of chain type oil filter wrenches but there's not enough room on my car to get the chain round the filter. I need to get me one of the metal band type but the old cam belt works very well indeed 

So oil change done and tomorrow, weather permitting, the service continues....

[strada]

if i may be so bold as to but in here, the drained antifreeze in the container appears to be pink, IE the acid type, (christophers top tip), DO NOT USE PINK ANTI FREEZE IN OLD CARS, IT IS DESIGHNED FOR MODERN ALLOY COMPOSITE ENGINE BLOCKS AND WILL DESTROY AN OLD ENGINE ATTACKING PLASTIC AND RUBBER SEALS AND IS PROBABLY WHY YOUR HOSE SPLIT IN THE 1ST PLACE, ALL MINE ARE ORIGINAL, NO ISSUES, STRONGLY RECCOMEND FLUSHING THE SYSTEM THROUGH AND USING BLUE OR GREEN, SEE THIS MONTHS PRACTICAL CLASSICS MAG.