- Thread starter dobbslc
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Better than a new gearbox though
Red'n'Black
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Or a choccy block connector
owas
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I've gone for a yaris, could only get an auto, small autos are quite expensive
Comming up to a year and not had a single issue
dobbslc
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Well the cable was fixed and adjusted and the thing now changes gear better than ever
Then a week later there's a loud rumbling on the front nearside
Turns out the wheel was loose!
I think my torque wrench is knackered.
The Fiat is pizzing me off now.
Went to look at a Mini Cooper last night and to be honest I couldn't really fault it, 50k miles, quite engine, drove ok everything seems to work and 2 owners with FSH.
Do I or don't I???
Brad93
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I mean comparing a Fiat 500 with a Mini is like comparing apples and oranges.
You've got one made to what i would call pretty basic standards and one made by a premium marque to quite high standards for their price point.
As you've found out the fiat 500s aren't brilliant
You've got one made to what i would call pretty basic standards and one made by a premium marque to quite high standards for their price point.
As you've found out the fiat 500s aren't brilliant
Some of the petrol mini's use a bmw/PSA peugeot variable valve timing motor called the Prince series. I just picked up a 207 peugeot powered by the EP3 version of it for daughters first car and am in the process of extracting it to change the camchain and vamos pulleys and sort some leaking crank seals but it has 170k km on it and still sounds sweet and revs rather freely. I think its a well respected motor, if service intervals are respected and the chain and tensioners have been done.
You dont have to take it out in the Peugeot variant at least to change the chain, but I have to do a leaking crank seal flywheel side, so the transmission/front subframe has to come out anyway.
You dont have to take it out in the Peugeot variant at least to change the chain, but I have to do a leaking crank seal flywheel side, so the transmission/front subframe has to come out anyway.
A read around before going to see it saw people reporting leaking common failings as the chain causing a knocking noise when the tensioner blade had failed, and leaking crank seals both ends, so I went in looking for them specifically and if it rev'd cleanly without hesitation as they suffer with carbon on the back of the valves and oil pump leaks after 80k apparently too. You'll find lots of stuff on mini forums as the motor is well known by now.
It drove really well apart from the drone from a terrible boy racer exhaust & the only sign of this one leaking was I peeled back the clutch slave grommit as it enters the bellhousing and it was soaking in oil inside the bellhousing and looking closer there was evidence that they'd cleaned the bellhousing lower area off before turning up, but they were willing to negotiate a suitable discount for this to be changed.
It drove really well apart from the drone from a terrible boy racer exhaust & the only sign of this one leaking was I peeled back the clutch slave grommit as it enters the bellhousing and it was soaking in oil inside the bellhousing and looking closer there was evidence that they'd cleaned the bellhousing lower area off before turning up, but they were willing to negotiate a suitable discount for this to be changed.
Not sure yet, I've been messing round with all the other jobs to get it up to spec while waiting for the last of the front end parts to arrive so I have everything to hand but I think its the flywheel end crank seal, its black engine oil coating the inside the bellhousing and all the fluid levels are correct and not falling on the clutch side and its the wrong side of the slave cylinder gaiter, on the 207 the slave sits mostly external to the bellhousing and pokes into the mechanism with its own gaiter separate. When I found it during inspection, the sellers face fell because they had tried to hide it I'm sure. I'll know for sure in a week when its out.
Better to pay less and get the plain Jane Panda. More usable space for a lot less money.
IMO Mini are overpriced trinkets (as is the 500)
Just to update for you, once everythings out the way properly, its easier to see things. Its not the flywheel main oil seal. It probably is about 3 places, and I suspect some of it eminating from the front part of the head gasket. Oh Joy.
100e for a head gasket set with new studs, then I'll probably do valve seals etc while its apart, and then I'll measure the block and decide the rings/liner are too worn.
At which point I should have just gone the breakers, bought a engine complete with half the km's on it and put it in. There's a 80k old mini 1.4 engine complete for sale near me, seriously considering it as a better option as I could fit the new chain and guides on a engine stand and then insert it in and it would be in and done in a day more work.
Also discovered lower control arms really really bad one side, the gearbox mount is destroyed of course, I already bought new discs/pads, but it needs 1 slider pin where someone bludgeoned in the wrong bolt, exhaust system, rear drums where someone had taken one side off with a lump hammer on the rim knocking bits out of it and various other little bits.
At least I'll know the whole car is ok for my daughter, having gone through it for her. Cheap cars eh.
100e for a head gasket set with new studs, then I'll probably do valve seals etc while its apart, and then I'll measure the block and decide the rings/liner are too worn.
At which point I should have just gone the breakers, bought a engine complete with half the km's on it and put it in. There's a 80k old mini 1.4 engine complete for sale near me, seriously considering it as a better option as I could fit the new chain and guides on a engine stand and then insert it in and it would be in and done in a day more work.
Also discovered lower control arms really really bad one side, the gearbox mount is destroyed of course, I already bought new discs/pads, but it needs 1 slider pin where someone bludgeoned in the wrong bolt, exhaust system, rear drums where someone had taken one side off with a lump hammer on the rim knocking bits out of it and various other little bits.
At least I'll know the whole car is ok for my daughter, having gone through it for her. Cheap cars eh.
dobbslc
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I've been thinking about what you said here and you're right, the Fiat is a very basic cheaply built car and it shows when they get old, the Mini is a higher quality product even if I don't like them
I did
The boy is happy!
It does seem a nice car to be fair.
Anyone want to buy a Fiat 500?
If you do get a oil leak you cant trace on the new mini and think like me head gasket you might be interested in this...
The cam cover is held on by m6 bolts all round and two ones in the middle down the bottom of recesses between the plugs 1&2 and 3&4 that clamp them and the spark plug tubes to the head with o rings. One of these bolts the thread had pulled and it was sitting loose in the recess, swimming at the bottom of a recess full of oil that had got in there, because the O ring that sealed the recess wasn't clamped properly although the plugs around it were oil free. The oil had then splashed forward under the cover that hides the spark plug caps, and ran down the front face of the motor onto the exhaust manifold being equally distributed over the whole front of the motor. Happy because there's access for a m6 helicoil for a easy fix & the cover has to come off to do the timing chain anyway.
The cam cover is held on by m6 bolts all round and two ones in the middle down the bottom of recesses between the plugs 1&2 and 3&4 that clamp them and the spark plug tubes to the head with o rings. One of these bolts the thread had pulled and it was sitting loose in the recess, swimming at the bottom of a recess full of oil that had got in there, because the O ring that sealed the recess wasn't clamped properly although the plugs around it were oil free. The oil had then splashed forward under the cover that hides the spark plug caps, and ran down the front face of the motor onto the exhaust manifold being equally distributed over the whole front of the motor. Happy because there's access for a m6 helicoil for a easy fix & the cover has to come off to do the timing chain anyway.
dobbslc
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Thanks for that. It's handy that the fix is just a stripped thread.
I had similar on the Fiat where there was oil leaking and I had to do the cam belt so the rocker cover has to come off anyway, I think the gasket had gone hard, I also found a missing O ring on the cam position sensor leaking loads of oil.
I like an easy fix...
I had similar on the Fiat where there was oil leaking and I had to do the cam belt so the rocker cover has to come off anyway, I think the gasket had gone hard, I also found a missing O ring on the cam position sensor leaking loads of oil.
I like an easy fix...
Yeah the problem is, then the niggling "what if the seal was leaking too" thought appears. And tonight I can confirm the flywheel side crank seal is fine, because the engine and box are out & separated, and the engine is on the engine stand to be rebuilt with new o rings and seals. Would have been rude not to, it wasn't much more work at that stage and it saves fiddling round the back of the engine with it next to the bulkhead. Plus I found a worn gearshift linkage part that'll be pennies to replace now its out. Good job the garage of dad labour rate is just free cups of tea and coffee on demand.
I am trying to resist fitting a new head gasket and stem seals while its on the stand though.
I am trying to resist fitting a new head gasket and stem seals while its on the stand though.
I'd add to check the little chain that drives the oil pump with a finger through the hole when your doing the cam chain. It has no slipper tensioners and mine was really stretched and sloppy. Then I took the sump off to change it because its only 30e for a new one while I'm in there, and discovered it had no sump gasket, but given the water pump tube was glued in with red hylomar into the pump, and 6 o-ring seals so far have been covered generously with rtv I should not be at all surprised.
Because over here a 207 1.4 is a learner driver insurance friendly car, I think its like working on a FS1E moped or similar back in the day, ie they was everyone's first bike, and everyone tried to fix it on 0 budget, then a year into ownership it was just quickly sold on for something better. It'll get there in the end, and it will be better for it. I quite like some of the engineering in it, and other parts terrify me (the keyway-less camshaft sprockets held in place with fastener tightness...)
Because over here a 207 1.4 is a learner driver insurance friendly car, I think its like working on a FS1E moped or similar back in the day, ie they was everyone's first bike, and everyone tried to fix it on 0 budget, then a year into ownership it was just quickly sold on for something better. It'll get there in the end, and it will be better for it. I quite like some of the engineering in it, and other parts terrify me (the keyway-less camshaft sprockets held in place with fastener tightness...)
