FIAT nightmare.

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Burnerman

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A simple oil change couldn't be a problem surely?
FIAT 500, 59 plate, unknown ownership / history, 80k miles.
Out came the sump plug, 12mm allen key needed, a parallel threaded bung.......just fine.
In went the sump plug - but it didn't seem to bite on anything.......so much in fact that it went straight through the threaded hole and into the sump pan :cry:
Sump off, plug retrieved - but what now?
Hopefully I've done what I could....thread lock on the bung, screwed it back in leaving a couple of the female threads visible, fitted an internal circlip that seemed to hold then covered the clip with some Araldite.
Hopefully this will give me the 'sleep at night' factor, but I wish I'd never started!
Have a good evening everyone
John :)
 
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Should get a service manual.

Didn't you say you gone electric, or was that someone else?
 
I’ve gone down the hybrid route, and the car is giving around 60mpg......maybe slightly less than I hoped but that’s the way it is.
I don’t think I need a manual to change the oil, there’s obviously something gone on with this car that I know nothing about but if I see the car again I’ll pump the oil out and leave the sump plug alone.
With car jobs like this FIAT I’m trying to help people out that are less fortunate than myself - it certainly isn’t for profit!
How about new brake shoes on the back ( the old ones had delaminated with the friction material split away from the shoe) an oil and filter change for £40?
Yes, I must be nuts.
John
 
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Burnerman said:
I don’t think I need a manual to change the oil
Click to expand...
Everybody needs the manual to do oil change. Without the proper torque is probably why the plug gone in for you or for the last guy.

Sometimes you can do things for fun. Money isn't everything. 60mpg sounds great. But there has to be a catch somewhere. The universe abhors free lunches.
 
It's a FIAT, what do you expect???
You're lucky the wheels and doors are still attached to the chassis.
 
I'd expect great things. My first car was a punto. After I was done with it, I gave it to a relative. They marveled at how long it lasted.
 
I had a similar thing with a Renault 5 in the 1970s. A friend of mine had removed the sump plug to do an oil change and the captive nut into which the sump plug screwed had disappeared into the sump. Captive nut was in a cage which was pin-welded to the sump. Pin weld had broken away, captive nut went walkies. Sump off (fortunately able to drop after removing cross-braces) and captive nut re-captured!
 
Astra99 said:
I had a similar thing with a Renault 5 in the 1970s. A friend of mine had removed the sump plug to do an oil change and the captive nut into which the sump plug screwed had disappeared into the sump. Captive nut was in a cage which was pin-welded to the sump. Pin weld had broken away, captive nut went walkies. Sump off (fortunately able to drop after removing cross-braces) and captive nut re-captured!
Click to expand...
Free the captive nut, he's harmless.
 
Looking fairly closely at this car, there is significant corrosion on the front brake calipers (single solid disc, surprisingly) and similarly on the rear drums - but no worse or better than many other makes.
Other than that, the underside is corrosion free, more or less and there aren't any particular rattles or squeaks.
I've never been a fan of FIAT but maybe they are ok now.
John :)
 
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