fiat 500 driving tips?

[ergodoy]

I'm planning on driving a 1969 500 with a 126 engine in it for about 600 kilometers. I just bought it and I'm driving it home for the first time. It's going to be me and my wife and we want to drive from Bari, Italy to Pisa. How fast should we drive and how long at a stretch? It's only got a speedometer and an odometer, so I also need to figure out how often to fill up the tank on it.

Thanks for any tips,

Eduardo

[greg.harvey]

Hi,

A '69 eh? Probably an F like mine. We didn't have the luxury of a 126 engine - original 499cc - and we drove from Milano to London, so I'm sure you'll be fine!

Have you just bought the car? Main tips are these:

1. Air cooled engines rely on the oil for cooling so good oil is very important - more so on a long journey. If the oil is old, worth changing it for good quality stuff before you leave. None of these fancy modern synthetic oils though, as they're too thin and will leak out of the engine. A good Italian mechanic worth his salts (certainly one over 40) will know exactly what it needs. I believe we use 10/40 semi-synthetic and that's fine, but don't take my word for it - ask a mechanic!

2. On long motorway stints drive for 100km or an hour at a time (whichever comes first), then stop and give the engine (and your legs) a 10 minute break. That was the advice we had from an old Italian mechanic and it served us well.

3. Have a spare condenser with you and know how to change it. They are mounted next to the exhaust pipe on the original 500s (don't know about the 126 engine, but check) and are prone to getting too hot and breaking without warning (total loss of power!) They're really really easy to change and cost about €4, so definitely worth keeping in the car.

4. Listen to the car! The great thing about the old air-cooled Fiats is they tell you when they're not happy. They have a sweet spot after about 20 minutes of motoring, which lasts for about 10 minutes, when they're really happy. Then they start to get a bit warm and you'll notice a drop off in power. This is fine for a while, but also note the smell of the car. The air ducting from the engine bay to the cabin for heating will start to smell 'hot' when the car is getting towards wanting a break.

5. It is also worth checking this heating ducting before you set off. Any gases leaking from the engine can end up in the cabin if it isn't intact, and that can be dangerous (a first class way to get carbon monoxide poisoning!) - the original ducting is made of wire and paper, and is usually knackered! If it is, this shouldn't stop you, but be wary of fumes in the cabin and replace the ducting as soon as you can.

All that said, those engines are really tough, so even if you ignored all that, I'm sure you'd be fine. But if you want to take care and be sure you'll make it without any problems, they are my main tips.

Good luck and let us know how you get on!!

G

[h00t_h00t]

After reading that, why would anyone want one?

[drakkie]

Originally Posted by h00t_h00t

After reading that, why would anyone want one?

Just look at the cute face it has That says enough,doesnt it ?

[greg.harvey]

Originally Posted by h00t_h00t

After reading that, why would anyone want one?

You have no soul...

Don't forget, these are city cars really. They're absolutely brilliant for dodging around European city centres in, but definitely never designed for long journeys! Horses for courses, as the saying goes.

G

[greg.harvey]

BTW, re: the condenser. You can relocate it easily without affecting performance (many people do). Just extend the wires to the coil a little so you have some spare length to play with and screw it in somewhere else (not too far away, but away from anything hot) et voila! No more 'cooked condenser' problems.

[Ferrer]

Originally Posted by drakkie

Just look at the cute face it has That says enough,doesnt it ?

Yup, look at one... and you're sold...

[ergodoy]

Thank you all for the tips...
We made it in 11 hours at an average of 90 to 100kph. It really is a blast to drive!

It's wierd to get stares and smiles all the time, and I've got to get used to it. One time, a big truck got behind me and kept flashing his brights and honking at me. I thought he was pissed off and wanted me out his lane. He went ahead, and waved at me, pointing at the sky. Maybe I left something on the roof, the car smoking?

Anyways, he's up ahead at the side of the road and I pull over. He wants to look at my engine!

He tells me "complimenti" and how much he loves the car. I find out it has the following:

Dell'Orto side draft carb from a Peugeot 206
Fiat 126 Trannie
Panda head
electronic distributor

I knew about the carb, but didn't know they were standard on Peugeots. It's on there with dual throat horns, no filters! I really don't like that for dependability sake, but am not sure what to put in to help keep dust and grasshoppers out.

If I do add a foam air filter or something, will I have to change anything else - ie, jetting, idle speed, etc?


Thanks

Eduardo

[Ferrer]

Carburetted Peugeot 206?

[greg.harvey]

Originally Posted by Ferrer

Carburetted Peugeot 206?

Probably a typo ... 205 more likely?

I don't know what adding an air filter will do. I'm fairly sure it would affect the mix - make it too rich - because you'd expect to get slightly less air through.

Cheers,

G