Maybe I'll change it's name to Dog Poop

carl

carl

True Classic
Got the rebuilt motor into Fatrat then found our Fiat club is having it's annual Italian GP breakfast locally this coming Sunday. So unlike my usual Fiat work I have a deadline.

Hook up all the coolant lines and dump in water to check for leaks and see water fast dripping on the floor at the front of the motor....can't imagine what would leak over there but of course after I remove the alternator I see it dripping from the water pump seal port. Never had a problem with this water pump, worked fine when on the motor in the rat and worked fine on Dog Poop with that motor. Now all of sudden the seal goes bad....really! I have a spare used pump of unknown condition with orange sealant all over the joint from the pump to the pump housing. Pull the pump off and attach to my housing and after lunch will go put this back on.

Why does this car have it in for me so much....there is an X parts car on Craigslist with title and from the pictures it looks to be in better shape than mine....hmmmm.
 
Carl, I'm not convinced it is just YOUR particular X. To me they all can be a pain in the arse. But that is also true with most of the old cars I've restored from pretty much every make (some more than others though). Something of a love/hate relationship.

Water pump seals are typically fragile. I'm sure being dormant for even a short period was enough to push it over the edge of what was certain to be a failure soon anyway. Maybe better that it failed now than while away from home at the show on Sunday. Usually a new water pump is automatically on my long list of parts to get before I even start on a new-to-me old car. Along with a timing belt and tensioner, complete seal and gasket kit, all belts and hoses, thermostat, oil and coolant and fuel flush, all filters, brake calipers/pads/rotors/hoses, both masters, clutch kit, ball joints, tie rod ends, suspension bushings, etc, etc, etc. A ton of new stuff before I even get dirty taking anything apart. Then there is always another long list of specific parts that I find needed along the way.
 
Well, the replacement unknown history pump does not leak and I feel more resistance on the pulley when I turn it so I hope that means the seal is better. I'll put oil in the motor tomorrow and fire it up....where it will probably make terrible noises and I'll get so pissed I'll push it out the driveway...which has a downward slope to the street which goes down hill for a few blocks.

Doc, what you described is called a new car.
 
carl said:
what you described is called a new car
Click to expand...
I think it is the same as your car, only I pay for all of it upfront instead of buying each part as it fails over the first couple of months. :D

The truth is it's because I'm lazy; I'd rather just replace the obvious stuff with new parts rather than deal with cleaning, inspecting, servicing, and refinishing the old parts. :oops:
 
There are budgeting considerations....otherwise I could just tell Matt to sell me one of everything in his catalog.

There was a phrase a buddy of mine used to say "what's the fun of driving one of these cars if you know for an absolute fact you will get to your destination without any problems".
 
carl said:
There are budgeting considerations....otherwise I could just tell Matt to sell me one of everything in his catalog.

There was a phrase a buddy of mine used to say "what's the fun of driving one of these cars if you know for an absolute fact you will get to your destination without any problems".
Click to expand...

It's the 4th and 5th times of not making it to your destination that causes a severe reduction in the fun factor.
At that point the "4 pound sledge" reaction takes over and the car is parked.
 
When I was younger that type of "fun" (not knowing if you were going to make it to your destination) was exciting. But now it's just one more irritating condition that I have to contend with, like arthritis, hemorrhoids, having to pee all the time, and forgetting things.
 
I'm going to curse myself by saying this but I have rarely been sidelined by a malfunctioning Fiat. I did have one X1/9 that stalled on me several times but would start up about 20 minutes later.

Dog Poop got all wired up, oiled and muffler installed this morning....hit the starter and it fired right up. Except for a loose hose clamp all seems good. I'll spend this afternoon bolting up the axles and maybe I can get it back on the road.
 
Uh, Carl, didn't you once have an axle shaft break on a club drive, or am I "mis-remembering" the incident? I vaguely recall that Erskine had to go back the next day to retrieve your car, something like that.......
 
It was a fried clutch in my spider. Went through a ford (water on the road, not the car brand) and apparently got the clutch wet and jumped on it too hard before it dried. Don't ever hitch a ride with a fellow club member in cool weather when said club member informs you the heater is not hooked up.
 
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