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As a person with a chronic bad back, I am amazed at you getting into all those cramped spaces with an injured back! Take care, and let your body recover.
Never clean the oil separator and EV it. It would only need a 10 -20 KW electric motor and a eco flow battery, and your done, maybe have no idea if do something that simple would work. Would be fun to watch if it did. Then I could get a V W Beetle and do the same to it.
By doing it on camera you actually got FOUR benefits. 1. You got a video out of it. 2. It took 4 times longer 3. You actually did the thing(s). 4. You saw the brake light was out. :)
Hey, British person here - our cars were designed to work in the rain _*exclusively*_. You better go moisten that new brake-light switch in the Robin, cos it ain't gonna work dry.
Hello! Fellow mechanic here. I work on military vehicles. What you were describing on the Polski Fiat sounds a lot like something I encounter on HMMWVs (humvees). When someone adds too much fuel stabilizer to the tank, it dissolves the lining into the mechanical lift pump. The inside layer of the hose collapses and starves the engine. But from the outside nothing looks amiss. Check your fuel lines and see if anything is squishier than it should be. I love your channel. Please keep making these videos!
In regard to your fuel starvation problem; I once was a line mechanic for a rent a car outfit in St. Louis. We had an AMC with a 258 that had the same exact problem and it easily qualified as a major pain in my back pockets. I rebuilt the carb, fuel pump, filter and checked for vacuum leaks at every interstitial point, joint or surface. The answer came by the process of elimination. Someone at the factory had misaligned the rubber hose where the fuel came out of the steel hose from the gas tank and, in shoving the rubber hose onto it, had slivered a long piece which slid inside the steel gas line while still being attached in the rubber line. When the fuel pressure reached full flow, it would suck the sliver along with the fuel and clog the rubber hose. Then, when the car died, it would relax and realign to it's original position, ready, willing and more than able to keep the game going as long as I wanted. I replaced that six inch piece of hose and it ended the game. It was utterly faithful afterwards, even though the horn would only emit a growl when I used it. I believe it was angry that it had lost. Hope that helps.
That's sounds like a really plausible reason for the fuel issue and I have no help to offer in that regard, BUT I owned one of these years ago and the ignition coil condenser on kept breaking down causing exactly the juddering you showed under load, but it would start and idle just fine. I always carried a spare and they are as cheap as chips so I'd recommend replacing to see if that helps. 😁
could also be a flap of rubber in a line, will be fine until high fuel flow and then the flap will move and cut off flow, same thing if the line or tank is rotting putting rubber or metal particulate in the lines that moves around. also could be thermal, the fuel may be boiling.
When I was in automotive school, my instructor talked about a similar problem. Turned out to be a piece of paper that floated about in the gas tank, until it was sucked up against the “sock”, and choked the engine out. Of course, the paper released after the fuel suction stopped.
@@FearsomeWarrior Nice example. Some people believe that the -earth is flat- imperial is better than the metric because it is so convenient or something. :D
That's what i was thinking. My old tiller had a similar issue, and after parts cannoning the situation what finally fixed it was changing the fuel line coming from the carb. The rubber had a bunch of micro cracks in it and when it got to working temps it would weep air in through those tiny cracks and sometimes eventually created an airlock in the line.
This might also not be a problem with fuel but with a capacitor mounted onto spark distributior or with ignition coil. It typically looks like your case- when it warms up it dies.
Taking five years to repair the driver’s seat of a Trabant sounds surreal, but having watched your previous Trabant-related videos just a couple of days ago, it totally makes sense to me chronologically.
Is it some kind of US law you need to replace good tires just because they are 10 years old? If there are no cracks and the tread is fine then why not keep using them....
Small engine mechanic here, it could be anything this is just my theory from personal experience, the carb being wet and the engine stumbling but still running like that is a sign of a sticky/damaged intake valve, (especially happens on twin cylinder engines) when the valve doesn't close on the compression stroke it just blows the unburnt fuel back into the carb often splashing completely out. It could be the valve spring/stem is gunked up and starts to occasionally stick once it gets hot. Be very cautious running it cause theres a chance the sparkplug does ignite it on the way out and then you have a big fire.
This is how I found a broken valve on my small 350cc guzzi. The valve had cracked (not broken off!) and then the bike ran like shit. The right carb was leaking petrol, as the exhaust gas was being blown past the inlet valve. guess you get the same with sticky valves, or lack of inlet valve clearance.
@@ionstorm66 could be, but a sinking float would flood both sides and kill the engine, from the video he showed it's acting like it's running on 1 cylinder.
@@piccalillipit9211 Nothing dangerous in Zwickau. Not even reached the bank of the river and then there is still more than 2 meters of flooding protection.
Your FIAT is having a Vacuum issue. The engine vacuum loss is causing severe flooding, the carb over flows from draft rejection and you stall. When the engine cools down it likely reseals the vacuum leak and your able to run again. It's cold natured issue is also related to it. So check valve covers, intake reliefs and vacuum servo items on it.
15:56 I come across this issue before and it happened on my mum's car - you need to replace or clean your fuel cap - it has a breather that gets blocked and this causes a vacuum on the tank
You should get a Citroen 2CV. That would be very entertaining to watch and give you a lot of repair content. Also did I mention that I have a 2 CV for sale?
Dude, your problems there that are easy to fix, but taken years to actually do. That's my whole life and all things in my apartment. It's like _"I just use 5-10 minutes to do this thing that was in that corner waiting for me to do it for years"_ It's quite frustrating. I'm glad you're getting things done! Good job!
So typical "Well it will only takes 5 minutes to fix so I'll do it later". Also in the back of your head you KNOW the 5 minutes fix may develop into "4 hours to find why something that should be done in 5 minutes suddenly turned into a 4 hours part chase" :D
I think this is supposed to be a symptom of ADHD, but honestly it could just be part of the human condition. I certainly feel the same way about it though, it's way harder to actually sit down and fix the problem than it should be, but it's way better to knock them out all at once.
that's me with fixing electronics. "yeah this is easy to do, but i need some obscure part/component from CN that'll take a month to get here... i'll do it later" .... cue the same half disassembled device sitting shoved into a corner a year or 3 later. If there's any sort of roadblock that keeps me from fixing it NOW with the stuff I have, my motivation goes through the floor and "I'll do it later" .... ie never. Annoying trait to have
16:30 Diesel mechanic here. Ive worked on lots of old trucks with steel fuel tanks. Ive seen this a few times where rust forms on the inside top of the tank and falls into the fuel. Those bits of rust, especially without any kind of filter will plug lines, or the rust can even be large enough to block the pickup tube. When the pickup tube gets blocked itll cause the engine to die randomly, but start right back up. 19:58 Im betting rusty internal fuel tank, possibly bits of rust plugging carb jets. Put an inline filter in it at least and see if it is catching bits of rust. Also, idk how old the fuel lines are, but old rubber fuel lines can collapse internally, and it could be that when the line gets hot enough it swells and cuts off fuel flow, or little bits of rubber breaking off and plugging the carb.
I had an almost identical issue on a Waverunner because the ethanol fuel was causing th efuel sender (made of rubber of some kind) to literally disintegrate into powder which would clog the fuel/water separator and carb internal fuel filters after running for a while, but after being left off for a while it would clean itself out... It was very strange.
Could the corrosion be in the metal pick up tube inside the gas tank ? But that would not explain why the carbs wet on the out side . Perhaps he could mount a video camera to “see” the carb fail
As one ADD affected procrastinator, I say congratulations on accomplishing many things, any one of which would make me proudly announce: "I did a thing!" You are an inspiration!
For the Fiat: Run a temperature gun across the entire fuel system after operation (or under simulated load if you ride the brakes on the lift). Anything at, above, or near 173 degrees Fahrenheit will result in the gasoline boiling. This can contribute to fuel starvation, but - more importantly - on a deadhead fuel system, it'll cause a nearly undetectable vapor lock, usually combined with the fuel starvation and an inexplicable engine shutdown. The best way to solve this is to run an in-line fuel filter with a third nipple that serves as a fuel return line back to the tank (this often requires drilling and soldering the sender for another return line, FYI). Wix makes a filter of this description; I've used them with excellent results. Granted, there's a _possibility_ you might be able to detect when the fuel is boiling as the idle will become slightly rougher as the carb starts to see less liquid fuel, but it gives the boiling vapor somewhere to go to allow cold fuel to re-fill the bowls.
19:56 Stuck float, it's not starving for fuel, it's flooding! the fuel you see is from the vent. You may have a float that has a leak or a needle that has a bad o-ring. personally, they're simple enough to take apart and check everything.
also, check the pressure your fuel pump is putting out, @LowBuckGarage has a jeep that he put a 'new' fuel pump on, that would flood the carb with fuel because it would put out 35psi of fuel pressure. Compared to 6 that the carb was rated for and the float just couldn't do it's job.
To help keep your fleet alive, I'd suggest putting fused 12V taps on the batteries and terminating them just behind the bumpers or trim. This gives you an easy way to plug in battery tenders (or cheap clones). For the Solo, the bonus is no longer worrying about power out = lockout. If you want to be fancy, you can use Anderson PowerPoles and weather caps. As for the nuts/machine screws ... I can't count the number of times I had to take cheap no-name fasteners and run them through a tap or die to clean them up. If safety is important in the application, get your fasteners from a reputable source, like Bolt Depot or McMaster.
Lucas Electric!! This was a British company, not the Lucas that y'all know. There was an old joke that appealed to an incredibly small audience: "Why do limeys drink warm beer?" "Because they have Lucas refridgerators!" (We didn't; Lucas didn't make 'em)
I love how all these vehicles are road legal. Yet there is a strong dislike of the new fad of kei trucks by politicians. Hope your back is feeling better soon. Thanks for the video.
It would be interesting to compare the crash worthiness. The Trabant has a fairly strong composite body. In some Kei trucks there is like 3" and a thin piece of steell between the front of the tuck and you legs. With the Suzuki Carry they actually started fitting a small "hood" to the ones sold in the U.K. to give a bit more crash protection.
@EEF2077 ... I have to disagree, lived in Bloomington for 35 years... was as close to Normal as I ever got... Did you hear about the Normal woman that married an Oblong man?
Couple of things the FIAT could be having... 1 is a blocked vent or return line. 2 is the float adjustment needs to be checked on the carb. 3 the mechanical pump you got is borked and you just need to put a clicky-clacky on there.
1) is non-existant, no return circuit at all. It is float, and ball valve on Fiats, low pressure fuel systems. Same on Lada's, it is only two-throat carb (speking of 2101/21011 old models). 2) Carb-maybe, but either ball valve is inop or float holder is deformed... it would always fail. I would bet that acceleration "spray" nozzle gushes fuel everywhere, or gives no fuel at all sometimes (when pedal is pressed). The ball inside that one can also corrode or fail. Flex hoses can also develop "vein"-type internal desintegration, they desintegrate inside and form fin-like shapes like veins, but to the wrong side. They work until warmed up, then they don't pass liquid. This happens mostly to the brakes, though. Fuel filter is kind of surplus part, as there are meshes in the pump that can be cleaned. I never had one and never had problem with clogging. Fuel qty is also regulated by 3) pump which can look good but membrane parts can fail (stretch) when warmed up (my father had the same failure 45y ago on "Lada" that used the same type of pump). It did not rupture, or been cloged, but membrane part got stretched. Also, works fine while cold, but when warmed up... Also, pump can be slightly different then original and this can be adjusted by bakelite/plastic insert. I think that op-rod in the engine can be replaced to fit the pump, but it is Lada thing.
@@docnele there may not be a return, there still is a vent on the tank itself, as when you remove fuel from the tank without a vent it will generate a vacuum to the point of where the fuel pump can't pull fuel from the tank.
I can't help but love your dedication to the lost cause. Most of us limit our hopelessness to one or, perhaps, two vehicles. You, sir, are delightfully ambitious. Bless your heart and soldier on.
Lucas electronics..... I priced out a replacement brake light switch for a 76 Jag XJ12L. After that I ran down to O'reillys and asked for a brake light switch for a 78 Chev Caprice. As usual, the counter guy ran me through a dozen questions about engine, trans, trim level and shoe size before running to the back room and coming back with my $10 switch. A quick mod under the dash with a bit of angle iron and a drill had me back on the road with working brake lights.
If you look closely into Polish Fiat 126 engine bay, you will notice that there is a special hook / ring in the upper part of the engine bay and also a special ring on the engine itself, just below (near the part where exhaust 90 degree connector is). It is there so you can quite literality "hang" the entire engine inside engine bay using a chain or special tool (Turnbuckles tool with 2 hooks). No need to lift the engine up. Just hang it & then remove rear cross-member. Also, the fuel issues are most likely caused by "bad" fuel pump. Many "new" 3rd party 126p fuel pumps have a trash membrane that falls apparat after a couple of uses or (if it was laying in a shelf for too long) it may be already bad even brad new. Cracked membranes are either causing fuel to leak inside engine bay (fuel is pumped outside though venting) or air gets inside the pump and is added to the fuel causing fuel starvation issue. Just take the pump apart and examine the rubber membranes. If they are too stiff or have cracks - there is your problem.
I had a similar problem as the Fiat on a 69 Tbird. The inside of the gas tank had started rusting. Draining the tank and filling with fresh gas caused the car to run like a new one... For about two days. See, it created a *very* fine oxidized sediment - it would build up to plug the outgoing line from the tank as long as there was a draw, then slowly float free. Same thing at the filter, after i installed an inline - but enough had gotten past the oem screen prior to that & get in the carb, causing the float to stick. Which made gas overflow and left the carb wet with fuel. ::shrug:: Hope that helps.
“To me it’s original” is exactly how I approach my project vehicles. I’ve got a 1981 gs750 with a custom bright blue seat, and in my opinion that is the only correct seat to have on it.
19:15 VR1 is made for short change intervals... Like 500 mi 1000 max depending on engine and demands on the oil. This is why it's branded racing It's additives breakdown faster than regular car oil which will cause premature wear in the long run if you go too long with it
1:56 Lets be real, Rob, Its never just ONE loose screw if YOU'RE working on it! 10:00 Look at them closely. A while back I had a strut mount come with hardware for attaching it to the body and I had to HAMMER them home with an impact. Before doing the other side I inspected the hardware more closely. Somebody had the brilliant idea to just make OVAL NUTS and call em lock nuts. I spun the spines from the stud in the strut mount trying to take them back off, so they definitely lock!
A tip possibly for getting your doors open on the EV with the power out. A lot of manufacturers have a hidden lock cylinder built under handle bezel in some way, shape, or form. You may be able to carefully pry up the bezel to reveal it. If it doesn't then disregard everything I said! Regardlessly love your videos and look forward to every one! 😁
I thought he would have taken it apart, cleaned that surface, and applied a thin layer of Kapton or PET tape to it. So i was fundamentally close but hadn't counted on just how lazy of an approach he'd take. Because unfortunately that housing is full of grease so things might not stick very well for very long if you don't prep it well.
I appreciates your replacement tire adventures. I purchased a new '78 Honda Civic which came with 12-inch rims. At the time I lived in the very busy and wealthy suburbs of a major city, and trying to find ANY kind of replacement tire was almost imposimuhble. I am sure we all can agree having the best tires on any automotive vehicle is like wearing the correct footwear. Thanks again for your absolutely wonderful, enjoyable, and immensely entertaining videos; they keep me from going out and doing stupid automotive things.
If the fiat is spewing gas all over the carb when it happens, I'd be looking into a stuck float or sinking float. I'm assuming there is no fuel pressure regulation happening, since it is a mechanical fuel pump, but if there is a return line coming off the fuel pump, you might be over pressurizing
I realize the prospect of a non-car guy offering car advice to a car guy is possibly the height of stupidity, but I'm wondering if the fuel starvation issue and subsequent flooding of the top of the engine, could be due to a thermal expansion issue? Maybe there's a leak that only develops after the engine has gotten hot? Maybe this will spark an idea that can help? Here's hoping.
Yep, I usually just take a clear tube so I can see the fuel coming and gasoline is fine to get a mouth full of as it goes away quickly, diesel however is much, much worse!
I feel your pain. The problem with the Fiat-P may be gunk in the fuel tank. Something rolling around in there that covers the fuel line port. In college, a person I know found that his car was sabotaged with small balls that rolled and bounced in the tank until one got sucked onto the fuel port which would lead to sputtering and stalling. Is the fuel cap ventilated? Could be a blockage in the cap. Worth a try. Lastly, the leaking carburetor may have a bad or maladjusted float which floods the engine. Good luck.
On your m5 issue you've got a #10-32 nut. You can use a 10-32 bolt on an m5 nut but not the other way. Also on the fiat make sure the tank is venting. If it draws a vacume on the tank the fuel pump can't overcome the suction.
The Fiat 126s issue can be either of two: Valve clearance set up wrong. 0.20mm inlet, 0.25mm exhaust - if its too tight and the engine is hot it WILL start shitty or not work at all. Another issue can be the capacitor on the ignition. Replace it or put a nanoplex/heyoplex/123ignition in.
Thank you for making me feel better for procrastinating 9 months! I just fixed my side mirror of my convertible after some stranger had broken it and it wouldn't hang straight anymore. Only took about 2 hours to fix, but getting to it took 9 months. Good to see I'm not the only one :)
16:48 well that looks very fun and stupid and like something I absolutely shouldn't try 19:43 Rob, if you have a GoPro or similar, maybe stick that and a mountable flashlight in there and see if it can catch where that gas is coming from? Might provide a clue as to the underlying problem
I have to admit that I love that you demonstrate that no one is alone in having the problems that you have with your cars because I have been there and I have friends that have been there. As for the Fiat, I am in camp pickup tube in the fuel tank, but for your sake I hope that I am wrong and you find a solution that doesn't involve dropping the fuel tank before the have to drop the fuel tank. Best of luck to you with that one.
That's very irresponsible of them. Bring any 10 year old tire to me for a repair and I'll tell you to pound sand. And it's illegal to sell a tire that's 7 years past manufacture date or to pass them for inspection past 10 years, even if they've never been used and stored in a cool dark place, they're expired.
@@likebot.Could you please elaborate on what law you are mentioning? I have been out of the tire business for a few years, but I'm not aware of any laws regarding tire lifetime limits in the USA.
You should change the trabant electrical to 12 V, its really simple, the only components you need to switch are wiper motor, alternator and coil (if I remember correctly) and lightbulbs obviously. Huge benefit is, that 6V starter on 12v battery starts the car in couple of seconds, the car can actually be used during night (unlike 6V light bulbs). And 12V battery and lightbulbs and stuff are much easier to source than 6V. Also, judging by the overall look of your trabant, it looks like its an later model, circa 84 which was 12V from factory anyways. By the way, we refer to the "polski fiat" as MALUCH,... not polski fiat,.... nobody calls them that around mid europe.
I am so disorganised, I had three of four great comments to timestampt, but … all gone from my head, and out of time, would have😮 to watch again. I think you may be able to empathise. On the other hand - yay for you for fixing some overdue thing. Nice! The other things… will either fix themselves, or wait their turn. Guaranteed. Have a nice week!!
Keep up the good work. Man it's been a while since I watch one of your videos and I was glad I did. The humor and great skills you have are a blessing.
you probably already have it fixed, but you likely could have gotten away with replacing just the valve core.. even though the tire is old you could have at least fixed the leak just to shuffle them around the shop. The gas in the fiat was also pretty stale looking, it doesn't combust as easily when it's stale. Ethanol fuel is only good for about 90 days before it starts going bad, I would recommend putting non-ethanol fuel in the units that sit for long periods of time. Most issues with carbureted units is dirt, stale fuel, and water. Try cleaning the carburetor, blowing air back through the tank, or at least see if it will run if you spray carb cleaner down the intake.. that shows its a fuel delivery issue. flow did seem a little weak when syphoning
I had similar issue with my 1971 Lada 2102 as your Polski, my solution was to take off the carburetor lid because the float bulb valve came loose. Cleaned the float bulb housing and screwed in the valve and fixed everything. Probably vibrations caused it to come loose which made the float bulb stuck on high position that made it not be able to deliver proper amount of fuel. Sometimes it worked fine sometimes it starved the engine of fuel while pissing it fuel off the overflow side.
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Still got a brake light issue. three lights come on and not two.
As a person with a chronic bad back, I am amazed at you getting into all those cramped spaces with an injured back! Take care, and let your body recover.
Promo code only works if you buy both the chair and the desk as an FYI. Shame, I'm actually in the market for a chair.
@@OmegaGamingNetworkhe did say 50$ off the desk AND chair lol
Fiat could be vapor locking.
I give it 2 years until the oil separator actually gets clean
At least on the regular 500s, i'm pretty sure you can do it without taking the rear panel off. It's a pain, but doable.
I see your 2 years, and raise you 3.
@@Reahreic I raise 5- because a full decade to change a lightbulb sounds funny.
I'm going to say 2 until he thinks about it again. 3 and he just chucks in an aftermarket oil filter to make it a "never again" problem
Never clean the oil separator and EV it. It would only need a 10 -20 KW electric motor and a eco flow battery, and your done, maybe have no idea if do something that simple would work. Would be fun to watch if it did. Then I could get a V W Beetle and do the same to it.
By doing it on camera you actually got FOUR benefits.
1. You got a video out of it.
2. It took 4 times longer
3. You actually did the thing(s).
4. You saw the brake light was out. :)
5. you made a lot of people happy about a New video
6. you make money (maybe)
Yes, you can see your mistakes and reference the original condition of things when you have video of the process
Hey, British person here - our cars were designed to work in the rain _*exclusively*_. You better go moisten that new brake-light switch in the Robin, cos it ain't gonna work dry.
LOL
Hello! Fellow mechanic here. I work on military vehicles. What you were describing on the Polski Fiat sounds a lot like something I encounter on HMMWVs (humvees). When someone adds too much fuel stabilizer to the tank, it dissolves the lining into the mechanical lift pump. The inside layer of the hose collapses and starves the engine. But from the outside nothing looks amiss. Check your fuel lines and see if anything is squishier than it should be.
I love your channel. Please keep making these videos!
In regard to your fuel starvation problem; I once was a line mechanic for a rent a car outfit in St. Louis. We had an AMC with a 258 that had the same exact problem and it easily qualified as a major pain in my back pockets. I rebuilt the carb, fuel pump, filter and checked for vacuum leaks at every interstitial point, joint or surface. The answer came by the process of elimination. Someone at the factory had misaligned the rubber hose where the fuel came out of the steel hose from the gas tank and, in shoving the rubber hose onto it, had slivered a long piece which slid inside the steel gas line while still being attached in the rubber line. When the fuel pressure reached full flow, it would suck the sliver along with the fuel and clog the rubber hose. Then, when the car died, it would relax and realign to it's original position, ready, willing and more than able to keep the game going as long as I wanted. I replaced that six inch piece of hose and it ended the game. It was utterly faithful afterwards, even though the horn would only emit a growl when I used it. I believe it was angry that it had lost. Hope that helps.
That's sounds like a really plausible reason for the fuel issue and I have no help to offer in that regard, BUT I owned one of these years ago and the ignition coil condenser on kept breaking down causing exactly the juddering you showed under load, but it would start and idle just fine. I always carried a spare and they are as cheap as chips so I'd recommend replacing to see if that helps. 😁
could also be a flap of rubber in a line, will be fine until high fuel flow and then the flap will move and cut off flow, same thing if the line or tank is rotting putting rubber or metal particulate in the lines that moves around. also could be thermal, the fuel may be boiling.
When I was in automotive school, my instructor talked about a similar problem. Turned out to be a piece of paper that floated about in the gas tank, until it was sucked up against the “sock”, and choked the engine out. Of course, the paper released after the fuel suction stopped.
So, the car had a carb attack. :P
Didn't garbage time have a very similar issue on the exact same car?
6:27 I was suddenly terrified BetterHelp had branched out into chiropractors
You just perfectly demonstrated the close fit between M5 and 10/32. They are so close and they will fit on thread measuring tools.
So he was using 10-32 Nuts but sure they must be M5s because his thread checker tolerance was close enough?
I would bet money that the factory FUBAR'd the bags on those bolts/screws.
10/32 is 5/16. 11/32 maybe?
@@FearsomeWarrior #10-32, actually
@@FearsomeWarrior Nice example. Some people believe that the -earth is flat- imperial is better than the metric because it is so convenient or something. :D
21:34 Third benefit: You have *entertained* us and we thank you for it!
For the Fiat - take when it acts up, take the gas cap off! Maybe the tank vent is clogged? Or maybe a cracked line/pickup tube sucking air?
That's what i was thinking. My old tiller had a similar issue, and after parts cannoning the situation what finally fixed it was changing the fuel line coming from the carb. The rubber had a bunch of micro cracks in it and when it got to working temps it would weep air in through those tiny cracks and sometimes eventually created an airlock in the line.
Idk how the fiat fuel system works but if you have this problem with a motorcycle it could be a vacuum leak
Sucking air or vapor lock occurred to me as well.
This might also not be a problem with fuel but with a capacitor mounted onto spark distributior or with ignition coil. It typically looks like your case- when it warms up it dies.
it syphoned ok though, if it was a breather problem it would've stopped after a while.
Taking five years to repair the driver’s seat of a Trabant sounds surreal, but having watched your previous Trabant-related videos just a couple of days ago, it totally makes sense to me chronologically.
Rob: "I don't like being stupid."
Solo: * honks for affirmation *
Greetings from Zwickau, the home of the Trabant. Nice to see it kinda works again. One of three Trabant had the same seat covers😂
I was not prepared for this many tire purchases
I don’t think Robert was either. 😂
Is it some kind of US law you need to replace good tires just because they are 10 years old? If there are no cracks and the tread is fine then why not keep using them....
It's rare for any individual to be prepared for TIRES 😂
That's usually the way things get fixed in general. Find one problem after discovering 3-4 more while taking it apart.
How auto repair and tire shops make their boat payments.
Did he really hurt his back for a sponsored segment? That's what I call dedication. I'm very impressed.
You need a James to fix the Polski Fiat. Unfortunately you're not in Australia.
Everyone needs a James
Sorry you hurt your back. Feel better soon mate. Love your videos, and your frightened laughing.
Small engine mechanic here, it could be anything this is just my theory from personal experience, the carb being wet and the engine stumbling but still running like that is a sign of a sticky/damaged intake valve, (especially happens on twin cylinder engines) when the valve doesn't close on the compression stroke it just blows the unburnt fuel back into the carb often splashing completely out. It could be the valve spring/stem is gunked up and starts to occasionally stick once it gets hot. Be very cautious running it cause theres a chance the sparkplug does ignite it on the way out and then you have a big fire.
This is how I found a broken valve on my small 350cc guzzi. The valve had cracked (not broken off!) and then the bike ran like shit. The right carb was leaking petrol, as the exhaust gas was being blown past the inlet valve. guess you get the same with sticky valves, or lack of inlet valve clearance.
Probably it needs a valve clearance adjustment. Polski has no hydraulic valves.
@@davidnyul6658 definitely, even a small gap in clearance can cause it.
Could also be a sinking float.
@@ionstorm66 could be, but a sinking float would flood both sides and kill the engine, from the video he showed it's acting like it's running on 1 cylinder.
19:48 floats are stuck
15:00 Robert it sounds like you needed an online tyre sponsorship for this video
Your delivery of dry humor is perfection. Always looking forward to your new uploads!
Please do more with the Trabant it makes me happy.
Signed, an East German who lives about 30 min away from Zwickau.
Are you guys flooded...???
@@piccalillipit9211 I live in the mountains so no. It's pretty wet though.
@@mrshadowduh9394 Im over in Bulgaria - its pretty wet here but no flooding. It looks pretty bad in central Europe.
An Englishman with a Trabant P601 Kombi here. I've had many parcels coming from Zwickau!
Ich liebe mien Trabi, peep peep!
@@piccalillipit9211 Nothing dangerous in Zwickau. Not even reached the bank of the river and then there is still more than 2 meters of flooding protection.
Your FIAT is having a Vacuum issue. The engine vacuum loss is causing severe flooding, the carb over flows from draft rejection and you stall. When the engine cools down it likely reseals the vacuum leak and your able to run again. It's cold natured issue is also related to it. So check valve covers, intake reliefs and vacuum servo items on it.
15:56 I come across this issue before and it happened on my mum's car - you need to replace or clean your fuel cap - it has a breather that gets blocked and this causes a vacuum on the tank
Fuel tank under vacuum was my immediate thoughts too
You should get a Citroen 2CV. That would be very entertaining to watch and give you a lot of repair content. Also did I mention that I have a 2 CV for sale?
Excellent. Yeah he should totally take a look at your duckling.
Dude, your problems there that are easy to fix, but taken years to actually do. That's my whole life and all things in my apartment. It's like _"I just use 5-10 minutes to do this thing that was in that corner waiting for me to do it for years"_ It's quite frustrating. I'm glad you're getting things done! Good job!
So typical "Well it will only takes 5 minutes to fix so I'll do it later".
Also in the back of your head you KNOW the 5 minutes fix may develop into "4 hours to find why something that should be done in 5 minutes suddenly turned into a 4 hours part chase" :D
I think this is supposed to be a symptom of ADHD, but honestly it could just be part of the human condition. I certainly feel the same way about it though, it's way harder to actually sit down and fix the problem than it should be, but it's way better to knock them out all at once.
that's me with fixing electronics. "yeah this is easy to do, but i need some obscure part/component from CN that'll take a month to get here... i'll do it later" .... cue the same half disassembled device sitting shoved into a corner a year or 3 later. If there's any sort of roadblock that keeps me from fixing it NOW with the stuff I have, my motivation goes through the floor and "I'll do it later" .... ie never. Annoying trait to have
@@Nighthawk20000As someone with ADHD this is indeed the epitome of my life, does get a bit better with medication though.
16:30
Diesel mechanic here. Ive worked on lots of old trucks with steel fuel tanks. Ive seen this a few times where rust forms on the inside top of the tank and falls into the fuel. Those bits of rust, especially without any kind of filter will plug lines, or the rust can even be large enough to block the pickup tube. When the pickup tube gets blocked itll cause the engine to die randomly, but start right back up.
19:58
Im betting rusty internal fuel tank, possibly bits of rust plugging carb jets. Put an inline filter in it at least and see if it is catching bits of rust.
Also, idk how old the fuel lines are, but old rubber fuel lines can collapse internally, and it could be that when the line gets hot enough it swells and cuts off fuel flow, or little bits of rubber breaking off and plugging the carb.
I had an almost identical issue on a Waverunner because the ethanol fuel was causing th efuel sender (made of rubber of some kind) to literally disintegrate into powder which would clog the fuel/water separator and carb internal fuel filters after running for a while, but after being left off for a while it would clean itself out... It was very strange.
Could the corrosion be in the metal pick up tube inside the gas tank ? But that would not explain why the carbs wet on the out side . Perhaps he could mount a video camera to “see” the carb fail
As one ADD affected procrastinator, I say congratulations on accomplishing many things, any one of which would make me proudly announce: "I did a thing!" You are an inspiration!
"I don't like being stupid"
**BEEP**
🤣
Sneaky 5:02 RIP! My condolences.
For the Fiat: Run a temperature gun across the entire fuel system after operation (or under simulated load if you ride the brakes on the lift). Anything at, above, or near 173 degrees Fahrenheit will result in the gasoline boiling. This can contribute to fuel starvation, but - more importantly - on a deadhead fuel system, it'll cause a nearly undetectable vapor lock, usually combined with the fuel starvation and an inexplicable engine shutdown.
The best way to solve this is to run an in-line fuel filter with a third nipple that serves as a fuel return line back to the tank (this often requires drilling and soldering the sender for another return line, FYI). Wix makes a filter of this description; I've used them with excellent results. Granted, there's a _possibility_ you might be able to detect when the fuel is boiling as the idle will become slightly rougher as the carb starts to see less liquid fuel, but it gives the boiling vapor somewhere to go to allow cold fuel to re-fill the bowls.
19:56 Stuck float, it's not starving for fuel, it's flooding! the fuel you see is from the vent. You may have a float that has a leak or a needle that has a bad o-ring. personally, they're simple enough to take apart and check everything.
also, check the pressure your fuel pump is putting out, @LowBuckGarage has a jeep that he put a 'new' fuel pump on, that would flood the carb with fuel because it would put out 35psi of fuel pressure. Compared to 6 that the carb was rated for and the float just couldn't do it's job.
To help keep your fleet alive, I'd suggest putting fused 12V taps on the batteries and terminating them just behind the bumpers or trim. This gives you an easy way to plug in battery tenders (or cheap clones). For the Solo, the bonus is no longer worrying about power out = lockout. If you want to be fancy, you can use Anderson PowerPoles and weather caps.
As for the nuts/machine screws ... I can't count the number of times I had to take cheap no-name fasteners and run them through a tap or die to clean them up. If safety is important in the application, get your fasteners from a reputable source, like Bolt Depot or McMaster.
The way the Solo honks the horn when turning is absolutely hilarious. 😂
About the Reliant Robin: check the other end of the wires for water ingress. Water and other fluids can travel inside wire insulation.
Lucas Electric!! This was a British company, not the Lucas that y'all know. There was an old joke that appealed to an incredibly small audience: "Why do limeys drink warm beer?" "Because they have Lucas refridgerators!" (We didn't; Lucas didn't make 'em)
And most of us drink cold beer in the UK.
Powered by Lucas , the Prince of darkness "Get home before dark". (Previous spitfire owner).
Then there's the saying that "Everything British leaks: British Naval ships leak water. MI6 leaks secrets. Lucas electrics leak smoke."
I love how all these vehicles are road legal. Yet there is a strong dislike of the new fad of kei trucks by politicians.
Hope your back is feeling better soon. Thanks for the video.
They don't like it because people aren't wasting money on terrible American trucks as much instead... lol
@@moth.monster Nailed it on the head. lol.
If it's not 'merican, it can't be good nor safe.
@@moth.monster Yeah of course US politicians still have that "Buy America" policy.
Missouri... all you need is a Historic Vehicle plate and no inspection is required, ever.
It would be interesting to compare the crash worthiness. The Trabant has a fairly strong composite body. In some Kei trucks there is like 3" and a thin piece of steell between the front of the tuck and you legs. With the Suzuki Carry they actually started fitting a small "hood" to the ones sold in the U.K. to give a bit more crash protection.
Love that Normal Illinois Shirt. One of the few towns that lives up to its name.
@EEF2077 ... I have to disagree, lived in Bloomington for 35 years... was as close to Normal as I ever got...
Did you hear about the Normal woman that married an Oblong man?
7:47 The seat frame is broken in three places. The first one is Washington DC, as we established.
:/
back injuries are the worst. good luck man, hope you heal up quick.
Couple of things the FIAT could be having... 1 is a blocked vent or return line. 2 is the float adjustment needs to be checked on the carb. 3 the mechanical pump you got is borked and you just need to put a clicky-clacky on there.
1) is non-existant, no return circuit at all. It is float, and ball valve on Fiats, low pressure fuel systems. Same on Lada's, it is only two-throat carb (speking of 2101/21011 old models).
2) Carb-maybe, but either ball valve is inop or float holder is deformed... it would always fail. I would bet that acceleration "spray" nozzle gushes fuel everywhere, or gives no fuel at all sometimes (when pedal is pressed). The ball inside that one can also corrode or fail.
Flex hoses can also develop "vein"-type internal desintegration, they desintegrate inside and form fin-like shapes like veins, but to the wrong side. They work until warmed up, then they don't pass liquid. This happens mostly to the brakes, though.
Fuel filter is kind of surplus part, as there are meshes in the pump that can be cleaned. I never had one and never had problem with clogging.
Fuel qty is also regulated by 3) pump which can look good but membrane parts can fail (stretch) when warmed up (my father had the same failure 45y ago on "Lada" that used the same type of pump). It did not rupture, or been cloged, but membrane part got stretched. Also, works fine while cold, but when warmed up...
Also, pump can be slightly different then original and this can be adjusted by bakelite/plastic insert. I think that op-rod in the engine can be replaced to fit the pump, but it is Lada thing.
I'll put a vote in to the float not turning off the fuel. I had this on an old truck, there was some crap in the seat not allowing it to close.
@@daves2433 Maybe, but accel. nozzle is also ball/spring. It can also gush and stop if sticky, while float chamber is fine.
Engine swaping seems to be an option.
@@docnele there may not be a return, there still is a vent on the tank itself, as when you remove fuel from the tank without a vent it will generate a vacuum to the point of where the fuel pump can't pull fuel from the tank.
14:15 Wow another Tony. What a nugget
Yes I noticed this also, hey to you a fellow Dank pods/Garbage time fan 😂
AU Tony where he's okay and not owned by an Aussie 😂
I can't help but love your dedication to the lost cause. Most of us limit our hopelessness to one or, perhaps, two vehicles. You, sir, are delightfully ambitious. Bless your heart and soldier on.
This was SO satisfying! Watching you tick off those lingering small jobs made me feel like I was tackling my own procrastination. Which I'm not.
Lucas electronics..... I priced out a replacement brake light switch for a 76 Jag XJ12L. After that I ran down to O'reillys and asked for a brake light switch for a 78 Chev Caprice. As usual, the counter guy ran me through a dozen questions about engine, trans, trim level and shoe size before running to the back room and coming back with my $10 switch. A quick mod under the dash with a bit of angle iron and a drill had me back on the road with working brake lights.
Joe Lucas: The Prince of Darkness 🙂
If you look closely into Polish Fiat 126 engine bay, you will notice that there is a special hook / ring in the upper part of the engine bay and also a special ring on the engine itself, just below (near the part where exhaust 90 degree connector is). It is there so you can quite literality "hang" the entire engine inside engine bay using a chain or special tool (Turnbuckles tool with 2 hooks). No need to lift the engine up. Just hang it & then remove rear cross-member.
Also, the fuel issues are most likely caused by "bad" fuel pump. Many "new" 3rd party 126p fuel pumps have a trash membrane that falls apparat after a couple of uses or (if it was laying in a shelf for too long) it may be already bad even brad new. Cracked membranes are either causing fuel to leak inside engine bay (fuel is pumped outside though venting) or air gets inside the pump and is added to the fuel causing fuel starvation issue. Just take the pump apart and examine the rubber membranes. If they are too stiff or have cracks - there is your problem.
I had a similar problem as the Fiat on a 69 Tbird.
The inside of the gas tank had started rusting.
Draining the tank and filling with fresh gas caused the car to run like a new one... For about two days.
See, it created a *very* fine oxidized sediment - it would build up to plug the outgoing line from the tank as long as there was a draw, then slowly float free.
Same thing at the filter, after i installed an inline - but enough had gotten past the oem screen prior to that & get in the carb, causing the float to stick.
Which made gas overflow and left the carb wet with fuel.
::shrug:: Hope that helps.
I have nothing but love for this channel
“To me it’s original” is exactly how I approach my project vehicles. I’ve got a 1981 gs750 with a custom bright blue seat, and in my opinion that is the only correct seat to have on it.
19:15 VR1 is made for short change intervals... Like 500 mi 1000 max depending on engine and demands on the oil. This is why it's branded racing It's additives breakdown faster than regular car oil which will cause premature wear in the long run if you go too long with it
You’ve outdone yourself with this one! Absolute banger.
No, the bangers are the cars. The video was a cracker.
Outdunn, you say?
That's true, I really liked this video :)
1:56 Lets be real, Rob, Its never just ONE loose screw if YOU'RE working on it!
10:00 Look at them closely. A while back I had a strut mount come with hardware for attaching it to the body and I had to HAMMER them home with an impact. Before doing the other side I inspected the hardware more closely. Somebody had the brilliant idea to just make OVAL NUTS and call em lock nuts. I spun the spines from the stud in the strut mount trying to take them back off, so they definitely lock!
A tip possibly for getting your doors open on the EV with the power out. A lot of manufacturers have a hidden lock cylinder built under handle bezel in some way, shape, or form. You may be able to carefully pry up the bezel to reveal it. If it doesn't then disregard everything I said!
Regardlessly love your videos and look forward to every one! 😁
Your Trabi rebuild series sent me down a rabbit hole of learning about this little car. And here we are, back again. I love it!
4:27 the minute you said you fixed it I knew EXACTLY what you did lmao.
its beautiful
I was expecting him to have taken a file to the offending metal rather than add insulation
I thought he would have taken it apart, cleaned that surface, and applied a thin layer of Kapton or PET tape to it. So i was fundamentally close but hadn't counted on just how lazy of an approach he'd take. Because unfortunately that housing is full of grease so things might not stick very well for very long if you don't prep it well.
Your attitude and humour, bring me to tears!
You got your Trabant to work! You are now officially a master mechanic
I appreciates your replacement tire adventures. I purchased a new '78 Honda Civic which came with 12-inch rims. At the time I lived in the very busy and wealthy suburbs of a major city, and trying to find ANY kind of replacement tire was almost imposimuhble. I am sure we all can agree having the best tires on any automotive vehicle is like wearing the correct footwear. Thanks again for your absolutely wonderful, enjoyable, and immensely entertaining videos; they keep me from going out and doing stupid automotive things.
I have a bunch of videos on my Watch Later list, but new Aging Wheels videos always jump to the top of that list.
*Aging Wheels:* I went to get tires
*Also Aging Wheels:* I didn't make it
I love this channel so much.
If the fiat is spewing gas all over the carb when it happens, I'd be looking into a stuck float or sinking float. I'm assuming there is no fuel pressure regulation happening, since it is a mechanical fuel pump, but if there is a return line coming off the fuel pump, you might be over pressurizing
That's also what my father said (he had two of those back in his youth)
That seems to be a new issue after draining and refilling the tank.
I love your sense of humor. It's really helping lift my mood these days.
I realize the prospect of a non-car guy offering car advice to a car guy is possibly the height of stupidity, but I'm wondering if the fuel starvation issue and subsequent flooding of the top of the engine, could be due to a thermal expansion issue? Maybe there's a leak that only develops after the engine has gotten hot? Maybe this will spark an idea that can help? Here's hoping.
With the fuel problem on the Fiat let's hope there's no spark of anything 😂
Not a bad idea
Yeah my first guess when i saw the flooding was maybe it could be some kind of vapor lock situation??
Production value up 200%❤ 🎥📽️📹📺
good use of the venturi effect, clever thinking
Yep, I usually just take a clear tube so I can see the fuel coming and gasoline is fine to get a mouth full of as it goes away quickly, diesel however is much, much worse!
absolutely love these small repairs and would definitely want to see more of them. we got a whole set of aging wheels cars?!?! thats perfect!
Excellent video sir. Your editing style is awesome. Bravo
5:07 Are we bringing back Saab to this channel??
i’m not the only one who noticed
i commented before i saw this lol, i love saabs!
I remember a blue one, so the fact this one is red caught me off guard.
I knew I spotted a Saab
Wonder if he got a two-stroke this time? His old one was a V4, IIRC.
I feel your pain. The problem with the Fiat-P may be gunk in the fuel tank. Something rolling around in there that covers the fuel line port. In college, a person I know found that his car was sabotaged with small balls that rolled and bounced in the tank until one got sucked onto the fuel port which would lead to sputtering and stalling. Is the fuel cap ventilated? Could be a blockage in the cap. Worth a try. Lastly, the leaking carburetor may have a bad or maladjusted float which floods the engine. Good luck.
On your m5 issue you've got a #10-32 nut. You can use a 10-32 bolt on an m5 nut but not the other way. Also on the fiat make sure the tank is venting. If it draws a vacume on the tank the fuel pump can't overcome the suction.
Why does the nut work on the m5 thread checker then? Is the thread checker actually #10-32 mislabeled as m5 as well?
@@books96book0 The thread checker is probably just a loose fit. Maybe it's related to hardening, maybe not.
I hope your back feels better. The struggle is real. It takes me FOREVER to get things done.
The Fiat 126s issue can be either of two:
Valve clearance set up wrong. 0.20mm inlet, 0.25mm exhaust - if its too tight and the engine is hot it WILL start shitty or not work at all.
Another issue can be the capacitor on the ignition. Replace it or put a nanoplex/heyoplex/123ignition in.
it is amazing that you do this channel and technology connections. You manage to give totally different vibes to the content ;)
9:06 I work in the quality department at a large assembly plant, and have to deal with this type of interruption often. 🤣
I really appreciate the photosensitivity warning. It seems like such a little thing, but my eyes and lack of migraine thank you!
We need an update on the Electrified Escape.
My day always gets better when you post somthing new.
Ha, I just make things take four times as long. No video creation necessary!
Thanks for all of the great videos
2:03 "The car is less hornnnnn...."
Go ahead
no
Thank you for making me feel better for procrastinating 9 months! I just fixed my side mirror of my convertible after some stranger had broken it and it wouldn't hang straight anymore. Only took about 2 hours to fix, but getting to it took 9 months. Good to see I'm not the only one :)
Videos like these are SOOOO therapeutic for my ADHD! Thank you, Robert! Seriously
16:48 well that looks very fun and stupid and like something I absolutely shouldn't try
19:43 Rob, if you have a GoPro or similar, maybe stick that and a mountable flashlight in there and see if it can catch where that gas is coming from? Might provide a clue as to the underlying problem
Had a three wheel car 🚗 called a Bond Bug...drove it for 10 years as a daily drive .. absolutely ❤loved it
"I don't like being stupid." *Doot!*
I have to admit that I love that you demonstrate that no one is alone in having the problems that you have with your cars because I have been there and I have friends that have been there. As for the Fiat, I am in camp pickup tube in the fuel tank, but for your sake I hope that I am wrong and you find a solution that doesn't involve dropping the fuel tank before the have to drop the fuel tank. Best of luck to you with that one.
That turn signal switch is a GM switch out of the first generation S10. Well all of that column is.
Yup, lots of 70s/80s GM parts in that column
"I don't like being stupid" *hOnK* 3:30
An absolute mood, sweet Trabant Jesus.
Being British, the front number plate on the Robin never fails to amuse me :)
I, for one, am excited at the prospect of more Trabant work videos and hope your back heals up quickly.
If you take 17 year-old tires into my tire place, they just do what you asked them to do ;).
Same here. Unless they're obviously dryrotted and unsafe.
That's very irresponsible of them. Bring any 10 year old tire to me for a repair and I'll tell you to pound sand. And it's illegal to sell a tire that's 7 years past manufacture date or to pass them for inspection past 10 years, even if they've never been used and stored in a cool dark place, they're expired.
that's like saying they'll cook rotten meat for someone if they ask.
@@likebot.Could you please elaborate on what law you are mentioning?
I have been out of the tire business for a few years, but I'm not aware of any laws regarding tire lifetime limits in the USA.
You should change the trabant electrical to 12 V, its really simple, the only components you need to switch are wiper motor, alternator and coil (if I remember correctly) and lightbulbs obviously. Huge benefit is, that 6V starter on 12v battery starts the car in couple of seconds, the car can actually be used during night (unlike 6V light bulbs). And 12V battery and lightbulbs and stuff are much easier to source than 6V.
Also, judging by the overall look of your trabant, it looks like its an later model, circa 84 which was 12V from factory anyways.
By the way, we refer to the "polski fiat" as MALUCH,... not polski fiat,.... nobody calls them that around mid europe.
As soon as I get a new video notification from you, I stop everything and watch it! Now I need to go back to the store and get unmelted ice cream! 😊
Time to find a coolbox sponsorship deal!
I am so disorganised, I had three of four great comments to timestampt, but … all gone from my head, and out of time, would have😮 to watch again. I think you may be able to empathise.
On the other hand - yay for you for fixing some overdue thing. Nice!
The other things… will either fix themselves, or wait their turn. Guaranteed.
Have a nice week!!
Keep up the good work. Man it's been a while since I watch one of your videos and I was glad I did. The humor and great skills you have are a blessing.
Yay new videoooo, I'm supposed to sleep but this is worth it
you probably already have it fixed, but you likely could have gotten away with replacing just the valve core.. even though the tire is old you could have at least fixed the leak just to shuffle them around the shop. The gas in the fiat was also pretty stale looking, it doesn't combust as easily when it's stale. Ethanol fuel is only good for about 90 days before it starts going bad, I would recommend putting non-ethanol fuel in the units that sit for long periods of time. Most issues with carbureted units is dirt, stale fuel, and water. Try cleaning the carburetor, blowing air back through the tank, or at least see if it will run if you spray carb cleaner down the intake.. that shows its a fuel delivery issue. flow did seem a little weak when syphoning
Your Reliant should only have two brake lights below the indicators. The bottom set of lights are fog lights.
Was just about to post that as well.
Mind you, it's pretty amazing to see the rear lights working at all....just don't breath on the connector blocks!
I had similar issue with my 1971 Lada 2102 as your Polski, my solution was to take off the carburetor lid because the float bulb valve came loose. Cleaned the float bulb housing and screwed in the valve and fixed everything. Probably vibrations caused it to come loose which made the float bulb stuck on high position that made it not be able to deliver proper amount of fuel. Sometimes it worked fine sometimes it starved the engine of fuel while pissing it fuel off the overflow side.
*shows the white solo*
“I have several cars that have one or more small things wrong with them.”
Well that aged like fine milk.
⚰️
6:44 that's less of a advertising point than people think, the problem with most desks is the thickness of steel they use not the specific alloy.