Ash

Found out about this : https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/consumer-alert-kia-and-hyundai-park-outside (we do have a couple Hyundai's in the extended family) As an engineer i am interested in understanding the details of what's actually going on. Some things in the report don't really add up for me : 1. Most "petrochemical" fluids are not electrically conductive. It's not clear to me how a fluid leak leads to a short circuit Heck, even mild salt water is not conductive enough for a short circuit that would set anything on fire at 12V (assuming contact area typical of pins in a connector, it would just electrolyse till it dries up) Or they mean that a 2nd unrelated electrical failure in a nearby component (a direct metal short circuit, creating overheated conductors or a spark) might ignite the leaking brake fluid ? What's the ignition source in a car that's standing parked, ignition off, and cold ? 2. With brake fluid leak i would be primarily concerned about losing the ability to brake the car. Apparently the leak is so tiny that this haven't been an issue as i dont see it mentioned. (and the cars have been around for a few years with the defective components, so plenty of time to leak unnoticed) If i get it right, the leaked fluid pools inside the case of some module, where it stands waiting for a short circuit to ignite it ?

Started disassembling some things that are not supposed to stay in the dust and paint overspray environment It is impressive how much car related stuff can come out of a seemingly empty car. This is just about 1/4 of the freely laying around stuff throughout the car, before anything actually being disassembled Question : I am disassembling in order to properly fix all the rust, significant deformations, and repaint where needed, which is likely the entire exterior of the car i am going to take off all exterior plastic parts (mouldings, handles, lights) and gaskets as much as possible to get all metal surfaces repainted properly But how to handle some things ? The door windows once the gaskets are out ? Do they have to be rolled up or down ? The dash - Is it possible to cover it properly enough, or experience shows that it better be disassembled ? The general interior of the car, if there is need to sand/respray some areas that need the doors open to work on ?

Over the last year i had the Tempra (since the last post), I replaced 2 shock absorbers (were destroyed) and hacked a few minor fixes to get through MOT , but not much otherwise. There are less than +100km on the mileage since i got the car Next is some body work, as there are few issues : The Tempra had been in accidents in the past and the repairs were bodged - Some wings and the internal part that holds the radiator and headlights need a bit of straightening There are small specks of rust in few spots around the windows catching on, and bigger rust area on the bottom of the trunk opening, that need sorting out The paint is quite worn and could do with a repaint I found a body shop that are willing to work together with me a little at a time, and not "leave us the car with the keys and return in a few days" First thing planned is to take out the front and rear windshields and take care of the rust that starts catching in on some spots at the window perimeters I plan to take out the outer gaskets, then take the car to a professional glass shop who can remove the windows carefully and i will put them aside After that, i will remove the rest of the plastics around the areas in question so we can start doing work Any recommendations on the process in general ? The gaskets are quite worn and hardened etc. How are suitable new gaskets chosen ? (I would imagine that you get them and cut to size yourself, and not as a "kit for Tempra" etc)

The original air filter - was not particularly dirty, but lets replace it anyway (keep the original as spare) New filter The new filter is a bit taller than the original and it obstructs the intake to the filter box by a few mm, however i dont think it is critical ? (I would be more concerned if some particles getting with the incoming air could punch through the filter in that spot, but dont know if it really happens) The coolant is lime green transparent color (allthough there is a "paraflu" sticker on the windshield) I couldnt find any drain valve. The radiator is replacement (probably following the crash that's seen on the car front right) Some black stuff that looks like a sealant from the tube connection to the radiator came out with the coolant. In any case, i have put it back together without any such stuff and it haven't leaked Some scale in the coolant tank but doesnt seem like much I drained the old as much as will come out (a little remained in the bottom of the radiator, below the tube i disconnected) and filled new. The old coolant seems clean Headlights were dim-ish and would go out if i fiddle with the wiring The H4 lamp holders (they are not originals, there are splices in the wiring) were loose on the lamp pins, so i took the terminals out and crimped them a little with pliers One filament (left low beam) didnt work at all. Found that the wire is broken under the insulation, in the spot where it enters the terminal For now i soldered it onto the terminal. Not great to have on a wire subject to vibrations (the solder wicks into the wire and hardens it, which makes a brekable spot), but itll do for now before i get back to redo the headlights more properly. (And i'm going to - They need work to fix the crash damage) A turn signal didnt light up - Was corrosion on the back terminals of the lamp holder (where the cable plug comes to it). Some poking with screwdriver sorted it

This was really before the oil change, but only now i came around to posting The wing that's been repaired in the past. There have been leaks from it into the trunk, and i wanted to take it off to check how to properly reseat it However, its left (behind the door) and bottom (behind the bumper) parts are seated perfectly, so its really the wing itself that's deformed The D pillar have a plastic cover on its exterior. The cover is held by 2 bolts and a pin The bolts are accessed from inside however here one of the bolts had detached from the plastic panel, and the part that inserts on the pin was cracked - It snapped off when i tried to slide it out I have put them on loads of silicone (to the bolt head and to the detached part, not to the car body) for the time being, till i fix them properly with some proper adhesive resin The water flows here under the "upper" gasket (which is of not much use - It is all dried out and hard, and i could barely even fit it in. Right now it is off and put aside) There is some yellow filler that's hard as rock and yet not sealing anymore, probably from the time when the wing was repaired In this spot the wing is not tightened to the car all the way (due to its deformation) and water could freely flow into under the wing. Not a lot of water mind, but might be enough to corrode something in the space there I sealed it from here (the top) so that it won't get water in every time. The space there still have its openings on the bottom and into the trunk volume Removing the hardened outer gasket on the window bottom, i found a bad spot in there There is that part that was stuck there (looks like some spacer that was left when the glass was installed - Maybe the glass broke on that crash when the wing was damaged, and was replaced) It caught standing water in the channel below the window, and apparently in this spot the metal was exposed or something corrosive was present so it grew into a nasty rust spot with a hole I am thinking how to treat it all the way up to the window sealing edge as it's rusted up to there, and i would not want to take off the window unless it is really necessary Would wire brush and acid do it ? I sealed it from the top (and in the channel) with Super 7 and a patch of plastic (the cut up tube that the Super 7 itself came in), to prevent water from reaching to the spot I plan to peel it off and redo properly when i get around to it I still plan to take off the wing later, to properly fix the crease in the trunk edge and sand/prime/repaint that spot (it would start rusting) Untill then, i just sealed it with lots of Super 7, and will leave the trunk gasket off - I wouldn't mind as much some minor splashes getting into the trunk, but without gasket it won't catch standing water that will cause rust to appear in that spot With the entire channel now covered with sealant end to end, hopefully the water will come straight off

Trying to get the correct oil filter I couldn't unscrew the old filter by hand. Neither i wanted to punch it through to remove it - as i wouldn't like to leave the car inoperable in case it will take a while to find the suitable replacement or some other problem show up Here is something i found at the parts shop. It seems the right external diameter, but i can't bet its quality... (Whether it filters at all, and won't release some bits that'll get stuck somewhere else) So, took a couple pics and went on to search for an original part for now I would like to drain the oil for a day to let as much as possible out. But its out on the road - if anyone bumps the tray from under the carter, then it'll be mess flowing on the road (i have no clue how much more oil will come slowly from it when left for long) So i'd like to drain the lot, then plug it for a day and drain again the leftovers tomorrow. I want something that can plug the hole, that won't require strong tightening, but not leak as much as the proper plug when screwed loosely Bits laying around my electrical workshop The original oil was quite dark and stinky I splashed a little of the new oil into the fill inlet (right into the camshaft) to hopefully wash away some more of the old oil Took a sample of the old oil in a bottle to show my local mechanic. (The rest is in a gallon jug for proper disposal) The oil is completely opaque, flashlight won't light through it New tool in my toolbox Jacked up the back of the car to hopefully get more old oil out from the bottom of the carter So here is what i managed to source : The Chinese filter for Fiat Uno/Punto shown above Original filter for Alfa (Giulietta according to hand writing on box). Its diameter seems right, but is a bit shorter. I guess it won't matter (within reasonable filter change intervals) Figured i'll let it run with the Chinese filter for a while to collect as much as possible of the remaining junk, and then (based on how i think the oil will be) either do a complete oil change again, or change just the filter, and then use the Alfa filter The Chinese filter appears to have the insides of a filter, so is not a fake. Can't tell more than this just from looking at it Oiling it Wiping and oiling the surface it seals to Long deserved. 10W-40 semi synthetic After filling up i went for a short drive. Some oil leaked from the camshaft cover and around the edge of the carter, but later stopped. I haven't seen any new leaks over the next days

According to https://motor-info.com/en/engine-oil/fiat-tempra My engine is 159B9.000 (tho the website lists it as 1996, my Tempra is 1995 and got this engine). This list shows 10W-40, allthough some other places i found specify 15W-40 (Would there be a different recommendation based on low frequency of starting/driving ?)

I gotta figure out which oil & coolant i need for Tempra Oil It's Tempra 1.6ie, engine 159B9.000 - Don't know much beyond that I don't know when it was last serviced - May it need flushing/cleaning ? How can i figure out that ? Also, synthetic ? semi synthetic ? How does that work ? Is there a specific type i have to get so it won't react with gaskets etc ? I'm going to replace the oil filter as well Coolant The stuff in there now is of a viridian-green color. The guy from who i bought the Tempra says it's a mix of 1/2 concentrated coolant - 1/2 distilled water which is (as he says) something Fiats use In the Qubo i have a label on the coolant tank which specifies "Paraflu". There isn't any label in the Tempra, however i guess that might be what's in there now Does the Tempra need that particular coolant or any standard coolant ? Does the coolant system need any flushing or such if it's unknown when it was last changed ? (The cooling system works perfectly, there isn't any sign of a problem) Other fluids What other fluids (brake, steering, ...) i may have to change ?

Came to touch up some of the sealing i made today. The Super 7 (sealant type : Den Braven Hybrifix Super 7) seems to hold fairly well to itself, but is easy to peel from the metal (atleast after 2 days of curing) As long as it really seals to the metal/paint i guess this is good (keeps water out and is easy to rework later), but if it doesn't, i'll have to peel it off and find something else\ In any case, i keep watching it to make sure i don't get water trapped somewhere

Figured so... For now yet another day with no issues at all. Even the 2nd thing disappeared - Maybe as i am moving the stick more harshly than the previous owner

I drove the car today and the reverse gear switched in perfectly. I could not reproduce the issue at all Not sure now what it could have been & what to check ?

I have been dealing with it today. In short : I took off the bumper and looked at the wing mounting. The mounting points that were far from the place of impact are seated well, and don't look like they are out of place, i.e. only part of the wing was twisted So i left it mounted as is, and went on to sealing everything I had to take out the outer gasket of the rear window to seal below it (where the seam begins). I haven't yet put back the gasket - It is hard and inflexible, and needs to be put on sealant in its own right to hold, which i will do later. It was allready loose in places and held in place with some older sealant as well (an old repair) While removing it i found a rusted through hole in the metal right under the rear window. There were 2 "place holder" things there (probably used to align the glass when the window was installed), one of which trapped water and created this spot For now i removed the "place holders" and patched the spot with a patch of flexible plastic, attached to place with the same sealant that i used on everything else. It covers the entire bad spot with margins, and is sealed to the good area around it. The patch won't be visible once the gasket is on (except when the trunk is open)

From where i looked (except under the bumper, haven't yet taken it out) it is held in on bolts. And from inside the trunk i see the back of a riveted captive nut, which matches where i would expect more bolts to be The leak is from the seam above the wing, it is not related to the light But i have another problem with the wing - It is a bit deformed (not great repair after a crash), there are cracks in the filler they used, and makes the rear light stay in an awkward position, that makes the trunk door (also bent a little) hit it I want to try to reseat them both to fit in properly, and am considering to repaint it to seal those cracks so water won't be getting in (it's not trhe source of the leak, but to prevent rust of the wing itself under the repaired area)

I bought Car 6 It have a petrol 1.4 FIRE engine with 75hp. Everything else is the same as in any other Qubo Performance On the uphill road i checked, it does 60 km/h on 4th gear, with full gas but not excessive rpm. Could do a bit more than that if i enter the uphill stretch with higher speed to begin with. I can live with that, as otherwise i like the car very much (I could push it harder by flooring on 3rd gear, but it is pointless) Verdict about the diesels After seeing few of the diesel Qubo's myself (4 of them in total), i fully confirm what y'all told me here. Even the ones that "work ok", do consistently have a feeling of "still work ok, as long as not disturbed" to them - Which i indeed started to recognize (i think) after all this checking of cars Clutch problem The clutch in this car i got seems to not fully disconnect, when pressed to the floor. It almost disconnects - All forward gear switching works normally, but when i try to switch into reverse, there is a kick sound and the car jerks. If i move the gear stick slowly, the gear grinds I'm going to look into this right away Gear shifting The gear stick doesn't always have a "well defined" feel that it is fully inserted into the gear. It feels as if there is some dirt in the stick/levers mechanism that gets in the way a little. (That's how i describe the feeling, not necessarily what is really going on) I want to sort that out too There are some more issues and things that need fixing/replacement but they are ordinary maintenance This car will be my daily driver from now on (once i fix the most critical stuff). This is in additional to the Tempra, which is more of a weekend restoration/repair project for now

I want to try to take off the wing tomorrow to check under it. Is the wing somehow connected to the glass of the small rear window - Is there a procedure to disconnect them ?