Forum 21/4/98 to 10/9/98
Any letters you send to to me which, are not personal will be posted here so other people can reply.
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10/09/98, Providence Geoffrey wrote :
Joe, saw your notes on hadders page (great page, its about time there was a
decent uno turbo page on the net, keep it up) about the injection cooling fan. I own a 1987 mark 1 turbo and after sitting in a traffic jam for about 90 mins, the fan did switch on, which came as a shock to me, because I was convinced it didn't work !
I was interested reading about your method for raising turbo boost. Is it wise to disconnect the overboost switch ? Why not fit an uprated switch ? That way the engine still has some protection if things go wrong. on another note, whats a cost effective way to upgrade the brakes ?
02/09/98, Pietro wrote :
WOW! ! !
An actual Fiat Uno site, I love it!!!
Hi everyone, hope your all had a nice day, by the way my name is Pietro and I so need to sort out my Fiat Uno, it's a 5
door K-reg 1993 Fiat Uno Start 999cc, I am going to pose some questions and hope that you may be able to help me out
?? Please.
1) Although only 5 years old my car has faded from red to a pinkie colour, it also has some white streaks where there
is no colour at all, T-cut is useless, is this a common problem with fiats, how much would a re-spray cost and where in
London would be the best place to go?
2) The tyres are like skinny bicycle wheels, the car screeches at about 15mph around corners, the 1.1 unos have wider
wheels, how come the 999cc don't? If I were to put bigger wheels how big could/ should I go? They are 13ins at the
moment.
3) Up hill and motorways the severe lack of power embarrasses me, lorries, vans and cars such as X-reg fiesta's,
micras, chinquentos all eat me for breakfast! In fact on single lane carriageways queues of cars get stuck behind me.
What can I do to boost my power, I have bought high quality HT leads, QUATTRO spark plugs, I don't want to remove the
air filter but am willing to do almost anything else. Please someone help me!! I think at present my car develops about
40HP, quite simply not enough.
4) Although a 5 door can I still fit Turbo front and rear bumpers, front and rear lights, plastic wheel trims. How else can I be
advised to help improve the rather poor basic look of my 5 door car? Would it be possible to pick up a second hand Leather interior? And what
about electric windows? Could I put a turbo dash, and get a rev counter working??
5) I live in east London and have an alarm, yet on two occasions in the last three months my car has been broken in to,
however the thief decided not to smash the glass but bend the door frame, what can I do about this???
6) Lastly are there any problems/ faults that occur on my car that are unusual?
Well thanks for listening, hope you will write to me at : [email protected] I'll look forward to hearing from you.
P.S:
Did you hear about the Irish man that was pissing in the gutter? He fell of the roof and killed himself. (Mate just told me
that one over the phone so I thought I better share it with you :)
Regards,
Pietro (aka Pietch).
01/09/98, Dunc wrote :
I'm currently looking at buying something a bit more modern, and with a bit more go, than my current car - a Fiat 124 Sport Coupe - and I've come across two cars that I'm interested in.
My question is - is an Uno Turbo a better buy than an Strada/Ritmo Abarth 130TC?
The cars I'm going to look at are:
an 87 Uno Turbo ie with 150,000k's on the clock, that has been lowered, NZ $4000
an 84 Strada/Ritmo Abarth 130TC with at least 150,000k's on the clock, NZ $9500
I haven't had a chance to look at the Turbo yet, but I'm guessing it's not in as good a condition as the Abarth - my primary concerns are the engine and gearbox, so apart from gearbox syncro's and clutch, what are the usual signs of a stuffed Uno Turbo engine?
Thanks!
Dunc
31/08/98, George Timchev wrote :
I want to lighten and balance the flywheel of my Uno Turbo. Can
anybody tell me exactly how much I have to lighten the flywheel.
Bye for now.
14/08/98, Joe Rubido wrote :
Hi there Rico
You wanted to know more about the options available in air filters for your car. My recommended option is that you fit a direct induction filter on to the airflow meter, this way you can remove the original airfilter box and the pipe that goes above the radiator.
You will find that there are several manufacturers who make suitable units for the UNO, the are 2 types of air filter, one is a cotton gauze type as sold by K&N, JR, and JETTEX, and the other type is a foam airfilter as made by RAMAIR, JAMEX, PIPERCROSS
my preference is K&N because they are good quality, they are proven and have the biggest range.
With K&N you have 2 options you can buy a direct induction kit, which in their range is under " 57i " type of filters, there you will find a direct induction kit for the 1300cc and the 1400cc UNO turbos. this the easiest option but it also costs more, aprox � 55.00. The other option is to buy a conical K&N filter, model "RC 2600", this filter would fit directly on to the airflow meter of a 1.4 uno turbo with its internal diameter of 70 mm, but on the 1.3 uno the diameter of the of the airflow meter flange is smaller, so need to fit an adaptor. The easiest way to do this is to use a centre ring from an alloy wheel.
Let me explain. Some alloy wheel manufactures instead of drilling the centre of the wheel with different size holes for all the different cars on the market, what they do is drill the hole to a size of 70mm or 72mm and if your car has a smaller centrering hole you push fit an adaptor in side the wheel. These rings are very cheap. So go to a large shop who sells aftermarket alloy wheels and buy 1 adaptor ring which has an external diameter of 70mm or 72mm and a internal diameter of 63mm. Use silicon sealant to fix it to the airflow meter and then clamp the air filter the adaptor ring. and presto, a direct induction airfilter for probably 50% cheaper.
Hope this helps
Regards Joe.
13/08/98, George Timchev wrote :
Can anyone help me locate the Wastegate actuator can
(draw a picture or something)?
12/08/98,Joe Rubido wrote :
Hi there Everyone Reuben Enquired if he has done the modification correctly to his and is it safe, Well lets go over the modification again and how it works, the turbocharger is a compressor driven by the waste exhaust gasses and if left uncontrolled at certain engine rpm, for example the midrange it quite capable of delivering aprox 3 bar boost or more ( 1 bar pressure= 14.5 lbs./sq. inch) which would destroy the engine in seconds. so manufacturers for many years now install a controlling device to limit the boost pressure a Turbo delivers. This controlling device is called a wastegate and is nothing more than a bypass valve in the exhaust side of the turbo.The way it operates is the following; when closed all the exhaust gasses a directed to the exhaust turbine, therefore the turbine speeds up and develops pressure, now if the wastegate valve is open the
exhaust gasses can take a shortcut straight to exhaust pipe without going past the Exhaust turbine so the turbo slows down and doesn't develop boost pressure, this how it works in very simple terms, If you then take into account that the waste gate valve can open and shut progressively then you can understand how the wastegate can maintain a preset boost pressure.The wastegate on the Fiat Uno and 99% percent of other cars is opened and closed by an actuator, which is nothing more than can with a spring inside and a diaphragm, once boost pressure overcomes the pressure of the spring it starts to open. In the case of the Fiat
and 99% of other cars you cant adjust the tension of the spring and changing the actuator is not a viable proposition because you cant get higher rated one for our turbos in addition to the fact that because where the turbo is located you couldn't change it with the turbo still fitted to the engineSo how do raise the pressure at which the wastegate opens in order for the turbo to deliver higher boost pressures, simple the Wastegate actuator is connected to the pressurised outlet of the turbo with a small rubber hose. If we induce a small air leak in this hose the turbo will achieve a higher boost pressure to overcome the air leak and start opening the wastegate.One method of creating the air leak is to replace this small hose with a longer one and cut the hose
in the middle roughly and fit a joining metal pipe in the middle, and drill the metal joining pipe with a hole of
aprox 3.5 mm to start with, put all the parts back which you removed in order to gain access to hose and drive the car, and see what boost pressure you achieve by looking at the bost gauge. The overboost switch cuts the engine if the boost pressure exceeds 0.9 Bar (12.5 lbs./sq. inch) aprox, you are aiming to achieve to 1 Bar,which is why you need to disconnect it and insulate with tap the terminals, if when you drive the car the
max boost it reaches it for example 0.8 bar boost, remove the joining piece and enlarge the hole very slightly and try again, if it exceeds 1 bar you have made the hole too big, replace joining pipe with another one a make smaller hole. The fuel injection system and ignition systemin standard form can not cope with a boost pressure higher than 1 Bar boost.The other method is buying a bleed valve, and instead of fitting the metal
joining piece you install a bleed the valve, which has a screw so you can adjust the air leak and therefore the boost pressure. But they are not always easy to obtain and some shops can charge as much as � 40.00 for one.This modification is safe providing the engine is in good condition, and the car will be reliable, but you must use high octane pertrol 97 or 98 octane petrol.One very important aspect is how you measure the boost the engine achieves, you must check in fith gear preferably going up a slight incline or hill between 3000 and 4000 rpm as under these conditions is when the turbo will be working the hardest. you will find that if you achieve 1 bar boost in 5th gear under these conditions that the engine wont reach that boost in 2nd gear for
example, this is quite normal as the engine is not under as much load and is not working as hard.I was hoping to be able to do an article on how to raise the boost with some diagrams and pictures but my current work load prevent me from currently doing so.I hope this email helps everyone understand the principles of how the boost is controlled. Joe Rubido
Regards
Joe
07/08/98, Reuben wrote :
Hi this is Reuben again.I have just finished the modification that Joe Rubido suggested ie modifying the hose that goes from the wastegate to the actuator. It runs like a jet and thats all ive done to it. Mine is a mk2 by the way.I havent diconnected the overboost switch though but it doesnt cut out or anything.The boost needle stops just short of the red markings on the gauge.Is this mod safe?Can anybody shed some light? Hope the engine will last. Seems safe though.
Regards
Reuben
27/07/98,[email protected] wrote :
Im trying to find out what the little fan thing near the radiator is that the intercooler pipe comes off and should it be on all the time. If you could let me know, thanks
13/07/98,[email protected] wrote :
my uno turbo has been racked with weak rear calipers especially on the handbrake side if its not happened to you keep an eye on them mine cost �105 each side needing a pair to get through the mot long live uno
turbos......................
13/07/98, Ricco Zuschlag wrote :
How do i Raise the Bar to 1.0 ?
Rico
09/07/98, Joe Rubido wrote :
Hi Rico
You want to know what mods you have carry out to your Uno mk1 to increase its performance, if you fit a performance exhaust system, a direct induction air filter and raise the boost on your car to 1 bar max, fit NGK BCPR 7ET spark plugs and you will have 130 bhp aprox, read the answer to IAN ROGERS in this forum for a bit more info, as soon as I get some time I will write some tuning articles to help everyone out.
Sandro wanted to now if there is a tuner in Germany, well there is "NOVITEC", they only deal with Fiat, Lancia or Alfa Romeo, They used to have lots of bits for the Uno but because its not longer in production they dont put up any information on their Web site, but perhaps if you Speak to them they may have some stuff still in stock. >From time to time I used to buy a German magazine called "Tuning" and it carried adverts for German tuners, have a look there. "Novitec Web address is www.novitec.com
Regards Joe
08/07/98, Ricco Zuschlag wrote :
I have just bought a Uno Turbo from 87 what is the easiest way to tune it up so it will some more horspowers about 130-140
Regards
Ricco Zuschlag
08/07/98,Joe Rubido wrote :
Hi Ian Rogers
As to wether you keep to a standard exhaust, partially depends on on the condition of the rest of the system, if the centre silencer is Ok and its not too rusty perhaps perhaps you could replace the rear box.
I personnaly would fit an aftermarket system, they are available in single box systems (noisier) or twin box and you will probably find that there is not great deal of difference in price compared with original fiat part prices.
Where about are you based in the UK, I have a friend who works for Elite Tyres in rainham , Essex, they sell tyres, wheels, suspension and exhaust systems, He also owns 2 uno turbos and will give you a good price and good advice.
In twin box systems you can buy remus 260 + vat, Supersprint 235 + vat, Jetex 199 + vat, Ansa 165 + Vat, London Stainless steel 296 +vat
The ansa system will probably last the least from past experience, the Jetex system looks good value. ask for Keith Watkins, say that Joe from Spain sent you, Tel 01708 526 526.
There is no such thing as a Superchip for a Mk1 uno turbo, my recommendation to you is to fit a direct induction air filter aprox cost 40 + vat and you will never have to replace the air filter again and the same time you can junk the air filter box , loose some weight and uncluter the engine bay, also remove the the injector cooling fan and its pipework, I have never heard it come on , not even on the hottest day stuck in a traffic jam, so
junk it, again less weight, less clutter. Next locate the rubber pipe that goes from the turbo housing to the Wastegate actuator can, fit a longer rubber pipe and put a joining piece in
the middle like a copper pipe, on this pipe drill a hole with a 1/8 drill bit and when you drive it you will notice that the boost goes higher, if necessary enlarger the hole slightly, your target is 1 bar max boost, which you will probably only achieve by accelerating in fith gear between 3000 and 4000 rpm above that rpm the boost will drop, you will also have to disconnect the overboost switch on the right hand side of the plenum chamber, just tape up the terminals so they dont touch each other and fit
NGK BCPR 7ET spark plugs, and thats it leave like that and it will be dead reliable a go like shit of the Shovel.
Regards Joe
03/07/98, Sandro wrote :
Do you know if i can find in germany a tuner, or a tuner who can send me parts to germany? like spoiler and styling parts
03/07/98, Joe Rubido wrote :
Hi there Jatin
If your is standard and the boost hasnt been raised, that means that your boost doesnt go past 0.7 bar use standard unleaded petrol of 95 octane, if the boost on you car has been modified and runs higher boost then you must use super unleaded of 98 octane.
My recomended mods to your is to fit a bleed valve to the turbo actuator and riase the boost to 1 bar, and no more, that is as high as the standard injection system can cope with, any higher the engine will run weak and you will have detonation problems and something will fail.
the next thing you need to do is sort out the handling, fit a suspension a kit that lowers the car slightly (no more than 35 mm max) with matching dampers, I am curious waht country do you live in.
Good luck
Joe
03/07/98, Joe Rubido wrote :
Hi there Mattis
Lets start with the easy answer to your question, Wheels & tyres, you want to know what wheels tyres you can fit to your uno, in 15 inch diameter you can fit any alloy wheel in the size 15x6, 15x6.5, 15x7, recomended offset 35 mm. Tyre sizes on 15" recomended tyre size 195/45/15 or 185/55/15. when you go to 14" wheels you can fit 14x6, 14x5.5 recomended tyre size 195/45/14 or 185/50/14 or 185/55/14
With reference to the water pump, no you dont have to remove the engine to change water but it is a pig of a job, you have to loosen the alternator and remove the fanbelt, remove cooling pipe to the alternator, remove the plenum chamber part of the inlet manifold, the water is mounted on a alloy housing which is bolted to the engine block, remove alloy housing from which is held on to the block by 4 bolts of 13mm size, remove water pump from housing and replace, refit alloy housing to the engine block with new gasket and refit all other parts in the reverse order. if your uno is the 1400 cc the job get more complicated because the inlet manifold and plenum chamber is in one piece, so you either
remove the inlet manifold, work from underneath the car by removing the alternator completely and remove water pump from under the car. I sorry to say that changing the water pump is not an easy job.
good luck
regards Joe
01/07/98, Joe Rubido wrote :
Hi there Guys
So you wanna modify your uno, well there is loads you can do to them, your wallet is your only constraint, I have owned my uno for 6 yearsnow,l although for the last year I have done sod all to it but there again that may change shortly, my car currently develops between 205 bhpand 215 bhp depending on what rolling road you take it to and the ambient temperaturre and its still only a 1300 cc, it has been dead reliable partially because the mods have been done properly. My car was tested by fast car magazine and at Bruntingthorpe, which is a concrete
runway with a slight incline and not best known for its grip and still sporting its original 1300 gearbox with 2 persons aboard and the timing gearit posted 0 to 60mph=6.2 seconds, 0 to 100mph=15.2 and a top Speed of 141mph. Since then I have fitted a larger ally intercooler and a gearboxfrom the 1400cc model the acceleration remains the same but the top speed is 150 mph.
The current spec of the engine is gas flowed cylinder, standard head gasket, the engine block has been ringed, Colombo corsa cam, inletmanifold throttle housing has been bored to take a 50mm throttle flap from a DCOE50 carb, Hybrid turbo, scorpion Exhaust system, Directinduction airfilter, fuel pump from a Porsche 924 turbo, FSE fuel pressure regulator, alloy intercooler, lightened and balanced flywheel, Sachs group N Clutch pressure plate.
Suspension: Eibach springs, Spax top adjustable dampers(front) and Spax adjustables (rear), Eibach front antirollbar, Sparco front strutbrace, Auto sensation rear strutbrace, autosensation competition top shock mounts front and rear. front suspension arms modified with spherical rod ends instead of the standard balljoints and adjustable to modify track width and camber.
Brakes: Front 298mm discs with Willwood superlite alloy four pot calipers and Ferodo Fast road pads, Rear Tarox 40 grooves discs with standard pads and the backplates removed for better cooling. Dot 4 brake fluid.Stainless steel braided brake hoses.
Wheels: Lancia Integrale 16valve 7x15, modified for more inset and 195/45/15 tyres,
Interior: Sparco Supersport Recliner seats on sparco subframes, Sparco dished steering wheel,350 mm diameter, White dial Kit, sparco alloy pedals, sparco alloy gearknob
Bodywork: rear arches, the arch lip bent upwards to prevent contact with tyres, all standard turbo decals removed, front and rear bumpers colour coded, wheel arch and sill trims colour coded, mirrors colour coded, and Punto rear screen wiper.
The car as it stands is considerably faster than a Lancia integrale both on the road and on the circuit as many members of the Lancia Motorclub will vouch for me, as you can imagine before the car arrived at this stage it underwent a great deal of development and if Hadders wants, I will try to write a series of articles on how to modify and tune a Fiat Uno Turbo, as in many cases before I found something that worked several other parts where tried and discarded.
Joe Rubido
17/06/98, Mattis wrote :
Hello. This is Mattis from Norway again.
Now I wonder if there is possible to use 185/55/14 tires on 6" rims, and can I then lower the suspension? I don`t know if my e-mail adress follows this mail, if it don`t my adress are [email protected] I would be very happy for an answer.
[email protected]
07/06/98, Jatin wrote :
I recently got an Uno Turbo 1993 Model .... and would like to know what Addons can be put on ..... also what petrol is better for it ( unleaded / premium ) ....
thankx
anyone know any answers Email me at [email protected]
Jatin
17/06/98, Mattis wrote :
My name is Mattis, I am from Norway.
I have recently bought an uno turbo. But, unfortunately, my waterpump just died. So I wonder if I`ll have to remove the whole engine to change the pump, becauce I don`t think there is enough space to change it when the engine is in th car. (Excuse me for my bad english,but this is about the best I could do)
I would be very happy if you knew the answer for my question, and if you do, please mail it to me so I can be a lucky owner of a uno
turbo running like hell.
[email protected]
i need the e-mail address for avanti motorsport in sommerset..i don't live in the U.K. My only chance of correspondance is via the net. Any body knows avanti's e-mail?????
Bernard
22/05/98, Jatin Vaghela wrote :
Seen your page ...... I `ve just got a Uno Turbo 1.4 (1993 model ) do maybe know what type of addons there are for it ............. ( do u
have any links - web pages)
I moved to Canada last week to live with my Dad. Although all the cars here are alright (the majority being V6's and above) they are mostly automatics. When I lived in England I owned a red-hot "K" reg, gun-metal grey, Uno Turbo IE and I miss it dearly. Would you happen to know, or could find out how easy it would be to to buy and import a right hand drive model say from Italy or France so I can blow the shit out of everything over here (except maybe the Dodge Viper)!! Also do you know if they ever sold the Uno Turbo in North America, as that will be alot easier then importing one. Cheers and Thanks for the help. You can reach me direct on: [email protected]. May the Escort Cosworth rest in peace.
28/04/98, Stef wrote :
Your page is king! I have been waiting for your page!
Like you, I am mad on Unos (esp Turbos!) Unfortunately, I don't have a turbo, but I have an Immaculate Met. black F-reg 70sx. I fitted a K&N to that and Bosch super4. WOW! Seven of my friends have unos as well. Only one has a turbo though. I've been looking for a turbo for about eight months and am feeling rather fed up that all the ones I enquire about buying have done loads of miles or are thrashed, or rusty or very modified (e.g boosted through the roof), I see you got the picture of the engine from REVS buyers guide. Are you a member of the turbo owners club. Will you feature a links page. Also, are you going to be exclusively turbos or all unos as the unos raced in the FIAT racing challenge are 70s and 70sx engines that can do 120mph! not bad for a non-turbo 1.3! I went to watch it a few weeks ago at castle coombe and I'm going to Autoitalia there on the 25th May. I should be going to look at a e-reg turbo with a rebuilt
engine in a few days. I've already test drove an f-reg like yours at avanti motorsport (see revs)but I didn't buy it cos it was well dodgy! Cheers for listening to my uno rantings from Stef , reviews of what you or others have tried and whether
it was worth the money. Experiences of traffic light grand prix in turbos. Experiences of being hammered past by uno turbos in italy by crazy drivers, The Mark 1 I drove had a Mark 2 gearbox as standard. How is this possible? Put in a buyers guide. How did you find such as clean example? Rustproof guide would be good. Preserve the uno!, FIAT RACING CHALLENGE AUTOITALIA
FIAT OWNERS CLUB GLASTONBURY
AVANTI MOTORSPORT IN STREET
CIRCOLO IN ESSEX- never reply to my letters.
UNO TURBO OWNERS CLUB RUN BY VIPER MOTORSPORT IN POOLE.
its a load of rubbish and a advert for their garage.
23/04/98, David Drew wrote :
I have a uno turbo with a dump valve with is not contacted up
correctly..... the pipe on the end is not connected to anything, Could you tell me how to plumb it in please?
regards
dave
23/04/98, MistralX wrote :
Yo!
Nice to see your Uno Turbo page -
Is your car a replica by any chance? Things just don't QUITE look right inside and the engine compartment - well, erm...your car is white, the engine bay is black!
Just wondered, thats all. Me? Oh I have a rather lethargic Uno 45 FIRE . crap car, nice engine, low performance, 175 quid so who complaining!!
see ya
21/04/98, Jonathan Chard wrote :
I have just bought a project car!! A Fiat UNO TURBO ie.
I am selling my Golf GTi 16V, just to fund this lovely little car!!
I would like to know what you've done to the engine. I'm looking to get about 140-150 Bhp. It already has a 1400 gearbox, a rebuilt bottom end, but its a bit rusty!!(typical fiat `C` Plate - 1986)
Please E-mail me , I live in cornwall, England.
Thanks
Last updated : 10 September 1998
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