spark plugs replace FIAT 500 1970 1.G Workshop Manual
[x] Cancel search | Manufacturer: FIAT, Model Year: 1970, Model line: 500, Model: FIAT 500 1970 1.GPages: 128, PDF Size: 9.01 MB
Page 12 of 128

Cylinder head installation:
To refit the cylinder head proceed as follows:
Place a  new cylinder  head joint on the cleaned faces of
the cylinder barrels. Insert the rocker pushrod and
lubrication pipe sleeves together with the  relevant
gaskets and rings.
Fit the washers  and  nuts to the studs and tighten to
fingertight.
Tighten the nuts in the order shown in FIG 1 :44 and
FIG 1 :46 to a  torque wrench setting of 18.1  Ibft. Reset
the torque wrench to a new setting of 23.9 Ibft and
tighten the nuts once more in the recommended order.
Replace the pushrods in the correct order.
Refit the rocker shaft ensuring correct location of the
lubrication tube to the rocker shaft and  replace the
plain and  lockwashers. Tighten the nuts to a torque
wrench setting of 15.2 Ibft. Reset the tappet to rocker
clearance adjustment.
Connect the t w o exhaust side manifolds to the  cylinder
head. Using new gasket refit the spark plugs and  HT
cables. Replace the rocker cover fitted with a  new cork
gasket and blower conveyor to the cylinder head
securing screws.  Refit the carburetter and reconnect its
fuel line and controls. Refit the air cleaner and elbow
and connect the rocker cover  breather pipe  (if fitted).
1
2
3
4
5
1 :7  Timing gear overhaul
Camshaft:
The cast iron camshaft is located in the crankcase and  is
supported at either end  in sets machined directly in the
crankcase. No bushes are used. The camshaft is driven by
a  chain from the crankshaft at half engine speed  and
operates the overhead valves through tappets, pushrods
and rockers (see
FIG 1 :20).During engine overhaul the camshaft journals  and  cam
faces should be free of score marks or signs of seizure and
have a bright mirror finish.
The distributor drive gear should  be inspected for tooth
wear which  if excessive means that the  camshaft must be
replaced.
Tappets:
The tappets should be inspected for signs of seizure or
excessive wear. The end surface that is in contact with  the
camshaft should  be smooth without signs of excessive
wear. Any slight scratches or indentations may be
removed using a very fine oil stone.
Pushrods and sleeves:
The pushrods operate in special axially resilient sleeves
that are compressed  on  assembly between the cylinder
head and the crankcase.  It is through these sleeves that
the engine sump is vented also through which the oil
returning from the cylinder head passes.
Two rubber O-ring seals are fitted to each sleeve to
ensure an oil t i g h t seal between the cylinder head and
crankcase. The sleeves should be checked for distortion
and exact equal length and when refitting new seals must
always be fitted.
The pushrods should be checked for straightness and
the t w o ends that contact the rocker setscrew and the
F50019
The crankcase is an aluminium casting suitably ribbed
to ensure correct air cooling. The main  bearing and cam-
shaft bearing bores are machined as also  are the tappet 1 :8  Crankcase and cylinders During valve gear overhauls the clearance between the
rocker shaft bore and the rocker must be checked. The
maximum permissable wear between these t w o parts is
.0059 inch. It is recommended that the part which is most
worn be renewed, or in extreme cases both parts. Rocker and  rocker shaft: tappet seat must not show any signs of roughness or
excessive wear. 3   Oil  shield   (for  intake  valves  only) 4 Snap ring
5  Rocker   6  Upper  spring  cup   7   Valve  spring
8  Lower  spring cup  9 Pushrod  10  Tappet
11  Oil  seal  ring 12 Pushrod  sleeve  13  Seal  ring 1  Intake  valve   2  Upper  cup  lock Key  t o  Fiq
 1 :20 FIG 1:20  Valve, pushrod and tappet assembly FIG 1:19  Camshaft. The arrow points to the lube oil
outlet port 
Page 44 of 128

indicates the condition inside the combustion chamber
and may be used as a guide to engine tuning.
Before the spark plugs are removed b l o w away any
loose dirt from  the  plug recesses using a compressed air
jet or tyre  pump.  Store the plugs in the order of  removal
ready for inspection.
Examine the gaskets and  if they are about half their
thickness they may be used  again otherwise they must be
replaced.
Inspect the electrode end  of the plugs and  note the
type and  colour of the deposit. Normally it should be
powdery and range from b r o w n to a greyish tan in colour.
There will also be slight wear of the electrodes and  the
general effect described is one which comes from  mixed
periods of high-speed and low-speed driving. Cleaning
and resetting the gap is all that will be necessary.
If the deposits are white or yellowish they indicate long
periods of constant-speed driving or much low-speed
city driving. Again, the treatment is straightforward.
Dry, black, fluffy deposits are usually the result of
running with too rich a mixture. Incomplete combustion
of the  petrol  air charge may also be a cause and this might
be traced to a defect in the ignition system or excessive
idling.
Overheated sparking plugs have a white blistered look
about the centre electrode and  the side electrode may be
badly eroded. This may be caused by poor cooling, wrong
ignition timing or sustained high speeds under heavy load.
To clean the sparking plugs effectively they should  be
cleaned using an abrasive blasting machine and tested
under pressure once the electrodes have been  reset.  File
these until they are clean, bright and  the faces parallel and
set the gap to .019 to  .023 inch.  Do  not try to bend the
centre electrode.
Before replacing the plugs use a wire brush to clean the
threads taking care that the electrodes are not touched.
Thoroughly clean the spark plug in  petrol, and dry using a
compressed air jet or a tyre pump.  If difficulty is found  in
screwing the plugs into the cylinder head by hand run a
tap d o w n the threads to  clear away any carbon. If a tap is
not available use an old sparking plug with crosscuts d o w nthe threads.  Finally tighten the plugs to a torque wrench
setting of 18 to 21  Ib ft.
Sparking plug leads:
The spark plug leads and the lead from the coil to the
distributor cap must be regularly checked for cracking of
the insulation and also correct seating in the distributor
cap and coil top. It is recommended that silicone grease is
smeared around the sockets before the leads are replaced
to ensure no moisture may enter causing difficult starting.
3 : 9 The distributor driving spindle (sedan and
sports engine)
If for any reason, the driving spindle has been removed
from its housing in the crankcase,  it must be correctly
meshed w i t h the camshaft gear otherwise it 
will be impos-
sible to set the ignition timing.
3:10 Fault diagnosis
(a)  Engine w i l l  not fire
1 Battery discharged
2 Distributor contact points dirty, pitted or maladjusted
3 Distributor cap dirty, cracked or tracking
4 Carbon brush inside distributor cap not touching rotor
5  Faulty cable or loose connection in low-tension circuit
6  Distributor rotor arm cracked
7 Faulty coil
8 Broken contact breaker spring
9 Contact points stuck open
(b) Engine misfires
1  Check 2, 3, 4, and 7 in  (a)
2 Weak contact breaker spring
3 High-tension plug and coil leads cracked or perished
4 Sparking plug(s) loose
5 Sparking plug insulation cracked
6 Sparking plug gap incorrectly set
7  Ignition timing too far advanced