Technical Front Brake discs

[Aulhan]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. Just did an oil change and replaced the filter so I will keep a little eye on it.

As OP stated am looking to change my front discs and pads. I have done the front end in my last car with no issues. The last time I bought caliper guide pins when doing the job, question is are they really necessary or will the old ones be fine to use after a clean and some silicone lube?

Tah, B.

 

[A3jeroen]

I usually clean them. Had EBC blackstuff pads in my 100HP and was very happy with them. Discs are vented 285 x 22 mm IIRC.

gr J

 

[koalar]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. Just did an oil change and replaced the filter so I will keep a little eye on it.

As OP stated am looking to change my front discs and pads. I have done the front end in my last car with no issues. The last time I bought caliper guide pins when doing the job, question is are they really necessary or will the old ones be fine to use after a clean and some silicone lube?

Tah, B.

I never changed any fiat guide pins even on cars that have 200K on the clock, the odds are you will not need them, maybe need a clean up but even this is unlikely



I don't own the 100HP version
I don't use my car as a track car
The rubber boots haven't perished

Until you inspect the bakes I guess nobody can answer 100%

The rubber boot do rarely deteriate, which then let's water and dirt in, but it's been decades since I have changed one

 

[GaryJ79]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. Have any of you ever used any additives to stop or reduce oil leaks. Supposedly it revamps the rubber seals in the engine and other parts that move oil around the engine.

 

[koalar]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. Have any of you ever used any additives to stop or reduce oil leaks. Supposedly it revamps the rubber seals in the engine and other parts that move oil around the engine.

I've not tried any

If it's leaking I change the leaking seal, damp patches

But if the engine is using oil via burning due to valve seals or piston rings I normally can not be bothered and just use a slightly thicker oil,

It depends on time, cost, how long you want to keep the car a so on, as to what best for you

 

[A3jeroen]

I have used LecWec in the past with different results.

gr J

 

[Yolanda]

Also the guy says it uses half a quart of oil every couple 1000 miles. Is there anything I could do to try and fix/reduce this as I've seen stuff that revamps seals.?There are no visible leaks I can see Is there It's a 2007 with 91k. Or should I just get a pro to take a look. Going to a mechanic is always a last resort for me.

I'm puzzled why the seller said 1/2 quart rather than a pint.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

I can recommend Shop4parts, bought quite a bit of stuff from them and no problems at all - good quality stuff but sometimes brands I'd not heard of before, I think because they source some stuff from Italy direct. "Original Birth"? I was very suspicious but all good! Very helpful people on the phone too if you feel like giving them a ring. Other than that I buy from local trade factors - the source of most parts for local garages around me. I find they are pretty much similar to online prices or only slightly more but there's the advantage that, if a part is wrongly supplied, you can just nip back with it and in very short order you're back working on the vehicle again.

Tipping a tin of additive in the sump and hoping it's going to work miracles? Probably unlikely. I've found products which claim to reduce oil leaks/consumption tend to work on either thickening the oil with lots of polymer and/or they contain an ingredient which softens the seals - seals harden with age which is often why they will be leaking. I don't like the idea of thickening up the oil because that can lead to oil starvation of various parts inside the engine and I don't think much of "softening" the seals because it's likely to be a very short lived "cure". I suppose, if you're unscrupulous and just trying to get the car sold, you could chuck a tin or two in, but if you're looking for a long term sort then you've got to address the root cause.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

I'm puzzled why the seller said 1/2 quart rather than a pint.

Aye, very American.

 

[Yolanda]

I can recommend Shop4parts, bought quite a bit of stuff from them and no problems at all - good quality stuff but sometimes brands I'd not heard of before, I think because they source some stuff from Italy direct. "Original Birth"? I was very suspicious but all good! Very helpful people on the phone too if you feel like giving them a ring. Other than that I buy from local trade factors - the source of most parts for local garages around me. I find they are pretty much similar to online prices or only slightly more but there's the advantage that, if a part is wrongly supplied, you can just nip back with it and in very short order you're back working on the vehicle again.

Tipping a tin of additive in the sump and hoping it's going to work miracles? Probably unlikely. I've found products which claim to reduce oil leaks/consumption tend to work on either thickening the oil with lots of polymer and/or they contain an ingredient which softens the seals - seals harden with age which is often why they will be leaking. I don't like the idea of thickening up the oil because that can lead to oil starvation of various parts inside the engine and I don't think much of "softening" the seals because it's likely to be a very short lived "cure". I suppose, if you're unscrupulous and just trying to get the car sold, you could chuck a tin or two in, but if you're looking for a long term sort then you've got to address the root cause.

I agree 100% in what you've said, and this is no critisysm but some people are on a tight budget and need to keep their car on the road so will try the said additives . Wynns and STP come to mind in my early days to quieten a noisy engine /gearbox / diff etc.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

I agree 100% in what you've said, and this is no critisysm but some people are on a tight budget and need to keep their car on the road so will try the said additives . Wynns and STP come to mind in my early days to quieten a noisy engine /gearbox / diff etc.

Must admit I did put Molyslip G in the noisy back axle of my old Ford Anglia when I was just out of college and didn't have two pennies to rub together. It did definitely quieten it down but I managed to get a used one cheap from a scrappie within about 6 weeks so who knows how much longer it would have gone on for. It's desperate when you really need the car but don't have the money to repair it and folk will grasp at any straw.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Just remembered, against all the advice, I put Moly grease in a rumbly front wheel bearing - taper rollers - of one of the Daf 33's I owned because it was noisy and I then lived up in the hills behind Dalkieth so couldn't easily get parts. It definitely quietened it down and I drove it for about another 6 months before the noise became worrying enough for me to fit a new bearing set.

For those who don't know Moly grease is not recommended for rolling contact type bearings - so ball or roller type races - because they depend on there being enough friction for the rollers/balls to rotate. If you use a "super slippy" substance, like Molybdenum Disulfide enfiched grease then the rollers/balls are likely to "skid" against the races rather than revolving and may wear flats

 

[chris3234]

Aye, very American.

Even pint is very American these days given how long most things have been solder in litres other then milk and beer

 

[koalar]

I worked with tolerances of 5 thousands of an inch, two thou or a tenth of a thou in a temperature controlled room on imperial machinery

So I now think in cm or mm until the units become small then revert back to thousands of an inch as that's what I am comfortable with

I guess quart is what the previous owner is comfortable with

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Having grown up thinking in imperial for small sizes I've never "metricalized" my brain. I can easily imagine exactly what 1.5, 5, 10 or 25 thou looks and feels like, 0.2mm? haven't a clue!

 

[jrkitching]

Have any of you ever used any additives to stop or reduce oil leaks.

This isn't something I'd consider. I've heard too many stories of additives turning an annoying issue into a serious problem.

I'd either live with it, or find the cause and fix it properly. If you take the latter route, the first step is to find out if it's being burned, or being leaked.

In american automotive slang, half a quart is 0.473 litres; having to add that every 2000 miles, whilst high for a modern car, isn't actually that serious.

For now, I'd just stick a label inside the fuel cap saying "CHECK OIL", and do that every time you refuel. I'd also keep a litre of the correct oil somewhere in the car.

Some have said they've noticed oil consumption increases significantly with sustained cruising at higher speeds.

Something else which may help is to top up only to the midway point on the dipstick; some engines use noticeably more oil when filled to the max, particularly those with well worn oil control rings.

 

[koalar]

Within spec oil consumption is going to be very hard to fix

The oil specified is thick by today's stand
Selenia 20K
Which is a 10W/40 and getting rare

I would expect if you swap to the more common 5W/30 for the consumption to increase. Whether it's notable I don't know, and will probably depend also on the type of driving, someone needs to do some back to back testing

Including filter these have less than 3 liters, using over a 1/3rd is very notacible on the dipstick, if the car had a larger capacity it would be less noticeable

 

[jrkitching]

Having grown up thinking in imperial for small sizes I've never "metricalized" my brain. I can easily imagine exactly what 1.5, 5, 10 or 25 thou looks and feels like, 0.2mm? haven't a clue!

If dealing with US liquid measures, a useful approximation is that a US quart and a litre can be used interchangeably; the difference is about 5%.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Within spec oil consumption is going to be very hard to fix

The oil specified is thick by today's stand
Selenia 20K
Which is a 10W/40 and getting rare

I would expect if you swap to the more common 5W/30 for the consumption to increase. Whether it's notable I don't know, and will probably depend also on the type of driving, someone needs to do some back to back testing

Including filter these have less than 3 liters, using over a 1/3rd is very notacible on the dipstick, if the car had a larger capacity it would be less noticeable

for some years now I've run our FIATS (2010 Panda 1.2 60hp and 2012 Punto 1.4 VVT 8 valve) on Fuchs Titan GT1 SAE 5W-40 (now superceded by Titan GT1 Flex 3 5w-40 which is now what's in both of them) compared to the 10w-40 I'd think there's almost no difference. A wee tad less viscous when cold but the same once up to temperature.

 

[Yolanda]

I worked with tolerances of 5 thousands of an inch, two thou or a tenth of a thou in a temperature controlled room on imperial machinery

So I now think in cm or mm until the units become small then revert back to thousands of an inch as that's what I am comfortable with

I guess quart is what the previous owner is comfortable with

Where I worked even that wasn't good enough. We had to be " bang on"
I'll say it before anyone else does, the old ones are the best.