1969 FIAT 500 filling

8 : 7 Hydraulic damper:
Description:
The front and rear shock absorbers are of the telescopic
double acting type. Their dampening action takes place
directly on the suspension without the use of any
intermediate linkage. The shock absorber comprises a
cylindrical body formed by to coaxial tubes 14 and 15
(see FIG 8:11), the inner tube acting as the working
cylinder and the outer one as a casing. The fluid reservoir
being located between the two sections. A third outer
cylinder 13 shields the rod 2 from any road dirt.
On the top the cylinder body is enclosed by a bush 1 1 ,
oil seals 5 and 9 and a housing 4. The rod 2 slides through
the seals 5, the upper end is fixed into the vehicle body
floor and its lower end carries the piston 22 on which
rebound 26 and inlet valves 21 are arranged.
The bottom of the shock absorber is closed by a plug
35 with a threaded shank 36 for the shock absorber to be
mounted onto the suspension unit. The cylinder 15 and
carrier plug 32 is mounted with a compensation valve
30 and a compression valve 33. The piston is provided
with two rows of orifices. The internal row is blanked
underneath by the rebound valve which operates
downwards. The external row is blanked by the inlet
valve which opens upwards. Hydraulic shock absorbers
fitted since March 1959 are provided w i t h a vapour
pocket bleeder from the cylinder exterior. The bleeder
device comprises a capillary
hole 12 interconnecting the
inner cylinder 15 with the upper chamber 10 and also a
passage tube 16 from the upper chamber to the fluid
reservoir. Any vapour pockets in the pressure cylinder
are excluded past the capillary hole 12 into the chamber
10 from which they flow downwards during shock
absorber operation through the passage 16 in a light
fluid stream and up to the top of the reservoir with the
reservoir fluid.
Dismantling and inspection:
Normally during service if a shock absorber becomes
weak in operation then a new unit should be fitted.
Should however, it be necessary for the original unit to
be overhauled proceed as follows:
1 Thoroughly clean the outer casing in petrol and blow
dry using a compressed air jet.
2 Firmly clamp the lower shank of the shock absorber
in a vice and telescope upwards the outer casing and
using Fiat wrench A.56024 unscrew the upper
threaded ring 3 (see FIG 8:11).
3 Remove the shock absorber from the vice and carefully
remove the inner cylinder 15 using a screwdriver
inserted in the cylinder bottom chamfer and remove
the lower plug 32 which carries the compression and
compensation valves.
4 Push the rod i n t o the cylinder 15 and clamp the upper
shank in a vice. Unscrew the plug 29, and carefully
remove the piston 22 together with the inlet and
rebound valves. Withdraw the rod 2 from the cylinder
15 and remove the seal gasket, the housing, and
threaded ring. Thoroughly wash all parts in petrol and
carefully blow dry using a c
ompressed air jet. The
following parts should be inspected as follows.
Check that the inlet, rebound and compensation valve
discs are not deformed or show signs of cracking.
F50093 Inspect the surfaces of the piston, the seal ring and the
compression valve to ensure that they are smooth and
hydraulic fluid tight. Check that the rebound and
compression valve springs and upper seal gasket
springs are not broken or weak. Carefully inspect the
t w o seal gaskets for damage or wear and it is recom-
mended that they are renewed upon reassembly.
Check that the rod and the cylinders show no sign of
deformation and that the air pocket evacuating
passage is not blocked. Also check that the capillary
hole 12 is not blocked. Any parts which show signs
of wear or damage must be renewed.
Reassembly:
Reassembly of the shock absorber is the reverse
procedure to dismantling. Special care must be taken
when refilling the shock absorber w i t h Fiat SA1 oil
otherwise its operating characteristics will be altered.
The hydraulic fluid capacity for the front shock
absorbers is .112 imperial quarts.
The hydraulic capacity for the rear shock absorbers is
.088 imperial quarts. Only Fiat—SA1 oil must be
used.
To insert the components into the shock absorber
body proceed as follows:
1 Mount the piston on the rod, and insert the piston and
rod assembly into the cylinder 15 (see FIG 8:11).
2 Push the piston against the bush 11 and then very
carefully pour the correct amount of hydraulic fluid
up to about j inch from the edge.
3 Press f i t t h e plug 32 and pour the remaining fluid into
the casing 14.
4 Insert the cylinder 15 into the casing 14 and tighten
the upper threaded ring 3.
8 :8 Front suspension assembly and installation
1 Attach Fiat fixture A.66061 to the springs as shown
in FIG 8:12 and load it using the centre screw on the
fixture until the index 'Nuova 500' appears below
the crossbeam lower edge. It is in this position the
spring attains the full static load setting as on the FIG 8:13 Installing right front wheel hub cap by tool
A.66059TOOL
A.66059

FIG 9 : 3 Layout of steering gear components
Key to Fig 9 : 3 1 Steering wheel and column assembly 2 Nut 3 Toothed washer 4 Plain washer
5 Steering column bracket-to-instrument panel screw 6 Steering column-to-worm screw locking screw 7 Lockplate
8 Plain washer 9 Cover screw 10 Toothed washer 11 Cover 12 Gasket 13 Pin 14Nut 15 Plain washer
16 Worm sector adjusting screw 17 Worm sector and shaft assembly 18 Worm screw 19 Thrust washer 20 Shim
21 Splitpin 22 Lower sleeve, bearing retainer and worm screw adjuster 23 Roller bearing 24 Worm screw bearing
upper seal 25 Roller bearing 26 Steering gear housing 27 Oil filling and draining plug 28 Eccentric bushing
29 Upper seal 30 Worm screw-to-sector lash adjusting plate 31 Toothed washer 32 Plate screw 33 Lower seal
34 Pitman arm 35 Self-locking nut Inset: Universally-jointed column fitted from late 1971
99F500

FIG 10:5 Section view of right side rear brake assembly
(500 Station Wagon)
FIG 10:6 Sectional view of a self-adjusting device for
automatic brake shoe-to-drum clearance take-up (500
Sedan)
Key to Fig 1 0 : 6 1 Pin 2 Friction washers 3 Load spring
4 Bushing 5 Shoe 6 Self-adjustment slot 7 Stud
2 Make a note of the location of the shoe return springs
and gently ease t h e shoes away from the backplate
(see FIG 10:4)
3 Disconnect the hydraulic line from the rear of t h e
wheel cylinder and also the shoe operating lever return
spring, the pin, washer and clevis from the lever so
releasing the handbrake inner operating cable.
4 Remove the t w o cylinder retaining bolts and lift away
the hydraulic cylinder.
106
Brake shoe linings:
Refer t o Section 10:3.
Brake drums:
Refer to Section 10:3.
Reassembly of rear brakes:
This is the reverse procedure to dismantling. Ensure
that the pull-off springs are correctly fitted to the holes
in the webs of the brake shoes and that the shoes
register in the slotted ends of the pistons and the side
mounting plate.
Carefully retract the position of the brake shoes and
ease t h e d r u m towards the hub ensuring that the four
bolt holes line up correctly. Replace the four bolts
together with their spring washers, reconnect the hand
brake cable. Refit road wheel and wheel trim.
10:5 Master cylinder
Operation:
Hydraulic fluid is admitted to the master cylinder
through hole 8 (see FIG 10:7), it seeps through the gap
between the valve carrier ring 17 and the master cylinder
dowel and flows through the valve carrier ring holes 15
so reaching the hydraulic lines, therefore filling the
system w i t h fluid. When the brake pedal is depressed the
plunger is moved forwards by the pushrod 12. This
forward action of the plunger 9 and valve carrier 17 brings
the valve 16 to rest against the valve front face. The
forward movement is continued so causing the valve ring
16 to pass over the compensation hole 5 and cutting off
communication with the fluid reservoirs. From this point
compression of the hydraulic fluid commences.
Hydraulic fluid acting on the front and inner faces of
the valve enables perfect valve sealing even under high
operation pressures. When the pressure reaches the fluid
in the wheel cylinders (see FIG 10:8) , it forces the
plungers 3 apart and through the plungers stems so
operating the brake shoes.
After releasing the brake pedal, the combined action
of the brake shoe and master cylinder plunger return
springs sends the fluid back to the master cylinder and
all parts resume their original position. The connection
between the hydraulic
system and the reservoir is
restored.
As there are no conventional valves fitted in the master
cylinder and the communication orifice between the
system a n d the reservoir is amply dimensioned the
bleeding operation is very straightforward.
Master cylinder removal:
1 Disconnect the stoplight cables from the pressure
operated switch.
2 Using a tapered w o o d plug of suitable size blank t h e
hole in the brake f l u i d reservoir.
3 Screw out the four front and rear cylinder brake fluid
delivery line connections at the master cylinder.
4 Remove the t w o master cylinder retaining nuts and
spring washers and carefully ease the hydraulic
cylinder from the body.

CHAPTER 12
THE BODYWORK
12:1
12:2
12:3
12:4
12:5
12:6
12:7Bodywork finish
Interior and chrome cleaning
Door trim and accessories
Door handles and locks
Removing regulator and door glass
Removing windshield glass
Removing rear side windows12:8
12:9
12:10
12:11
12:12
12:13
12:14Removing rear window glass
Front compartment lid
Engine compartment lid
Folding top
Sun roof
Seats
Interior heater
12:1 Bodywork finish
Large scale repairs to body panels are best left to
expert panel beaters. Even small dents can be tricky, as too
much hammering will stretch the metal and make things
worse instead of better. Filling minor dents and scratches
is probably the best method of restoring the surface. The
touching up of paintwork is well within the powers of
most car owners, particularly as self-spraying cans of
paint in the correct colours are now readily available. It
must be remembered, however, that paint changes colour
w i t h age and it is better to spray a whole wing rather than
try to touch up a small area.
Before spraying it is essential to remove all traces of
wax polish with white spirit. More drastic treatment is
required if silicone polishes have been applied. Use a
primer surfacer or paste stopper according to the amount
of filling required, and when it is dry, rub it down with
400 grade Wet or Dry paper until the surface is smooth
and flush with the surrounding area. Spend time on
getting the best finish as this will control the final effect.
Apply the retouching paint, keeping it wet in the centre
and light and dry round the edges. After a few hours of
drying, use a cutting compound to remove the dry spray
and finish with liquid polish.
F500127
12:2 Interior and chrome cleaning
The cloth upholstery of the seating and the rear
compartment lining must be regularly cleaned to ensure
long life and preserve its attractive appearance. Any dust
or dirt that is blown into the car will settle on the uphol-
stery and will tend to wear the cloth causing an unsightly
appearance. It is recommended that the dust is wiped off
using either a vacuum cleaner or a stiff brush. To remove
ordinary soiling of the upholstery cloth proceed as
follows:
1 Using luke warm water and a neutral soap and a piece
of clean cloth wipe over the upholstery in the direction
of the nap.
2 Repeat the operation using a clean damp cloth and
warm water but no soap.
3 Allow the upholstery cloth to dry, use a stiff brush
against the direction of the upholstery nap to restore
its original fluffy look.
To obtain best results, any stains must be removed as
soon as possible otherwise as time passes they will
become more difficult, if not impossible to remove.
Certain stains require specific solvents and the instruc-
tions must be strictly adhered to.