1972 FIAT 500 check engine

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

OIL DRAIN PLUG COOLING AIR DUCTS
FIG 4 : 3 Oil sump with blower cowling. Arrows indicate
air outlets
BLOWER
SHAFT GENERATOR ARMATURE
VENT TUBE
FIG 4 : 4 Cooling blower mounted on generator shaft
extension
4 : 2 Air outlet thermostat and shutter
Refer to FIGS 4 :1 and 4 :2 where it will be seen that
the thermostat is located on the righthand side of the
engine cowling. The thermostat should start opening the
engine heated air outlet shutter when the temperature of
the air reaches between 158-165°F (178-185°F station
wagon) and the shutter should be in the wide open posi-
tion when the air has reached a temperature of between
178-189°F (196-207°F station wagon).
When the engine cooling air control system is being
inspected or serviced the following points should be
noted:
1 Check that when the shutter is in the closed
position the edge mates perfectly with the cowling
seating.
2 Ensure that the shutter can swivel freely.
3 Check that the initial thermostat movement is
between .0197 to .0394 inch.
4 Generally check the engine cowling for distortion, bad
jbint sealing or cracks.
56
Key to Fig 4 : 6 1 Circular seat i n cylinders 2 Head
ducts 3 Pierced screws
FIG 4 : 6 Diagram of the heating system safety device
(sedan and station wagon) FIG 4 : 5 Location of cooling air outlet thermostat and
shutter
ENGINE COWLING.
THERMOSTAT
LINK
AIR OUTLET SHUTTER
SHUTTER RETURN SPRING
4 : 3 Tension adjustment, thermostat to shutter
link:
The tension may be varied by using the shims which are
located between the upper shank of the thermostat and
the cover shoulder washer. Before any adjustment is made
ensure that the shutter is able to move freely and that the
return spring has not stretched or fractured. Refer to
FIG 4:5 which shows the location of the shutter and the
return spring.

4 : 4 Heating system safety device
110F series sedan engines and later station wagon
engines incorporate a modification to the cylinder head
designed so that in the event of cylinder head gasket
failure exhaust gases are expelled outside the engine and
not leaked into the heating system.
The safety device comprises a square section circular
seat 1 (see FIG 4 :6) which is formed in the upper face of
the cylinder, a special duct in the cylinder head and a
pierced screw 3 for each cylinder.
The system is so designed that the exhaust gases are
released to the atmosphere from the circular seat in the
cylinder via the duct 2 and the pierced screw 3. It should
be noted that the screw 3 is also used for securing the
conveyor.
4 : 5 Maintenance
Due to the simple design of the air cooling system
maintenance has been kept to an absolute minimum and
should consist of the following checks:1 Inspect all the air conveyor system joints and ensure
that all the joint nuts and bolts are tight and that there
is no distortion between two joint faces.
2 Check that the tension of the generator and fan drive
belt is correct: with a hand pressure of approximately
22 Ib the belt should sag 13/32 inch. Adjust if necessary
as detailed in Chapter 1.
3 Ensure that the shutter can swivel freely and that the
spring is in a serviceable condition.
4 : 6 Fault diagnosis
(a) Engine overheating
1 Generator and fan drive belt slipping
2 Shutter control thermostat defective
3 Shutter unable to swivel freely
4 Shutter return spring broken
5 Leaking joints in conveyor system
F50057

*Dimension to be obtained by
adjusting the throwout lever.
FIG 5:1 Clutch assembly longitudinal section (new
500, 500D sedan and early station wagon)
5 : 2 Removal and installation
To remove the clutch unit from the vehicle proceed as
follows:
1 Remove the engine (Chapter 1) or separate the gear-
box from the engine as described in Chapter 6.
2 Remove the six screws and washers that secure the
clutch cover to the flywheel and gently ease the cover
assembly from the location dowels in the flywheel and
lift away. This will also free the driven plate.
3 Carefully clean the driven plate and clutch cover using a
compressed air jet.
4 To refit the clutch cover assembly to the flywheel
ensure that the driven plate is assembled the correct
way round as shown in FIG 5 :1 and place the cover
onto the flywheel using the locating dowels.
5 To ensure that the driven plate is correctly centred use
Fiat pilot A.62023 (see FIG 5 : 5) or a suitably sized
mandrel. Tighten the clutch mounting screws diagonally
a turn at a time to ensure correct location of the cover
onto the flywheel face. Finally, tighten to a torque
wrench setting of 5.8 to 7.2 Ib ft.
5 :3 Dismantling and inspection of clutch cover
New 500, 500D sedan and early 500 station wagon :
To dismantle the clutch cover assembly proceed as
follows:
60
To assemble the clutch cover assembly proceed as
follows:
1 Place the pressure plate complete with carrier ring bolts
and springs on Fiat fixture 62038 (see FIG 5 : 2).
2 Fit the six pressure springs in their respective seats on
the pressure plate. Insert the cups on the springs and
replace the cover.
3 Compress the clutch cover, continually checking that
the withdrawal lever supporting bolts are properly
guided into their holes in the cover. Onto the bolts, fit
the three withdrawal levers w i t h their relevant nuts and
washers.
4 Replace the carrier ring on the levers and hook up the
retaining springs. 5 :4 Assembly and adjustment
N e w 500 sedan1 Place the clutch cover assembly on Fiat fixture A.62038
as shown in FIG 5 :6 and lock the cover using the three
T-handles provided.
2 Release the w i thdrawal lever carrier ring springs and lift
away the ring.
3 Unscrew the withdrawal lever fixing nuts on the bolts
and lift out the levers and washers. Gradually slacken
the three T-handles so relieving the pressure of the
clutch springs. Remove the clutch cover, springs and
lever mounting bolts. Carefully mark all the components
to ensure that they are assembled correctly so ensuring
that correct balance of the clutch unit is obtained.
Inspection:
Thoroughly clean all parts using a compressed air jet
and proceed as follows:
1 Thoroughly check the springs for signs of overheating
causing loss of tension and compare the effective length
of the springs which when fitted new should have a
length of .9646 inch under a load of not less than 43 Ib.
If the spring length is less t h a n t h e recommended
dimension fit a complete new set of springs.
2 The length of the withdrawal lever carrier ring retaining
springs should be checked which under a normal clutch
load should be .7677 inch whilst the length'of the
expanded spring under a load of 4.85 ± .44 Ib should
be 1.1811 inch. If the springs show sign of heating or
weakening a new set should be fitted.
3 Check the withdrawa l levers and their bolts for exces-
sive wear and fit new parts as necessary.
4 Inspect the pressure plate for an excessively ridged sur-
face or signs of cracking. If the ridges are not too severe
the face may be refaced by turning on a centre lathe.
Also inspect the flywheel friction surface which may
also be refaced providing that the ridges are not too
severe.
5 Whenever the clutch driven plate linings are worn a new
driven plate should be fitted.
6 Inspect the clutch shaft splines and these should not
have a lengthwise clearance in excess of .0039 inch and
side clearance of .0118 inch w i t h respect to the driven
plate hub. Ensure that the driven plate slides easily on
the clutch shaft protruding from the rear of the gearbox
differential unit as any plate drag may be the cause of
d i f f i c u l t y in gear selection.

FIG 5:2 Clutch components (new 500, 500D sedan and early station wagon) DRIVEN PLATE
PRESSURE PLATE
LEVER CARRIER LEVER BOLTSBOLT NUTS PRESSURE SPRINGSWITHDRAWAL LEVERS CLUTCH COVER
LEVER CARRIER RING
SPRING
WASHER
FIG 5:3 Clutch assembly installed on engine (new
500, 500D sedan and early station wagon)
61
F500
To check the correct operation of the clutch cover 500 sedan (110.F) late 500 station wagon :
Inspection—diaphragm clutch: 5 Finally tighten down the cover assembly using the three
T-handles and adjust the clearance between the carrier
ring and its central shoulder by means of the three
adjustment nuts.setting the withdrawal levers stroke to
0039 inch. Check this adjustment using Fiat gauge
C.110 and when correct lock the adjustment nuts by
peining to the lever bolts.
500D sedan and early station wagon:
To assemble the clutch cover assembly proceed as
described above but adjust the withdrawal levers as
follows:
1 Secure the clutch cover assembly to Fiat fixture A.62038
with a ring .5413 to .5433 inch thick placed between
the clutch cover plate and the pressure plate.
2 Adjust the height of the three withdrawal levers so that
the lever tips are 1.9094 inch from the face of the Fiat
supporting plate.

FIG 5:10 Clutch throw-out mechanism
Key to Fig 5:10 1 Clutch throw-out yoke
2 Yoke return spring 3 Rod nut and counternut
4 Adjustable rod 5 Clutch throw-out
onto this shaft the outer operating lever is attached by
means of a key.
A return spring connected to the outer operating lever
is anchored onto the gearbox casing. When the clutch is in
its normal position the spring keeps the central thrust
carbon ring away from the withdrawal levers carrier ring.
The carbon ring is pressed against the carrier ring by the
throw-out ring which is connected to the forked lever as
shown in FIG 5 : 8 .
The clutch pedal must have free travel of 1"3/8 to 1"9/16 inch.
Should any adjustment be necessary release the locknut
from the adjustable tie rod and adjust the position of the
tie rod until the correct adjustment is obtained. Tighten the
locknut.
500F. L and later station wagon:
The free travel of the clutch pedal should be 19/32 to
1"3/16 inch which corresponds to a clearance of .059 inch
between the throw-out sleeve and the ring (see FIG 5 : 7).
Should any correction be necessary release the adjust-
able rod locknut (see FIG 5:10), and reposition the
adjustable rod using the rod nut until the recommended
clutch pedal travel is obtained. Retighten the locknut.
5 : 8 Fault diagnosis
(a) Drag or spin
1 Oil or grease on driven plate lining
64
(g) Driven plate fracture
1 Check 2 and 3 in (a)
2 Drag and distortion due to hanging gearbox in plate hub (f) Tick or knock
1 Worn first motion shaft spigot or bearings
2 Badly worn splines in driven plate hub
3 Release plate out of line
4 Faulty Bendix drive on starter motor
5 Loose flywheel
(e) Rattle
1 Check 3 in (c)
2 Worn release mechanism
3 Excessive backlash in transmission
4 Wear in transmission bearings
5 Release bearing loose on fork (d) Judder
1 Check 1, 2 and 3 in (a)
2 Pressure plate not parallel with flywheel face
3 Contact area of driven plate linings not evenly distribu-
ted
4 Bent first-motion shaft
5 Buckled driven plate
6 Faulty power unit mountings
7 Worn suspension mountings
8 Weak rear springs
9 Loose drive shafts (c) Slip
1 Check 1, 2 and 3 in (a)
2 Check 2 in (b)
3 Weak pressure springs or diaphragm spring (b) Fierceness or snatch
1 Check 1, 2 and 3 in (a)
2 Worn clutch linings 2 Misalignment between engine and gearbox first motion
shaft
3 Driven plate hub binding on first motion shaft splines
4 Binding of first motion shaft spigot bearing
5 Distorted clutch plate
6 Warped or damaged pressure plate or clutch cover
7 Broken driven plate linings
8 Dirt or foreign matter in clutch

3 Check the layshaft and the primary shaft between
centres and using a dial gauge ensure that there is no
distortion. The out of true reading for bearing seats
should be less than .0008 inch. Inspect the splines and
ensure that the side and outerfaces are not indented.
Replace if there are signs of wear. Also inspect the
reverse shaft to ensure that it is perfectly smooth and
not showing signs of pitting or partial seizure.
4 Carefully inspect all gear teeth for signs of excessive
wear or damage. The contact faces must be smooth and
show no signs of indentation marks. Also check that
the backlash between the gears, when correctly
mounted on the surface plate is not greater than .0039
inch. The maximum wear limit is .0079 inch. Check that
the quick engagement front teeth of the second-, third-
and fourth-speed gears are not damaged or excessively
worn. Renew if there are signs of gearchange lever
misuse.
5 Inspect the sliding sleeves and the relevent hubs, ensure
that all the working surfaces are perfectly smooth. The
clearance between the mating parts should not be
greater than .0059 inch. Also inspect the meshing teeth
and ensure that they are in good condition.
6 Check that the gear shifting selector forks are not dis-
torted and that the striker rods freely slide in their seats
in the gearbox casing.
7 Carefully inspect that all the oil seals are in perfect con-
dition and if there is any doubt they should be renewed.
8 Inspect the striker rod locking balls and the safety rollers
and ensure that they slide freely in their seatings. Also
check the ball load spring efficiency and if this shows
signs of weakness then it should be renewed. Any
faults with these items will cause difficulty in engaging
gears or autodisengagement during engine acceleration.
6 : 4 Reassembly—gearbox
To reassemble the components to the gearbox ensure
that all components are thoroughly clean and then pro-
ceed as follows:
1 Press t h e pinion rear roller bearing onto the layshaft.
Install the layshaft in the casing, and at the same time
fit the adjustment shim, the fourth-speed driven gear
together w i t h its bush, the sleeve and hub for third and
fourth gear engagement, the first-speed and reverse
driven gear and the third-speed driven gear with its
hub.
2 Install the front layshaft ballbearing securing the
bearing retainment plate w i t h the screws and finally
lock the screws in position.
3 Insert the primary shaft together with the first, third
and fourth driving gear train in the gearbox housing
and slide t h e rear bearing onto the shaft. Push the
input shaft forward to enable the clutch shaft coupling
to be inserted in t h e rear and to be pulled up the
primary shaft by means of the pin. Do not forget the
retaining ring.
4 Slide the primary shaft backwards so pushing the rear
bearing into its bore. Refit the front bearing onto the
primary shaft.
5 On the layshaft insert the second-speed driven shaft
and bush, the second gear sliding dog sleeve and the
hub. Also insert the second-speed striker rod and the
first-speed fork. Do not forget to fit the safety roller
into its seating.
70
6 Slide the second-speed driving gear onto the primary
shaft. Place the engagement fork on the third- and
fourth-speed engagement sliding sleeve, and insert
the striker rod, lock the relevent fork and fit the safety
roller.
7 Insert the third safety roller and install the reverse shaft
and insert the reverse gear cluster onto it and secure
the shaft by tightening its block bolt. Install the reverse
striker rod w i t h its relevent fork.
8 Now refit the speedometer drive worm gear onto the
layshraft. Tighten the nuts on the primary shaft and the
layshaft, not forgetting to interpose the plain washer
between the speedometer driving worm and the nut,
to a torque wrench setting of 1 8.1 Ib ft to 25.3 Ib ft
(primary shaft) and 28.9 to 36.2 Ib ft (layshaft). It is
recommended that the input shaft and layshaft are
locked together by engaging t w o gears at the same
time. Finally, fit the splitpins.
9 Lock the shifter forks onto their shafts by tightening
their respective bolts and bend up the special locking
plates. Install the three positioning balls and relevant
springs into their bores and refit the cover plate.
10 Install the casing cover together with its relevant
gasket. This will enable correct positioning of the shift
shaft lever so that it engages in the outer ends of the
shifter shafts protruding from the gearbox casing.
11 Install the speedometer drive support on the gearbox
casing and refit the upper gearbox cover.
For subsequent differential operations and adjustments
see Sections 6:6.
6:5 Dismantling—differential and final drive
For the removal of the differential and final drive unit
from the gearbox refer to Section 6:3. To dismantle the
differential assembly
proceed as follows:
1 Remove the retaining ring 2 (see FIG 6 : 7) retaining
the splined sleeve 4 and slide the sleeve off the drive
shaft.
2 Remove t h e retaining covers 7 and the oil boots all
together with the bushes and seals, adjuster ring lock
rings 13, adjuster rings housing 14, and bearing
adjuster and roller bearing outer races.
3 Separate the differential housing halves by unscrewing
and removing the six bolts that keep both the halves and
the crownwheel together. It is advisable to mark the
respective components to ensure correct matching
upon reassembly.
4 Remove the differential pinion shaft retainer ring, also
the differential pinions 10 by removing the shaft and
withdrawing the two axle shafts 1.
5 Remove the differential side gears 6 and relevent thrust
rings 8.
6 Using a press remove the differential bearing inner
races from their seats on the carrier halves.
7 Thoroughly clean all parts and dry using a compressed
air jet.
Inspection:
The components of the differential unit must be
thoroughly inspected for correct operation and to deter-
mine the presence of any wear, damage or other irregulari-
ties. To check the items concerned proceed as follows:
1 Check thoroughly the idle pinion carrier shaft for signs

TOOL A 62039
TOOLA. 62040 PIN WRENCH A. 52022
FIG 6:15 Adjusting ring gear-to-pinion backlash and
differential bearing play, using special wrench A.52022
reading on the dial gauge should be between .0031 to
.0047 inch. The actual clearance is adjusted by
screwing in one adjusting nut and screwing out the
other by the equivalent amount using Fiat spanner
A.52022 as shown in FIG 6:15.
4 Remove Fiat tool A.62041 and using Fiat support
A.62040 mount the special dynamometer A.95697 and
adaptor on the axle shaft. Rotate the axle shaft several
turns so seating the bearings and then check using
the dynamometer the rotation torque.
5 If necessary tighten or slacken the adjusters until the
specified torque of 1.01 ± .07 lb ft is obtained. This
operation must be very carefully carried out because if
one adjuster is set differently with respect to the other,
a variation in ring gear to pinion backlash may take
place, resulting in a variation of rotation torque. After
any adjustments always recheck on the ring gear to
pinion backlash and if necessary readjust and then
repeat the rotation torque check.
6 Finally check the tooth contact between the pinion
and ring gear as detailed in the following instructions:
Check and adjustment of tooth contact between
pinion and ring gear:
1 Carefully apply to the ring gear teeth a thin layer of
engineers' blue and gently rotate the differential whilst
holding the axle shaft firmly but allowing them to slip
slightly so as to have the unit working under load
conditions.
2 A contact impression will be left on the ring gear teeth
and the contact will be correct when the drive pinion
tooth contact pattern is evenly distributed on the ring
gear teeth as shown in FIG 6:16. Should the tooth
contact be incorrect the following observations should
be noted.
Excessive contact on tooth flank. Too deep
meshing — move pinion out from ring gear by reducing
thickness of shim.
Excessive contact on tooth heel. Too slight
meshing—move pinion in towards ring gear by
increasing thickness of shim.
74
6 : 8 Replacement of gearbox—differential unit
Installation is the reverse procedure to removal of the
unit from the vehicle as described in Section 6:2.
However, the following points should be noted:
1 Ensure that the clutch driven disc hub is correctly
aligned with the clutch shaft pilot bush.
2 The complete transmission unit should be carefully
pushed towards the engine and the clutch shaft
inserted into the driven disc hub splines and finally
home into the pilot bush. Extreme care must be taken
to ensure that no weight is placed on the clutch shaft
otherwise distortion may take place.
3 Carefully connect the gearbox rear housing to the
engine crankcase by using the studs, t w o of which
have special location dowels fitted. Screw home
finger tight the gearbox/differential to body to front
support mounting screws inserting the fibre washers.
Lower the hydraulic garage jack and pull it away from
underneath the vehicle. Screw in the four lower
mounting nuts and tighten to a torque wrench setting
of between 18.1 to 21.7 Ib f t.Finally tighten the front
support screws.
4 Reconnect the gear shift control rod and the speedo-
meter drive cable. Insert the springs between the axle
shafts and wheel drive shaft and tighten the
three
mounting screws of each splined sleeve on the
flexible joint to a torque wrench setting of 20.3 Ib ft.
5 Refit the flywheel housing cover. Replace the starter
motor together with its relevant cover and tighten the
two mounting nuts to a torque wrench setting of
18.1 to 21.7 Ib ft. Reconnect the starter control rod,
the t w o starter cables, the clutch control tie rod and
hook up the return spring and secure the clutch
control cable retainer bracket to the gearbox casings.
Reconnect the cable to the battery positive terminal
post
6 Lower the vehicle to the floor gently and then give a
thorough road testing.
6 :9 Swing axle shafts and slip joints
Description:
The t w o axle shafts are connected to the differential
unit through specially designed slip joints which allow
the shafts to swing and slide in the splined housing in
the differential side gear. At the other end, the axle shafts
are connected to the wheel drive shaft flexible joints
using a sliding sleeve. Excessive contact on tooth face. Too slight
meshing—move pinion in towards ring gear by in-
creasing thickness of shim.
Excessive contact of tooth toe. Too deep meshing
—move pinion out from ring gear by reducing thickness
of shim.
With all the above detailed cases, to adjust the pinion
by replacing the shim, the differential unit and drive
pinion shaft must be dismantled. This means that when
the unit is reassembled after the necessary adjustments
have been made, the backlash and bearing rotation
torque must be repeated.