Mechanical Mystery Must Be Unraveled

[@davedarling4316]

You would not hear the pump running when the engine is off in a car with early L-Jetronic injection. L-Jet runs the pump only when the flap in the air flow meter is not on its "fully closed" stop, so pretty much only when the engine is turning over moving air.

[@ajwasp3642]

My favorite Fiat. I still have my April 1973 issue of Road & Track. The models introduction. That issue was the first car magazine I ever bought.

[@connorlunick3564]

Fix It Again Tony....still a nice looking car. My father had a '76 and he said it always blew a fuse everytime he put it in reverse.

[@sheridanwane4391]

Many years ago a friend had the timing belt break on his X 1/., I found, as you did. that access was very tight! Useful tip, there was an access plate behind the seat to get at the distributor from inside the car.

[@peterelvery]

Mark! Did you time the ignition on cylinder 1 or 4? Fiats are set on 4.

[@felicetanka]

I remember seeing them parked way more than on the road, when they were new.

[@GalenlevyPhoto]

Our family friend had a early 70s Fiat, can’t remember what model it was. He was always busy fixing it again. Lol.

[@Souper28]

i got myself a 1977 fiat x19 a little over a year ago and have been slowly fixing it up since and i love to see these things still existing in the wild, albeit rare.

[@frankhoward7645]

I sold '75 - '78 Fiats. The X1/9 was my "shooter". Always tried to sell it so I could pick out another one. Went though 10 of them. The metallic orange ($79 extra charge) was by far the prettiest. You did check for spark, didn't you? Haven't seen your next video yet but if I were to guess, I'd say the plugs are fouled with gas. I'd clean them up and try it again. If that doesn't work, I'd go to the starting fluid. Great video that brings back lots of memories. Best of luck!

[@jaymiepobanz8801]

Wifes name and pic. Mark here. Always amazed about your analytical skills making these mysteries look so easy. Great videos Mark from a fellow Subaru 360 2 Stroker! Peace

[@josephdougherty2399]

Having owned an X1/9 expect multiple electrical gremlins.. also when servicing the distributor for anything run it to #1 TDC and mark your rotor and pull the distributor. To try to service them in the car is a total pain in the A$$

[@wilco3588]

I shoe horned my self into one once, But the pedals were so close together I couldn't push on more than 2 at once!.

[@joedoe114]

So the Fiats came brand new with the rust "built in" already. The reason from what I understand is that Fiat was using Russian steel at the time as part of payment for the licensing deal they had with the Soviet Union. Ladas were manufactured at the Togliatti plant, under Fiat license, yet the steel was much thicker and those cars were built like tanks.

[@katanamd]

I recognised that car from the super zoomed in thumbnail. Those are my favorite cars.

[@jimmyjimjims7483]

Wonder what the ignition coil is up to on this thing, sounded much better after the timing adjustment

[@Brandewey]

theres a doctor here in columbia missouri who has one of these cars since new. same color. last time i saw him he was stranded on the side of the road.

[@600miles]

I had a '79 & an '82. The '79's targa top flew off on Golden Gate Bridge before I bought it. My '79 must have had Lucas wiring, lol, at night with lights & heater on, when I turned on turn sigs the dash lights would all Flash !

[@kevinistalking]

Fiat had quite a reputation. Fehler in alle teile in Germany 🇩🇪. Thank you for another interesting video. 😀

[@chrisrutherford3862]

Nice man had one in 1987 it was the girl friend car nice to drive on the back roads of the UK

[@nickwilliams1108]

Great to see the 2CV with you again!

[@christopherrasmussen8718]

Owned a 78 124 Spider for 20 years. We had opinions on what Fiat made in the 80s. The Spiders got big in the 80s till they stopped in 83. Mine had a 1.8 and it was a hoot. You started talking no compression I knew it was the belt.

[@katkylekim]

Some rusted a few months after they left the show room no wonder they are rare !!!

[@0161pumaste]

love the video's, especially with stella in them :-) ........when i was young i used to see quite a few of these here in the u.k. but they've all rusted away now.....Do You know what FIAT stands for? Fix It Again Tomorrow! lol.

[@redsorgum]

Like a two stroke, you need to mix some pasta sauce with the fuel in order for it to run properly………😉🤣🤣🍝🥫

[@jpmorgen5726]

I tried to get a friends Fiat to start once...the original fuel pump had gone out, someone just bypassed it, and car was running off gravity/suction...

[@Foxonian]

The car that inspired the Fiero. For better or worse.

[@Oh-Jay52]

Italian Electrics ? A thing of legend, and mystery !! ✌

[@xnotx2]

"Non interference" = not enough valve lift 😜😵😜 Nice looking car design though, inside and out. I'd drive it!

[@Chuck59ish]

Fix It Again Tony!

[@wmalden]

This was my “dream car” when I was in high school. I never did get one. “Fix It Again, Tony.”

[@drfalcon4102]

Had 1 of them back in the 80's, rust bucket, but after a new master cyl (never do another) it was a fun car

[@sydneystone8979]

I bought a new 1983 Bertone (Fiat) X 1/9. Silver/grey two tone with red leather. Loved it but with expensive car payments and at about 30,000 miles having the transmission rebuilt due to a gasket leak and almost toasting the engine due to a leaking patched factory installed radiator it had to go. But I wished I had it today.

[@MichianaFisherman]

Some of the old mid seventy to early 80 cars had seat switch’s for seat belts. Also I see a Bosch L-jetronic air flow sensor? Not stuck?

[@delukxy]

I think that the "loose" 3 amp green fuses are for the headlamp motors. Should have a slim Bosch fuel pump. If the fuse is OK how is the pump relay. Having said that if your plugs are getting wet you would seem to have fuel. Heat the plugs with a torch a bit so they are hot back in the head. Mind your fingers. Or put in a fresh set. You'll have fixed it by the time you read this I expect!

[@jorgefernandez-mv8hu]

Good Luck finding the problem. I can't wait to see what it was

[@gabrielf2432]

I saw the thumbnail and immediately clicked. I really want an X1/9. I know a guy who has a couple... maybe some day!

[@douro20]

Gotta run it on premium fuel with the higher compression. Good that it's a non-interference engine...I wonder if the FIRE is the same way?

[@fabbricaitalianaautomobili5859]

Chased a fuse fault on my Fabrica Italia Automobili Torino for 3 days this week, turns out fuses are a pain in the butt, Those rear mounted engines were prone to overheating, I’d still buy one if I can get one #FiatLife

[@markbowden7238]

I got one

[@Ninnuam999]

Like an Italian AW11

[@ToomasTelling]

Remote starter aka lone wolf 6000 trigger.

[@craigmclean8260]

Yep, but he forgot to yell, "Bring the thunder!"

[@ToomasTelling]

@@craigmclean8260 yup its the most important thing. when it didnt work yell "help a feller understand!"

[@katywalker8322]

A friend had a couple and loved them. A fair few had engine swaps in the uk. Uno Turbo engine was relatively easy, Fiat twin cam more difficult. A guy I knew fitted an Alfa v6 in the middle!

[@markbowden7238]

So you know Nick Troth? 😉

[@katywalker8322]

@@markbowden7238 knew him, but not seen him in years.

[@markbowden7238]

@@katywalker8322 I remember asking Claire at Eurosport if there were any X19 specialists in the UK and she put me in touch with Nick. I had a few long chats with him a couple of years ago, about doing a K20 swap. I hoped I could find someone near to build the car, ended up using a local garage with no direct experience. They tried to fit a set of Gaz coilovers, that didn't fit. I had to redesign the lower brackets on the strut tubes, just so I could run 45 or 55 section tyres on 13" wheels like on the Elise Mk 1. I fitted, altered, refitted, altered, the struts many times... they went back to Gaz for machining at least three times before eventually I got the geometry right. I also completely redesigned the front steering bushes, and bought top mounts and plates from the US. That job alone took six months. But I have (probably) the only X19 in the UK that can run modern tyres. I was able to lower the car by nearly three inches, the lowest parts are the bleed nipples on the front anti roll bar and the spur on the gearbox casing. I have set the height 3mm above the brake roller used for MoT testing, which is enough, but sometimes I am blocked by sleeping policemen! I write a blog about the build at RMS Motoring Forum / Members Cars / The Ultimate X. Sadly, these cars are so rare even in original form. Probably there are like ten people in the county who still run these cars modified, but as you can imagine 200bhp per tonne in an X19, gets pretty interesting. So far I've generated zero income from four years on the X, but I am committed to finish the project even though it has taken over my entire life!

[@katywalker8322]

@@markbowden7238 , a lot of work! We have a Maserati 222. We have way more ground clearance , but still struggle. Zero chance of getting an oil drain tray under the engine A friend had a couple of X1/9s over the years, and we visited Nick with him one day. I was taken for a spin in the V6 engined one. I remember him saying that he finished it , had a brief run out and then drove it to Turin , and thrashed it around a track there. Shows confidence!

[@markbowden7238]

@@katywalker8322 haha, excellent although I can only imagine how fast Nick's X is. I have a 150 bhp 1500 sohc on throttle bodies and a trick gearbox ready to go in, this winter I hope. I thought quite a bit about an engine swap, decided against in the end. Don't know much about the 222, confess I had to look it up... looks like a version of the Biturbo, nice. That's a hell of a motor in there!

[@stevebot]

No pops or bangs, did they mention smoke?

[@tombob671]

Gorgeous cars, finiky and unreliable but still gorgeous. Looking forward to you getting her going!

[@heitorbernardes7977]

12:50 the 1500cc is non interference? Cuz i know as a fact that the 1600cc is interference

[@markbowden7238]

The 1600 is different I think. It's the final iteration of the small block Lampredi sohc, based on the 1500 long block but with a revised oil gallery and factory 1600 stroker crank, as in the Fiat Stilo and Coupe 16V, running a dohc head with hydraulic lifters developed by Chrysler for Fiat. It's not the big block Lampredi dohc, or the FIRE, or the Pratola Serra, it's the early eighties version, factory stroked from the original 1300cc, for the Delta Mk1, Prisma, Dedra, Ritmo, Regata. In between, there were a few turbocharged 1400 & 1500cc versions as in the Uno Turbo and Punto GT.

[@unbalancedcrank]

Even from the thumbnail I thought “that’s an X1-9!” I bought one brand new in 1980. It went up in flames after 6 weeks but what a 6 weeks!

[@paulterhaar4862]

Fiat, Failure In All Technical... 😛 After you adjusted the timing belt the starting sounds good, it sounds exactly like the 80's Fiats I've driven. I owned a Fiat Panda MK1 1000cc once, it's like driving a cardboard box, especially if you have a soft top like mine had. 😆 Did you try to start it without the air flow meter?

[@danyharisson9314]

Good Morgen