fiat-spider.co.uk

NB. This guide is based on my 124 Spider which currently has a 131 1585cc twin-cam with carb. Essentially, everything should be pretty similar on other carbed Fiat twin-cams you might find in the Spider. If anyone has any comments relating to fuel-injected Spiders, please let me know.

1. Things you might need in advance

I tend to do most of my tinkering at the weekends and find I need something which is at a shop which is shut. Even if the shop is open, you can save several journeys (and time) by getting the following in advance :-

a) Lots of coolant/antifreeze.
b) If your hose clips look rusty, some new jubilee clips.
c) If your hoses look old, now might be a good time to replace them.

2. Safety precautions

Removing the radiator involves draining coolant/antifreeze which is toxic. From my experience, you'll be lucky if you can catch it all in buckets etc. Ideally, put the car outside either over or near a drain. Make sure the car is on level ground. Work on a cool engine. Finally, disconnect the negative/earth lead from the battery.

3. Draining the radiator

Remove the radiator cap and the expansion tank cap. On the bottom of your radiator, you should find the "radiator drain tap". If you open this slowly anticlockwise, you should be able to catch the majority of the coolant in a bucket or similar receptacle.

4. Draining the engine block

Underneath the exhaust manifold, there is a drain tap/plug on the engine block (see photo below). It's on the right, just below the core plugs. I have seen some with a kind of tap handle but mine is just a bolt head. Turn this anticlockwise to drain the water from the block. If you do this carefully, you should be able to catch the majority of the coolant but it tends to "bounce" off various other parts on it's way down!

5. Remove the thin hose from the top of the radiator to the expansion tank by slackening the clip and easing the hose off the radiator (see photo).

6. Remove the top and bottom hoses from the radiator by slackening the clips and easing the hoses off (see photo). NB Later cooling systems differ from the one shown below. Mine has the thermostat mounted in the cylinder head. Later models have the thermostat mounted in hoses near the water pump - the top hose from the radiator joins the hose from the thermostat in a union and then into the head.

7. Remove the wires from the thermostatic switch (leading to the electric fan) at the bottom of the radiator (near the radiator drain plug removed earlier).

8. Remove the two nuts (and washers) securing the top of the radiator (see photo).

9. The radiator should now be free but before lifting it out, check that all the hoses and wires are out of the way and that there are no other obstructions. Then lift it up from the lower mounting cushion and out.