potential engine rebuild guidance

[MichaelB3311]

Hi all,

I do not believe I've posted on this forum before but it appears to be the most expansive . I own a 1980 FI Spider that has not run since 93. I have stripped the entire front end of the engine as to give the gears a good electrolysis bath. This is the closest I will probably be to removing the engine as the radiator is out and a lot of the surrounding "stuff" is out of the car.

I know it is probably in need of new valves as the timing belt was way off in the car. The PO also said it was burning oil when it ran last so I just have a few questions I am hoping to get answered.

Firstly, the oil leak is to my best knowledge going to be coming from the piston rings, but I am not sure. I have never rebuilt an engine before; from what I read the FIAT twin cam is pretty simple. Can anyone confirm or provide some insight onto the skill level of an engine rebuild? Any advice for a rebuild at all would be great!

Secondly, if I were to do an engine rebuild, I think I would want to increase my CR. I have read about fitting older engine heads onto the 1995 cc engine but can anyone attest to this? I am also thinking about higher CR pistons but that seems like a whole other can of worms.

Thanks guys!
Michael

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Can anyone confirm or provide some insight onto the skill level of an engine rebuild? Any advice for a rebuild at all would be great!

Hi Michael, on a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is pouring yourself a glass of water and 10 is open heart surgery, rebuilding a Fiat engine is about a 6. I did my first engine rebuild on my '69 spider while a senior in high school, so if I can do it, almost anyone can. And the engine ran fine for many years after.

It helps to be mechanically inclined and have the right tools. I could write a whole book on rebuilding Fiat engines, but if you want to know more, I'm happy to chat by phone if you send me your phone number via PM.

But, before even going down the path of a rebuild, it would be helpful to get the engine running to see what the status is. Burning too much oil can be bad piston rings or loose valve guides, but it could also be dripping from the engine. Has the engine run at all since you got it? One thing you could do (if you haven't removed the timing belt) is to do a compression check on each of the 4 cylinders. What you want to see is a consistent 140 psi or so. 130 psi is getting kinda low, but still acceptable, and 110 or 120 means it's time for a rebuild.

-Bryan

[MichaelB3311]

Hi Bryan!

I will send you a PM with my phone number. I currently do not have the gears on the car as I am attempting to replace an oil seal on the intake cam(to no avail so far..) but I can toss everything back on by the end of the week. It cranks but does not start, however I can still read compression I would think.

Michael