[ObsessedByFIAT]

Before I start putting down the entire story, I would like to express special thanks to Ilango for all the help and egerness he has shown to get my dream fullfiled! Also, there have been fellow BHPians like Funkykar, Behram sir and Lambyman or siddman (missing out on the handle, sorry for that..) who have been instrumental in the entrie process. Thanks a ton everyone!

Hi All,

It was a long pending dream of owning a 118 NE and a couple of times came this close to owning one. However some or the other thing kept happening and could not lay my hands on it.

Finally, in mid of march this year I got an idea of gifting myself a 118 NE on my b'day! Infact my wife wanted to gift one to me, but since she is not too much into cars, she left the thing to me.

Casually called Ilango and expressed the thought of buying a car, and without wasting a single second, he told me of a car waiting to find a home. That same day we both (Ilango and I) visited the place where this car was standing.

Went through all the checks for rusting, as we all know NE are prone to rusting. Checked the interiors of the car. They are in decent condition, nothing to write back home about though.

This car has a company fit A.C, had a LPG kit on it and a few rust spots and a dent on the left front side.

Took a test ride and the car ran as a 16 year old would run.

Left it there. Wanted to see a few more NE's before finalizing anything.

There was a long weekend at the begining of this month and wanted to finalize the deal of the car which I had test driven already. So took a friend along, and the first thing I did was to get rid of the LPG kit. Did that and gave the car a good wash after wheel alignment and balancing.

Started the car and 1 KM down the line the car stalls. Cranked it, does not want to start. All the dreams of getting the car home seemed going down the drain. I knew there would be issues after removing the gas kit, but never thought that the car will not start at all.

Left the car with the dealer and asked him to clean the carb, jets, check the point condensor and radiator. As expected, none of this was done by the dealer and he just kept saying that the battery is the problem.

Couple of days passed by and nothing happened. So took Ilango. Again without a seconds delay, he started working on it.

A few tries here and there and he realised that the switch which passes the current for continuos running of the engine had a loose connection. Fixed that, started the car. Again, it started and died down. Opened the carb, cleaned it, the car started to idle fine.

By now it was already well past 8 PM. So straight went to the nearest petorl bunk and kept the car running while fueling it up as the battery started showing up signs.

Car fueled up and the moment I slot it in the 1st gear, the car stalled again. This petrol bunk is approx 1KM. History repeated itself!

Tried a few more times and a few more thing on th carb, nothing seemed to work. By then it was already 9:30 PM.

Ilango suggested we toe the car to his friends place (fellow BHPian, forgot his handle, sorry :( ) and will take it over the week end. Now the probelm was that we did not have anything to tie up the car with. So started hunting for a rope. Since it was getting late it was even more difficult to find a hardware shop open. Somehow managed to find one and got the rope, tied up the car and moved out of petrol pump.

We put the car at the friends place and went back home.

The entire night I kept thinking if I had made a good deal of purchasing this car.

A few more days passed by and Ilango and I again went to the car in the morning at 8:30, so that we could start it and get it to the mechnanics place by at least 12:00 noon.

The very first thing we checked was the fuel filter. Chocked till the mouth with rust!!!! Since it was too early, no spare parts shop had opened by then.

So we waited and also prepared a list of 'to get' items. By 10:00 AM we were hunting for parts all around the locality and could source a set of :-

1. Side indicatars (front)

2. Premier badge (rear)

3. Fuel filter. (Same as that of MAruti Wagon R)

4. Fuel lines. (couple of them)

5. One door open nob for left hand rear door (inside)

Ilango had already got a electronic fuel pump, as mine has a mechanical one and we wanted to check if that was the issue.

So we set out for the work.

1. By passed the mechanical fuel pump and connected the electronic one.

2. Changed the fuel filter.

3. Cleaned all the jet and made sure there was no rust in there.

Cranked the car and as we had expected, it started up fine. kept it on idling. Trust me, the engine is super slient at idle but step on the accelerator and it shows the character! The car again died down and after about 5 minutes.

On further checking, we found that the issue seems to be because of the vapour evaporator mechanism missing in the carb. It does not have either of fuel return and vapour evaporator.

By the time we did all of the above stuff of purchasing, fitting and testing, it was almost 1 PM.

We finally thought of getting the mechanic to the place so that he can start the car and take it to his garage.

So we went to the mechanic and gave him the entire story, without wasting anytime, he accompanied us to the spot.

Carb was opened, and the place where the fuel pipe connects to carb was opened and what a sight!!! There is a small filter, essentially a wire mesh, a very fine one, which had clogged with rust, a lot of it for the poor small thing!

The mech removed it and we started the car. Man, it fired up in just one crank and we set out on our way to his garage with the mech driving it. Have you noticed how the car seems butter smooth in hands of a mech??

On the way, twice the dicky opened!! closed with with a nice bang the second time and now it does not open when not waranted!

What I noticed for the first time was boiling petrol!! The car had stalled after getting it to the mechanic and I wanted to get my bike from my home which is hardly 3 KM from the garage. So when I cranked it, it did not start, so opened the air filter and could see petrol boiling just like water kept on full flame. This was something new to me, as I would assume the petrol to evaporate rather than boiling!

So, as of now the car is with the mechanic getting small bits of work done so that I can get the RCC (road worthiness certificate)

Will keep updating this thread with more as and when I work on the car! Would request Ilango to pen down the technical terms and procedures he has followed on the car. I am not very good when it comes to describing the technicalities involved. Also, please correct me if I have mentioned or mis-understood some part of the problem solving activity.

Sorry for not being able to post any pics of the car, as I am yet to click a few!!!

Finally thanks to everyone who read through the lenghty post and sharing my enthusiasm on owning this mechanical beauty!

Cheers!

[mdsaab]

WOW! that is one roller coaster ride!
But in the end it's all worth it when you are fulfilling your dreams.
It's quite common with older cars that once something gets fixed another thing crops up.
We have experienced this with out Merc 115. But i guess that's the fun of it. Sort of a character trait. Wishing you the very best with restoring your 118 and bringing her back to the road.
Drive Safe!

[aniketi]

I had driven 118 NE a lot when i was in marketing job. We had company car, maroon color. It was really a nice car. Engine was super silent. It used run very fast too & was quite stable on highways at 100 KMPH.

We used to repair it from University road garage. I guess it was on some petrol pump there. You can check there if you want. It was good & used to repair that car well.

[ObsessedByFIAT]

Thanks for your wishes mdsaab. yes, that is exactly what happens not only with cars, but also with machines and people!!

@aniketi : - I remember of reading about your company owned car and if my memory serves me right, the fuel expences were paid by the company. You also were contemplating on buynig one, right?

Cheers!

[ilangop]

Originally Posted by ObsessedByFIAT

Ilango suggested we toe the car to his friends place (fellow BHPian, forgot his handle, sorry :( ) ...Cheers!

He is Rakesh, the Lambyman. Congratulations on your new buy dude, sorry fogot to tell you till now. I am happy that I have a company for my 118 NE. Will make it pleasurable to drive as soon as possible. After all George (The Mechanic - a nice friend ever since I bought my NE. Has helped me in lots of repairs, parts and technical suggestions) is always there for us.
-Ilango

[ObsessedByFIAT]

^ Ya, Lambyman, how can I forget the cake afterall????

Thanks for your wishes and yes, once the car is transferred on my name a drive will be scheduled!

I just hope George does not do what he mentioned to us yesterday!!! hehehehe..

Cheers!

[cranky]

IIRC the 118NE had the best steering and gearbox I can remember of all the cars of that age.

Looking forward to seeing yours up and running soon

[samsag12]

ObsessedByFIAT Congrats on the acquisition. Do share some pics of the car for our viewing pleasure. hope you get all the problems sorted out soon. With the help and guidance of Ilango this car will surely be roadworthy soon.

[ObsessedByFIAT]

@cranky, @Samsag12: - Thanks a lot for your comments and wishes.

I will surely be putting up pics of the car shortly. Yesterday I was supposed to visit the mech but it rained cats and dogs here, so could not visit him.

It was Ilango who gave me the confidence to get this car and make it roadworthy. The car is with the mech for minor works to be done.

Pics will follow soon!

Cheers!

[Scarlet_Rider]

Welcome to the world of the 118 NE! A nice writeup! Wishing you all the best with the restoration of the car! Once things are sorted out, you can truly enjoy driving the vehicle. Please do post pictures of the car.

Regards and Keep Revving,

Rahul Waghmare.

[ObsessedByFIAT]

Hi Rahul!

Thanks for stopping by and reading the lengthy post. Right now I am waiting for the car to be transferred to my name.

Will put up the pics once that is done!

Cheers!

[ObsessedByFIAT]

Well, after all this wait, the car has finally come home. I got a chance to take a few snaps which I am putting up here. Your comments and suggestions are welcome!

One thing I noticed, that this is not a '95 model, but a '94 model.

[ilangop]

Congrats dude, Glad to see the pics.
But for God's sake, remove the red stickers in the rear.
Looks like our PCMC vehicle with those stickers on it.

[ObsessedByFIAT]

@Ilango: - Thanks!!

I tried removing those stickers, but the paint is also peeling off along with it. So for the time being I will let it be there and will try my hands on it over the weekend.

I will get the car at your place as there is some constant noise in the front right wheel. Some tak-tak sound. Also, I the air intake sound is on a bit higher side. I dont know if that is the way it is supposed to be.

There are a few other things I wanted to check with you about the car and I think weekend will be the best time if you are available.

Yesterday had a wonderful day as I drove the car quite a bit. Took it out in the night for a spin as well!!! Again in the morning today before coming to the office rode it for some 5-10 Kms! Each time I drive it, I somehow feel it better than my Figo and Spark!

Now the actual work starts! I am in process of preparing a list of items/work to be done on the car. A few of them are listed below: -

1. side patti, as it is missing.
2. Left side mudflap is hanging on one screw, will fix it by the weekend.
3. cleaning the air filter and carb once by myself as I feel there is a dead spot in forth gear.
4. Fixing the speedo meter and fuel gauge. Both are not working.
5. Fixing the indicators. Right now when the left or right indicator is turned on, the temp gauge starts moving rapidly!!!!
6. Left side high beam is not working, will need to check the fillament.

Cosmetics will be taken up last along with denting and painting, which will take atleast six months.

Cheers!

[ilangop]

@ Abhishek
Stickers - Can use some kerosene or oil to peel it off.
Tak -tak sound from front wheel – Most probable reason is that the cover plate for the brake rotor disc is rubbing against the rim. Remove the wheel and locate the place where it rubs. Bend or hammer it a little. You are done.

5. Fixing the indicators. Right now when the left or right indicator is turned on, the temp gauge starts moving rapidly!!!! – There is some fault in the grounding for the indicator or the instrument cluster.