Head Gasket Replacement

[canadiancastro]

Hello Everyone....Working on getting my head gasket replaced...A few early questions:

1. Where exactly is the drain plug on the lower right side of the block...Can't locate it!
2. Are there any good videos on youtube for this procedure...I can't really find a good one.

Any other tips or tricks or parts I should collect in advance would be appreciated!

[18Fiatsandcounting]

I'll do the short answer to your first question, and perhaps someone else has a good video. I don't.

The drain for the block is located midway up the block on the exhaust side, right above the round oil supply galley. It's located about an inch below the second freeze plug (second from the front). It can either be an actual drain valve (early cars) or a simply plug (later cars). I think the reason you're not finding it is that it's not at the bottom of the block.

-Bryan

[canadiancastro]

Any idea how to lock the engine/flywheel in place without a tool while the engine is still in the car?

[18Fiatsandcounting]

I think your question was answered on Mirafiori.com, and the "homemade tool" that Jim showed is the best approach. The chain wrench as mentioned by Carl also works well, as does the impact wrench.

I've also been pretty successful at putting the transmission in 4th gear and having a friend press hard on the brakes while I try to undo the nut. Don't get too carried away with long extensions on your socket wrench as you don't want to break something in the drivetrain.

-Bryan

[Nut124]

Any idea how to lock the engine/flywheel in place without a tool while the engine is still in the car?

Are you trying to remove the crank nut?

Get a powerful impact wrench.

Bryan, did some crank nuts have a reverse thread?

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Bryan, did some crank nuts have a reverse thread?

Good question, Nut. I'm not sure. I have heard references to reverse threaded Fiat crankshaft pulley nuts, but all the ones that I've worked on (a dozen or so engines) had the normal threads.

-Bryan

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Bryan, did some crank nuts have a reverse thread?

Good question, Nut. I'm not sure. I have heard references to reverse threaded Fiat crankshaft pulley nuts, but all the ones that I've worked on (a dozen or so engines) had the normal threads.

-Bryan

I did some more checking, and it appears that the Pininfarina spiders used a reverse threaded crankshaft pulley bolt (not a nut), starting around 1984 or so. All spiders before that used a normal threaded 38mm (1.5") nut.

So, if you have a nut, it's almost certainly normal threaded. If you have a bolt with a smaller head size, it's quite likely to be reverse threaded.

-Bryan

[calvinconrad]

I had the stock head bolts replaced with a stud set. https://autoricambi.us/high-performance-head-stud-kit/ should replace the old bolts with new either way