2 stroke oil in the diesel broke the windscreen wipers. (2 Viewers)

Simon

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So, I happened to read somewhere on here that many people put 2-stroke oil in their diesel at a tiny ratio of 1:200. Reading up on this from various reputable-ish sources I found it's suggested that this can be beneficial, especially to the older type engine that can run quite happily on beef dripping sandwiches, and has been done for years. It certainly wouldn't do any harm anyway, so I considered it worth a try.

There was about 200ml in the bottle in the shed so into the half-full tank it went yesterday.

I'd planned on filling the ol' bus up to the brim anyway to pre-empt the inevitable massive price rise before we go off gallivanting in May, and I thought this activity would also give the 2 stroke oil a good mixing-in, so off we went today to do that very thing. On the way I noticed the windscreen had got quite dusty so I gave the wiper stick a flourish. Nothing. I pulled it toward me for the squirters to squirt. Not a drop. Bugger.

Checked the fuse box - the wiper fuse also protects the windscreen washer pump, the temperature gauge, the interior heater fan, and other stuff, most of which still worked.

I had recently taken out the radio to install some new speakers so maybe something had been disturbed in the massive bundles of wires behind the interior plastic bits? Lots of quite painful upside-down-under-the-dashboard testing proved that no, it was all fine. Must be the 2-stroke oil then! I've cursed the electrics by feeding the engine stuff it wasn't expecting! Like many children these days it's a fussy eater and is going to cause havoc until it gets exactly what it wants! 2-stroke oil is obviously the Brussels sprout of the Fiat engine world.

Or... more realistically, maybe it's the wiper motor? Or a dodgy earth? Or something? All the spiky little bundles of earth wires I could find were checked but they seemed ok. I even took out the speedo/gauge module and unplugged everything in there, then plugged it all in again as I read that this is another weird thing Fiats like to happen quite regularly or random things stop working.

Finding the wires attached to the wiper motor was a challenge as they're hidden behind metal things, but undoing a few little bolts had the thing out. I unplugged the motor and plugged it back in again a few times, went inside and wobbled the switch. Mrs Simon reported movement so I put it all back together again and it works fine! Did the same with the washer pump connection and that now works fine too.

It seems Italian electrical connections like to be taken apart and put back together occasionally. They must get bored and crave attention. If only there wasn't so many of them.

Fiat - fix it again tomorrow! At least it was sunny and warm, which makes a change when things like this happen.
 

DBK

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Nice story, made me chuckle on a non-chuckling day. Thank you.

But I would dilute the oil to something like 1:1000, it will be cheaper and you and the engine will benefit. :):)
 
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Simon

Simon

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Should have put a little 2 stroke oil on the connection plugs and sockets for lubrication purposes.

*Long silent pause for thought*

Good idea or not, if you think I'm taking all that lot apart again you've got another think coming!

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GWAYGWAY

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I had two stroke oil problem causing light total failure with a Lambretta SX200. The problem was it wasn't good enough to keep the engine from seizing solid at 60 mph on a very dark road. NO LIGHT AND LOCKED REAR WHEEL, make for increased heart rate, luckily when I let out the clutch is ran again normally. So 2 stroke oil does cause electrics failures.
 
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Thought for a minute you had put the 2stroke oil in the washer bottle :rofl:

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Simon

Simon

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Try owning a Ducats bike then with their elactrics:)

I've heard all about them! I suspect, however, that a Ducati's loom is somewhat smaller than a DucatO's and more readily accessible too.
:)
 
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Simon

Simon

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Thought for a minute you had put the 2stroke oil in the washer bottle :rofl:

I was trained as a (proper*) mechanic many years ago so that was unlikely, but I bet things like that have happened many times before.

* A mechanic who diagnoses and repairs, rather than just swaps circuit boards until the car works again.
 

GWAYGWAY

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I've heard all about them! I suspect, however, that a Ducati's loom is somewhat smaller than a DucatO's and more readily accessible too.
:)
I thought they put it through the frame tubes on Ducati but I am probably thinking of something really expensive.
 

Jaws

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I've heard all about them! I suspect, however, that a Ducati's loom is somewhat smaller than a DucatO's and more readily accessible too.
:)

I think that is almost an oxymoron !! Using the word 'loom' and 'Ducati' in the same sentence !!
 
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Simon

Simon

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I think that is almost an oxymoron !! Using the word 'loom' and 'Ducati' in the same sentence !!

Heh! "Bundle of old wires that were salvaged from house rewires" then?
 

Gollom

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Does it have to be 2-stroke oil or can I use some of the left-over bits from when I had a diesel car?

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DBK

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I thought they put it through the frame tubes on Ducati but I am probably thinking of something really expensive.
I think it was Buell who used the frame as an oil tank. Now no more though the founder has started making bikes again I believe, having sold his brand to Harley Davidson - who killed it off.
 

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