It's definately pinking!

Peter vaguely muttered something like ...

Bad driving ...

I think I know what you mean. My Uno is sort of like (similar sort of engine/gearbox design as your Sei). I stalled it twice when I first bought it.

I think you'll find that the clutch is simply just very sharp. Increase the revs more as you pull away, you should feel the bite better if you like and therefore can move off smoothly.

My mechanic adjusted the clutch cable a bit, but thinks it's very sharp due to the replacement clutch (apparently done 10k miles ago by previous owner) being a re-conditioned one.

It's not an issue for me anymore as you basically 'learn to drive'. I'm not saying you can't, but all cars are different and so you have to expect to adjust the way you do things accordingly.

The clutch sharpness shouldn't actually be an issue once you are actually moving though.

Give it a try.

Find a better mechanic.

It also basically needs a proper full service.

If the pinking went, how can it have come back again so soon?

"The engine's about to stall"

This is quite normal of the Fiat FIRE engines.

This doesn't sound right. I know my headlights increase their intensity slightly when engine is revved, but even with all the electrics on, the idle revs never "drop loads".

Dunno, but wouldn't it be more heart breaking to srew up a £5k car, than a £1k box on wheels?

Well done!

Your father does have a point you know.

You probably have an engine management system that keeps the idle relatively constant under varying load. Not all management systems do, whether by design or error, and not all cars have engine management systems.

My car doesn't have an engine management system.

Maybe it's just tuned properly? :-)

How ?

As a heavy load takes power, the revs will have to drop to produce that power unless more fuel/air is sent to the engine. Additional power has to come from somewhere.

It must be an old car not to have an engine management system.

We all do. When you stop learning you're getting ready to die.

It's an 1990 Fiat Uno, so yeah, old.

The revs probably do drop, but not "loads" like Peter was saying. It's not even significant and probably only if I'm really thinking hard to look out for it. It doesn't cause a problem to the way you drive a car like it does to Peter.

Suck-Squeeze-Bang-Blow, over and over again without falling to pieces coupled to a box that also doesn't fall to pieces. Wheels you can point and a braking system that works. One car.

Purditer ( snipped-for-privacy@britishtelecommunicationsopenworld.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Peter's Sei does.

My 2cvs don't drop their idle when you turn the lights on, either - and

Old? Old? Pah - that's not old ;-)) My daily driver is from 1970, and doesn't suffer from electric cooling fan idle change - it's not got an electric fan! The revs do drop with main beam though, from around 900rpm at idle, to 850rpm.

A 1990 Fiat is more than likely equipped with a simple electric idle stabiliser. Certainly many European cars from the early 80s onwards would have these, even sans ECUs, injection and the like. These are normally bypassed (according to Haynes) to adjust idle speed and the like.

Thinking about it now, maybe Peter should consider resetting the ECU and/or cleaning the MAF a bit?

My car is a carb based engine (no fuel injection) and doesn't have an ECU.

Not sure about a simple electric idle thing though. I just fiddled the idle screw on the carb to tune it (along with the mixture screw).

Anything with a manual choke is old!