1982 Lada Niva

Last few days i've been so busy working on others vehicles and my 2 full time jobs. I finally had few hours to work on the little niva. The plan is to start the engine. Started with the wiring, prime the fuel system took off the air filter lead to see if the carburetor is spraying fuel, its not accelerator pump is probably shot. I did install the battery and turn the key to see if the wiring is any good and on the very first revolution engine fired up, vacuum line for the brake booster was open so it was idling rader high but i fired so fast i wasn't expecting it, because of the oil when assembling it smokes a lot, and the oil pressure took a solid minute or two to come up. It runs i still need to adjust the ignition and carburetor but i need to assemble the cooling system first so i can run the engine for more than 3 min. It seams to be more responsive now, that incrise in compression might have some ting to do with it.
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Today i continue and did lot of assembling i put together the entire cooling system fill it with coolant let it run, to cum up to temp also fill the oil up to max mark but i still have only 2-3 bar of oil pressure at cold and only drops when it gets hot. This is disappointing but i'm sure it will run like this. Also the radiator seams to be leaking. The heater core is still bypassed, the weather is getting cold, and i seam to got a cold. I'll drive it to the small garage to have better access over the inspection pit and its heated. The engine is running well no lumpiness revs quicker, sounds different it has deeper tone.
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fill the oil up to max mark but i still have only 2-3 bar of oil pressure at cold and only drops when it gets hot. This is disappointing but i'm sure it will run like this. Also the radiator seams to be leaking.

Total faith here.
We've got our best man on it!

-brino
 
Do you have a mechanical pressure gauge to try? Those electric ones, at least in the days of Fiat, were notorious for reading way low.

Also, the 124 / 131 design has the engine sump forward and very low. Lower than the parking curbs. I saw many many a Fiat with the sump shoved up against the pump strainer. Often running with less than 2 bar pressure at speed. It never seemed to hurt them.
 
Today i had very little time to spare during the daylight but i took the time to move the little niva. It starts very easy and i used the low range to drive it out of the big garage, then i got it in high range to drive it to the small garage. The front drive shaft is not installed so i had the centre diff locked also the front diff has no oil in it. The vacuum for the brakes is also not connected and made driving it in a bit scary. This garage is heated also having better access in the inspection pit should make my job a bit easier. My neighbors don't seem to mind me driving it without a hood, that said they've seen me drive much worse. Don't mine the boxes of engine oil on the right couple of the cars are do for an oil change.
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Today i spent few hours in the small warm garage on the little niva. Started with tearing the dashboard apart to get the heater core out so i can replace the control valve. Then i went under it, there is a lot of thing that i need to work on, with the access now is easy to make it better. One suprase was the rear diff pinion seal is definitely lacking the oil left a mark on the exhaust and it covered in oil. I've not made much progress but i did lots of prep today.
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