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Under the hood..... What is that?

5K views 24 replies 12 participants last post by  Bob T 
#1 ·
Looking at a car remotely.....dealer sent me this shot of the engine. Is there something missing? Look at the shield over the turbo. Why is that bolt sticking up? Just forward of the joint in the strut tower brace? Looks like something was disturbed / removed? Otherwise this 2018 Abarth looks pretty nice. Has 13,000 miles on the odometer. Any thoughts on what that is?

Thanks, -Steve
81049
 
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#3 ·
That little bolt sticks out like that on every engine. There's been speculation it might be used for a lifting of some type during manfuacturing. Many of us removed it as it no longer has any functional purpose.

Here's a photo my engine bay before I did a turbo blanket install, and you can clearly see the same bolt. Nothing to worry about. It's normal, but no longer needed.... sort of like an appendix for yoru car.
81051
and now with bolt removed...
81052


...and appenboltdectomy. :)
 
#6 ·
That little bolt sticks out like that on every engine. There's been speculation it might be used for a lifting of some type during manfuacturing. Many of us removed it as it no longer has any functional purpose.

Here's a photo my engine bay before I did a turbo blanket install, and you can clearly see the same bolt. Nothing to worry about. It's normal, but no longer needed.... sort of like an appendix for yoru car.
View attachment 81051 and now with bolt removed... View attachment 81052

...and appenboltdectomy. :)
Off topic: where did you score the red hoses and red bracket above/on/securing the turbo blanket?
 
#15 ·
  • The turbo bracket was done with brake caliper paint and baked on to complete the finish before re-installation in the car.
  • The larger red hoses are the Eurocompulsion V4 intake system, and the smaller ones are a kevlar braided cover I purchased from an outfit called HoseCandy. Sadly, I think HoseCandy is no longer in business as their website seems to be mostly non-functional. You can find some items of theirs on Amazon, but their eStore site is dead in the water. These aren't the plastic stuff you find for cheap on Amazon, it's kevlar and the hardest part of the installation is actually cutting them to length. They're secured with two layers of shrink wrap... one heavy duty shrink fitting (which HoseCandy called boa clamps) to secure/clamp the hose in place over it's connection fitting, and a second logo branded one over the top of the sleeve ends for aesthetics. They hold up and secure just as well as any clamp, so long as they're properly installed. In fact I've now also sleeved the upper rad hose as well. The stuff works like a charm. The downside is that if I have to remove them, it requires the shrink fittings to be cut off.... and for that I purchased a fair amount of replacement boa clamps and branded shrink covers. I also purchased a kit for doing quick connects on the vacuum lines, as well as red silicone hose replacements for those lines. That will be a project for this coming spring.
  • The red dipstick is a custom dipstick from Cravenspeed, which I had the Abarth scorpion laser engraved on.
  • And what you can't see is the red anodyzed aluminum oil filter billet cap.
No end of things you can spend stupid money on. That dipstick, including paying for laser engraving, set me back $150 CAD (around $110 USD). And the billet cap was closer to $400 CAD for the price of the cap plus having it anodyzed red. Sometimes its the small things that make us smile. lol
Thanks so much for the detailed explanation and sources. Looks so balanced in the pics. Like it.
 
#4 ·
Nothing missing. The factory turbo "heat shield" is in place. Consider getting a turbo blanket. They really help reduce underhood temperatures and can improve turbo performance.
 
#9 ·
Looking at a car remotely.....dealer sent me this shot of the engine. Is there something missing? Look at the shield over the turbo. Why is that bolt sticking up? Just forward of the joint in the strut tower brace? Looks like something was disturbed / removed? Otherwise this 2018 Abarth looks pretty nice. Has 13,000 miles on the odometer. Any thoughts on what that is?

Thanks, -Steve
For future reference, when I have these types of questions, time strapped and you are ready to buy, a quick search on a car buying site like cars.com can show a bunch of pictures where you can determine if something like this is the norm or not.
 
#12 ·
I have the red sleeving too, just used electricial tape... held up almost 2 years to far.
 
#20 ·
Looking at a car remotely.....dealer sent me this shot of the engine. Is there something missing? Look at the shield over the turbo. Why is that bolt sticking up? Just forward of the joint in the strut tower brace? Looks like something was disturbed / removed? Otherwise this 2018 Abarth looks pretty nice. Has 13,000 miles on the odometer. Any thoughts on what that is?

Thanks, -Steve
View attachment 81049
Looking at a car remotely.....dealer sent me this shot of the engine. Is there something missing? Look at the shield over the turbo. Why is that bolt sticking up? Just forward of the joint in the strut tower brace? Looks like something was disturbed / removed? Otherwise this 2018 Abarth looks pretty nice. Has 13,000 miles on the odometer. Any thoughts on what that is?

Thanks, -Steve
View attachment 81049
I just put a turbo thermal blanket on mine. The bolt serves no purpose. Holds nothing in place. I painted it flat black (hi temp paint) and left it in.
 
#21 ·
Just remove it, and toss it over your left shoulder for good luck. Tip: stand facing the car when you do this. :)
 
#24 ·
Lol all this time I thought that rusted bolt was needed! Even brought it to the attention of a rep at the dealership. I asked if it was covered under the corrosion warranty. Of course he said it was normal and only cosmetic.
Now I'm wondering if this will fit to replace it🤔


 
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