Hi, According to the garage that services my 1988 Fiat Panda (driven daily and not for sale), she needs a new carburettor. Does anybody out there have one for sale?

Please can describe what is the reason behind their diagnose?
We can help but details are required.
If it is daily, what were the symptoms?

ps.When was last time they were working on carbed car?

Were are you based?

Every three to four months, the carburettor needs tweaking, otherwise the engine stalls when revs drop below 2000. (I'm in Lincolnshire.)

If the carb is at fault, it's high unlikely it will need to be replaced, it will just need a thorough strip down, clean out and rebuild with new gaskets. Kits are available for around £40.

New carbs are not available (unless you buy a Chinese knock off which I would not go near!) and any second hand one is just as likely to need a rebuild as the current one.

And what exactly are they 'tweaking' every few months? There's only so many adjustments you can make to the carb without taking it to bits and rebuilding it anyway and I can't imagine constantly twiddling the idle mix screw is going to help much with those symptoms. Not just the fuel cut off solenoid sticking is it?

Whereabouts are you? I'm North Lincolnshire these days.

Pandateria said:

Every three to four months, the carburettor needs tweaking, otherwise the engine stalls when revs drop below 2000. (I'm in Lincolnshire.)

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Is that happening when engine cold or warm/hot? Does it keep stalling with choke out?

Start with checking the vaccum advance unit located on the distributor unit. Just pull of the rubber hose from back of carb base and blow/suck air trough the hose - should be air tight.
There are several easy checks to follow if you want to / fancy diagnosing your panda by yourself.

The whole carburettor does not wear out.
The butterfly spindle can wear, but this causes an air leak that is constant. Repairs are possible.
Jets can wear, requiring replacement, and gaskets can fail due to age. Float valves can wear and cause excess fuelling, or variable fuel levels, and are replaceable.
Also, as above, the idle control and distributor vac unit can cause problems.
Replacing the whole carburettor, is like cutting off your leg instead of trimming a toenail. This is an indication that they do not know about carburettors any more and are hoping a new one would come correctly set up to fit and go. Unlikely.
Perhaps a different garage? A smaller one, with old cars around might be better.

portland_bill said:

The whole carburettor does not wear out.
The butterfly spindle can wear, but this causes an air leak that is constant. Repairs are possible.
Jets can wear, requiring replacement, and gaskets can fail due to age. Float valves can wear and cause excess fuelling, or variable fuel levels, and are replaceable.
Also, as above, the idle control and distributor vac unit can cause problems.
Replacing the whole carburettor, is like cutting off your leg instead of trimming a toenail. This is an indication that they do not know about carburettors any more and are hoping a new one would come correctly set up to fit and go. Unlikely.
Perhaps a different garage? A smaller one, with old cars around might be better.

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Relieved to know that whole carburettors don't just wear out, and I hear what you say about finding a garage where they understand the engine. Easier said than done though, so I'll pass the info on to the garage and hope it helps them fix her. Thanks ??

kolza said:

Is that happening when engine cold or warm/hot? Does it keep stalling with choke out?

Start with checking the vaccum advance unit located on the distributor unit. Just pull of the rubber hose from back of carb base and blow/suck air trough the hose - should be air tight.
There are several easy checks to follow if you want to / fancy diagnosing your panda by yourself.

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Thanks for replying. Much appreciated. The problem seems to happen after I've driven for about 20 miles then parked up. When I return to the car to drive her home, she sometimes (but not always) stalls whenever I have to stop at the lights or slow to take a corner. If I drive the following day, the car is usually fine again. It's a mystery to me. As for the choke, I have to use it very sparingly as the engine floods at the drop of a hat, and that will also trigger 'stalling all the way' to or from my destination. Most of the time, she runs very sweetly so long as the carburettor is tweaked (whatever that means!) every three to four months. I'm in Gainsborough, West Lindsey btw.

panda1408 said:

If the carb is at fault, it's high unlikely it will need to be replaced, it will just need a thorough strip down, clean out and rebuild with new gaskets. Kits are available for around £40.

New carbs are not available (unless you buy a Chinese knock off which I would not go near!) and any second hand one is just as likely to need a rebuild as the current one.

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Thanks. Can you recommend the best kit to buy so that I don't end up with a cheap useless kit?

Yeah. At the VERY worst your carb may need reconditioned with new jets and gaskets etc. and there's specialists on the internet that can do this. I'd a similar problem with my Panda two weeks' ago in the freezing cold mornings until she warmed up, it was fine after I adjusted the air filter wax stat and slightly enrichened the fuel mixture on the carb; haven't fully tested it as it was just before she was left in for major bodywork so won't see her again for two months.

You need a mechanic who knows how to deal with carbs, adjust timing and know what a distributor is! My mechanic is ex Fiat but semi retired and in poor health and younger boys generally don't want to know so you get responses like 'you need a new carb' as if it's like replacing an ECU that can't be repaired. I've heard of this a few times recently but if you look about locally and on the internet you should find experienced guys including too younger ones who work at older cars. Certainly don't be replacing a carb!

Ricambio International do a carb rebuilt kit for Pandas. I've never bought one or rebuilt a carb but have no reason to believe their kit would be poor as they've a good reputation and I've bought plenty of stuff of them.

If it's the carb causing your problem it could well be an air leak or weak mixture being the culprit.

Pandateria said:

Thanks for replying. Much appreciated. The problem seems to happen after I've driven for about 20 miles then parked up. When I return to the car to drive her home, she sometimes (but not always) stalls whenever I have to stop at the lights or slow to take a corner. If I drive the following day, the car is usually fine again. It's a mystery to me. As for the choke, I have to use it very sparingly as the engine floods at the drop of a hat, and that will also trigger 'stalling all the way' to or from my destination. Most of the time, she runs very sweetly so long as the carburettor is tweaked (whatever that means!) every three to four months. I'm in , West Lindsey btw.

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Stalls when approaching traffic lights etc. - week condenser ( small silver barrel on distributor ), check ignition coil impedance, check dwell angle, possible worn/pitted breaker points.


Often flooding - could be choke settings far from original due to 'carb blind tweaking' )

Pandani said:

Yeah. At the VERY worst your carb may need reconditioned with new jets and gaskets etc. and there's specialists on the internet that can do this. I'd a similar problem with my Panda two weeks' ago in the freezing cold mornings until she warmed up, it was fine after I adjusted the air filter wax stat and slightly enrichened the fuel mixture on the carb; haven't fully tested it as it was just before she was left in for major bodywork so won't see her again for two months.

You need a mechanic who knows how to deal with carbs, adjust timing and know what a distributor is! My mechanic is ex Fiat but semi retired and in poor health and younger boys generally don't want to know so you get responses like 'you need a new carb' as if it's like replacing an ECU that can't be repaired. I've heard of this a few times recently but if you look about locally and on the internet you should find experienced guys including too younger ones who work at older cars. Certainly don't be replacing a carb!

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Solid advice, thanks ?

Thanks for all the great advice - I'm off to find a kit and a mechanic.

It is a long time since I had to do anything with a carburettor, Jan 1996 was the last carb car I had, a 750 Panda that needed no adjustments in two years and 45,000 miles.

Had a look in the Haynes.
It should be a Weber 32 TLF carb.
It has an accelerator pump. This has a diaphragm that with age can split and allow air through.
It has 'full power valve' that has another diaphragm. May allow air or excess fuel through, can't remember the details.
This kit: http://www.webcon.co.uk/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=437&cat=Weber+TLF
Should be all you need.
The float valve when worn will allow excess fuel through, causing a rich mixture, easier to start when cold, but floods easily and stalls when hot. Float also needs checking to see if it has become porous and filled with fuel, so it no longer floats.
Carbs are intricate things, but very reliable. The service kit should be all that is needed, but needs care and a clean environment to service it. A ham-fisted idiot can destroy it easily.
Search Google for "Weber 32 TLF", see if you can download a service manual.
Or get a Haynes, book 793.

Some interesting lecture here

Huge help, thanks - I've ordered the kit, and will find a mechanic who can do it. I'll let you know how it all turned out ?

Thanks for going to all that trouble - I've printed it off and ordered a kit. I'll hand the kit and info over to a mechanic when I find one who knows how to do it, and I'll let you know how I get on. Thanks again.

Pandateria said:

Thanks for replying. Much appreciated. The problem seems to happen after I've driven for about 20 miles then parked up. When I return to the car to drive her home, she sometimes (but not always) stalls whenever I have to stop at the lights or slow to take a corner. If I drive the following day, the car is usually fine again. It's a mystery to me. As for the choke, I have to use it very sparingly as the engine floods at the drop of a hat, and that will also trigger 'stalling all the way' to or from my destination. Most of the time, she runs very sweetly so long as the carburettor is tweaked (whatever that means!) every three to four months. I'm in Gainsborough, West Lindsey btw.

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Does really sound like that solenoid sticking, it cuts the fuel through the idle circuit so you can make the engine run with your foot on the throttle but as soon as you lift off it will not idle at all. Possibly a break in the wire leading to it, might explain why it's intermittent/ heat related. I'm up in Epworth btw, work down in Retford so not a million miles away from you.