Hi folks, I’ve got a panda 1.2 8v (2004) with 101k on the clock. As far as I’m aware the valve clearances have never been checked (certainly not since I’ve owned it when it had 36k on the clock). There is a slight tappet noise from the top end (been like that for a long while). It gets regular oil changes every 6,000 miles (0w-40). I want to keep the car for a long as possible and see what sort of mileage I can do in it!

They are getting checked next Tuesday and I’ll post results on here.

A few people have told me messing about with the clearances at that sort of mileage is potentially a bad idea. Can anyone confirm this? The car has been very well looked after and driven with care. It never gets abused. I can’t see why there should be any major wear problems at 100k if it’s been looked after. Cheers, Adam.

doing valve clearences isnt a bad idea, running on that grade oil is though

dave said:

doing valve clearences isnt a bad idea, running on that grade oil is though

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what's wrong with 0w-40 Mobil recommend it for the panda 1.2 8v.

mobil didn't build or develope your engine, use what is recommended by fiat powertrain! 0w is too thin.

mobil don't make the right grade so will try and get you to buy any old crap

:yeahthat:

Companies like that really grind my gears :bang:

dave said:

mobil didn't build or develope your engine, use what is recommended by fiat powertrain! 0w is too thin.

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Its been fine for years running on this stuff! What sort of damage is it suppose to do then?

it will wear your engine out and sound like the tappets need doing

dave said:

it will wear your engine out and sound like the tappets need doing

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So at that mileage do you reckon adjusting valve clearances will not be more hassle. The mechanic reckons fitting new shims in an old engine will cause more problems than its worth.

As for the oil (its been running on it for the past 4 years). I was under the impression it protects better at lower temperatures but is the same viscosity at normal operating temperature

change the mechanic

I agree with Dave. While it does protect your engine to an extent, the oil is too thin for the fire block. 10w/40 semi synth (Castrol Magnetec) is ideal

james2609 said:

I agree with Dave. While it does protect your engine to an extent, the oil is too thin for the fire block. 10w/40 semi synth (Castrol Magnetec) is ideal

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Much ado about nothing IMO. The 1.2 FIRE isn't a demanding engine in terms of oil specs.

FIAT specify a 5W40 fully synth for modern incarnations of the 1.2 FIRE, but using a decent branded 0W40 is unlikely to hurt unless you're habitually revving the t*ts off a cold engine.

What is more important is changing it regularly & using a decent oil filter. The filter is horizontally mounted, so if the built-in anti-drainback valve isn't working properly, the valve gear will be starved of oil each time the engine starts & you'll get a lot more wear.

There's plenty of stuff that could go wrong with an older Panda, but the 1.2 FIRE is a solid, proven understressed design & oil related engine problems would be right at the bottom of my list of things to worry about.

jrkitching said:

Much ado about nothing IMO. The 1.2 FIRE isn't a demanding engine in terms of oil specs.

FIAT specify a 5W40 fully synth for modern incarnations of the 1.2 FIRE, but using a decent branded 0W40 is unlikely to hurt unless you're habitually revving the t*ts off a cold engine.

What is more important is changing it regularly & using a decent oil filter. The filter is horizontally mounted, so if the built-in anti-drainback valve isn't working properly, the valve gear will be starved of oil each time the engine starts & you'll get a lot more wear.

There's plenty of stuff that could go wrong with an older Panda, but the 1.2 FIRE is a solid, proven understressed design & oil related engine problems would be right at the bottom of my list of things to worry about.

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So a full synthetic 5w-40 oil should be fine then? What about valve clearances? will it be safe to adjust them if the engine has 100K?

AAB1992 said:

There is a slight tappet noise from the top end

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Valve noise is a sign they are working!

AAB1992 said:

So a full synthetic 5w-40 oil should be fine then?

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It's what FIAT specify for the later FIRE engines, I can't think of any valid reason not to use it in the older ones .

I've heard it said that fully synth oils can cause some engine seals to swell slightly, so it's not generally considered good practice to go back to a semisynth if you are using a synth now.

Picking one brand and sticking to it minimises the risk of the unexpected.

AAB1992 said:

What about valve clearances? will it be safe to adjust them if the engine has 100K?

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Valve clearances should be adjusted so that they are within the specified tolerances. I don't see why the mileage should have anything to do with it.

If a valve is out of limits but the shim is worn, replacing the shim with an unworn one of the same size might bring the clearance back into limits.

Always check your work carefully before replacing the cam cover - don't just rely on calculations.

Slightly too much clearance is better than too little, especially with exhaust valves - it's the difference between a slightly clattery top end & a burnt valve.

jrkitching said:

I've heard it said that fully synth oils can cause some engine seals to swell slightly, so it's not generally considered good practice to go back to a semisynth if you are using a synth now.

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On the contary I've been informed, and it was explained and made sence, but I've forgotten the explination, that oils should go forwards, but never back.

IE mineral to Semi and Semi to fully, but never the other way around.

Most Easterly Pandas said:

On the contary I've been informed, and it was explained and made sence, but I've forgotten the explination, that oils should go forwards, but never back.

IE mineral to Semi and Semi to fully, but never the other way around.

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er, that's what I said...

"so it's not generally considered good practice to go back to a semisynth if you are using a synth now."

jrkitching said:

er, that's what I said...

"so it's not generally considered good practice to go back to a semisynth if you are using a synth now."

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Ignore me :spin:

Speed reading again :bang:

The engine is not overly noisy, its just for peace of mind having them checked as I plan to run the car for as long as possible. I'll just continue to use the oil that I've been using for years (Mobil New Life 0w-40). The engine has never missed a beat so changing the oil to something completely different would be a bad idea.

As for seals swelling and leaking, the only leak from the engine is the rocker cover gasket, which to be fair always tend to leak once I do around 25,000 miles.

The only other related job to sort is one of the bolt holes for the rocker cover on the cylinder head which has been stripped (currently held in with a nut and bolt). I plan to use some metal epoxy putty, drill and tap-die, I just have to be careful due to it being aluminium.

AAB1992 said:

The only other related job to sort is one of the bolt holes for the rocker cover on the cylinder head which has been stripped (currently held in with a nut and bolt). I plan to use some metal epoxy putty, drill and tap-die, I just have to be careful due to it being aluminium.

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Why not Helicoil it?

And you could just take off the cam cover & check the clearances. Chances are they will all be within limits so you'll have peace of mind for the price of a set of feeler gauges & a cam cover gasket.

jrkitching said:

Why not Helicoil it?

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How does a helicoil work? I'm not all that familiar with them.