Technical PANDA ENGINE MANAGEMENT light on

[PEANUTS STROMBOLI]

Hello folks,
Our trusty Panda, only 26,000 miles since we bought new, suddenly displaying yellow ENGINE MANAGEMENT light. Oil level is OK, not overheating so I presume fan belt intact. Has always started first time until now when it sometimes needs a couple of goes, but then ticks over OK. Any ideas please folks?

 

[porta]

Hello folks,
Our trusty Panda, only 26,000 miles since we bought new, suddenly displaying yellow ENGINE MANAGEMENT light. Oil level is OK, not overheating so I presume fan belt intact. Has always started first time until now when it sometimes needs a couple of goes, but then ticks over OK. Any ideas please folks?

What panda is it, engine, year, etc

 

[ben]

What panda is it, engine, year, etc

I'm guessing mk3 based on previous post, so I've moved it here

 

[koalar]

The engine light is telling you that a sensor is reading something wrong

We need some more information to go on

Reading the code would be a good start. I might not say change this, but would help to point use in a perticular direction

Some cheap code reader suggestions here https://www.fiatforum.com/threads/cheap-scanners-known-to-work.496967/#post-4680258

Any service history


Map dirty
Plugs
Low battery
Thermostat

And many more will all give similar results, without reading the code you will get dozens of suggestions of which one could be correct

But just throwing part get expensive if you guess wrong a few times

 

[PEANUTS STROMBOLI]

Hello folks,
Our trusty Panda, only 26,000 miles since we bought new, suddenly displaying yellow ENGINE MANAGEMENT light. Oil level is OK, not overheating so I presume fan belt intact. Has always started first time until now when it sometimes needs a couple of goes, but then ticks over OK. Any ideas please folks?

Sorry but I keep losing my place on this Forum. It's a 2011 1.2 basic Panda. Use since new very much as second runaround car, often left for several weeks at a time, but even then has almost always started up straightaway. Has had new battery a couple of years ago. No previous faults of any sort, regularly serviced & maintained. does that answer the question please? are there any further checks that I can carry out without having a diagnostic tool - I wouldn't know where to plug it in anyway! Thanks for your interest.

 

[rmjbn1]

If there are no symptoms you're aware of, it could be anything.

Codes need reading. If you'd like to learn how to do it, there's loads of support on this site. I'd never considered plugging in diagnostics readers on a car until a couple of years ago. Wouldn't be without it now.

Otherwise, it's time to take it to a garage to have the codes read.

Here's some advice on cheap scanners that can read the code and clear the EML: https://www.fiatforum.com/threads/cheap-scanners-known-to-work.496967/#post-4672904

Here's where to plug it in:

 

[The Panda Nut]

Sounds like ours did when the evapouration solenoid and cannister went west. Anyone with time and pliers and screw driver could do this with the right info to hand. But you need a code from the ECU to confirm any fault. Ours said something like air leak on the manifild which scared me. It was not as described by MES but the Fiat dealer fixed it at HUGE cost after quickly and correctly diagnosing the problem.

The parts are readily available outside Fiat dealers (at 20% of the dealer cost) and a half competant garage would fit them in around 2 hours if you have this issue. Its almost a dead cert that its the emissions equipment thats playing up.... Another part of the EU emissions scandal.

We had similar starting issues recently on another Panda and this was cured by cleaning the VVT solenoid. This is described on here, and it is possible with ease to fix at home. Once cleaned the car starts and runs much better. Look at the MES register on here as a starting point.

 

[09 johno]

if the fault was a glitch, the engine management light will disappear after 5 engine starts from ignition completely off (let the self check happen before starting)

 

[DaveMcT]

I paid £50 for an engine code reading and reset. That makes £30 for connectors plus £50 for the MES licence look pretty cheap.

 

[koalar]

if the fault was a glitch, the engine management light will disappear after 5 engine starts from ignition completely off (let the self check happen before starting)

Some do some don"t

Coolant sensor does
Throttle position motor doesn't

 

[kmor panda]

Hello folks,
Our trusty Panda, only 26,000 miles since we bought new, suddenly displaying yellow ENGINE MANAGEMENT light. Oil level is OK, not overheating so I presume fan belt intact. Has always started first time until now when it sometimes needs a couple of goes, but then ticks over OK. Any ideas please folks?

If ignition is starting to create issues, I'd advise you to get an OBD2 reader so you can diagnose the car as I'd suspect that there is more than one issue here. The 169 engine is pretty much bullet proof but associated components can fail which can create a cascade of failures = much more expense and lots of misdiagnosis.

Mine is 2006 1.1, 200,000 odd miles + new fuel pump, water pump, timing belt, alternator belt, coil pack, plugs, leads, filters, oil, seals, coolant & battery & starts on the button plus has a top speed 5k greater than Fiat spec for the engine, yet had intermittent steering locking, misfiring, rough running engine, multiple codes plus zero oil in the sump when I got it. Basic care, and these engines will run forever, but can be pedantic and fussy if something is not the way it wants it - and like a child, will damage an aux. part for no logical reason.

 

[jrkitching]

I'd advise you to get an OBD2 reader

If you've got a windows laptop (even one running XP will do), you'd do better to put the cost of a cheap code reader toward a licensed copy of MES + cables. You can do so much more with it.

Also check the member's MES register as there may be someone local to you who can help out.

 

[MrMagoo]

In the "old" days, I would start by replacing the sparkplugs and leads, but modern cars including your Panda have so much electronics that you will need the OBD codes to be read otherwise you may potentially be wasting money by replacing parts you think may be faulty or suggested as faulty.

 

[The Panda Nut]

We all recommend these things but you need to know its easy to do. It is.
oThe cars plug in point is behind a cover in front of the drivers right knee, Two screws hold it in place and then it can be wiggled off. The scket can then be seen. These diagnostic tools just plug in and you will then have a simple menu to read things from the cars computer. They are powered by the cars plug so dont have batteries. They Dont cause other problems either so anyone with a bit of common sense can use them.

I also have MES the Fiat specific diagnostic software, and a code reader bought from Lidl or Aldi for about £15 that does read most codes on all our cars. Its just a small box with a tiny screen and a plug on the end to attach to the car. The code reader came with a booklet that lists the code numbers, so you read the code and look up the number to see what it means. Its not always helpful as the meanings given are sometimes generic / vague.

MES cost me £125. It is a set of leads in a posh case and the softwars that I opted to have on a memory stick. You down load the software onto a lap top and use the leads to connect the car. You have to turn the computer off connect the wires and then start the computer so it picks up the hardware attached like any new thing you attach. Plug into the car and follow the instructions. Over the 5 years I have had my MES its saved me at least 6 garage resets which were £60 a time, and are now more like £120, so its paid for its self.

If you only read codes so you know the problem before going into a garage I think its worth having. MES is simple to use and tells you what the error codes actually mean for your car. You can instruct the car to turn off the ligts by clearing codes so you can see if it was just a glytch or if the problem is still there. Mes allows you to check and test many computer controlled parts of the car and to see what if anything is not working as it should, this includes all the instruments and lights and all teh solenoids and electrical components.