General Work Begins... Finally. 94 Panda CLX
- Thread starter Phiz
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General Work Begins... Finally. 94 Panda CLX
Phiz
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Phiz
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Good question, I'd not even thought that far ahead! Will have to see if I'm free, would be good to put some names to faces
Phiz
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Is that the 4x4 green laning weekend?
Sjvarley
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Yes but I think all are welcome you could jump in A free seat or two It's just ground clearance really a 2 wd Will go most places with the right tyres and more clearance. In Italy they get thrashed. Up steep rocky roads with a good set of tyres.
Phiz
Member
Sounds like good craic, will have to see if I'm free, when is it? Don't recon I'll be greenlaning my 4x2 this year, though once I've done a bit more work might well be up for that, got to get ready for some tough conditions over in Russia :slayer:
Phiz
Member
So finally got my insurance sorted with Peter James and taxed the car! Took it out for a short run this evening (15 miles or so) and generally very happy. Everything works as it should, temperature sits below 90 when driving and when parked as soon as it goes over 90 the fan comes on and drops it back down again.
Still not happy with the brakes being bled properly though, I did an emergency stop and can get the wheels to lock so brakes are functional but you've really got to stamp on them, must be air in the system somewhere but I bled each wheel in turn until the fresh fluid came through so any guesses? I've been using an easy bleed kit and the lid doesn't fit that tight on the reservoir but I made sure the fluid in it never dropped below the min line so can't see any air would have got in. Just meant I got brake fluid running out of it! Might get a mate to give me a hand and try the old fashioned way stamping on the brake but can't see why the ezibleed method would cause any issues?
. Everything works as it should, temperature sits below 90 when driving and when parked as soon as it goes over 90 the fan comes on and drops it back down again.Still not happy with the brakes being bled properly though, I did an emergency stop and can get the wheels to lock so brakes are functional but you've really got to stamp on them, must be air in the system somewhere but I bled each wheel in turn until the fresh fluid came through so any guesses? I've been using an easy bleed kit and the lid doesn't fit that tight on the reservoir but I made sure the fluid in it never dropped below the min line so can't see any air would have got in. Just meant I got brake fluid running out of it! Might get a mate to give me a hand and try the old fashioned way stamping on the brake but can't see why the ezibleed method would cause any issues?
well done mate!So finally got my insurance sorted with Peter James and taxed the car! Took it out for a short run this evening (15 miles or so) and generally very happy
Still not happy with the brakes being bled properly though, I did an emergency stop and can get the wheels to lock so brakes are functional but you've really got to stamp on them, must be air in the system somewhere but I bled each wheel in turn until the fresh fluid came through so any guesses? I've been using an easy bleed kit and the lid doesn't fit that tight on the reservoir but I made sure the fluid in it never dropped below the min line so can't see any air would have got in. Just meant I got brake fluid running out of it! Might get a mate to give me a hand and try the old fashioned way stamping on the brake but can't see why the ezibleed method would cause any issues?
not sure on the brakes front, ive never used a kit, only the "wife using the pedal method", but if you are through to continuous fresh fluid on all corners it should be the same i guess?
Phiz
Member
yeah that's what I'd have thought too, unless maybe I'm not getting enough pressure to force it through? Very confusing, at least at the moment I've got enough brakes to stop strongly if required, I really do need to get it sorted though:bang:.
May well negotiate 30 mins of Jennys time and try the old fashioned way. Not sure when though, fairly busy week at work this week.
nobody that would help you out on your lunch break at work? guess its not the kind of job you want to do away from home really
I have tried various types of pressure and vacuum bleeders, I have never got on with any of them and always end up going back to the tried and tested old fashioned method.
The pressure bleeders do work, but getting a good seal on the master cylinder is always the issue and usually ends up in a mess which then has to be cleaned up!
It is very possible to do it with the pedal by yourself. Fit the bleeder pipe and open the nipple, go and pump the pedal a number of times then get back out and check for air in the bleeder pipe, if no air close the the nipple and job done. As long as the pipe is a good fit on the nipple then you should not get air being drawn back in as you release the pedal.
The pressure bleeders do work, but getting a good seal on the master cylinder is always the issue and usually ends up in a mess which then has to be cleaned up!
It is very possible to do it with the pedal by yourself. Fit the bleeder pipe and open the nipple, go and pump the pedal a number of times then get back out and check for air in the bleeder pipe, if no air close the the nipple and job done. As long as the pipe is a good fit on the nipple then you should not get air being drawn back in as you release the pedal.
i have done it this way too but prefer doing it with 2 people just so i can see it and hear it for myself. does work tho of course!
Always preferable to have a helper yes!
Phiz
Member
Only me and Jenny at work, which is where the Panda lives too
. Sadly as our own business no real lunch break either Phiz
Member
Yeah that is pretty well what happened! Plus due to the location of the master cylinder its a bugger to clean up, straight down on to the engine mount, fuel filter and clutch cable! Think if I was doing it again I'd buy an old master cylinder cap and drill a hole in it and put that on the kit so I'd get a good seal.
Phiz
Member
So this evening we headed down to Jennys brothers for dinner, only south manchester but meant we got a bit of a run out in the Panda. Figured if there is air in the brake system the trip out might move it towards the brakes and make it easier to shift!
Car performed perfectly the whole way, including rush hour traffic right through the centre of town and a faster run back late on. It's funny having been driving the volvo for a while I was wondering what people were going on about saying the roads were in a bad state... now I know. A speed bump in the volvo is like a piece of gravel in the Panda! I've had great fun, properly involving drive, can't wait to get back out in it.
I spoke to my mechanic mate about the brakes earlier too. I'll need to check but could it be the adjusters on the rear brakes? Just when the car is parked up the brake pedal feels firm, so maybe with the handbrake on the slack is already taken up, then handbrake off the shoes need to go a long way before engaging? If so can I manually adjust them if the auto adjuster is not adjusting for some reason? Either way I'll have another go at bleeding the brakes the 2 man method.
Car performed perfectly the whole way, including rush hour traffic right through the centre of town and a faster run back late on. It's funny having been driving the volvo for a while I was wondering what people were going on about saying the roads were in a bad state... now I know
. A speed bump in the volvo is like a piece of gravel in the Panda! I've had great fun, properly involving drive, can't wait to get back out in it.I spoke to my mechanic mate about the brakes earlier too. I'll need to check but could it be the adjusters on the rear brakes? Just when the car is parked up the brake pedal feels firm, so maybe with the handbrake on the slack is already taken up, then handbrake off the shoes need to go a long way before engaging? If so can I manually adjust them if the auto adjuster is not adjusting for some reason? Either way I'll have another go at bleeding the brakes the 2 man method.
Phiz
Member
So we finally took our Panda on a decent run, just 50 mile round trip into the Peak District to the Oil Can Cafe near Holmfirth, there was a Practical Classics event on there and the weather was great so figured a Sunday afternoon drive would be perfect. Jenny also finally got to drive the car and the name is now confirmed, from this day forward he shall be known as Demitry.
Before going we gave the interior a good hoover and fitted (sort of) the stereo. Stereo head unit went straight in with no issues, correct connectors were all there. Speakers however were another issue and will remain so (more on that later).
Things to be looked into, based on drive. Any advice greatly appreciated as ever:
The alternator is a little noisy, it doesn't seem to be causing any issues but makes a slight (though audible from inside the car) sort of whine. Not something that I'd want to pull over about but not something I'd be happy with prior to an international road trip! I had a quick search on the forum and something came up from Kolza circa 2012 about changing just the bearings? Though no conclusion on that thread that I could find. Is this something that can be done/is recommended? There are loads of different alternators out there which claim to be right for the car, any thoughs on if they are and if there are some to be avoided and some better than others. Obvious question, is this likely to cause me issues or is this something that is likely to go on forever (creaking gate and all that?). Could it be caused by incorrect tension on the belt? It does not seem too tight but obviously this is something I removed while doing the timing belt, I don't know if it was noisy before as never drove it!
A warning light came on, appears to be injector (or the shower wasn't working). This only came on while we were coming back down the hill on the return into Manchester, where we were effectively engine braking for a long time. It did go out again as soon as we had to actually use the engine once we'd returned to level ground. Any thoughts on if this is an issue or just the car reacting to the unusual conditions created by a very long stretch of downhill behind a Kia?
Other than the above my main concern is the stereo has absolutely no bass what so ever, probably not a Fiat related problem! Also I have yet to find somewhere to fit my fairly large 6'x9' speakers, mostly due to the depth of the magnets. I did think it'd be cool to make boxes for them and mount them above the tailgate but I'm a little worried they would still come down too far... for the time being I've got them bungee chorded to the parcel shelf:slayer:.
Apologies for the lack of pictures despite having been out in a national park and then parked up with a selection of great cars (including a Jensen Interceptor and a couple of E-types), this is in part due to me still having managed to avoid smart phone ownership and in part due to my shame at having not cleaned Demitry properly yet!
Thanks again
Phiz
.Before going we gave the interior a good hoover and fitted (sort of) the stereo. Stereo head unit went straight in with no issues, correct connectors were all there. Speakers however were another issue and will remain so (more on that later).
Things to be looked into, based on drive. Any advice greatly appreciated as ever:
The alternator is a little noisy, it doesn't seem to be causing any issues but makes a slight (though audible from inside the car) sort of whine. Not something that I'd want to pull over about but not something I'd be happy with prior to an international road trip! I had a quick search on the forum and something came up from Kolza circa 2012 about changing just the bearings? Though no conclusion on that thread that I could find. Is this something that can be done/is recommended? There are loads of different alternators out there which claim to be right for the car, any thoughs on if they are and if there are some to be avoided and some better than others. Obvious question, is this likely to cause me issues or is this something that is likely to go on forever (creaking gate and all that?). Could it be caused by incorrect tension on the belt? It does not seem too tight but obviously this is something I removed while doing the timing belt, I don't know if it was noisy before as never drove it!
A warning light came on, appears to be injector (or the shower wasn't working
). This only came on while we were coming back down the hill on the return into Manchester, where we were effectively engine braking for a long time. It did go out again as soon as we had to actually use the engine once we'd returned to level ground. Any thoughts on if this is an issue or just the car reacting to the unusual conditions created by a very long stretch of downhill behind a Kia?Other than the above my main concern is the stereo has absolutely no bass what so ever, probably not a Fiat related problem! Also I have yet to find somewhere to fit my fairly large 6'x9' speakers, mostly due to the depth of the magnets. I did think it'd be cool to make boxes for them and mount them above the tailgate but I'm a little worried they would still come down too far... for the time being I've got them bungee chorded to the parcel shelf:slayer:.
Apologies for the lack of pictures despite having been out in a national park and then parked up with a selection of great cars (including a Jensen Interceptor and a couple of E-types), this is in part due to me still having managed to avoid smart phone ownership and in part due to my shame at having not cleaned Demitry properly yet!
Thanks again
Phiz
i had a noisy alternator for a while on the parade. long story short i did nothing about it and it broke down a few weeks later. my advice is to get a new one off ebay which matches your car, BUT MESSAGE THEM TO MAKE SURE ITS THE RIGHT TYPE PULLEY FOR YOUR BELT
