can anybody help me i have a 1988 750 panda young,
The problem i have is that last year i had the cylinder head gasket replaced and since then it seems that now when i go up hill i`m loosing power and dropping down the gears to keep the reves up but it would be quiker to walk up the hill ,this happens on the motorways as well as country roads the smell of petol fills the car when i`m labouring to get it up hill but not going down or on the flat and when going up hill the temp gauge goes up to over 90 deg but then drops again when going down or on the flat.Also since i had the work done i don`t get any heat from the heater in the car,this is quite a problem for me as i live in a rather hilly area of italy.the car its self has done 125,500km any advice would be greatfully accepted.

Thanks George

scorps said:

the temp gauge goes up to over 90 deg but then drops again when going down or on the flat.Also since i had the work done i don`t get any heat from the heater in the car

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The heater might be fixed by careful bleeding:

check the coolant level (when cold), top up if necessary, then either-

with the heater control on maximum, open the bleed screw in the pipe from the heater (little black disc about the size of a penny on one of the pipes behind the throttle), and rev the engine up a bit as the heater is the highest point on the system and the pump needs a bit of help to push the coolant up there.
When coolant comes out of the bleed screw, tighten it up again.

or, you can "prime" by removing the battery, the sound proofing material there, then the top hose off the heater matrix, and then pour antifreeze down the pipe until it comes out of the matrix and put the pipe back on promptly.


Also, if the heater hasn't been bled properly, there's a chance the radiator wasn't either:

the bleed screw is on the top lefthand end of the radiator, as you face the engine.


Regarding petrol smells - I'd have a look as a matter of some urgency:
you might be able to see where excess petrol is flowing, and if not get some professional help if no one here can come up with an answer.


Take care


John H

PLEASE follow all of John's advice with some urgency.

Thanks for the advice about the heater,I've managed to sort that problem out but not before changing the thermostat ,now it works great.The problem I found with the petrol smell and the slugishness going up hill was that there was a tube not conected from the air filter house to the carb.Also, there was a small fuel pipe that was not connected properly ie jubilee clip not tightend up. Now I've got the power back and no smell of petrol.I won't be going back to the garage that I went to for help originally as he said there wasnt a problem just old age!!

Well done!

I'm glad you've sorted it out.