2017 Panda Cross 4x4 with about 48,000km on the clock and, I'm told, the thrust bearing shattered, damaging the bell-housing. Agent says this is so rare he's never heard of it before and was wondering if this is everyone's experience? The vehicle works hard on monthly 1,500km commutes with pretty bad roads - but they are roads. It's usually loaded with 100 liters of gasoline in the boot, but that gets progressively lighter as it's used up - because one thing is for sure, Panda's claim of 4l/100km is pure fiction. I average eight. Thanks in advance.
Technical Cross 4x4 thrust bearing, bell-housing
- Thread starter blatham
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Technical Cross 4x4 thrust bearing, bell-housing
My bearing didn't shatter, but it did a number on the pressure plate vanes when the slave cylinder failed. Having anything fail within the clutch assembly may lead to catastrophic damage, as there are very fast moving and heavy parts spinning in close proximity. The shards and beads from the bearing probably scattered around, even wedging under the clutch plates between the rotating assembly and the bell housing, scraping against the housing and damaging it. Saying you've had immensely bad luck would be an understatement, but a pretty similar outcome could be expected from the failure of any of the moving parts within the clutch assembly. You might want to see if Fiat would be kind enough to offer a discount of sorts, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that.
Thanks for that useful answer, it's much appreciated. They're fixing it for free because it's still under warranty with just under 50,000km on the clock. Indeed, they phoned today to say they expect it'll be ready this week - after five weeks in the shop. Never owned a small car before. Always drove Defenders and Wranglers, but they die, too. It's a fantastic little machine in the bush, so I really don't want to trade it in.
Something to keep in mind if you want to keep the Panda once it's out of warranty, a lot of the parts are common throughout the Fiat range and while a dealer might want you to believe that the clutch and flywheel for the 4x4 are unique (they do have unique part numbers in the internal Fiat parts catalogue), they are, actually the same flywheel and clutch for other vehicles that share the engine and gearbox (in the case of the 1.3 diesel, all the Qubo/Nemo 1.3 diesel vans etc., and the 500 series for the Twinair). You're lucky that they're replacing the housing under warranty though, as only the 4x4 and Cross have the gearbox output shaft going to the rear diff, and the 4x4 system doesn't share any parts with any other car in the range.
While it's unfortunate that it's come to this in the first place, it seems you've been hooked enough to want another Cross. May I ask what didn't feel right? Was it the weight of the pedal or the way the clutch would bite?
First gear was notchier than it had been before the incident, and sixth had ''moved.'' Hard to describe, but changing up from fifth to sixth was a bit like stirring porridge. FCA gave me a good deal on a new one, which I now have, and I'll do my monthly 1,500km commute later this week. They're fantastic machines and I just had bad luck, I believe. Only real hassle is the small fuel tank, because I have to keep 100 liters in jerry cans in the boot/trunk.
The Panda Nut
Nutty about Pandas Infected by Panda virus and OPD
I am glad you have gone for another as they are so much fun to use. Hope the replacement is reliable.
