General Panda 4x4 broken down :(

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General Panda 4x4 broken down :(

Steveosaurus

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Out last night coming home when the engine check light popped on, thought hmmm then two seconds later car lost all power. It will turn over but sits just above 1k. Anyone had trouble like this before. Was thinking about towing it home as its only a few miles but I am not to sure if that will screw up the gearbox and such.

Cheers for any help
steve
 
Sounds like it's gone into limp mode on the ECU. Could be one or several of many things. You'll need it plugging in to a code reader.
 
Update

So went to get the car today and phone the aa. I thought id try to see if it starts before I phone them, bingo car fired up light still on though. So just drove it home, i am now waiting on a mate bringing a code reader over. gave it a visual check when I got back found the oil is starting to turn into mayo so looks like it will need a headgasket. Would that cause the eml to come on ???
 
MAP sensor? Dirty throttle body - pass, means nowt to me other than it's all throttle related..maybe the potentiometer....(and no, mayo doesn't always mean a failed head gasket, but not running up to temperature for long enough can cause it too)
 
OK, first thing to note here is the advice about NEVER towing the 4x4 with the front wheels off the ground. Must always be towed with all 4 wheels turning, or the viscous diff will blow itself apart almost instantly. Same is true for trying to do handbrake turns in the snow - don't do it!

Anyway, P1121 is;

P1121 Pedal Position 1 Range/Performance Problem

This suggests your 4x4 is like mine and has a Fly-by-Wire throttle body, in that there's no mechanical link between pedal and butterfly. Although the symptoms have now passed, if they do happen again you need to check the operation of the butterfly visually. Simply remove the airbox (a couple of 10mm bolts) and pull the entire airbox clear of the throttle-body (TB). In the mouth of the TB you'll see the smallest of butterfly valves (no wonder the engines feel a bit restricted beyond 5k...!) and this should open full range when the engine is rev'd. In fact I recall it goes through a full range deflection test when ignition is switched on too - either way, look at the behaviour now, whilst the engine runs fine and then again when it goes wrong. That way you'll know for sure.

P1015 makes reference to Fuel Circuit, which may just be an associated failure message. However, also check the connection to the TB - there's a yellow/black multiblock connector to the right of the TB and this needs to be clean and properly fitted. Worth a check and clean up regardless.

Let us know how you get on.

PG
 
OK, first thing to note here is the advice about NEVER towing the 4x4 with the front wheels off the ground. Must always be towed with all 4 wheels turning, or the viscous diff will blow itself apart almost instantly. Same is true for trying to do handbrake turns in the snow - don't do it!

Anyway, P1121 is;

P1121 Pedal Position 1 Range/Performance Problem

This suggests your 4x4 is like mine and has a Fly-by-Wire throttle body, in that there's no mechanical link between pedal and butterfly. Although the symptoms have now passed, if they do happen again you need to check the operation of the butterfly visually. Simply remove the airbox (a couple of 10mm bolts) and pull the entire airbox clear of the throttle-body (TB). In the mouth of the TB you'll see the smallest of butterfly valves (no wonder the engines feel a bit restricted beyond 5k...!) and this should open full range when the engine is rev'd. In fact I recall it goes through a full range deflection test when ignition is switched on too - either way, look at the behaviour now, whilst the engine runs fine and then again when it goes wrong. That way you'll know for sure.

P1015 makes reference to Fuel Circuit, which may just be an associated failure message. However, also check the connection to the TB - there's a yellow/black multiblock connector to the right of the TB and this needs to be clean and properly fitted. Worth a check and clean up regardless.

Let us know how you get on.

PG


Removed the airbox today. Turned the ignition on to check the butterfly it moves about 2mm. You can hear it trying to move more but it doesnt. So spot on ! Mate says he will come over and have a look at it and strip and clean it. Im guessing thats all it will need or is it a replace only effort ??
 
Removed the airbox today. Turned the ignition on to check the butterfly it moves about 2mm. You can hear it trying to move more but it doesnt. So spot on ! Mate says he will come over and have a look at it and strip and clean it. Im guessing thats all it will need or is it a replace only effort ??

You shold also start the engine briefly with the airbox off and see what the throttle does when you press the pedal. It should go full deflection when you go full pedal to the floor. It does sound as though the TB may be the problem though. I'm not too sure how much you can clean up, as I recall it is a sealed unit, but spares are available on eBay. I bought one earlier this year when I thought I had a problem with mine post supercharger fit, but turned out not to be the case. Unfortunately for you, I sold it to a chap in Southg Africa with a similar issue, so I no longer have it, otherwise you would have been welcome to it.

Sounds like you're homing in on the problem all the same though!
 
Update it has started working again :confused:

I had been saving money to get it fixed this month so it has sat idle for a while now. But when out to check the battery wasnt flat due to the time its sat and when I started it, there was no light on and has been like that for a week now. baffled.com to say the least
 
If it's working now, pop that airbox off and run the engine to see what the throttle butterfly actually does. It should open fully when you push the pedal to the floor. Also look at the behaviour when you turn the ignition on. If the thing opens more than the 2mm movement you saw before when the ignition is switched on - now that it's working OK - then you'll have identified a dodgy throtle body I suspect.

Can't be far from a diagnosis now!
 
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