A not uncommon problem I fear. My car is doing EXACTLY the same thing, but probably slightly worse, as it doesn't really drive any more without coughing all over the place and belching black smoke out the back. All sensors changed, HT's, coils, ECU sent away for testing (No Fault Found), so has to be wiring fault somewhere. Creeping symptoms over about 600 miles, to the point where I am close to giving up.....

..,.., so if s_and_b wants to offer some Forum assistance, that would be great!

...meant to say, car now back to stock remember, so nothing fancy on there anymore

R1NGA said:

...meant to say, car now back to stock remember, so nothing fancy on there anymore

Click to expand...

what age is your panda..??,
there seemed to be a LOT of 09/ 10 reg ones giving these type of symptoms.. that led me to believe that a modified( shorter..??) loom or similar was at fault,


as we seem to see very few early models , 03 to 05, reporting these issues..
you would traditionally see this if were a wear + tear.. or even corrosion issue..,
charlie

My car is on an 06 plate, so not really that old. My suspicion currently is that there's a bad joint or issue somewhere in the wiring to the injectors, as I can affect the idle and to a certain extent the on-road running after I've jabbed around at those injector feed wires in the conduit running from the ECU to the injectors themselves. I will attack them with a multi-meter and soldering iron tomorrow.

having done 2 x Head gaskets myself, in 80K miles

mine have probably seen as much twisting,tugging etc as most panda's that have seen "normal service",

or course the other odd factor is I've not noticed the same posts in the almost identical 500's section

do have fun tomorrow..

charlie

Has anyone with the Panda 100HP ever had this fault?

L888YND said:

Has anyone with the Panda 100HP ever had this fault?

Click to expand...

I don't remember seeing anyone on here writing about their 100HP exhibiting similar symptoms, though that doesn't necessarily mean it's never happened. However, it does seem to be a problem which the 100HP doesn't suffer with nearly as frequently as the other petrol Pandas.

Ok so as of today my Fiat panda 1.1 57 plate has had new ht leads, new/repaired ECU, and 2 new coils changed just yesterday. So either thermostate or wiring/connector problem going to enginer tomora to let him have a look.

Ok before i go to engineer gonna try some new spark plugs and temp sensor. Fit it myself and see where we go from there. Car feels better after new coils but still misfire.

Ok so change spark plugs other day only to realise that the last garage i asked to use bosch not ngk either didnt listen or didnt bother but charged ne any way as ngk ones were in the car.
When i changed the plugs the car actually got worse which i didnt understand.
And local part shop couldnt find right part number for a thermostat.
So i decided im sick od wating my money and bought some contact cleaner.
Thort id go over each part slowly to find the root problem.
First day sprayes ecu and connection socket for ecu, and i dont no weither to be pissed off or relieved as the car os running perfect.
I will never trust a garage again.
If you cant do it urself dont bother.
Hope this help everyone any way

I know this is an old thread but I feel this may help others who end up here, I actually bought an 08 car knowing it had the symptoms described here.

I drove the thing home (over 200 miles) I found that sometimes it would drop into limp mode after starting to misfire, the only thing I could notice in the car was the mil light on and the temp gauge jumping around. Sometimes it was so bad I thought I wasn't going to get it home.

When I got home, I left it for a day or two before starting to play with the thing, immediately I opened the bonnet I could clearly see someone had gone to town on this thing. It had new coils, plugs, leads and I suspect a new ecu, someone had also been into the loom and messed about.

I ran the motor and for a while it was fine so I took it for a quick drive and again it was fine for a while, then the madness started.....misfiring a bit here and there and I stopped for a second to see if it would clear (which is didn't) I started driving again and the mil came on and it was running erratic again.

So I read the codes and nothing pertinent in there as it seemed to not have any codes after the motor had been restarted each time. So as I stood pondering the motor I wiggled a few wires and listened for air leaks etc and suddenly all was well again, so i repeated what I had just done.....

I leaned on the ecu connector and pushed slightly sideways towards the battery and all was well, I pushed it slightly the other way and it went lumpy and started misbehaving.....do I need to explain the rest?

bl***y awful rubbish fiat ecu connections, a bit of cleaning and some squishing (great word) of connectors and the things never missed a beat since. It seemed that the dodgy connections responded to the great british mine field (roads), not every bump but just once in a while one would knock it off kilter and start the affray. So, if your Panda exhibits some random misbehaving and misfiring .....I suggest checking out the ecu connections properly (that means inside the plug as well) before committing your hard earned to the local garage.

Since I did this one.....I've done another and it was exactly the same problem...I hope this helps someone out

Cheers

A simple fix for this is to strap the two ECU plugs down with long tie wraps.
Fixed the same problem on my 09 Panda anyway!
I also had to re-solder the red/white wire in the 'Y' part of the loom as it was a dry joint.

Who knows why Fiat should have a reputation for poor wiring. Do their fabled failings from back in the 1960s and 70s still stick in the collective imagination?

My BMW bike has exactly the same type of ECU connector as the Panda and many of the wiring harness connectors are the same. They have never played up yet endure a lot more vibration than anything fastened to a car body. I suspect basically the same type is used in most European cars.

Hello. I have a Fiat Panda since 2008, 1.1 engine, in the UK if for a while the LED was on, check the engine and I haven't given importance but for some time it is only lit, and the car does not accelerate normally and when it is on the spot trembling from all joints plus increased gasoline consumption. I was at the service I changed everything on it, injectors, electric coils, cables but the problem persists. I tried to reset the ECU but nothing, it works ok for 30-40 minutes then it goes crazy. What do you think it could be? I do not mind them at all and as if I would not throw away to change ECU only as the last option. I also attach the picture from the tester as it can help and thanks in advance for the help.

Hi.
I have had a lot of unexplainable behaviour from my engine. Erratic bad idle, los of power, jerking and fuel consumption above normal. Cleaned all connectors and relays with contact cleaner, and it’s driving perfect again. Oh and also connector for the petrol pump. And the power steering connector behind the plastic for the steering column. Big wires going in to the steering motor.
Remember to remove battery connector, when doing it.

chrystyan21 said:

Hello. I have a Fiat Panda since 2008, 1.1 engine, in the UK if for a while the LED was on, check the engine and I haven't given importance but for some time it is only lit, and the car does not accelerate normally and when it is on the spot trembling from all joints plus increased gasoline consumption. I was at the service I changed everything on it, injectors, electric coils, cables but the problem persists. I tried to reset the ECU but nothing, it works ok for 30-40 minutes then it goes crazy. What do you think it could be? I do not mind them at all and as if I would not throw away to change ECU only as the last option. I also attach the picture from the tester as it can help and thanks in advance for the help.

Click to expand...

up

chrystyan21 said:

up

Click to expand...

up indeed.

Try going up a little further, to post #51 . The connectors at the engine ECU can cause issues, this has been reported before on other threads.
Carefully remove the connectors and check them all for signs of burning. Prod each pin gently to check they are firm. If any are loose, this may mean opening up the ECU and soldering them, others have reported success at this, but care and skill with a soldering iron is needed.
The female connectors in the plugs may beed a bit of a squeeze to ensure they are tight.

All this talk of crap connectors..

It is BOSCH.. and never gave ANY electrical niggles in 15 YEARS : 95k miles on my panda

It had 1 change of coil packs.. and several batteries..

Bulbs : fuses ZERO this car was electrically A1: perfect.


If youve got a car with electrical issues.. look at what has been disturbed

varesecrazy said:

All this talk of crap connectors..

It is BOSCH.. and never gave ANY electrical niggles in 15 YEARS : 95k miles on my panda

It had 1 change of coil packs.. and several batteries..

Bulbs : fuses ZERO this car was electrically A1: perfect.


If youve got a car with electrical issues.. look at what has been disturbed

Click to expand...

That sounds like an angry reply. Did you mean it that way?

There have been many threads in the past, mainly Punto 2/2A, with loose pins at the engine ECU. These have given symptoms similar to the ones experienced above. I seem to remember an occasional Panda with similar issues.
I agree that these pins are unlikely to become loose unless disturbed, but with an older vehicle it may have succumbed to clumsy handling.

Solder joints to the circuit board can test out ok, but any crystallised solder (dry joints) will eventually crack leading to these problems. The issue is manufacturing defects not faulty connectors.

Cracked wiring conductors are also manufacturing or design defects as the wires should not fitted where vibration can fracture the metal.