I've been daily driving the Panda recently, great to be back behind the wheel again, it runs pretty nicely but my bug bare is a lumpy, hunting idle and prone to stall at lights. This is an ongoing problem, I found an old thread of mine from 2008, but it wasn't even starting then so the idle didn't get fixed!

I increased the idle slightly and it hunts between 900 and 1200rpm when warm. Vacuum is new by the way. Just becomes a pest around town as I need to leave the choke half out to stop it dying at the lights, usually just as they turn green!



Any tips for what to look at? It is overdue a service so I should maybe do that first.

Ta.

Yup, service would help, but it sounds like a vacuum leak.

The fact you can sort it by adding fuel (choke) suggests too lean when choke in.

D

Have you snipped off the idle control valve thing yet? It might be that.

Many Pandas have been cured by Verns snip so to speak - ask VmanC for tech instructions as he did mine!

As Palio suggests, it’s probably the fuel cut off solenoid (aka anti run on solenoid). If it’s not working it will be permanently shut cutting off the fuel in the idle circuit. They were fitted because poor fuel quality in the 80’s caused the engine to run on briefly after switch off, when the ignition is on they should be open. Fuel these days is better so they are not needed, therefore it’s ok to cut off the needle plunger so they remain permanently open.

P.S. The choke is working for you at the moment not because it’s enriching the mixture but because it also increases the idle enough to draw fuel from the main circuit. I’m not ruling out an air leak entirely but the solenoid is the most likely culprit.