Panda just another annoying newbie

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Panda just another annoying newbie

quincey

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howdy gang,
just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Tony and I'm in South Wales.
recently purchased an almost one-owner 2002 Panda for my 17-year-old daughter from a bloke I worked with.
I'm looking forward to poking around the forum and hoping not to drive anybody nuts while I'm here. I'll try and keep the noise down.

Thanks people.
 
Hi, and welcome:)
I hope you and your daughter enjoy the Panda.

As well as having a poke around on the forum, it would be a good idea to have a poke around these few areas not unknown to rust:

  • rear axle spring pans
  • coolant return pipe across front of engine
  • engine sump pan
The battery and its earth strap need to be in good condition or the power steering can throw a wobbly - it draws a lot of current. As a precaution I always park with the wheels straight and let the battery recover before setting off.

Also, check the 'duckbill' scuttle drains below the wipers are clear - they block easily.
 
The battery and its earth strap need to be in good condition or the power steering can throw a wobbly

Definitely! Just earlier today I was going onto a roundabout in city mode, got on the roundabout and the PAS quit on me for a moment while I was changing gear and I went straight into the kerb and almost took out a lamppost! Got home and popped the bonnet and the negative terminal was very loose, dunno about your lot's Pandas but mine has a sort of clip, not dissimilar to one you'd find on a bike wheel, that holds the terminal on.

Guess I'm ordering some shims!
 
howdy gang,
just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Tony and I'm in South Wales.
recently purchased an almost one-owner 2002 Panda for my 17-year-old daughter from a bloke I worked with.
I'm looking forward to poking around the forum and hoping not to drive anybody nuts while I'm here. I'll try and keep the noise down.

Thanks people.

Hi Tony ( and daughter ) :)

Tell us more about this panda.. as others have said.. they are great little cars (y)

Charlie - Abertillery
 
Definitely! Just earlier today I was going onto a roundabout in city mode, got on the roundabout and the PAS quit on me for a moment while I was changing gear and I went straight into the kerb and almost took out a lamppost! Got home and popped the bonnet and the negative terminal was very loose, dunno about your lot's Pandas but mine has a sort of clip, not dissimilar to one you'd find on a bike wheel, that holds the terminal on.

Guess I'm ordering some shims!

does it not have adjustment screw ? Mine have, no shims needed on mine
 
does it not have adjustment screw ?

Nope, just has that fold in clip thing, positive one has a nut, but not the negative. There is a nut on top of the clip but it does nothing (unless I'm being a dum dum) D:

Might replace with a proper terminal at some point tbh, know how to wire stuff so not a big problem.

Also probably doesn't help that my battery isn't the standard cube one that it comes with from the factory, stuck a bigger Varta C6 52Ah in it :LOL:
 
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Nope, just has that fold in clip thing, positive one has a nut, but not the negative. There is a nut on top of the clip but it does nothing (unless I'm being a dum dum) D:

Might replace with a proper terminal at some point tbh, know how to wire stuff so not a big problem.

Also probably doesn't help that my battery isn't the standard cube one that it comes with from the factory, stuck a bigger Varta C6 52Ah in it :LOL:

The battery posts are TAPERED and they come in a variety of diameters.. its quite possible you have a mismatch of sizes


I bought a cheap battery isolator.. it needed the post 'sleeving' - I sliced off a 10mm length of plumbing tube : 15mm copper

Slit it down one side.. it did the job well
 
Nope, just has that fold in clip thing, positive one has a nut, but not the negative. There is a nut on top of the clip but it does nothing (unless I'm being a dum dum) D:

Might replace with a proper terminal at some point tbh, know how to wire stuff so not a big problem.

Also probably doesn't help that my battery isn't the standard cube one that it comes with from the factory, stuck a bigger Varta C6 52Ah in it :LOL:

release and take off


spin the lever clockwise one turn and try again


should tighten up
 
Hi Charlie,
Still navigating my way around the forum so apologies if this reply goes astray.
I have a 2008, not a 2002 Panda. Must have had a senior's moment!
He's a little ripper. I bought it from a bloke who's had it since it was 8 months old. The clutch pedal is a bit dickey, may be the clutch slave cylinder. Needs a bit of a scrub. She has her test in July, delayed because of Covid but she's off to Uni in Sept so I want to iron out any wrinkles by then.
 
Dicey clutch could well be the master cylinder. The seals wear and pull in air. New seal kits are not available. Even if the actual clutch is failing the hydraulics wont be far behind so swapping them out is not a waste of money.

Bleed the hydraulics. If it improves but goes off again you can pretty much say the cylinders need replacing.

I have one of these - cast cylinder at £56. (OEM is fabricated steel)
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BRAND-NE...e:Fiat&hash=item3ff0c534c4:g:6AAAAOSwdHlf4jSU

Slave cylinder £29
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2047675.m570.l1313&_nkw=133703255855&_sacat=0

Now it gets confusing. Fiat sell the master complete with blue hydraulic pipe and prefilled with fluid. It just plugs into the slave and job done. Though you do have to thread the pipe into the car. The kicker is that it costs at least £100 over the bare master cylinder.

So get the master (cylinder only) and the slave. Unplug both from the pipes (spring clips) fit to the car and bleed in the normal way.
 
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Definitely! Just earlier today I was going onto a roundabout in city mode, got on the roundabout and the PAS quit on me for a moment while I was changing gear and I went straight into the kerb and almost took out a lamppost! Got home and popped the bonnet and the negative terminal was very loose, dunno about your lot's Pandas but mine has a sort of clip, not dissimilar to one you'd find on a bike wheel, that holds the terminal on.

Guess I'm ordering some shims!


Welcome.

The electric steering appears to draw a huge current so the PAS failure might not be related to the loose negative terminal. It happened to me as I flew round a bend on the return journey after buying it. And I wasn't in City Mode! Bought a better battery and haven't had a problem since.
 
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