General 04 panda

[hawkesey]

I have a fiat panda dynamic 1.2 04 on a 53. I have heard some discussion about the fire engine and i just wanted to know what the fire engine is and if mine has the fire engine fitted. Also i have seen some discussion that a cam belt snapping on the fire engines will not destroy the engine is this true

Many thanks

 

[trackdayqueen]

They are non-interference. Yes, you have the ancient FIRE engine that dates from 1986:

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Panda"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Panda[/ame]

 

[JTD_Liam]

Yes, you have the ancient FIRE engine that dates from 1986:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Panda

Hey!

trackdayqueen says 'ancient' like it's a bad engine & like other options were available on the Panda that were better - Other than the 1.4 100HP (which is a development of the FIRE engine) or the Multijet diesel, the FIRE is the only option, and it's actually a perfectly adequate engine which Fiat have done a pretty good job on to reduce it's CO2 emissions into lower tax bands over time - something buyers of the small cheap(ish) cars it's fitted to usually find important.

FIRE stands for Fully Integrated Robotised Engine & Fiat have been using this engine in various forms in the various Punto's right from Mk1 in the 1990's upto present day, in the Panda (both your shape and the all-new one), the new 500 and in smaller outputs in the Cinquecento & Seicento of the 1990s-early 2000s

But yes, as already pointed out it's a 'non-interferance' engine, so whilst it's obviously adviseable to get a cambelt changed every few years, it's not a dead-cert that the engine will be wrecked if it snaps on the 1.2 and (i think) 1.1 Panda. Pretty handy really!

 

[hawkesey]

I think it is a fantastic engine one of the best i have ever driven. I am blown away the ability of this small engine. i am amazed about how much midrange torque there is.

 

[trackdayqueen]

Hey!

trackdayqueen says 'ancient' like it's a bad engine & like other options were available on the Panda that were better -

LOL! Well, it might be perfectly adequate but I really do think a two valve per cylinder design is antiquated at best, hence the 'ancient' tag.

Blimey, Hawkesey, steady on! I've had a 500 1.2 as a courtesy car. The initial impression is that it has good torque, I agree. Unfortunately that's your lot and revving it, is not it's forte. It's okay, but seriously there are far, far better engines out there. I hear the twin air is a lot of fun.

 

[JTD_Liam]

Yeah, i wouldn't say it blows me away by any means. I just don't see the point in them replacing it with something newer that probably won't do as good a job as the old FIRE engine does.

The TwinAir in my Parents 500 is a hoot to drive/rev, but it's not as flexible as the 1.2 and mpg suffers immediately if you get carried away whereas the 1.2 doesn't seem massively bothered if you get the wrong gear & if you rev it it still gives pretty sound economy.

All depends what you're after in an engine, a mixture of TwinAir and FIRE would be perfect for me, but until they get that combination i'll stick with the rattling old JTD!

 

[hawkesey]

It blows me a way in the sense that the 1.2 is in essence a 'ancient' engine but is still more then fits it with newer engines of today. For what it is it is a surprisingly good engine.

 

[JTD_Liam]

It blows me a way in the sense that the 1.2 is in essence a 'ancient' engine but is still more then fits it with newer engines of today. For what it is it is a surprisingly good engine.

Sorry, i didn't mean to kindof quote you when i said it doesn't 'blow me away' - i just use that phrase alot and would've said it anyway, but having read through the whole thread again i can see it looks like i'm directly opposing what you said, which wasn't the case. My apologies

I agree totally with what you say above, - it's how well it mixes it with todays engines (both in terms of MPG/running costs and performance/flexibility) despite dating back quite a long time that i find endearing even if it isn't gonna break the land-speed record