General Exhaust Issue.

[AnthonyH]

All looks and sounds completely normal to me. There isn't anything to do. Other than buying an older Fiat car, it'll give you a lot more to think about!

 

[bugsymike]

All that means is the silencer or exhaust box is nearer to the engine.
This is good in some ways as it means it gets the heat from the engine sooner and evaporates any condensation/water vapour so less likely to rust out.
Regarding the rest of your queries you are probably over thinking it.
If you are not losing any oil or water, the engine is not overheating and pulls well as it should, then a little condensation on a cold day or short journeys is fairly normal as others have mentioned.

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

I don't have a back box looking at my exhaust. I think am supposed to have one. Or am I wrong? What would it mean if I don't have one?

Two possibilities here...
Some models of the Panda have the silencer half way long the pipe, roughly under the front seats.
Or, your car has had a different exhaust fitted (it can be hard to obtain the parts, so maybe a local company fabricated one - it looks like it might be stainless steel - which is A Good Thing).
Either way, the pipe looks to be in good condition (although the hanging bracket looks a bit rusty) so is something else you can cross off the list of 'jobs that you don't need to do'

 

[Adam1984]

Two possibilities here...
Some models of the Panda have the silencer half way long the pipe, roughly under the front seats.
Or, your car has had a different exhaust fitted (it can be hard to obtain the parts, so maybe a local company fabricated one - it looks like it might be stainless steel - which is A Good Thing).
Either way, the pipe looks to be in good condition (although the hanging bracket looks a bit rusty) so is something else you can cross off the list of 'jobs that you don't need to do'

This is the whole of my exhaust, from front to back.

I tried the best I could go get some pictures. What do you think?

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

This is the whole of my exhaust, from front to back.

I tried the best I could go get some pictures. What do you think?

Looks better than mine... And yes, your silencer is in the middle part under the car.

 

[Adam1984]

Looks better than mine... And yes, your silencer is in the middle part under the car.

Yes but I have seen online that I should have a back box and not a middle silencer. Is this an issue?

 

[AnthonyH]

I've had 3 exhausts in 3 years on 3 different Puntos. I never catch a break with them!

Yours is fine.

The backbox/silencer in the middle means the tail pipe moves around a bit more than if the backbox/silencer was at the back. But they're functionally the same.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Hurrah! beds all done, upstairs and down hoovered (I like when the carpets look good) and dishes all either in the dishwasher or hand washed and dried. Youngest boy's wife just off the phone, The kids forgot to write to Santa and their friends next door got letters from Santa today. Neither she nor my boy think they'll get away with writing replies themselves so can granddad pretend to write "Santa Letters" to them? Oh yes! I'm in the middle of composing right now but have taken a wee break to read this. ETA for Daughter, husband and two kids, about 2.5 hours.

The exhaust looks in generally "grotty but serviceable" condition. The new bolts in the front flange drew my attention and I then noticed a very new piece of bracketry just behind it. The original supporting clamp looks very rusty but someone has welded a new support to the pipe - if you magnify the image, you can clearly see a very neat weld where it is joined to the pipe. This weld is much too neat to have been done in the overhead position so I suspect the pipe was dropped off and the weld done on the bench, or floor, or where ever so a gravity assisted weld could be done (looks like a very well done weld too). This support bracket is important to avoid excess flexing of the pipe in service which will, if the bracket is broken or missing, lead to failure of the pipe. So it's great to see this has been done. The rear hanger is deeply corroded but serviceable. I suspect the rear pipe looks so good because it's originally been a coated item ie. not just bare steel as a cheap pipe would be. I wouldn't be worrying about the exhaust generally at this time, but, as welding disturbs the crystalline structure of the steel, you may - or may not? - find the pipe will crack around where that weld was performed. Just something to keep an occasional eye on.

The sump is going the way they all do and would benefit greatly from being rubbed down to remove the crusty rust, treated with a rust converter and given a good coat or two of something like chassis black or any other robust coating. I mean a paint, not just splashing some underseal on it.

 

[Adam1984]

Hurrah! beds all done, upstairs and down hoovered (I like when the carpets look good) and dishes all either in the dishwasher or hand washed and dried. Youngest boy's wife just off the phone, The kids forgot to write to Santa and their friends next door got letters from Santa today. Neither she nor my boy think they'll get away with writing replies themselves so can granddad pretend to write "Santa Letters" to them? Oh yes! I'm in the middle of composing right now but have taken a wee break to read this. ETA for Daughter, husband and two kids, about 2.5 hours.

The exhaust looks in generally "grotty but serviceable" condition. The new bolts in the front flange drew my attention and I then noticed a very new piece of bracketry just behind it. The original supporting clamp looks very rusty but someone has welded a new support to the pipe - if you magnify the image, you can clearly see a very neat weld where it is joined to the pipe. This weld is much too neat to have been done in the overhead position so I suspect the pipe was dropped off and the weld done on the bench, or floor, or where ever so a gravity assisted weld could be done (looks like a very well done weld too). This support bracket is important to avoid excess flexing of the pipe in service which will, if the bracket is broken or missing, lead to failure of the pipe. So it's great to see this has been done. The rear hanger is deeply corroded but serviceable. I suspect the rear pipe looks so good because it's originally been a coated item ie. not just bare steel as a cheap pipe would be. I wouldn't be worrying about the exhaust generally at this time, but, as welding disturbs the crystalline structure of the steel, you may - or may not? - find the pipe will crack around where that weld was performed. Just something to keep an occasional eye on.

The sump is going the way they all do and would benefit greatly from being rubbed down to remove the crusty rust, treated with a rust converter and given a good coat or two of something like chassis black or any other robust coating. I mean a paint, not just splashing some underseal on it.

Well thank you for the very informative reply

Yes the exhaust had to go to specialist before I purchased the car from the car showroom. But when I Google my exhaust. It says I should have a back box and not a middle piece.

I know the oil sump needs replacing, I will get that done on the next oil change next September.

So back to square one, I have doubts still about the cambelt and water pump with it being so botched up in the first place, so I bite the bullet and get it redone?

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

Yes but I have seen online that I should have a back box and not a middle silencer. Is this an issue?

Don’t believe everything you see online. You might not have the original layout, but what you have is working, has (we presume) passed an MOT or two and is not causing you any issues.

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

… back to square one, I have doubts still about the cambelt and water pump with it being so botched up in the first place, so I bite the bullet and get it redone?

Why??

It’s been redone. It’s right. (At least twice you’ve been told it would not run if it was wrong).

Get a test drive. Please.

 

[The Panda Nut]

I'm afraid you're "afflicted" with the same disease as me Adam, you're obviously a worrier!

Regarding the vapour from your exhaust. Looks like water vapour/steam and is absolutely normal at this time of year and anytime it's cold. Interesting fact: for every gallon of petrol burnt slightly more than a gallon of water is chemically produced due to the combustion process. (which combines hydrogen and oxygen amongst other reactions) This leaves the engine itself as superheated steam - which is invisible - and cools in the exhaust piping into "normal" steam which is visible. It cools and condenses even further as it leaves the end of the exhaust pipe and meets the cold outside air to produce the steam you see here - Of course it does this all the time the engine is running but is much more noticeable when outside air temperature is cold - which is why it's much less evident in summer. The back box and tailpipe never really get hot enough to stop the steam condensing back into water, especially when you're running round town which is why you'll often see water dripping from the car in front when you're in a queue of traffic. If you notice the car in front doing this then watch as it moves off and you'll often see a brief, small, flood of water from the exhaust pipe, considerably more than the drip, as the car accelerates. Out in the country on fast roads or motorways etc you don't see it unless the weather is really Baltic because the gasses are plenteous and moving through the system too fast. Of course the same effect can be seen when water from the cooling system is entering the cylinders - maybe due to a blown head gasket - so regular coolant level checks are advisable and if no drop in coolant level is seen then the steam from the exhaust pipe will be due to the above and nothing to worry about, it's normal.

Air filter shaking? I'd prefer to be actually standing beside the car before definitely saying it looks pretty normal to me, but that's the opinion the video lets me make.

Edit. PS the rattle? again I'd want to be next to it so I could deduce where it's coming from - probably baffle in a silencer box? is it more towards the rear or front or middle or what? Rear boxes are well known to fail first due to the condensation collecting in them.

The car in my avatar pic has loose exhaust baffles. Its been rattling for 6.5 years and its a little irritation. The whole exhaust is the original and the car is now 12 years old. I think its got several more years in it even now. The back box is otherwise sound. Its running really beautifully and passes its MOTs no issues. There is no point changing it as its other wise OK. Its just a noise. Cars make all sorts of noises and some come and go, some change with the weather etc. Its really a case of listening for things that are serious. If you had a TA you really would hear noises and weird noises too. Im nearly immune to the TA scary tactics now. Hard loud knocking sounds, things that get louder quickly. A new exhaust might improve the performance but not enough to justify spending money on it, Only if steam plumes out in huge quantities or from a hot engine on a warm day woud l I be concerned. If the head gasket blows and the car sups water you REALLY know about it. OIl smoke is different and smells too.

For around 6 to 8 months in 2015 and 2026 Fiat fitted no back box, The silencer is at the front. The back box will fit in place of the (superior) front silencer as all the mounts are present, The front silencer does not seem to be currently available anywhere. Pandabird3 (2015/16) has the front silencer, Its notably quieter. Being nearer the engine I hope it will run hotter and drier and last even longer than the cars with rear silencers. Im not sure but believe the front mounted box may be the same as fitted to earlier 500 TA cars.