Technical No air con?

[koalar]

I

I've just missed out then, doh!

I loved the mirrors on my first Suzuki, they were about a foot square, awesome things. Hopefully I'll get used to these, they're not that bad.

There's no practical difference in the small or large mirror that I have noticed, I have had both but not at the same time

On some higher end cars the outer third approximately of the mirror is convex giving a much wider angle of view, this almost eliminates any blind spots

 

[ForkieX30]

In the boot just below the lock catch is a black plastic flap. I think that's where the water is getting in, it's where the moisture is concentrated anyway. I've put a little tray of salt in there to hopefully dry it up a bit.

Just in case, how do I open the bumper flap for the towing eye?

 

[ForkieX30]

Figured out the towing eye now. You just need to wiggle the screwdriver a lot without breaking the flap. A bit fiddly but hopefully won't need it.

@jrkitching are you able to change the title of this thread? We've gone way off topic lol.

 

[spidermania]

We've gone way off topic lol.

It's an interesting study, I myself spent weeks studying all the nuances of my spider before I ever bought it, even dowlaoded the owners manual.
This thread might be presented at a University class.

 

[ForkieX30]

Unfortunately I was desperate to find something before my old car packed in so I couldn't do much research. Had my eye on some new style Pandas for a while but I'm short on money at the moment, I just grabbed this one for the 12 month MOT.

 

[jrkitching]

We've gone way off topic lol

Don't worry; a bit of thread drift isn't unusual here!

The original posts were about A/C, and might be useful to someone else working out what to do with an older car in a similar situation.

 

[koalar]

We have a download section with the handbook

Panda Handbook 07/07

Panda Handbook 07/07

www.fiatforum.com

The download button is top right

 

[koalar]

In the boot just below the lock catch is a black plastic flap. I think that's where the water is getting in, it's where the moisture is concentrated anyway. I've put a little tray of salt in there to hopefully dry it up a bit.

The black plastic flap is a fresh air vent

 

[ForkieX30]

Just had a couple hours heavy rain and there's not a drop of water in the boot. Maybe it was just that crazy downpour we had last weekend. As Ollie the weatherman said:
"It's rainin sideways!"

 

[ForkieX30]

Got new plugs and leads yesterday, seems to have fixed the engine trouble.

New problem now though, the outside door handle sticks open when I pull it, so that's a minor annoyance.

Yesterday the power steering shut down, I'm pretty sure it wasn't in city mode. Do they do that sometimes?

There's also some water sneaking back into the boot. However I noticed the floor mat was covering the air vent so I'm wondering if it's just absorbing a little ambient moisture. Gonna leave it out for a few days and see what happens.

 

[jrkitching]

Yesterday the power steering shut down, I'm pretty sure it wasn't in city mode. Do they do that sometimes?

Yes.

The power steering motor draws a considerable amount of current; if for any reason it can't get it, it puts on the warning light and sometimes, but not always, disables assistance.

The battery needs to be in good condition and well charged; also the earths and high current connections need to be sound.

Attending to the first two points will fix 95% of power steering issues.

The other 5% are down to a weak torque sensor in the steering column; a known weakness, and fixable, but if it's only very intermittent, can probably be lived with on an older car.

If you lose assistance, you'll still be able to steer the car, but it will be considerably heavier at parking speeds. If it happens at cruising speed, you'll hardly notice the difference until the car slows down. Turning the engine off and restarting the car will usually restore normal operation.

 

[koalar]

Door spray solvent work it in
Spray dry lube work it in


Don't spray WD40 it does work temporarily but dries to a hard wax

Don't spray grease like I did, eventually it attracts grit and muck


I use meths or isopropyl some people say it will damage the paint or plastic, I have never had a problem yet.


You have get on your knees to see where to spray, you don't need much

 

[koalar]

EPS electric power steering faults | FIAT Panda (Mk3)

First don't panic, the vast majority of power steering faults are normally simple and cheap fixes especially if it starts failing mainly in your winter months But unfortunately nobody can say change this or do that and it fix it. A lot of different faults will cause the same symptoms or the...

www.fiatforum.com

I suspect the car may have stood awhile if its the drivers door handle that is sticking

In which case the battery is very likely, they don't like being left

The only reliable test is via swapping for a known good and testing

 

[ForkieX30]

Yeah, it could have been sat in the dealer's yard for ages. Thanks for the spray tip, I'll get some tomorrow.

Power steering reset fine after a 10 second switch off, if it happens again I'll have a look at the battery. It's no emergency, I'm used to old tractors with unbelievably heavy steering. Good to know what to look for though, thanks again.

 

[ForkieX30]

I've got a can of switch cleaner, says it contains
propan-2-ol. Would that be any use?

 

[koalar]

I've got a can of switch cleaner, says it contains
propan-2-ol. Would that be any use?

Yep should clean the old gunk and grim out

Also has to be safe on paint and plastics

 

[ForkieX30]

Tried the spray but it hasn't worked yet. I just sprayed some at each end where the hinge things are and wiggled the handle for 5 minutes, is that right?

 

[koalar]

Tried the spray but it hasn't worked yet. I just sprayed some at each end where the hinge things are and wiggled the handle for 5 minutes, is that right?

Yes

My offside passenger door has done this as it not opened that much

Might need a few tries but it's always work for me and others. There's a small possiblity it something else but unlikely.

 

[rmjbn1]

There's also some water sneaking back into the boot. However I noticed the floor mat was covering the air vent so I'm wondering if it's just absorbing a little ambient moisture. Gonna leave it out for a few days and see what happens.

I found this thread helpful in curing my boot leak.
I think I had two, one from around the hatch seal, and then later from the roof gutter.
Dry for now
In both cases it was a case of peel back the rubber, clean off any crumbly sealant and apply silicone.

Water leaking into boot | FIAT Panda (Mk3)

We bought "Becky" (2010 Panda Dynamic Eco 1.2) shortly after the turn of the year and almost right away realised that water was leaking into the boot. I was fortunate enough to get her for a very good price so was not particularly surprised that the dealer (quite a small concern) whilst not...

www.fiatforum.com

 

[ForkieX30]

Door handle is working perfectly now. I ended up spraying around the outside too, and especially the gap between the handle and the lock part. Worked the handle plenty and after about 10 minutes the spring kicked in and everything was loosened up just right. Rinsed off with water afterwards just in case. That's my knees done for the week anyhoo.

I'm almost certain the water is getting in through the air vent, there's not a drop anywhere else. Wondering if I can block it off somehow.