Technical Panda Evo2 timing belt replacement.

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Technical Panda Evo2 timing belt replacement.

Gentlemen, once again I would like to thank you for the help you keep giving me. My Panda does not have air conditioning. The belt tension is set by the adjustable alternator mount. It seems to me that the belt tension is quite strong, but I will still try to tighten it a little more. I will also check the grooves on the pulley. As for the heater core itself, if I wanted to replace it with a new one or flush the old one under high pressure, I suspect it would be best to drain all the coolant again. Or maybe it is enough to partially drain it. Best regards.
 
Gentlemen, once again I would like to thank you for the help you keep giving me. My Panda does not have air conditioning. The belt tension is set by the adjustable alternator mount. It seems to me that the belt tension is quite strong, but I will still try to tighten it a little more. I will also check the grooves on the pulley. As for the heater core itself, if I wanted to replace it with a new one or flush the old one under high pressure, I suspect it would be best to drain all the coolant again. Or maybe it is enough to partially drain it. Best regards.
I suppose, with some circulation taking place and the system now filled with new coolant? the heater core/matrix as some call it, if just left to run, might self flush over time and move the muck into another part of the system. Which would give you a working heater but the worry of where the muck has gone? Probably into the bottom of the engine water jacket?
 


All you need to do

Swap the hose and flush it the other way also

This is a Vauxhall but the principals are the same

No gunk or sludge can go anywhere
 
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I am currently replacing the heater core. I kept draining the fluid by loosening the metal clamp at the lowest point. Now I loosened a fitting located even lower, and with the new O-ring, the clip cannot be properly attached, unless the O-rings are too thick.
IMG20250912170646.jpg
 
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Thank you, I will do that — stretch the hose and put it directly on the radiator. I hope I can stretch it enough to fit it on. I currently don’t have other O-rings; I need to get a set. Do you have any other tricks to make it easier to put on? I put some dish soap on the O-ring, but it barely helped. I’ve already driven 2000 km with the car and everything is fine. I managed to bleed the new heater core in a few minutes. I didn’t need to quickly remove the connector directly—I loosened the upper clamp beforehand.
 
Thank you, I will do that — stretch the hose and put it directly on the radiator. I hope I can stretch it enough to fit it on. I currently don’t have other O-rings; I need to get a set. Do you have any other tricks to make it easier to put on? I put some dish soap on the O-ring, but it barely helped. I’ve already driven 2000 km with the car and everything is fine. I managed to bleed the new heater core in a few minutes. I didn’t need to quickly remove the connector directly—I loosened the upper clamp beforehand.
I not tried it on the panda so can't be 100% sure if it will work

Done it on other models, so fingers crossed

Most people don't use the quick connector and leave it connected and remove the hose instead

When they are new they work fine, I use a G-clamp to push the metal clips in and grease the O ring on reassembly

Make sure it's fully on when re assembling, last thing you need is it popping off while driving
 
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Hello,
Sorry for the late reply, but I didn’t have time earlier. The heating and cooling system issue has been resolved. I installed a new heater core from NRF. For the old elbow/quick connector, I managed to find an O-ring with dimensions 3.5 mm thickness and 25 mm inner diameter. Ultimately, for a reasonable price, I bought a hose with an elbow from Gates (05-2567) and installed a new one. I lubricated the O-ring with a small amount of ATE paste for brake cylinders (a friend advised me). Thanks to that, the installation went smoothly. Before replacing the heater core, I used Kleen-Flo flushing fluid for the cooling system; the car ran on it for 10 minutes. I drained the coolant and replaced the heater core. Then, I flushed the system twice with distilled water, and afterward, I poured the final G12/G12+ coolant. There are probably still trace amounts of water in the system. As you suggested, the problem was the heater core. With the new one, I managed to bleed the cooling system very quickly. Now you can really feel the hot air when I turn the heating knob. After some time, I will remove the timing belt cover to check if everything is okay—whether the belt is not slipping and how it looks. Thanks to everyone who contributed in this topic. Your help was invaluable.
 
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