Technical Panda multijet. Anyone beaten 155K mileage in their Panda multijet?

[koalar]

You might be happier with the 1.2. It has better mid range than the 1.1 so nicer to drive. The additional 100cc makes no difference to fuel usage.

Tyres are interesting. I get considerable miles from the 100HP tyres but have to put up with poor turning circle and harsh ride. Mrs Dave gets barely a year from her 1.2's 13" tyres. I think they are really not wide enough leading to scrubbed away shoulders. In my opinion, 14 x 175 are at the sweet spot between width and side wall height.

1.2
With nearly 200k miles on it
1.1
With over 200k miles on it

Both on 155/80 R13

Fronts are an easy 20K on Toyo nanoenergy, I could probably stretch to 40K. Rears last till the rubber cracks

barely a year

Something is badly wrong.

 

[DaveMcT]

In my case, there is no steering pull, tracking checked out, suspension is all good and it's recently passed an MoT. I think it's driving style and probably cheapo tyres in the first place. The 13s are all silly money for what they are.

 

[EcoActive]

Hi Dave, yes the 1.2 may well be nicer with the higher torque but I wanted the 1.1 because it is safe if the cambelt goes. I had a Punto 1.1 and a Panda Super years ago and the belt failed on both. I find the 1.1 quite flexible actually though you do need to change down on gradients. I find it is happy down to 30 in top and will go most p;laces in 4th. I am using the Panda for local runabout work as I use my astra for longer runs. The Panda is a lot more manageable around our narrow lanes and I enjoy driving it as parking and reversing is so easy. The GTC is a pig to reverse by comparison. I am toying with replacing the astra with a 1.3 diesel, possibly a 500 or a Punto Grande. Interesting you should mention tyres, I am thinking of having a pair of winter tyres for the front end. Tyre prices seem expensive now even for the 155s.

 

[koalar]

You might be happier with the 1.2. It has better mid range than the 1.1 so nicer to drive. The additional 100cc makes no difference to fuel usage.

Tyres are interesting. I get considerable miles from the 100HP tyres but have to put up with poor turning circle and harsh ride. Mrs Dave gets barely a year from her 1.2's 13" tyres. I think they are really not wide enough leading to scrubbed away shoulders. In my opinion, 14 x 175 are at the sweet spot between width and side wall height.

2.5K-4K

The 1.1 and 1.2 are almost identical in both torque and bhp

Having had both at the same time,both running well, here in Cheshire (flat) and driving around town you would be hard pushed to know which you were in

 

[koalar]

I wanted the 1.1 because it is safe if the cambelt goes.

1.1 eco is not a safe engine

As far as I know no evo2 (round oil filler) used in the Panda 1.1 or 1.2 are safe

 

[DaveMcT]

When I did the 2007 1.2 timing belt I checked (very carefully) if the valves actually contacted the pistons. They might come close, but there was no contact. Obviously don't skimp on servicing, but I suspect a broken belt only risks damage when the engine is spinning very fast.

As for engine size - In the 1200, I can tell the difference between 99 RON "posh" petrol and 95 RON. The latter causes ignition retard making the engine feel sluggish. It's less notable around town, but faster speeds feel like the hand brake is dragging. It's not much but when you've only got 60bhp to start with, every little helps. Knocking off 134cc (1242 - 1108) and 10% of the power (54bhp vs 60bhp) will be noticeable.

It's not huge but every little does matter at this level.

If you find a really good 1100 then buy it. But if you have the choice go for the 1200.

 

[koalar]

When I did the 2007 1.2 timing belt I checked (very carefully) if the valves actually contacted the pistons. They might come close, but there was no contact. Obviously don't skimp on servicing, but I suspect a broken belt only risks damage when the engine is spinning very fast.

Evo2 round oil filter

Are not freewheeling engines according to


Autodata
WURTH
Delphi

From another thread

I wrote to Honestjohn who replied with this:

'I sat next to one of FIAT's engine men at a car launch a few years ago and her told me that only the 999cc Fire engines were guaranteed non interference. Some 1,108s were,depending on compression ration. But 1,242s were not.'


They can and do hit at slow speed

As here bent valve after cambelt incorrectly done

Fiat Grande punto 1.2 8v After valves changes 3 and 4 cilinders dosnt work | FIAT Grande Punto

Hi.I changed all 8 valves and now have a problem 3 and 4 cilinder not working...what can be wrong? i check sparks its ok.

www.fiatforum.com

And here just turning over by hand

Who said valves couldn't touch the pistons!?! | FIAT Grande Punto

Hi everyone, first time posting on the punto section but thought this might be of some interest to someone. I've been working on cars as an for a good few years out of necessity rather than desire and have done head gaskets, gearboxes and quite a few cambelts etc over the years. Being a nice...

www.fiatforum.com

That's not to say if the belt breaks it would cause damage..plenty of people get away with it especially if it breaks during cranking

All of which is why fiat changed the Crank position when timing the belt from piston one at top dead centre to all pistons halfway down and out of the way of the valves as here mine locked with the Crank tool

None of which matters as if you skip changing the belt is sods law it will let go 200 miles from home in the middle of a busy roundabout

 

[AILURUS LAPIS]

Mrs Dave gets barely a year from her 1.2's 13" tyres. I think they are really not wide enough leading to scrubbed away shoulders. In my opinion, 14 x 175 are at the sweet spot between width and side wall height.

Bought my MJ new in 2009, now at 133 K miles.
Drove 12 miles and then had the 155 80 13 tyres swapped for 175 70 13's.
These fit on the existing wheels, including the full size spare in the boot.
This makes the handling much better, cuts any understeer.
I run the tyre pressures higher than normal, at 2.4 Bar front and 2.2 Bar rear.
This helps to stop the inner front and outer rear edges wearing prematurely.
I rotate the tyres twice a year as well.
Note that the tread width ( not sidewall width ) of a 155 tyre is about 105 mm but the 175 is about 135 mm.
Best mod I have done to this car.

Thanks, Ailuris Lapis

 

[kuliand]

Yep currently at 180k and still gets 65mpg+. It's certainly proven a great engine in my car and many others it seems.

 

[JeanClaudePandamme]

It's not the multijet model, but rather the 1.2 petrol, however there's a journalist in Croatia who apparently did close to 600k km i.e. 370k miles.

 

[ytareh]

The bigger miracle is that that Panda is an automatic ! I thought that transmission
Was pants ! Anyway I had an MJ for a good few years up to 165k miles and while Dave McT is right that clogging up is an issue with constant light footed ,slow driving I found foot to the floor every 20-25 minutes helped fix that ( accompanied by a big cloud of black smoke for a few seconds )The wishbones was Cars main weakness .I changed it for a 1.1 Eco and regretted it .Serious lack of soundproofing in the Eco .You felt like you were sitting on rear brake drums with sound and harshness

 

[Popitinpete]

Properly working these engines is what they need. "Careful" driving leads to carbon clogging everything including the oil. I replaced the piston rings, because oil rings were clogged solid with carbon.

Listening for chain rattle really won't help. The original owner said mine was all good before the cam chain broke. When I compared the old chain side bend against the new, there was minimal difference. Some wear but not that remarkable. The problem is fatigue fracture in the chain links. The original chain really should have been a double row (duplex) - or better a toothed belt that's easier to replace. Go on EPER and check the chain against the cam gears and you'll see what I mean.

Told you she was a good one dave! Hope the rebuild is going well!

 

[wolfee]

The Fiat Panda 1.3 Multijet has been around for almost 20 years. Diesels are renowned for reaching very high mileages and in 2003 Fiat expected its multijet to last beyond 155,000 miles.

Fiat's new engine leaves its troubles behind

Fiat's future is a hot topic, but in Turin last week Fiat gave us their vision - the marque will be alive into the 21st century…

www.irishtimes.com

Has anyone beaten this mileage and how are your engines with high mileage performing?

The most economical and reliable car i have ever had....... 2005 Multijet Panda at 248000+ miles.......FAB U LOUS..... see my post a few minutes ago.