Technical panda not starting

[Pandamania08]

Hi everyone,
This is my first car, so please don’t judge — I’m trying to learn and understand what’s going on.

In early 2026, I did an engine oil flush on my Fiat Panda 2004 1.2 169 axb 44kwh.

A couple of months later, I started noticing several problems:
Gradual issues after the oil flush
The car couldn’t reach the same top speed anymore
Acceleration became noticeably weaker
The average fuel consumption display stopped working and only showed -- --
The car still started normally during this time
Burning smell
Around November, I started smelling a burning plastic / oil smell:
The smell came through the heater
It was strong when stopped at traffic lights
The smell disappeared while driving
This happened repeatedly
Oil leak (long-term issue)
I’ve had an oil leak for a long time
I recently identified the main source as the valve cover gasket, leaking from the top of the engine
Oil is dripping down onto components below
Breakdown – No start
A few days ago:
I drove about 100 km round trip in the evening
The next morning, the car would not start
Current symptoms
Starter motor cranks strongly and at normal speed
→ Battery and starter motor are OK
Engine does NOT start / does not fire
Fuse box checked — nothing blown or damaged
I checked wiring and found damaged / exposed red-green wires under the engine
One component under the engine is completely drenched in oil
I believe oil contamination may have caused a short circuit
I manually pressed the fuel inertia switch under the seat — no change
My current conclusion
The engine cranks but does not start
This points to fuel or ignition being cut
Most likely causes:
Fuel pump power cut
ECU / sensor signal interrupted
Short-circuit caused by oil leaking onto wiring
The exposed red-green wires under the engine seem suspicious, but I don’t know the name of the part they belong to
What I need help with
Identifying the oil-covered part under the engine
Confirming whether oil leakage could have caused this no-start condition
Advice on what to check next (sensor, fuel pump, wiring, ECU, etc.)

any help would be greatly appreciated
thanks in advance

Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

 

[koalar]

Right

You immoberliser light is staying on which it shouldn't


The oil can light is going out immediately which it shouldn't

The two together suggest your block earth cable under the battery tray may have failed

It's where I would start


Do you have a multimeter or test light

 

[Pandamania08]

Right

You immoberliser light is staying on which it shouldn't


The oil can light is going out immediately which it shouldn't

The two together suggest your block earth cable under the battery tray may have failed

It's where I would start


Do you have a multimeter or test light

appreciate your response.
no I don't.have one. Should I get one?
how can it help my situation ?

 

[koalar]

Jump leads

 

[Pandamania08]

Jump leads

i have that

 

[koalar]

Use just one lead

Put one end on the battery negative

And hold the other end on the aluminium here

Get someone to switch the ignition on

See if the immoberliser light goes off

If it doesn't don't go any further,.waste of battery charge it's not going to start

Try a different key if you have one

If it does goes out you can try cranking handy if you can take a video of the right dial

I take it the clock is flashing is because the batterus been on charge?

 

[koalar]

The leads covered in oil are the O2 sensors

They shouldn't stop the car from starting

We will sort the leak out after it's back running

 

[Pandamania08]

Use just one lead

Put one end on the battery negative

And hold the other end on the aluminium here

View attachment 481253

Get someone to switch the ignition on

See if the immoberliser light goes off

If it doesn't don't go any further,.waste of battery charge it's not going to start

Try a different key if you have one

If it does goes out you can try cranking handy if you can take a video of the right dial

I take it the clock is flashing is because the batterus been on charge?

Big brother ,you are a life saver!

my dumb self took out the key its chip board out of its case to replace it with a new one case
I only had the key (metal) attached to the case without the mainboard. Because im still waiting for the delivery of the new one.
Because the old one was bad. so the key was without motherboard when i tried to start it
i didn't know my key/car had lock like that.

we learn something new each day!

i would appreciate it if you could maybe help give me guidance on how fix /clean the rest because the oil and the plastic burn smell, maybe new wires or whatever, so i can get my car and engine in better condition please.

many thanks !

 

[A3jeroen]

Dasty? Or another grease solving cleaner.

gr J

 

[koalar]

2005 it probably leaking from several areas

I can see this pipe is leaking and or split

It a matter of starting at the top and cleaning and waiting to see where fresh oil is coming


Worth checking inside the bell housing before spending any money, as a leak inside here will need the gearbox down, most other things are fairly simple

Koalar random thoughts | FIAT Panda (Mk3)

Clutch, gearbox problem You can see the pessure plate here And from further back The inside is normally covered in oil if the input seal/bearing has gone

www.fiatforum.com

Also check the gear selector,

Gear oil leak from selector shaft | FIAT Panda (Mk3)

I have had my 2009 Panda 1.1 manual for 6 months now and he has given me many thousands of trouble free miles already (if you ignore the broken exhaust hanger and worn drop links) but today I noticed an oil leak which appears to be coming from the gear selector shaft. Research, mainly on here...

www.fiatforum.com

Worth checking as low oil in the gearbox can become expensive

There's an o ring behind the coils that prone to leak