Technical Recent purchase engine warning light

[PJ337]

Hi, first time posting here. I bought a 2012 panda (1.2L petrol) from a private seller a few days ago. When I was on the way back the engine warning light came on (solid amber). It ended up going into a limp home mode which others have described on here before (struggling with power, not increasing revs past 3k), however this seemed to be rectified by restarting the engine. It did briefly go to the flashing check engine light but this went away relatively soon. I went to a garage last night and the diagnostic tool gave the codes

P0300
P0302
P0303

With either component or system over temperature (misfire 200)
Or
Performence or incorrect operation (misfire 1000)

The owner had it MOT and serviced in January and has only done about 1000 miles since then.
according to the invoice they gave me from that service the an ignition coil pack with leads was changed in this last service.

I’m not sure where best to go from here as I am the opposite of a car expert! I am going to get it looked at this week with a garage but thought you guys might be able to help with suggestions of what could be the issue

 

[Leroypanda]

Misfire again, probably needs a new coil pack.

Fiat Panda IV (2012 to ) 1.2 8v 69hp Ignition Coils

www.shop4parts.co.uk

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi
They are all codes for a 'detected misfire'..

Limp home is triggered by that

Basics.. does the car start and run ok..both hot and cold?

It could be a simple cheap fix..
Dont take it to a garage yet


Talking of garages..is there detail of its last garage visit.. just oil and filter ?

 

[PJ337]

Hi
They are all codes for a 'detected misfire'..

Limp home is triggered by that

Basics.. does the car start and run ok..both hot and cold?

It could be a simple cheap fix..
Dont take it to a garage yet


Talking of garages..is there detail of its last garage visit.. just oil and filter ?

Hi, in the last garage visit it was serviced and they replaced the ignition coil pack.

I took it to a garage and they’ve said it’s failing compression test with low pressure in cylinders 1 and 3. They said it wasn’t a limp home mode cos the engine is a natural aspirating engine and it was actually just a lack of power due to the falling pressure. They suggested the best thing to do to fix would be to strip the engine to find the root of the problem.

Does this seem right as obviously this would be a rather expensive procedure.

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi again,

Not good news :-(

Is it low on coolant? Losing coolant is often a sign of the HeadGasket no longer sealing.

You said this was a private sale.. so no chance of a warranty , etc ?

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Hi, in the last garage visit it was serviced and they replaced the ignition coil pack.

I took it to a garage and they’ve said it’s failing compression test with low pressure in cylinders 1 and 3. They said it wasn’t a limp home mode cos the engine is a natural aspirating engine and it was actually just a lack of power due to the falling pressure. They suggested the best thing to do to fix would be to strip the engine to find the root of the problem.

Does this seem right as obviously this would be a rather expensive procedure.

Low compression on two cylinders is not a good sign. As Charlie says above, it's often a pointer to a leaking head gasket but could be something else like burnt valves/seats or piston ring/bore problems. Head gasket is the most likely though. Is there any sign of the engine having overheated - look for coolant leaks and/or rusty marks around the expansion tank cap. These are robust engines but don't like low coolant levels and can blow head gaskets if not kept up to the mark with coolant.

I don't know how much checking that garage did but I'd want to be very sure of the diagnosis before taking the head off. For instance: Is the coolant level low? Do bubbles appear in the expansion tank when the engine is running? What did the business end of the spark plugs look like? I'd prefer a cylinder leak test rather than simply a compression test. Doesn't take that much longer to do but is much more exacting. I'm sitting here in my living room so can only make general observations, however when the engine is right there in front of you, a person with experience, will often notice something which shouts out to them what the problem is.

 

[PJ337]

Hi guys thanks for the replies. They did say that the coolant level was low/was a leak.

 

[PJ337]

Hi again,

Not good news :-(

Is it low on coolant? Losing coolant is often a sign of the HeadGasket no longer sealing.

You said this was a private sale.. so no chance of a warranty , etc ?

Yea it was a private sale so not good at all

 

[Herts Hillhopper]

I took it to a garage and they’ve said .... it wasn’t a limp home mode cos the engine is a natural aspirating engine ...

A naturally-aspirated engine (ie one without a turbo) can still go into limp mode... any car after about 2004 (i believe) will have on board diagnostics (OBD version II) that can detect if something's amiss (such as misfiring, too much CO in the exhaust, etc) and activate limp mode.

Yes, it might be a gasket - what's the inside of the oil cap look like ? Is there something looking like mayonnaise in there? That's a possible indicator of gasket issues (although can have other causes too).