Panda (Classic) Charmanda(er) The Panda

[homeward]

This is beginning to sound suspiciously like what Betty's doing... -- although she's going to be locked away, soon, for the winter: so I'm not panicking, too much; and then going back to Uncle Vernon's, once Pippin's been fettled, for finishing touches....

I'm therefore watching from the sidelines with interest... -- although have not yet attempted the idle solenoid plunger circumcision trick VmanC recommended (or even just replacing the darned thing...). :chin:

Hope you get it sorted, soon... -- but isn't it good that our friendly Panda-pamperer is on hand almost 24/7...?

 

[Didge3]

This is beginning to sound suspiciously like what Betty's doing...
I'm therefore watching from the sidelines with interest... -- although have not yet attempted the idle solenoid plunger circumcision trick VmanC recommended (or even just replacing the darned thing...). :chin:

Hope you get it sorted, soon... -- but isn't it good that our friendly Panda-pamperer is on hand almost 24/7...?

Believe the idle solenoid on Char' has already been cut.
She's only actually stalled on me once normally she just drops right down to almost cutting out (a few times the oil light has flickered for a nano-second) then she picks up again.
Wasn't aware Betty had a similar issue Will be interesting if its the same thing on both...

 

[Palio]

Almost certainly not, but just quickly check that all the spark plugs are tight. Howie has managed to loosen one of his a few times & sounds rattley a bit like that without losing power. It's a 10 sec double check!

 

[JamieK]

Palio It's a 10 sec double check! that would be good on a t shirt!

My Colour has been in a private car park around the corner from me for the last 5 months. I want to MOT it next week so I went around yesterday to take the battery off to charge it up ready for next week. Thought I'd check how flat it was so turned the ignition on, lots of bright dash lights? Turned the key, 2 seconds turning over and fired up straight away :slayer:
Get yourself a spi engine and leave your worries behind

 

[purple haze]

Damp plugs and leads? Spray WD40 to clear damp and look for the leads arcing.

 

[VmanC]

I've got a Bianca here at the moment which also has the same running problem, (not Kev's), this really is something we need to get to the bottom of.

 

[homeward]

I've got a Bianca here at the moment which also has the same running problem, (not Kev's), this really is something we need to get to the bottom of.

That bit of me that used to spend whole weekends trying to balance twin carbs on my Mk1 Escort still wonders if it is a carburettor problem, with Betty -- maybe some well-hidden muck that had settled somewhere unfathomable, after umpteen years of storage; that then got shaken loose by some nice Italian-style driving...?

The fact that Betty 'hunts', though, on idle -- even with the choke out -- still makes me think something electric, though (or maybe even a sticking fuel pump). Give her enough revs, though, and she sings ever so sweetly...! :chin:

Perhaps there's an outbreak of Panda Pox...?

 

[VmanC]

I've also got four carbs under my bench that I've stripped and cleaned thoroughly only to find that they still don't work properly. I know all the jets are clear so I'm thinking that there must be a weak area in the ports of the main body that blocks easily but doesn't clear easily, even with 140 psi of compressed air forced through it.

I'm on the lookout for somewhere local that can clean the carb bodies chemically to see if this does the trick.

 

[Didge3]

Almost certainly not, but just quickly check that all the spark plugs are tight. Howie has managed to loosen one of his a few times & sounds rattley a bit like that without losing power. It's a 10 sec double check!

I'll definitely check the spark plugs, was going to last night but it was dark and I was just getting annoyed with it.

Get yourself a spi engine and leave your worries behind

Hopefully next April/May Char' will be pleased with a 1.2 MPI p75 engine

I've also got four carbs under my bench that I've stripped and cleaned thoroughly only to find that they still don't work properly. I know all the jets are clear so I'm thinking that there must be a weak area in the ports of the main body that blocks easily but doesn't clear easily, even with 140 psi of compressed air forced through it.

I'm on the lookout for somewhere local that can clean the carb bodies chemically to see if this does the trick.

That doesn't sound good, it wasn't damp yesterday as it hasn't rained here since Sunday so she should've been receiving good spark and as mentioned once actually running she seems fine, pulled in 2nd gear all the way to 4.5k without any issue. If I put a teeeny tiny amount of choke on I can get her to idle at 1200rpm steady very easily, as soon as I kill the choke she starts hunting

 

[Didge3]

Well.... She's certainly Italian.
Perfectly fine today
Started pretty easily, ran up to temperature, killed the choke. Steady normal idle
Got some petrol, drove around a bit, perfectly fine. I'll go back this evening when its colder and see if she will idle then...?

 

[Liquid Knight]

Rule 26/ If you think you have a fuel problem chances are it's electrical.


I was pillocking around for ages with my Fantasia last year, swapping carb's, swapping pumps, vacuum advance diaphragms, fuel lines, filters and so on; all the time it was a knackered ballast resistor between the coil and distributor causing it. I have a spare black box one now if it goes wrong again.

 

[blu73]

could this not be as simple as the thermostat stuck open.. And its just not getting hot enough to not have any choke. I'm not up on carbs but its something an injection engine would just sort out but use loads of fuel and eventually coke up the plugs if not addressed - but i imagine a carb'd engine would do what didge describes. Just a thought, i'm assuming here it doesn't have a temp gauge though.

 

[Didge3]

could this not be as simple as the thermostat stuck open.. And its just not getting hot enough to not have any choke. I'm not up on carbs but its something an injection engine would just sort out but use loads of fuel and eventually coke up the plugs if not addressed - but i imagine a carb'd engine would do what didge describes. Just a thought, i'm assuming here it doesn't have a temp gauge though.

Panda's are 80's machines, of course they have temperature gauges, proper cars, not silly modern things with just a temperature light
Temp gauge was showing 80 yesterday when she was spluttering around at idle, hit 95 ish and fan cut in a few times so don't think its thermostat. As said, running fine today Will go back and give her another go in an hour or so and see if she'll idle.

 

[panda1408]

My first thought was a vacuum leak, but if its fixed itself then probably not.

 

[Giacosa]

When she finally got going she ran on choke just fine, run her up to a decent temperature and then set off (still using a little choke though) got about a mile and she was at about 70C so I killed the choke, but then next time I stopped when I dipped the clutch she almost conked out
So went back and parked up, she won't idle very well.... At first I thought maybe the alternator is under a lot of load having to charge the battery up after all that cranking but she hunts for idle rather than just sits at a low RPM.
With a tiny amount of choke she runs fine but even up to full temperature (fan kicked in a few times) she's hunting for idle dropping to ~400rpm and pulling herself back up to 1200

Help!

I was always under the impression that hunting idle like this is an air leak in the carburettor. Either one of the card gaskets is leaking or the screws holding the carb body together are not done up tight enough. Throwing a rebuild kit at them seems to make it go away but I found you have to do the screws up suprisingly tight as initially i just got the same problem with idle hunting about the place until the retaining screws were nipped up.

 

[homeward]

My first thought was a vacuum leak, but if its fixed itself then probably not.

Could be worth investigating re Betty, though....

 

[homeward]

I was always under the impression that hunting idle like this is an air leak in the carburettor. Either one of the card gaskets is leaking or the screws holding the carb body together are not done up tight enough. Throwing a rebuild kit at them seems to make it go away but I found you have to do the screws up suprisingly tight as initially i just got the same problem with idle hunting about the place until the retaining screws were nipped up.

Thanks for that...! Makes sense to me...!

Sorry to take over your thread, Didge3....

 

[Didge3]

Well she's completely fine now, just went for a short tun, started first turn of the key, idled fine once run up to temperature.
Thought a vacuum leak would cause her to idle high rather than too low?

 

[purple haze]

Used to make gaskets for my motorbike carbs from telephone address books years ago. Can you still buy sheets of gasket paper?

 

[AndyPanda4x4]

Gasket paper is still available to buy, made many a gasket out of that stuff it's something to be proud of when it works!