New to me car driving me round the bend!

[lerz2000uk]

Hi everybody,

Hope that you can help me, however i think im gonna be covering alot of well known problems, lol...

 

So I have just bought a 2001 Fabia 1.4 mpi 8v and love the look and feel of it, but it has alot of issues that are starting to appear, i think they are related and have seen answers on others forums that aknowledge the problems but give no definate answers as to what it is.

When i start my car from cold it can take a good few seconds to actually kick in and and this also means pumping the gas a bit to get it to catch, when it does take the car revs up then down and down to the point of stalling, from there its either gonna stall or go back to 900rpm and take, i notice that when i start driving the power steering doesnt always kick in straight away i have no engine management light on and the pas light switches off as you would expect it to, but also the power steering loses power if im driving slowly (parking in a bay for example) this doesnt happen every time but is very annoying when it does. the lights flicker a ever so slightly at night and the car can feel very underpowered and even lurchy if its really on one. I have also noticed that the is a build up of yellowish white gunk on the oil cap, i have only really been taking the car on short trips to work and have been told that this may be condensation, i took the car on a longer trip the other day (about 120 miles) but it was still there, the car on the trip was fine but when i set off again about 30 mins later it took an age to kick in (my point on that one being that the engine would of still been warm).

I have noticed that the battery is alot smaller than the case it goes in and the cca is a mere 330 so i am wondering if this could be an issue?

 And one final question.. under the steering wheel there is a very small glove box on the right in the box there is a little switch that says "on", it pulls forward and back but for the life of me i cannot work out what it does, i have no owners manual so cant check there, any ideas?

 

Sorry if i have waffled on and it sounds like that i am just dumping questions on here, if anyone can help i would be grateful, im nit a mechanic but dont mind having a go, but if i need to take to garage i would appreciate any ideas on cost as i dont wanna get spanked by them lol..

 

many many thanks in advance,

lerz2000uk

[Avalon]

Welcome to mpi ownership It's not rock n roll but they're easy to work on and quite reliable but have a few niggles.

 

Firstly charge the battery, 330 cca is the lowest listed battery for a 1.4 mpi according to ECP's battery selector and this would fit with the hard starting and steering issues, all the rest are 480cca plus so you could be right that the battery is insufficient or suffering with age. 

 

 

If it's not that then get it tested and check/clean the earthing point on the side of the engine bay and the top fuses on the battery box for hairline cracks while you're at it. The PAS fluid level will need checking (it's a pita as it's an airbox out job) but it's only a 15-20 min job to get it out, check it and put it back in. After that i'd be tempted to invest £6 in a VCDS lead and use a laptop to scan the car for fault codes, the free version will give you them and then hit google. 00816 is the angle sensor but it's £97 after rebate from the dealer. The old version has a plastic base and the new one has a metal base so you can tell if it's been replaced before you go and spend any money.

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/186217-fabia-power-steering-problems/ has more details.

 

As for the mayo i'd be tempted to change the oil and clean up the cap and see if comes back, the cost to do this in parts is under £15, £35-40 if you use a fast fit place. Are you using the engine cover cap or the spare from under the engine cover as it's a better fit and loose fit will mean condensation. Also what's the coolant looking like (check when cold!), do you see any oil traces on the surface of the expansion tank? While you're in the engine bay on the right hand side where the head meets the block have a look at the Head Gasket, on the right hand corner closest to you does it have the letter 'T' showing?

 

The beauty of the mpi is once it's sorted they're reliable but you may have picked one up that neds a few little jobs doing, non of them should be hugely expensive and once they're sorted it's cheap to run/maintain.

 

Hope this helps

Edited 7 April, 2014 by Avalon

[TMB]

 

 

 

 

 

And one final question.. under the steering wheel there is a very small glove box on the right in the box there is a little switch that says "on", it pulls forward and back but for the life of me i cannot work out what it does, i have no owners manual so cant check there, any ideas?

 

 

Lets cold air from the aircon into the box to chill a drink can or whatever. Think it also heats it from heater if required. It's a sore point on this forum because dozens of people have asked the same question

[lerz2000uk]

Wow,

 Thanks for the advice Avalon, I'll be sure to follow those tips and hopefully I'll be motoring along problem free in no time and a big thanks to TMB, now i know if anyone asks i can pass on this Holy Grail bit of information looks like a hard bit of info to get hold of, lol!

[TMB]

and a big thanks to TMB, now i know if anyone asks i can pass on this Holy Grail bit of information looks like a hard bit of info to get hold of, lol!

 

A lot of people think it's the driver's seat ejector button 

[lerz2000uk]

Hi,

just an update, iv changed the battery and also put some reddex in the system and touch wood all systems are go, maybe the injectors were clogged? looking to change the oil next month and also get hold of a push on oil cap as typically the spare is missing, will follow up if I have any more issues.

many thanks again for the quick replies and useful information,

lerz2000uk

[TMB]

 and also get hold of a push on oil cap as typically the spare is missing, will follow up if I have any more issues.

 

 

This cap is the push-on one. I know it says Felicia but it's exactly the same... http://www.skodaparts.com/product/felicia-oil-filler-cap-1995-2001-38232

 

And here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SKODA-FELICIA-1-3-OIL-FILLER-CAP-AND-SEAL-OE-PART-047103485-047103487-NEW-/170989237076

 

I threw the big plastic engine cover away on mine. It's really only there to make it look pretty and is a damn nuisance. I just use that spare push-on oil cap on the engine and it's absolutely fine.

Edited 11 April, 2014 by TMB

[lerz2000uk]

Well i'm starting to get really fed up with this car...

 

After running fine for about a week with a full tank of fuel and reddex it started playing up again, started slowly getting worse so did a quick check of the throttle body, seemed quite clean but sprayed some carb and throttle cleaner in there just to be sure, however its not helped any..

Its now got to the point that when i start the engine it take about 3 attempts to get going, when it is idling it sounds very rough (still idles around 950rpm) and the engine jumps around like there is a small child in there (pretty sure there isnt though!), when it did start and cut out there appeared to be a white smoke coming from the engine bay after that it stopped doing it, when driving at speed all is fine until i got to a roundabout and the engine cut out, i have noticed that the temp guage no longer works as i drove about 10 miles today and it did not budge from baseline, and i have also noticed that when it did work (was on a motorway and been driving for about an hour on it) that it just casually went down to baseline and stayed there for the rest of the journey and its not moved since.

 

still havent changed oil yet and still got old oil cap on, have cleaned up mayo deposits but they keep coming back, whenever i have pulled dipstick there hasnt been any milky substance on it,

 

Again any ideas and costs of fixing, hoping to get someone to look at it within the next few day, but would love to go with a bit of an insight.

 

Thanks again

lerz2000uk.

[Tech1e]

Could be a thermostat, might be a head gasket. Just wondering if it's leaking into the cylinders overnight.

Difficult to say without diagnosis. If it is a head gasket they are very easy to do. I did mine in my lunch break lol

[lerz2000uk]

p.s just after the car was smoking with the engine running (all be it rough) it sounded like there was air rushing from there, the smoke came from the drivers side, the bonnet was close but if i had to pin point its origin it looked like it came from the dipstick hole.

[Steve Neate]

I'd be inclined to get the ecu scanned for error codes.

 

SN

[Sam84]

Id say headgaskets gone with the rough starting and the mayo.

[vindaloo]

It's unlikely to work properly if it doesn't know its hot. Seems to me there's at least one sensor or wiring issue to start with.

 

One quick question. Is there (still) water in the coolant expension/top-up tank? One reason for a wildly performing temp gauge might just be a water leak.

[lerz2000uk]

Yes, the water is still full and no signs that it has leaked/leaking, there is now a very small film on top of water but not an overly excessive amount, its an old y reg car so im thinking a touch of contamination wouldnt be unusual

[sepulchrave]

Replace the temperature sensor as the first order of business, if it isn't using water then the HG should be OK for now.

[mechanicAL]

id be betting on the head gasket, or at least doing a few tests, combustion gas in coolant, cylinder leak test or compression test. low compression in two cylinders next to each other is a good sign the gaskets leaking.  

[Tech1e]

I'd check the right hand side of the head gasket and see if you have a TEMAC gasket, if you don't then it needs replacing anyhow. All the genuine parts cost less than £100 and its well worth cleaning and re lapping the valives in whilst you are there. Remember if the head is skimmed to reset the basic adjustment on the tappets/push rods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[lerz2000uk]

Have recorded what happens when I start the car will upload somewhere and link it if anyone want to have a watch and listen for s#$#* and giggles... have also noticed a popping sound and water droplets from exhaust now, starting to think I boight a right lemon lol... if it is head gasket anyone ever used k seal? I know mechanics hate the stuff but its gotta be wortg a shot right?

[Avalon]

For the cost to do a basic HG save the money that you were going to spend on K Seal and put it towards the bits, if Tech1e can do it on his lunch break then us mere mortals should manage in an afternoon and once it's done properly it won't need doing again for a long time.

[mogwye]

Lunchtime 12:00 - 14:00 hrs ??

 

That's good going.

 

DB.

[Avalon]

Lunchtime 12:00 - 14:00 hrs ??

 

That's good going.

 

DB.

2hr lunches... You suggesting Tech1e is French or something

[Tech1e]

It was in and back out in an hour and a half. Admittedly it was running up outside but all mechanicals done in my slightly extended lunch break.

[lerz2000uk]

Well what a joke, bought a replacement temperature sensor and whilst installing it I got hunting for the hissing noise found a hose that was the culprit it wasnt connected to anything, found where it went (back of engine) and it's fixed, will still be keeping a close eye on but fingers xed, thank you to everyone that has helped with all your information, havr never known a forum that pulls together so quick.

thank you again

lerz2000uk.

[fabialousvrs]

Sounds like a vac hose.

I was going to say that, your head might need skimming after your diagnosis. Compression test would be required indicating what, if any/all cylinders are bad. Keep us posted :-)

[Alexandru]

Hello mPI user

I own one also, engine code is ATZ. You should scan it for faults, it is the best way to find what is wrong with it. When I got mine, it was from Italy and for some reasons, the thermostat was gone at all, it had only the cap (maybe it's hotter there), so I upgraded it with a new one. My temp gauge is not working always though, not raising from the dead point, but if I switch off and on the egnition, it comes up, this might be a faulty sensor (g62 as in my logs). Regarding your cold start issue, so it's mine. If I don't give it about 2 minutes to idle, it is running sluggish. I did not had any power steering problems so far, it has been working since I got the car, but I had my steering pump refurbished because it was leeking fluids. Doesn't have a large oil tank, if I am not wrong, takes about 200ml of hydraulic fluid. If you have a small battery and you are running out of steering fluid, it might be normal to act like this. Getting to the steering pump reservoir it is a bit difficult, you have to remove the battery and it's housing, but once you do that, your fabia will appreciate it. I would recommend you to change the oil asap, oil filter, gas and air filters also. Until then, I wish you to enjoy it many miles without major issues.

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