Injector Problems

[NickBrum]

Good morning all,

 

I have a just bought a 2011 Fabia Elegance 105bhp 1.6l TDI CR Estate that has currently done 8,500 miles. After owning the car for a matter of weeks I was driving along the M4 at around 65mph when an audible alarm sounded and the glow plug warning light began to flash. The engine lost all power and I coasted on to the hard shoulder. After a lengthy AA recovery back to the dealers it was deemed that an injector in cylinder 1 was faulty and this was replaced under warranty.

 

Yesterday, only 3 weeks later, I was driving up the A34 doing a little faster perhaps, when exactly the same thing happened. The AA came out and the diagnostic has reported a faulty injector in cylinder no 4.

 

The car has now been returned to the dealer, along with some strong words from me as you can appreciate, for them to either solve the problem to my satisfaction or replace the car as I currently have no faith in it.

 

As I have very little mechanical knowledge I am seeking to educate myself on the problem before the dealer calls me back to discuss my options. My question is therefore whether it sounds like there may be a deeper defect in the engine that is causing these injectors to fail, or whether it sounds like a case of coincidence and simple bad luck. Should I ask, as a minimum, for all the injectors to be replaced?

 

Many thanks for your help and advice.

 

Nick

[GeneralPurpose]

Hello Nick and welcome to the forum. It's a great place to get answers. 

 

Well, yes it could just be coincidence. I've teched for much of my life and have come across this very problem often when one injector goes down and this is followed by another quite soon afterwards. It doesn't necessarily mean there is an underlying problem. However, does the car have a fully dealer (Skoda) history? Do you know if the vehicle has been misfuelled? The injectors are electrically driven. It could be worth the techs doing some resistance checks on the system running the injectors. They will check for fault codes anyway so that should show up anything major. I wonder if the injectors have been calibrated correctly. The one other point to make is that a diesel car of 2011 vintage with only 8,500 miles on the clock probably means the car has done mostly short journeys without fully warming up it's oil and this means it will have been running with a rich mixture for a higher percentage of it's mileage. This is not good for injectors or the vehicles DPF. Injectors can become sticky and eventually fail. The 1.6cr engine doesn't generally like short journeys, it's designed for big runs so it gets nice and hot. That may be a factor in why your are having some initial issues. Don't worry, it'll be sorted. It's a great car and engine if used properly. Drive it don't pamper it, use plenty of revs! Good luck.

[NickBrum]

Hello Estate Man,

 

Thank you so much for such a comprehensive reply. It will certainly help a great deal in my discussions with the dealership. The car was bought from a Skoda main delaer with a full service history but I don't know whether it was ever misfuelled. The issue of short runs was in the back of my mind when buying the car but I had hoped it wouldn't cause any problems; however what you say makes perfect sense to me, a layman! Luckily I do a great deal of motorway driving so once these initial issues are resolved it will definitely be used in a more appropriate driving style!

 

Thanks again, Nick.

[Rooted]

Bump for new member with Injector Issues.

[tomoandelaine]

My problem is very similar to that described above where an Injector failed at 18k. I purchased a new Monty 105 in 2011.

The dealer replaced the injector under warranty, but on receipt from them it was evident that the engine was running "lumpy" and would not keep 30mph in 4th gear.

It was returned and some adjustment sorted this out.

However at 25k another injector failed and, hey presto, the lumpy running returned.

This time the dealer said THERE IS NOTHING WRONG, but did not have time to come and have the issue demonstrated.

I am absolutely sure they did the BASIC diagnosis and nothing more, but due to other commitments couldn't leave the car with them..

I didn't know how the electronics interfaced with the injectors until reading this, but I am still of the opinion that is where the fault lies, even now at 30k.

Even now I cannot drive at 30mph in 4th gear.

Any advice how I convince the dealer to do a full diagnosis.

They didn't offer any electronic report that might show their failings in the matter.

Should I take it up at Skoda??????

 

[mrgf]

I got a Greenline 3 cyl diesel and have been told that due to vibration, injectors can get a hard life and fail every now and then. They are quite a chunk of dough too, to replace so if you can get them done on warranty, do it before its too late!

[Agitated]

I have a skoda fabia 2014 diesel 1600. Have had it from new and it has just over 24000 miles up on the clock. Driving to North Devon, the engine started to run rough and the exhaust light came on with the coil light. Had to pull over and called RAC. Was told the diesel injector on cylinder 3 was faulty. Cost me £500 and was informed by the RAC man that it is a common problem as to why he was carrying one.  Inquired to skoda about this but they seem to be uninformed about it.

[sepulchrave]

11 minutes ago, Agitated said:

I have a skoda fabia 2014 diesel 1600. Have had it from new and it has just over 24000 miles up on the clock. Driving to North Devon, the engine started to run rough and the exhaust light came on with the coil light. Had to pull over and called RAC. Was told the diesel injector on cylinder 3 was faulty. Cost me £500 and was informed by the RAC man that it is a common problem as to why he was carrying one.  Inquired to skoda about this but they seem to be uninformed about it.

 

It's common, Skoda are not going to admit to any problems unless there's a recall.

Frankly I'm surprised you need to ask, you don't strike me as someone who came to earth during the last rain shower.

[Agitated]

20 hours ago, sepulchrave said:

 

It's common, Skoda are not going to admit to any problems unless there's a recall.

Frankly I'm surprised you need to ask, you don't strike me as someone who came to earth during the last rain shower.

I know your probably correct on that. Dont think there is a multinational company that operates withing the law or even tells the truth about the products they sell us.

[DieselMonte]

24,000 miles on a 2014? Wow that is low.

[sepulchrave]

7 minutes ago, DieselMonte said:

24,000 miles on a 2014? Wow that is low.

 

It certainly is, I've probably driven more than a quarter of a million miles since 2014, I'm always staggered how little some people drive, I guess if you live in a big city you don't drive much.