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1.8TSI - Advice if you have it


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Hi Guys,  Long time no visit, but got a little problem that someone may be able to help with.

 

I'm on my second Octavia now, having swapped my mk1 tdi for a mk 2 facelift 1.8 TSi

 

Had the car for a year, and all but one service (the one done by the selling dealer as I bought it) is by a skoda dealer.

 

Last December, I had the coil on cylinder 1 replaced as it failed suddenly, whislt 250 miles away from home.  This was done by the AA, and was replaced with a Bosch item, but before they relaced it he cleaned it up, and put it back on, which seemed to clear the misfire.  However, as I had a 250 mile trip back home, I insisted he replaced the part, which he did.  On this occasion, there was a fault code listed via the ODBC, and even indicated which cylinder was at fault.

 

A week later, the car went in for a service at my local Skoda dealer, and I asked them to check if the coils fitted were of the latest revision, which they were.

 

Come March this year, and I start to experience a slight misfire.  The car is due it's MOT, and when it goes in, I tell them about this, and they scan it for fault codes, but nothing is found, and it passes the emmissions test with no problems.

 

Since then, this misfire has been getting more and more regular.  I have called back to the dealer a few times, and had it scanned for faults, but nothing is showing up.

 

The problem manifests itself with a misfire which probably lasts no more than 30 seconds, sometimes accompanied by the engine management light flashing, and then clearing.  This seems to happen when I have been coasting for a little while, particularly about 40 - 50mph, and then need to bring the power back in to ease up a hill or so on.  It happens regardless of fuel level, as I initially thought it could have been the fuel sloshing about in the tank but it has done it now a couple of times with a full tank.  Additionally, it only seems to happen when the car has been running for at least 15 minutes.

 

Any ideas as to what could be causing this??????  Any help would be appreciated.

 

 

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The plugs were changed at the last service, (mid December) or so I was told - I certainly paid for them!

 

I've not had them out of the engine myself though

Edited by Andynetwork
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Have a look at the plugs.  I'd be aiming for a smallish gap of about 0.28" (0.7mm).

 

I'd also mix up the coil packs - just to see if it triggers a fault.

 

It might also be worth doing a compression test.  It would be the first 1.8tsi to drop a cylinder - it's usually #3 IIRC

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Well, it's now in with Skoda - Last night it began misfiring constantly.  Called out Green Flag, who read 2 fault codes - irregular multi cylinder misfire, and Cylinder 1 misfire. (note the cylinder I have already replaced the coil on).  The guy from Green Flag suggested that the problem could be the remaining coils on their way out, causing the misfire on cyl 1.

 

So this morning on my way to work, I called at EuroCarParts, and picked up 4 Bosch coil packs, and fitted them there and then.  No improvement what so ever.

 

Managed to limp it to my nearest friendly Skoda dealer, and asked them to have a look at it.  Fortunately, they were very accomodating, and hopefully will have an answer for me today.

 

Anyway guys, thanks for your assistance, and I will let you know the outcome.

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Well, it's now in with Skoda - Last night it began misfiring constantly.  Called out Green Flag, who read 2 fault codes - irregular multi cylinder misfire, and Cylinder 1 misfire. (note the cylinder I have already replaced the coil on).  The guy from Green Flag suggested that the problem could be the remaining coils on their way out, causing the misfire on cyl 1.

 

So this morning on my way to work, I called at EuroCarParts, and picked up 4 Bosch coil packs, and fitted them there and then.  No improvement what so ever.

 

Managed to limp it to my nearest friendly Skoda dealer, and asked them to have a look at it.  Fortunately, they were very accomodating, and hopefully will have an answer for me today.

 

Anyway guys, thanks for your assistance, and I will let you know the outcome.

How did the plugs look?!

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How did the plugs look?!

 

Didn't have the time to take them out to check (my tools are at my dads at the moment) and needed to get into work. However, the plugs were only changed in December by the Skoda dealer, so would hope they are ok.

 

You don't specify mileage - but it could be sticky valves - caused by being a DI engine design and the valves not getting any fuel passed over them.

Mileage is a shade ofver 72,000 (Went past the 72k mark a week last monday) - Genuine question - If it was sticky valves, wouldn't it just gradually get worse, rather than a few seconds every couple of weeks, and then suddenly go into misfire mode? (Did't want it to sound as though I was just rejecting your suggestion, I'm genuinely curious to know if it would manifest itself like that.)  If it is this, I assume it's a head off job to get it solved?

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Didn't have the time to take them out to check (my tools are at my dads at the moment) and needed to get into work. However, the plugs were only changed in December by the Skoda dealer, so would hope they are ok.

 

Mileage is a shade ofver 72,000 (Went past the 72k mark a week last monday) - Genuine question - If it was sticky valves, wouldn't it just gradually get worse, rather than a few seconds every couple of weeks, and then suddenly go into misfire mode? (Did't want it to sound as though I was just rejecting your suggestion, I'm genuinely curious to know if it would manifest itself like that.)  If it is this, I assume it's a head off job to get it solved?

Must admit that as I haven't had any issue yet (27K in my case) so, it is difficult to say how gradual an effect sticky valves would have. It is an intake manifold off and clean usually.

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Usually the coked-up valves will only be present with the engine cold and give a fluffy idle and rough running up to about 2500rpm.

 

I can't see how bad coils on 2/3/4 would cause a misfire on 1 but strange things happen at sea I guess.

 

I look forward to Skodas diagnosis - hopefully just a bad plug

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OK, sorry for the delay in updating this, been one of those weeks!!

 

The winner of the internet diagnosis award goes to ......... Yeti_man

 

The problem was that the plugs were stuffed.  There had been some assumptions made when it was serviced, that the plugs would have been changed at 58k, rather than the 68k when I took it in.  However, the 58k service was just a filter and oil change by the selling dealer.  (Part of the same group, but different franchise)

 

A new set of plugs, and not had any issues since, and seems to be running a lot better, and I'm glad it wasn't something which was going to cost me a small fortune to resolve.

 

Anyway, thanks for your help, it is much appreciated.

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Given the symptoms, plugs would be the first check - even before replacing plugs, you should be able to tell if it's plugs with a quick visual inspection. Really glad it's sorted. Nice to have it running minus the niggle isn't it? :)

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  • 6 months later...

OK - A little update to this:

 

Back at the beginning of October, the car started misfiring again.  Got it into the local Skoda dealer, who pulled the plugs out, and claimed they were shot.  Mentioned to them that it was only about 6 months since they last replaced them, and that I would have hoped a set of spark plugs would last longer than this.

 

They then claimed it was possibly a faulty batch of plugs, and replaced them under parts warranty.

 

Collected the car, and booked it in for a service two weeks later. 

 

When it went in for its service, they then claimed there were signs of these plugs starting to burn, only two weeks after being fitted, and that there must be an underlying issue.  Mentioned once again about the amount of oil it was using also, and they suspected that this could be part of the reason for the plugs getting damaged.  At this point they carried out a compression test, and found it was well under what was expected (down to around about 90% of what it should have been)

 

They then suggested an engine flush, and if necessary engine removal to find out exactly what was going on.  This I agreed to.

 

A week later, engine flush is completed, and still no improvement in the compression, so out comes the engine, and it gets stripped down.

 

Would appear as though the piston rings have had the most almighty hammering possible, the valves are flaking due to burning oil, the cylinder head needs new valve seats and decoking.  I'm then given the option of having this done, or a replacement engine, provided via Skoda.  The cost difference is about £1200, but I would get a 20% contribution from Skoda, plus 2 years warranty on the complete engine, as opposed to 6 months on any work they did to fix the old one.

 

So the upshot of it all, is I've just got the car back, some 4 weeks after it went in, having had a new engine fitted. 

 

The worrying thing about it is that the old engine wasn't smoking as I would have expected it to, for the amount of oil it was using (aprox. 1 litre to 100 miles).  Hopefully I can pay for the replacement engine from what I will be saving on oil.

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It had always used a bit of oil, probably about a litre every 400-500 miles, but gradually got worse.

 

The weekend before it went in for  the work to find out what was wrong I did a 440mile round trip to London, and used a 4 litre can of oil.

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Ouch, pretty bad. Skoda's tolerance is 0.5litres per 621 miles so it was already way over at purchase. A shame that it wasn't sold through them else they could pick up the rest of the bill, but at least now it is done and hopefully you can get on and just enjoy driving it.

 

Mine was using around 1 litre per 1000 miles so had new pistons and rings under warranty. It has certainly reduced consumption significantly, I've only topped up around 0.4litres in 5000 miles since then.

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  • 1 month later...

Another little update - only this time a better one.

 

Had the car back for a month now, and it is running fine.  Done nearly 1400 miles on the new engine, and it is loosening up nicely. 

 

Oil consumption on the new engine.......None, not had to put a drop in it in 1400 miles, this is unknown to me on this car!!!!!

 

Had a need to pop it back in last week though as a fuel pipe had started to weep, but this was more down to starting to use the full range of revs, and the clip had worked loose.  All sorted FOC.

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