GreenMachineSDI

Thanks for the replies, will check.

Mpi rules! My aerial has disintegrated in the same way! I opted for 40cm long one about £3.50, how tight am I.

Probably not a Fabia issue but : Exhaust sounded like blowing so went and had new rear box fitted. Had the clamp checked and more paste added to the join, have run it in for a couple of hundred miles and it still sounds crap! At idle it's mostly like a loud bore sporty sound and tootling around it's that blowing farty sound! Is the pattern non genuine exhaust to blame or is this likely to be something else? With previous cars I've always stuck cheap new exhaust sections on and never had them sound worse than the old blown one that came off. :-( Might have to go and get it checked from front to back again? 1.4 mpi

Thanks for the warning. Cleared out my scuttle area now - got passenger wiper arm off with a small puller I found in garage but it wouldn't fit it on drivers side wiper nut because of the bonnet (in any position). Ended up soaking it in penetrating fluid and coming back to it, then it came off by hand. I found the cover is a pig to get back on properly too! Thankfully got it seated properly all along with a rubber mallet but it took some persuasion! Anyway I don't want to be back under there for a good while now I know there's no crap in there. It was surprisingly clean under there - had I known I wouldn't have bothered! Hey ho...Now I know.

Just to update, my small vac hose & larger breather hose on rocker cover look tip-top. Also my idle when looking at the revs barely fluctuates even 50rpm so I guess it's not excessive, it just feels harsher with the juddering that gets transferred through the car as you sit there. Now that I'm used to it it's less disconcerting. I'm itching to change my rocker cover gasket as it's weeping oil but the top bungs are on back order and no sign of them yet :-/ Would rather do them all together. Gonna check condition of strip fuses in battery box and clear out the plenum chamber at the weekend. Armed with new clips! I'm loathe to do anything with the throttle body now I know there's no egr and it's running ok. Plus it's a lengthier task and I can't be arsed. Thanks again for the tips.

What's the mileage on the old beast? As you're aware, you're gonna get precious little extra out of it in the way of power. Maybe do a diesel purge with LiquiMoly stuff. I did my Lupo 1.7 SDI with it and removed the stupid plastic air intake restrictor trumpets it had, that get full of sooty gunk. The 1.9sdi might not have those though? And Diesel Rhino fuel additive can help them run smoother, a bit quieter, less smoke, cleans engine internals and can even help mpg. Not promising it will do all that, but we use it in our 04 Touran TDI 163,000 miles and it's stopped the engine knocking on start up so it must do something good.

We briefly had a 2001 Fabia SDI (hence my username). That felt a fair bit slower bless it.

Thanks for the advice, will check those when I get chance. Had a good 35 mile run in it on Sunday and ran sweet as a nut. Quite a nice little cruiser on the A roads round here. Keeps up with everyone else no probs. It's rural roads with villages every minute or so to be honest any more power is just a waste cos you can't ever give it the beans anyway!

Thanks, yes, I'm hoping the smell disappears, yet to find out. Managed to order the wrong cap from Evilbay...listing said Felicia but it's the twist on to lock type I already had on the engine cover! Running with the spare from under the cover for now. Probably be fine for good? Seems secure enough (needs a slight tug to get it off). In my research I saw someone using a Nutella lid on their Felicia as a perfect fit so I guess anything will do! My idle is bad enough that you can feel the car shaking on and off under your bum as you sit there! I can live with it if it's normal, car runs fine otherwise. Compared to a mk1 golf diesel dashboard rattle at idle it's perfectly bearable! My battery light comes on at start up and goes out quickly, so don't think I have any battery/alt probs.

£1.10 each from Skoda so gonna renew them at same time as gasket. Thanks again

Great stuff, thanks very much!

Does anyone know if you can get the two top rubber round bungs under the nuts on rocker cover from anywhere? One of mine is wet and they looked cracked. Found gasket, but not round bungs.

It's a poverty spec Classic without central locking, when boot lid shuts it locks with no way of opening other than driver's sill release lever. I must've had my eyes shut last time engine cover was off, I've checked again and spare oil cap is underneath...doh! Will try Felicia cap anyway, when it arrives, and see which I prefer.

Yes, the spare oil cap is missing :-/ Ordered new cap, and scuttle cover clips. Yes, temac gasket, that's the one, I can just make out the red letters on mine...Woohoo! Already love this car. I like old school stuff...Drove a mk1 golf diesel for years, it was awesome. Makes the Skoda seem smooth as silk in comparison! The Classic spec with no extra electrics to go wrong is right up my street too. The boot release lever is a pain though. Having to go to driver's door to do it, if you use the boot a lot it gets tiresome. I think rocker cover gasket is my next job then. Thanks for the info!

Thanks :-)