Skodle

Agree with others that Felicia water leaks can be very vexing and hard to identify, and indeed seriously damaging if not pinned down and fixed in good time. In my case I learned, in restropect, that my evasive problem had been poor windsceen seals. As luck would happen I had elected to hand-repaint my Feli, which was a great success, and the consequent sealing of the rubbers around the windscreen cured all the water ingress problems without any need to rip out the windscreen and apply fancy sealants.

vladimimirzootin, thank you so much for trying to keep the Felica marque on the road for a little longer, and for raising this thread which has already produced excellent advice from old-time stalwarts like nta16 et al. My own two pennorth ... for goodness sake follow the advice already offered, and make absolutely sure you have have a sound vehicle to last you a while before you even think about any ‘souping up’ enhancements .. ‘cos if you don’t, you may expend much “blood, toil, tears and sweat” to no avail. It was an absolutely heartbreaking experience for me to have to scrap my former very cherished Favorits due to previously unsuspected body corrosion issues - although this painfully-acquired knowledege helped me to keep my subsequent Felicias very shipshape, I would urge you, in addition to the good advice already offered, to take particular pains to check out corrosion status before expending any more money + effort. (will offer tips on this if requested).

I still have the original Skoda towbar from my former Felicia 'Magic' estate, which I had removed for repainting, but the new owner didn't want a towbar ... is anyone looking for one of these? [I don't know whether it fits the Fun, but strongly suspect that it does]. Also, I shall presently be looking to dispose of my collection of Felicia and Favorit parts ... and a Felicia hatchback still in remarkable condition, once I can get her back on the road with a new MoT ... please sing out if you might be interested.

Favorits now seem to be practically extinct - more’s the pity! - and I’ve just seen an ad on Gumtree for a near-pristine 1997 Felicia 1.6 hatchback in Cleethorpes with a newish MoT which is clearly failing to sell at what I would have considered to be a bargain price of £1100. Only the now-rare but sought-after Fun pickups seem to be attracting classic prices nowadays. This leaves me in a quandary because now that I have recently scored 80 n.o. I am having to bite the bullet, draw in my horns, and look to sell my two cherished Felicias as I get my [third and final, wonderful] Dyane 6 back on the road. I’m advertising my 2000 Felicia estate in Oxfordshire on Gumtree for what I thought to be a very keen price in these parts, with a long MoT, of £750 but with scant success. So, I’m now having to rethink and ask myself ‘what price is likely to be right to ask in today’s troubled market?’. Has the UK market for classic Skodas now fallen so flat that we are reduced to offering our magnificent machines at ‘dodgy old banger’ prices?

Update - After days of struggling to use band and string methods to get in, and latterly trying to pick the lock without success, I concluded that to secure the necessary gap I would have to apply such force to the door as to cause damage This was unacceptable because she is in such splendid condition, and so I decided to bite the bullet and call a locksmith, thinking it should be a doddle to pick the earlier Felicia lock with the right tools. Well, I’m in again at last - at a cost of £89 - but the the guy who came round was a cowboy who, instead of picking the lock as I was expecting, used pneumatic pressure pads to force an alarmingly wide gap in the door. He was able to use a ‘grabulator’ to lift the locking button (ironically my own grabulator was locked inside), but not far enough to release the door. He was successful in the end in using a long wire hook to pull the keyring from the ignition switch, but left me very peeved to be landed with a permanent set of about a mm or 2in the doorframe. So, I live and learn, (especially to watch out for cowboys posing as locksmiths!), and huge thanks to all of you who have sought to help me out with this one.

Thanks, folks. I’m still struggling, having spent many hours grinding and hot-bending old hacksaw blades to make ‘slim-jim’ type tools to reach the lock mechanism by insertion between the window glass and the rubber seal. No success with this yet, because I have only very fuzzy diagrams of the mechanism inside the door. The slightly-ajar window has only about 2mm gap, and won’t budge. The smooth design of the manual locking buttons of course defeats some of the common means of getting in, and I’ve begun to wonder whether Skoda designers sought also to block slim-jim attacks. I am keen to avoid door-wedging to gain string or wire-hook access if at all possible, so would be very glad to hear from anyone here who has successfully opened a Felica using more gentle means.

After a long tiring day working on my lovely 1998 Felicia LXi with a view to getting her back on the road, I did the unthinkable and locked her with my only key and many of my tools inside. I was hopeful of forcing down a rear window which was ever-so-slightly ajar, but had no luck with that. Subsequently all attempts to apply ingenuity to gain entry have failed, leading me to think that Skoda security was pretty good back then. I’m stuck, and if anyone knows of a way in without causing serious damage I’d be ever so grateful if you could PM me with the secret. [ After a search of this forum I am encouraged by a post from forum member Ben Cordy, who said “I locked my only key in the current felly the day I bought it. Took the AA guy less than 20sec from arrival to opening the door, quite scary.” ]. As a rider, when I went ages ago to get a spare key blank, the shopman insisted that it was a chipped keyfob and a spare would be very costly. I think he was mistaken because she is the lower-spec model [ VIN TMBEFFC13W0743498 ] with a simple Yale-like key on the Skoda fob and possibly does not have the high-spec immobiliser - anyone know?

Thanks - I agree that definitely has to has to be first job. I had checked that the clip felt sound at the time but did not pause to withdraw it then 'cos I was taken short 😉 Trouble is that if it appears to be OK, I shan't know for sure whether I have cleared the fault. I am therfore still very keen to hear from anyone who has experienced similar difficulties for any more subtle reasons.

Came home from town the other day, stopped to collect a spare wheel on the way - then no start! Click and slight dimming of panel lamps on turning the key, indicating that some current was being drawn, but no cranking .... battery is fine, engine was hot ... checked battery terminals [the immediate suspect] but to no avail. Fortunately I was on a slight slope and that got me started, but after reaching my drive some 550m away and attending to the wants of nature - lo and behold - she was starting perfectly again. I had a similar incident just once before, last December, but she was perfectly happy again after a swift wiggle of the battery connectors. Has anyone out there experienced a similar issue? I am very anxious to get this sorted out because I was about to put her up for sale and don’t want sell anyone a problem ... right now I’m scratching my head and wondering whether to start drawing the fuses and relays in case of a dodgy contact. [Long ago I had a cold non-cranking problem one January morning on my lovely old Favorit, same !.3 engine except for the older starter. That time I finally traced the problem to a poor contact, slight damp corrosion of the main panel ground connector on the engine-room bulkhead hidden in the footwell somwhere above the pedals ... but not before I had spent the best part of the weekend frantically tearing out the whole facia assembly, mistakenly fearing some weird issue with the immobliser wiring].

Thanks, evgaristume, ... update: - fiddling with the free pushrods, seem just fine, don’t think that can be the problem. - yesterday I had already shot off into town to grab a can of WD-40, but I haven’t started squirting it yet, because right now I’m charging up a laptop in the hope of using a mini-borescope to look inside the cylinders, before squirting .. .but I rather doubt this will reveal anything much. - today I was able to slacken off the aux drive belt, and establish that I didn’t have a stuck alternator problem ... but the water pump pulley doesn’t seem very keen to budge, and I’ll now have to wait till daylight returns to apply investigation via a special wrench . - searching this site suggests that water pumps can be problematic, and corrosion buildup within it might explain the weird progressive development of the seizure ... so stand by, and I’ll report back if I discover anything exciting tomorrow.

Huge thanks for your swift and well-considered replies. In response: - agreed, further electric start attempts unwise whilst engine remains stuck. - How long since run? Can’t remember exactly, but I’ve been running every few months to keep things well lubed ( I thought I had run her in the last few weeks to use the brake servo, but I might well be wrong on that ). - I invariably start in neutral with clutch disengaged, so yes, the starter just stopped turning within 1 second ... and on a later attempt stopped after an even shorter interval .. and later did not rotate at all. By now, it seems clear that the problem is other than the starter. - Hand turning movement, just a few cm in either direction at tyre circumference (disregarding the expected ‘backlash’ slackness) to begin with, but now stuck fast. - Yes, it’s the 1.3 MPI petrol engine. - Seems hydrolock - which I at first suspected - can now be eliminated entirely because with the plugs out she is now still stuck solid . - I think a valve/piston conflict is most unlikely, everything looks OK under the rocker box ... and whilst I can’t check this out absolutely, now that everything is frozen solid, the progressive nature of the worsening freezup - in both directions! - would seem to rule this out. So, I fear that that you may be on exactly the right lines, Papez, in pointing to sticking due to some sort of corrosion effects. This is very puzzling given my care over the years to prevent this, and I remain very grateful for any possible suggestions for a fix.

. I’m struggling with the most frustrating engine problem I’ve ever experienced in many decades. Bear with me ‘cos I need to tell the long story, in case it offers any clues. Ten years ago I spent about 6 months seeking a replacement for my wonderful but moribund Favorit estate. None forthcoming, I bought my Felicia hatchback - then Sod’s Law self-activated, and my desired Felica estate appeared within days. Having bought the estate, I have kept the hatchback laid up as replacement all these years, and in that time I have taken care to start her at intervals and, in particular, to warm her up properly because I am sharply aware of the insidious corrosion damage resulting from switching off engines whilst still cool. Always started at first attempt ... until now, when I really want to get her back on the road. Starter began to turn then stalled. Aha, thinks I - just a bit of corrosion in the circuit causing excessive voltage drop thence inadequate torque, even possibly jammed ‘bendix’ because it was clear that heavy current was being drawn. Spent ages stripping starter etc. etc., but no apparent problems in the circuit ... oh, dear .. when jacked up to rotate crankshaft via wheel (as if to check valve clearances), very stiff, only moves a few degrees. Hmm, I begin to fear coolant leak to cylinder ... but no, reservoir level is OK. Replaced starter etc. still hopeful that torque shortage might be the issue .... but no, starter wanted to turn even less before stall, and now I can’t hand-rotate the engine at all even with the starter removed again. This is serious! ... but remains baffling. Rocker box off, no indication of dropped valve (and why should there be in such benign conditions) ... Plugs out, all good colour, and probing thro’ t’ plug’oles offers no evidence of moisture ingress. Any of you good folks ever experienced a similar problem? Anyone have any bright ideas?

Thanks, adamyt - please see your PMs

D.FYLAKTOS, my friend, I have much respect for your enthusiasm and dedication (and of course for Trusty herself) and thank you for this long thread in which so many interesting points have been raised. I hope you will forgive me for for coming in with a few questions and tips of my own which are a little off the original ‘scoop’ topic - from an old man who has for many years been keeping the good old cars on the road for as long as possible - but here seems to be as good a place as any. If whilst on vacation you have been watching your - expensive! - gasoline consumption, have you noticed worse-than-expected figures due to the unusual high temperatures in Greece recently? I am mindful that Trusty is no longer a copella - not a ‘spring chicken’ anymore, rather a very elegant, more mature lady but who can still run with the best of them ‘with her skirts up’. Some time ago you mentioned taking Trusty out on the National Highway for performance testing (with a wary eye open for the Traffic Police). This made me remember the opening of the first long National Highway in England - the M1 Motorway - and what happened next. It leads me to two important tips. 1. The ‘boy racers’ were suddenly able to drive their cars like mad on the new M1 (no speed limit back then) .... and did so ... much to their regret when they destroyed their big end bearings with excessively high revs. Here’s the point - most drivers are unaware that the inertial load on the big end bearings increases NOT with the revs, but with the SQUARE of the revs - so going from 2000 to 6000 rpm doesn’t increase this load x3, but x9 ! ... ouch !!. This knowlege has served me well over the years ...when I bought my Magic estate 9 years ago some bearing wear was already evident, so I have taken care NEVER to exceed 3000 rpm except in emergency - no hardship, and works a treat, she’s still going strong as ever. 2. The other thing that happened with the opening of the M1 Motorway ... one of the big oil companies staged a huge publicity stunt to promote their engine oil. They took six new production cars, drove each continuously up and down the M1 for 100,000 miles then stripped the engines and reported on the wear. I still have a copy of their glossy report somewhere, much to their glee the original machining marks were still visible on some of the cylinder bores and of course they pushed their results hard as evidence of the quality of their lubricants. Here’s the point - the oil company was perhaps a bit disingenuous because those engines were kept running 24/7 to clock up 100,000 miles swiftly, so they never had chance to get cold. Even then, lubricants were generally very adequate, and we now understand that really severe damage is caused by corrosive condensed combustion products if an engine is switched off before it is thoroughly warmed-up, rather than by oil problems. Accordingly, I have ever since taken care NEVER to switch off a cold engine, even when needing only to move a very short distance, but always warm up ... that also has served me well for longer than I care to think about. That will have to be enough for now, and I look forward to raising a few smaller points more directly relevant to the original questions if I may on your return from vacation.

Thanks folks for your replies - not what I wanted to hear, but just what I needed to know. This provokes a new train of thought. I had presumed that the ongoing popularity of the Fun with enthusiasts was down to sportier performance from the bigger engines fit - but now I see that the 1.6 MPI was only rated at 5 kw more than the 50 kW later-Favorit 1298 (136 code) engines, and the 1.9 D actually a bit less at 47 kW. Earlier this year I was astonished by the outrageous prices being demanded by the scrappies for now-rare engines and so I am wondering whether, if someone has invested many many hours and ££££ lovingly restoring a Fun only to be so unlucky then to be landed with a severely perknackered original engine, the 1298 power train might be a highly acceptable and economical substitute. Sooo, the question now becomes: - will the 1298 power train (with electronics) fit nicely into a Fun (without serious modifications) ?