Skodle

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) ?

Having no takers for my good salvaged Favorit parts which I advertised in the Classic parts section months ago, I am forced to the sorrowful conclusion that fellow enthusiasts have now become an endangered species in the UK, where the line seems to be continuing only in respect of Fun pickups. Determined that good stuff should not go to waste, I must try to advertise more widely .... as I took care to salvage the appropriate engine electronics, I wondered if the power train might also be suitable for Fabias .... only to see (on Wikipedia) that a VW 3-pot 1198 was fitted to the early Fabias. Does anyone here know whether the good ol' 1298 4-pot is suitable for Fabias?

Sympol, I had exactly the same problem a few years ago with my own Felicia and I know the pain! Before you try J.R.'s kind suggestions, here's what worked for me: - despite soaking with penetrating lubricant, I had sheared off the bolt heads in my heavy efforts to get the bolts rotating. - like yourself, I was very reluctant to face a drilling-out job so I applied more lubricant, cursing and having a think about the problem, and the next day as a last resort I tried using the existing nuts [ with suitable washer spacing ] to extract the now-headless bolts. - IT WORKED ! ... beautifully, saving me immense prospective hassle. One other thing - if you have applied serious heat to rusty stuff without success, for Heaven's sake don't let the 'cooked' rust get any exposure to water. In my experience, the chemistry which happens if it does makes things completely unshiftable.

After all this time, I am so sorry to have had no word about Milan whom I knew as top restorer, very skilled in dealing with the body corrosion which now seems to have rendered the truly splendid Favorits [ and now Felicias? ] a very much endangered-species here in the UK. Having had scant response to my ad. for my own salvaged Favorit parts in the Classic Spares section over the past few weeks, I am really sad to think that now so few are still keen to keep this excellent marque on the road here ... it would be tragic for my own good parts to go to waste, so I have now opened up said ad. to offers from any surviving fellow enthusiasts ... https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/511869-engine-gearbox-and-lots-of-other-bits-available-favorit-felicia-edit-now-open-to-offers/

Well, how about this? https://www.car.gr/classifieds/cars/view/331663033-skoda-felicia

No problem, Thefelicahacker ..... I was just able to save the power train and anything else I could grab quickly when the poor old rusty body had to be scrapped.

Nice one, toot, on both counts but I must resist the temptation to let this thread drift into a rant on excessive salting, and stick with the topic of spares 😉

Yes, D.FYLAKTOS, that's the one. You are so fortunate in Greece in not having your local councils speading thousand of tons of salt on the roads in winter - in the UK that was a killer of the splendid Favorits due to body corrosion, and now it is so sad to see the Felicias heading in the same direction over here. [I'm very lucky to have a couple of good 'survivors' of this]. Thank you for keeping your Felicia on the road, well done! However, my comments to TheFelicaHacker above about the prohibitive cost of of shipping stuff from the UK to Greece remain relevant. I have been impressed by the continuing ability of suppliers in Germany etc. to provide a very good range aftermarket parts for Favorits / Felicias etc. but 'big' items seem to be a problem now. So - whilst I'm here - I've been trying to find a replacement middle exhaust section for my Felicia estate for a long time now but the [very cheap!] German suppliers have long been mysteriously 'out of stock' for this one, or simply refuse to ship 'big' items to the UK anymore. I've only been quoted an eyewatering price for a new one in the UK ..... so ... does anyone here have a serviceable used one within reasonable collection distance from Oxfordshire??

I was puzzled, Thefeliciahacker, by your cryptic response - "what?" - until I realised you probably don't have access to the 'classic spares' section of the Briskoda board. Basically I have a good 1298cc 136 engine, complete, with electronics and ductwork, good gearbox and linkage, and minor quickly-removable bits like instument panel and light assemblies. However I fear none of this is going to be much use in your case because the costs of shipping stuff to Greece are likely to be prohibitive - unless you happen to know a trucker with spare space - and unfortunately it is looking unlikely that I'll be able to get over to your wonderful country again this year. Soon be 16th so Kala Pascha, filimu.

Oh, dear - 6 months and 200 views, but no contact so I'm concerned for Milan's wellbeing. If anyone out there is still in touch with him, please pass on my good wishes - if no response in the next day or two I'll post a list of my parts in the Classic Spares section.