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Thanks Ricardo!! OP

Hello evrybody. I need to replace the ignition coil for my skoda felicia 1.3 but I'm not sure about the right part to order. Currently I'm using a Bosch ignition coil, the blue one with a Toyota module attached to it. That's the way I received the car. But since a few days ago I feel a loss of engine power, running with a little bit of misfiring. The ignition cables are OK, new ones. The spark plugs are new, Bosch. I took the car to two different mechanics, both agreed that the coil is at fault because is not producing a strong enough spark. So, which ignition coil and module are the right for this car? Thank you! OP

Man, just listen to Ricardo. You just don't know that when you are posting a problem, you want Ricardo to read it 'cause he will guide you through the steps to solve it.

Got it. Well, I think then the installation of the fuel pump is done, fine and working properly. Thanks for your help and clear explanations Ricardo. Greetings from DR. OP

Thank you very much Ricardo for your answers. I really appreciate your help. I'm sorry that sometimes the way I explain my problems with the car is not well described or accurate. I recognize I lack the technical terminology. About the electric fuel pump being "better" than the mechanical one... this is just something I use to hear from some mechanics here, that an electric fuel pump is more efficient at sending fuel with more pressure to the carb. That's them using the term "better". I just wanted to know if that's true or false, as Skoda decided not to install this mechanical pump anymore but go electric. I was able to get the spacer from an old Felicia. It is in good shape, like new. I bought two gaskets for each side of the spacer, cleaned well the area where the spacer goes attached to, installed the pump, hoses, turned on the car and everything is smooth. One thing caught my attention though. Since having this car, the fuel filter was always half empty. It was like that for more than two years, so I thought it was the normal behavior. But with this new mechanical pump, now the fuel filter is full, having only a small air pocket at the top. Is that normal? I was reading from this site a very interesting discussion about that: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1661558/fluid-dynamics-of-an-empty-looking-fuel-filter Again, thank you very much Ricardo. Your in-depth knowledge about the mechanic of the Felicia helps us all here.

Hello everyone. My Skoda Felicia came with an electric fuel pump. Previous owner's idea. It was running fine for like two years but just a few days ago the car started dying while running. The engine going off as if I had run out of fuel. Waited for a few seconds, start the car again and it was fine until demanding more power/fuel: the car would die again while driving. The electric fuel pump is of course an ordinary/universal fuel pump. But now is shaky and has this loud, continuous clicking noise it didn't do before. So a mechanic told me that the fuel pump was going out. The reason, I think, previous owner switched to this electric fuel pump instead of the one that came with the car is that somehow it got damaged. I took it off and saw a lot of grey sealant. The reason for this is that the plastic spacer is broken in three areas, thus allowing vacuum to go out. Here in Dominican Republic to get that spacer is a bit hard. I could order it from Europe but it costs. There is a place here where they make the spacer using strong/thick rubber. I have already bought the mechanical fuel pump that comes with the Felicia but the store didn't have the spacer. Do you think it would matter if I use the rubber spacer with the same dimensions as the original? How do I install the mechanical fuel pump? Is just matter of sticking in the rocker arm, and put the bolt and nuts? Or needs the rocker arm to be inserted in an specific way? Also, is it true that an electric pump would perform better than this mechanical fuel pump? Thank you for your kind help.

Thank you Ricardo. I'll use this pic as a reference for the work to be done.

I was thinking on using a spatula to spread flat. I will only do that on two locations where I see the two most big holes. Then sanding a little bit the area to make sure it is perfectly flat and even with the rest of the surface. I read that after cleaning thoughtfully the pits to remove all rust, sanding a little bit inside the pits to make the inside surface rough, then heating the pit with a heatgun, that way I will have a better chance that the mix can have the best grip possible. When I start doing all this I'll take all the pictures I can to show the details.

Yes Ricardo I know. But is it either leaving the car parked for some long time until getting enough cash or trying this fix. I am not dismissing anything, it's that right now I just can't. Of course I would love to buy a new head. Do you really live in DR?? I will keep you posted on this if you are curious enough to see the results. You don't know if this prove to be something worth knowing about, be it for good or bad.

Please don't dismiss this idea as soon. Check out this product: http://www.jbweld.com/products/highheat-epoxy-putty Also please check this site where some guys have tried this method: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/i-need-a-product-to-fill-pits-in-an-aluminum-head.786577/page-2 I know that as Ricardo says, it is virgin territory. I think it is not going to remain virgin anymore. The pits where I will apply it are only two and are located beneath the head gasket which will be pressuring down hard. So I think the risk is minimum. I think that there is more risk on leaving the current condition as is as the coolant would slip easier because the hole will make the surface of the gasket uneven in that area. About repairing a cylinder head, it is not something so horrendous as it may seem, if someone knows what is doing. Check out this video about repairing a cylinder head with aluminium welding. Now the fixing work in the video I consider myself kind of not trustworthy as the part welded will be exposed to constant movement of the valve and explosions that may cause the part welded to crack and fail. But that is not my case as the area to be filled with the JB weld is protected by the head gasket pressure action. Some have also combine this work with a product added to the coolant in the radiator which then adheres to the head gasket sealing any possible leak on it. This is in deed way more cheap that buying a new cylinder block (around $360.00 dollars here in my country, Dominican Republic). If anyways this fail, I won't be wasting too much money and then I would consider buying an used, good-condition head block, and have it tested before buying it.

I can't buy an used head as I would have to do the same with it. Also it cost $130.00 dollars. Kind of expensive for me. I can't resurface more as it would affect the distance needed between the valves and the pistons. Do you have any idea what can I use to fill the holes with? Tig welding seems like the way to go with aluminium, but it is expensive. Some have used something called "epoxies" like this one: Devcon Titanium Putty High-performance, non-rusting titanium-reinforced epoxy engineered for making repairs to machinery and equipment that can be precision machined. Withstands heavy loads in hard chemical envirnoments. KEY FEATURES * Excellent temperature resistance (350°F)* High compressive strength (18,800 psi)* Resistance to chemicals and most acids, bases, solvents, and alkalis* Qualifies under Mil Spec MIL-PRF-24176C, Type I I think that as the filled holes are not so big and they are located under the head gasket, the titanium stuff will be pressured down, adding more grip. Some folks have done this and they say they have been driving for years after fixing this way.

I saw this site: http://www.enginebuildermag.com/2015/04/engine-block-and-head-repair/ Which metod of repairing do you think may work with the Felicia's cylinder head? By the way, what is this cylinder head made of? Aluminium or cast iron?

Will it work if I use a product like JB weld or Gunk to fill the little holes? Or do you know of a better product? Then brush the area to make it even with the head surface...I think that would be better than reface the head again. I know that even better would be to buy a new cylinder head, but I just can't afford it.

Thanks Ricardo for the suggestions. I will do the little housekeeping of my topics to have them in better order. About the HG: the last two pictures were taken after the first HG failure. After I had the cylinder head refurfaced the first time, the temp gauge was always between 70-80C, sometimes during a very hot day it would reach 90C at some time. True, that is not a normal behavior for the temp gauge. But it was after replacing the spark plugs when I started having the heating problem. I was driving the car without problem for like two months before that. Temp was ok. Coolant wasn't evaporating. No white smoke. My point here that I suspect it was due to the head not have installed properly. Also the guy applied engine oil to the head gasket, front and back. To the two of them. Is it needed? I think the oil will prevent a good grip between the two parts, as it is formulated to withstand high temperatures. Am I wrong?

Adding two more pictures.

Hello everybody. This is my nightmare: some month ago I had a blown head gasket. It was due to a leak. Took it to the mechanic. They took the cylinder head to have it machined flat. The result was as I show in the pictures. So put new head gaskets and everything was working fine. But two month later the engine started to heat up, specifically since two days ago. I noticed the temp gauge needle going up almost reaching the red lines. What I did was stopped the car and let it cool down a little bit and then continue driving. So the engine didn't heat up to the extreme. I parked the car and I have not been using it until I have it checked by a mechanic. But yesterday I was checking the coolant level and it was really low! But I have no leaks. So it is being evaporated. Also when removed the oil cap, found coolant/oil mixture white stuff!! By reading a very good post between Ricardo, Wino and fpga, I learned a lot about properly working and installing a cylinder head. Also learned that the mechanic missed some steps you mentioned like cleaning the valves, testing for leaks, and some other details. You mentioned about a guide Ricardo will realease soon about woking with the cylinder head. That would be really helpful for me as would like to show it to the guy that will do the work. My question: looking at the pictures I posted, was the flattening work on the head properly done? I still see some holes, kind of deep. I suspect the head needs more work or maybe it was wrong assembled, or bad head gasket. The engine did not reach an extreme heat level this time, but why the head/ head gasket failed to manage such temperature level? By the way, the heating problem came up after replacing the spark plugs and cables. I got the cables wrong installed a few times, the car refused to start, but later I finally put the cables in the right order and the engine started fine. However like three days later the heating problem develops.

Hey thanks jonnycilia for finally posting your work as you promised. I need to do the same some time later 'cause I have some water coming inside when it rains heavily so I will be using a good sealant where needed. Thank you Ricardo for the hi-res pictures.

"Felicia owner of the year" medal...that's a good idea! In deed that must be a pinned topic for someone that success with a DIY project. Thank you Jonnycila for your support. Thanks Ricardo for your investigation and thank you Wino for the diagnose. I have a lot of work to do this weekend: check the radiator fan contacts, check if I have thermostat, and check why the tachometer isn't working. I love this place!!!

No, I am not using the AC system. It is always off. So there must be a reason why the fan kicks in. Maybe bad wiring? Maybe the lack of thermostat? Maybe a bad fuse? Another detail is that the fan is running at high speed, always. Is that right?

That answer I got from that friend took for granted that I was using de AC, which is false. I have never used it so it is always turned off. So the question remains unanswered. But I will add this information to that specific topic so someone helps me find the reason why the fan kicks in as soon as I start the engine.

No, coolant level remains the same.

Yes please, post them! That would be really helpful.

Thank you Jonnycilia. I will do the same soon. I hope the housing is fine. But anyways, the fan kicks in as soon as I start the engine, I have been using coolant, no leaks, the temp sensor gauge goes up a liitle bit, like 75-80C sometimes. Am I at inminent risk?

If you have the speedometer cable, you need first to remove it from the transmission so that when you pull the dashboard the cable can slide along (if that frase is english).

A guy removing his skoda felicia dashboard.