makymak

Literally, Greece IS part of Milky-way. So is UK, though... I know I should be more specific on my profile. What about Orion-Cygnus Arm? 😇

Doesn't worth shipping from Greece...

Forgive me asking so many questions. The restoration of the Octy continues, not only on the body but also mechanically. I found I have an oil leak from the rocker cover. To reach it, I had to dismantle the whole intake manifold. I found that the internal flap that change the "length mode" has been removed probably because of cracking. Furthermore, the diaphragm that moves the flap has been busted. So, now I have a manifold that is always in the short and wide path (actually, it drives the air through both ways, long and narrow - short and wide). If my understanding is correct, this mode is when the engine operates at high rpm. Is there any serious impact I left it this way? The engine is running very steady, it accelerates very good and no lights on the dash. The only solution is to buy a new manifold. But they are quite expensive and it would justify the expense if only there is any big problem if I leave it as it is now. Thanks!

Hey, thanks! Do you find it any useful?

Sorry for the silly question... The previous owner had left in the trunk this net, sealed in it's bag. The car is a hatchback. Is this net supposed to be used with a hatch or only with the combi? Thanks!

@yo8aivI see on your profile you have a Fabia mk1. Here is the Octavia mk1 session and Octys have a lot of differences. On Octavia only the heated mirrors are monitored electronically. The rear demister is a plain electrical circuit (even not a single relay is used, only the switch). You could have more luck trying the Fabia mk1 session, instead. Edit: yes, the interrupted traces could have an impact at the Fabia since the central electronics module could monitor the whole resistance and switching off the circuit if any major difference is found. But I'm not sure about that.

Good news! It passed the emissions test! I took a measure at my trusted MOT garage and it was well bellow the limits. Now, I have to see how long the catalyst will last. But that's a whole different story... Thanks for the advices!!!

Today, I visited the exhaust shop and they admitted they used a generic O2 sensor and they have to replace it with a suitable part. They did it (in front of me, so to have proof they did put the correct part) and after that, they done an emissions test. Unfortunately, the result was the same: at idling, CO=0.2% and HC=300ppm and lambda=1.2. Then they informed me they had to replace the converter as they don't see any other solution. I was expecting them to blame the car for the high lambda (lean mixture) but they said since the car doesn't throw a CEL and the only error is the above (16804), they had to replace the whole catalyst. They welded a different type (still a ceramic one) and they said this specific catalyst is for Euro 5 emissions control while the previous was for Euro 4 (what my car is). They did again an emissions test and everything went back to normal. At idling CO=0.05%, HC fluctuating between 20 and 80 with a tendency to stay close to 50ppm (well bellow the upper limit) and lambda=1.06 which is still lean but I guess well acceptable. I still will do an emissions test at a MOT garage I trust, just to be sure.

Thanks, Pete And thanks J. R. If there are no leaks, can the after-cat O2 sensor be responsible for the engine idling lean?

Don't know for the moment if there is a leak. But can a leak raise the emissions, especially the hydrocarbons?

I mean the actual afr. I'd like to know if at idling this engine operates near stoichiometric or leaner. You see, today at my mechanic's we took some exhaust measurements and the λ was 1.2 at idling; very lean. If the engine is supposed to idling near λ=1, then this indicates the problem lies rather with the O2 sensor than with the actual catalytic converter. The one-million-dollar question is how much can the after catalyst O2 sensor affect the mixture (supposing idling is a closed-loop state). The pre-cat O2 sensor wasn't replaced and was working absolutely fine before the incident of the theft so I guess it still does. We have a suspicion that the after-cat O2 sensor the exhaust shop sold us with the cat is a universal one, modified to fit the harness.

Quick question: how much should the λ (lamda) be at idling? AVU engine.

Unfortunately, it didn't went well. After the catalytic replacement I went for a long trip (350 km). I then connected the vcds and it gave me the 16804/P0420/001056 - Catalyst System; Bank 1: Efficiency Below Threshold I went to the local garage (of my trust) and they measured the exhaust system. The CO was into the limits but quite high. The NOx same. But the HC were as triple as high than the limit, at idling. Above 300 ppm (while the upper limit is 100). This exactly garage had MOT'ed the Octy a year ago and the HC were 81 ppm at idling. I've done this year's MOT at another garage, after a major service (where some intake leaks were fixed) and the HC were dropped at 27 ppm (at idling), quite low for the age and mileage but still on the original catalytic converter. This test was made at 4th of January. Nothing was done on the engine during the last months. The only change was the catalytic converter and the emissions went to the roof... Tomorrow, I will book the car back to my mechanic. Any clues than the obvious (cat is not a quality part)?

Well, I plugged in the vcds and went to the dash coding. The original code is without the "Door open" function (according to the vcds pop-up instructions). When trying to put the code with the function activated it doesn't accept it. It throws me out and the oem code is returned. It's not a vcds problem since when I try to give a code with less options, it accepts it. Now, the question that matters. Is it a dash cluster's matter or central convenience module's matter? If I have to replace the CCM, it could be an easy fix (including the coding, I can do it) but to replace the cluster is a lot of frustration. My CCM by the way is the 1J0 959 799 Q which does not have remote locking support, neither screen washing fluid low indicator nor burned bulb indicator. Which version CCM should I look for? My car has all-doors electrical windows, heated mirrors and no sunroof. I know the last letter makes the difference, but what would be the best? For example, a good candidate would be the letter B which includes the remote control but I don't know if it supports my setup (windows and mirrors). Thanks in advance.

Yes, of course. If you bring your catalytic conv with you...

Well, the funny stories with my Octy continue... Yesterday, after a cool festival, I went to ride my Octy back home and... Grooommmm, vroom vroom.... Taking a look underneath and the cat was missing... "OK, Maky. Take a deep breath, you're covered by your insurance" but with a damn restriction: the insurance will cover either a new aftermarket or a used original part. This is my contract due to age of the car. Spoke to my mechanic and said the market of used catalytic converters is very problematic in our area due to the rising stealings. So, he gave me the solution to buy an aftermarket. He told me that an aftermarket hasn't the quality of an oem but it would be ok if a quality brand. Should I go with the aftermarket? Or should I pay the difference and go for a genuine (considering the price, I doubt it). I don't know even if VW has any availability for such an old product...

No such a thing exists. It has the rear mirror (which is attached to the windscreen) and the dome lights (the interior light plus the two map lights side by side). It hasn't got sunroof. It's a version without remote locking by default.

Hello once again! While restoring the Octy I would like to enable the door open and trunk open dash indicators. Unfortunately, they don't lit. It's not a malfunction since the dome lights turn on when a door is opened. So, the microswithes work OK on all the doors. It's a pity a 2001 car misses such a safety measure. My Fabia has it. Some more information: it's an Elegance with central locking but not remote. Could it be enabled somehow? Is it central convenience module responsible for the indicators? Or a cluster? Or a simple wiring?

No, you can't access them easily. They are inside the a/c box. You have to remove the dash, the main console and four bolts from the engine compartment side that hold the a/c box. Then you have to drill some holes to remove a metal plate so you can bend the base that holds the glove box (if you go the official way) or remove the whole dash strut. Then, you have to strip the actual a/c box. Plenty of work and time. Are you sure the temperature flap servo (V68) works ok? The error displayed is exactly that servo motor. And it's ages more easy to replace the servo than to inspect (and repair if necessary) the flaps.

The upgrade completed! Massive improvement over the previous setup. I guess the difference is mostly from the front upgrade. But I too like the view of the rear discs. The front 280mm look huge into the oem 15" alloys. Thank you all for the help!

A month ago I replaced the heater matrix on my climatronic. The whole system has four flaps inside, one for the recirculation, two directional and one for hot/cold. This particular flap is a piece of metal with big holes. It is supposed to be covered with foam, so the holes aren't affecting the air flow. In my case, the foam was, ehmmm, not there anymore. It was totally disintegrated. The result was the air passing through the flap and it always passed through the heater matrix. So, always warm air was coming from the vents. Also, would check the servo of this flap (if climatronic) or the cold/hot switch's cable (if standard heater).

Sorry, wrong information. Too many searching for my poor old tired brain. Rears 232mm x 9 mm exactly as @Carlstonsaid. By the way, @Carlston's info above are the most complete brake dimensions annex.

A 150HP 1.8 has rear a 256 x 9mm as mine (the whole beam) comes from this car.

@CarlstonThanks for the correction!!! I think it's useful for future reference!

Update: 1.4l 16v, 1.6l 8v and maybe 2.0l 8v petrol engines: - Front: 256mm discs/FSIII calipers Steering knuckles/bearing-caliper carriers part numbers: 1J0407255N/1J0407256N - Rear: drums or 232mm discs. TDi and maybe SDi diesel engines: - Front: 280mm discs/FSIII calipers Steering knuckles/bearing-caliper carriers part numbers: 1J0407255AG/1J0407256AG - Rear: 232mm discs 1.8l 20v petrol (inc vRS) - Frond: 288mm discs/non FSIII calipers with detachable carriers - Rear: 256mm discs (vented for vRS) To go from 256mm to 280mm we need to replace only the discs and the knuckles (bearing carriers) as the calipers are directly bolt on them. Same calipers (FSIII) and pads for both diameters. To go from 256mm/280mm to 288mm we need to replace the whole hub. Smaller rim for 256mm front: 14" Smaller rim for 280mm front: 15" Smaller rim for 288mm front: 16" Smaller rim for both 232mm/256mm rear: 14" These is what my tiny research gave me back. Hope it's accurate enough (feel free to make any corrections).