nicolasn

Sorry for the late feedback. Just to confirm that it was indeed a "beermat" head gasket problem which was successfully repaired with a new OEM part after a long wait.

Bump... Anybody? Nobody?

Thanks, TMB. Any comments on using sealing compounds as well? I am not a fan of extras myself, but a sealer (Indian Head) was suggested by the locals here in case of imperfections in the head. I prefer to make sure that there aren't imperfections but sometimes you can only do so much...

Thanks, Sepulchrave & Co for the comments. I am 99.9% sure the gasket that went on about a year ago was an beermat too (that is all that is available besides ordering an OEM) and seeing as it has problems already, I will rather wait and order in an OEM part. Will post again once I have the parts and the engine is open...

It take about 5 minutes, but you have to find someone in the country who has even heard of such a test.

As I said in my original post, nobody here seems to know about gas testing - not as a service or a kit that I can find.

Sorry, the crazy duties were a reference to complete vehicles, not parts. We were drifting off topic! Actually not VAG group dealer anymore, but they still source OEM VAG group parts. I purchased a brand new radiator there earlier this year. That said, I am planning to purchase a FAI Auto branded kit (https://www.faiauto.com/) and replacement bolt set. This appears to be a reputable supplier. The dealer which carries this brand will receive new stock later this month - gasket kits, bots sets, etc. He he. Pretty much everything is heath robinson here! You will only know whether to trust them once you have tried to use them.

Don't be too envious, it is not all it is made out to be. But to keep on topic , most of all practically every car here is of Japanese origin. Finding parts for European branded vehicles is difficult to impossible depending on what you need, and expensive! In fact cars in general are expensive due to 45% import duties plus another 50-120% (depending on factors) excise tax.

Hi Wino, thanks for corroborating my assumption. The spark plugs are on the front of the engine, at about 45deg into the head. I don't know how easily you would see the crowns of the pistons at the bottom of their stroke but worth a try. As I said, I am trying to use the car at all until I can get hold of the new gasket set. In the meantime, if I do use it, it has been only for short trips (+/- 5 minutes) and with the coolant cap loosened to avoid the build-up of pressure. I will have to deliberately set up a test to look for those symptoms but I agree it would be pretty conclusive. I have been trying to avoid the build up of pressure in the cooling system firstly exactly to prevent coolant entering the cylinder bores (I had a VW once which got coolant into the cylinder bores and it was never the same again) and secondly I am worried about the excess pressure damaging the radiator or other cooling system components. The head looks like this - 8V with camshaft in the block!

Hello Wino, I am loosing coolant but very little, like the difference between min and max marks. But then, I am not using the car much until I can sort this out. Yes, the engine is a bit rough on a cold start. It will idle ok, but tends to want to just die if you drive at all during the first minute or two.

I have a 2001 Skoda Fabia 1.4 MPI (8-valve, engine code AME) which I suspect has a leaking head gasket. The engine is running smoothly, but has the following symptoms: Water level is normal when cold but after being driven, it will be higher than normal. After being driven and then standing overnight (i.e. cold again), opening the coolant reservoir cap releases pressure. Significantly so, such that it appears to be boiling! There is no apparent sign of water in the oil, and no apparent sign of oil in the water I would like to be able to do a gas test on the coolant, but nobody here seems to know about such a test let alone offer to do it. The only test offered is a pressure test, but it is obvious that pressure is successfully being maintained in the cooling system if there is pressure after standing overnight, so that test is pointless. The engine had a complete head gasket kit done recently (about 10,000km / 18 months) ago, before I purchased the car. It appears from invoices, that the head also had a repair done although it is not clear exactly what was done - my guess is that some corrosion was built up with welding and the face re-machined. My assumption (yes, I know!) is that there is a leak on the head gasket which is allowing combustion pressure to leak into the cooling system. Is there any other possible way that the cooling system could be being pressurised? Thanks in advance.

I know this has likely be discussed somewhere else before, but I cannot find the correct terms to search for. Everything I search for seems to involve central locking and electrical issues. I have a 2001 Skoda Fabia with all manual door locks, and all four doors exhibit the same problem: First, unlock the door (using a key, or pulling the door release from the interior). Then when you pull the exterior door handle or the interior door release, it behaves as if the door is still locked. i.e. the handle extends freely but the door does not open. A soft knock (or sometimes a harder blow) on the door in the area of the exterior door handle "unlocks" the door and then you can open it as expected from the outside or the inside. On doors that only require a softer knock to release them, you can also press the door firmly closed (compressing the door rubbers) and you will hear a soft "click". After that the door will also open as expected. These symptoms are only present if the door has been locked. You can successfully open and close a door as many times as you wish, so long as you do not lock it. Also, if you only partially close a door and lock it (i.e. on the safety step of the latch) then you can unlock and immediately open it without having to knock it. These symptoms are evidently very common on this model - eight out of eight doors that I know of! Does anyone have any insight as to the cause? I seems like perhaps a weak spring or something similar but I would prefer to have some direction before starting investigations. Thanks in advance.