Orange7

After failing to start last week my 1.3mpi now has a flat battery. Is it wise (for the sake of the ECU) to disconnect the battery from the car before applying the charger to the battery? Other than the loss of the radio code is there anything else to worry about if I do disconnect it? It seems that the head gasket may be on the way out - have not observed any overheating but there are signs of brown sludge accumulating in the coolant expansion tank and I think the coolant level may have dropped slightly in the last few weeks. Assuming I don't try to run the car like this for any length of time is there any risk to the engine if I try to get it started once the battery is charged? Thanks!

Had the same problem - missing clip. Local skoda garrage gave me a selection of C clips one of which was a perfect fit. Should be fairly easy to get some of these, either from Skoda or a model shop for example.

I want to check the oil level in the gearbox of a 1.3 Felicia. I seem to recall reading that its possible for the gear to fall off the end of the cable into the gearbox while doing this - Does this apply to the felicia? If so what can I do to prevent this from happening?

:eek: Try upgraded brakes and a flashing light to warn the locals that theres a nutter on the way. On a more serious note your profile states you are 18, I have no idea how long you have been driving for but please remember that driving involves a huge responsibility not just to your personal safety but also to the safety of others. Perhaps your speed test was a one off or performed off road (you mention track days in your profile) however I know that I certainly would not feel safe driving at that speed in my Felicia. The energy carried by a vehicle at that kind of speed is immense, what may have been a scary moment at 70mph could make national news at over 100mph. I recall hearing that stopping distance almost doubles between 70 and 100 mph at which point it could take almost 200m to stop! Rant over, Be safe.

Agreed. Not to mention the mechanical know how. Is there any chance you would consider filming the rebuild and posting it in chunks on youtube? Would make an excellent resource - I couldnt find a decent video of a engine strip down or rebuild when I was looking a few months ago.

There have been a number of posts on here in the past discussing MPG figures for the various Felicia models. I drive a 1.3 mpi, often in stop start traffic, and have noticed that my MPG figures change by up to 4mpg based on where I fill up. Supermarket petrol seems to result in lower MPG while fuel from Shell (not tried other branded petrol) results in better figures. Hope some one finds this of use!

You can get yours into second at that speed ?:eek: My 1.3 is reluctant to go back into second above 20 mph, attempts to encourage it result in a metallic grating noise from the box that im in no hurry to hear again !

Had a check that the breathers were not blocked today - checked two rubber tubes from the filler neck on the rocker cover to the throttle body. No sign of blockage and the air box was free from oil. Are there any other areas I should check - Didn't want to start pulling the tubes to the charcoal canister about if I dont need to. Would I be able to tell anything from taking the sensor out and looking at it ? The car is running well now but I know it has the ability to let me down which can be scary if it happens at the wrong time ! Tom - Now that the engine has been run with the MAP unplugged will the ECU be stuck in default mode even though I've plugged the sensor back in ? Thanks for the suggestions so far.

Thanks for the replies. Any idea how much this might cost Tom ? This rings a bell - The mechanic mentioned that the sensor was oiled up when he took it out. There was also a small amount in on the plug when I took it out. Not sure how it got in there but it looks like I may have to check the breathers this weekend. Would it be obvious if oil was collecting in the airbox ?

Could well be - The mechanic told me that this was the manifold absolute pressure sensor - Its mounted below and behind the throttle body on the inlet manifold. The photo of the plug that I couldnt post last night.

Good evening, I hope someone may be able to help me with a re-occuring problem. Sorry for the long post. Car: '97 1.3MPi A few months ago my car was off the road - a rough idle which became worse until the whole car would lurch violently when driving. This problem came and went until the car would struggle to start or stall immediately upon starting. I was told the MAP sensor was to blame and that this was a very expensive part, the mechanic offered to source a second hand part which I agreed to. I left the garage happy. The next day the problem was back, I cleaned the throttle body as described on this forum and had 2-3 months trouble free motoring from the car. The only difference was that the car had a tendancy to hold the revs just above idle for a second or so after releasing the throttle. I had not noticed this before. Today the problem re-occured, I was accelerating to 60 when the car began to lurch violently for several seconds, then run OK for 30 seconds and repeat. The car stalled at a junction and I got out to investiagte.... Visual check - OK Attempt to restart - struggles to start then stalls Blast of carb cleaner into the throttle body - struggles to starts then stalls Unplug MAP sensor - car started and got me home 5 or so miles without a single lurch. Can some one suggest what may be the cause of the problem - is the MAP sensor the problem or would unplugging any sensor cause the engine to run on default ECU settings ? Is it likely to cause any problems driving without the sensor plugged in ? Finally could someone take a look at the picture (couldn't attatch it but it some of the crimps are pushed back into the shell of the connector, I'm not sure if they would still make contact with the sensor. there appears to be some blue/green corrosion on the crimps also)- Can anyone suggest how the damage to this connector was caused ? The connector is keyed and will only go in one way. Is it likely that the mechanic did this on purpose to ensure that the sensor did not make contact with the plug and therefore stopped the lurching ? Thanks for the advice !

Thanks Fordfan. Unless there was a bodge performed at the same time the cable was fitted I'm fairly sure that the cable is correct - the linkage was fine until recently. I tried with a cable tie yesterday but was wary that it might cause the cable to seize. Might try again today with a piece of wire. Is there a parts list available for this car anywhere ? I notice that this part is not in the jhmbutt mail order catalogue.

Good evening, I attempted to adjust my accelerator cable today ('97 1.3 MPI) in the manner described in the Haynes manual. Unfortunately it appears that the clip which is used to adjust the cable is missing. Would this be a part stocked by a Skoda dealer ? Any idea how much it might cost ? Just over a year ago the accelerator cable snapped and was replaced at a garage (non-Skoda) The Haynes manual suggests that the cable should be adjusted so that the throttle valve just touches the end stop when the pedal is fully depressed. It appears that even with the clip fitted there is no way that the throttle valve can turn this far (Too much slack in the cable) - is it possible that the routing of the cable is wrong ? The accelerator pedal has recently began to sits well below the level of the brake pedal. Thanks for youe help.