Morris8

This is a very old thread now but, given no resolution was posted, I thought other Mk2 Fabia owners might like to hear that I found a cure for this issue on my car. Hence I had an identical problem with my 2010 Fabia htp 70; i.e. revs at idle or with clutch depressed oscillating between 1000 and 400, almost stalling on occasion. In the hope of resolving this I’d done everything suggested here, including locating and repairing the infamous split servo pipe (yes mine was split too), but like here, to no avail. However, I was able to replicate the pull the accelerator pedal up with the toe effect, also noted here, which often resulted in a temporary cure even though, strangely, there was no actual movement in the pedal. In fact, it worked just as well pushing the pedal to the side. The answer was a replacement used accelerator pedal off eBay for less than £20. All you need is a torch, and a 1/4 inch socket set with a 10mm socket. There are just three nuts and one electrical connector involved; really straightforward. And you don’t need to mess about reprogramming the ECU; just attach the replacement pedal and drive off. The engine adapts in a few minutes. I hope this helps someone.

Having read the contributions on this thread and other forums I've found no-one who claims to have definitively resolved this issue; rather the general view seems to be that its most likely he high pressure fuel pump which can be noisy on some cars, including some from new, but not very noticeable on others. Significantly, Georgek said the noise went away when he disconnected the wiring to the hpfp; given this, I'm not sure why his VW dealer decided to change the lifters, and it's perhaps not surprising that this had no effect on the noise! I read of someone on a Polo forum who got rid of a tapping noise by replacing the tappet in the hpfp pump, but the noise returned in a few days, so no luck there either. At the moment the car runs fine, does not burn oil, has excellent fuel consumption, is not throwing up any codes etc. so I'm of the view that this noise on idle is more of an annoyance than anything else; i.e. unless it gets decidedly worse, and/or something obviously starts to go wrong with the engine, it's the sort of thing you could randomly throw huge amounts of time and money at for no benefit. Presumably most of these MK3 1.2 TSI models should have had or are due a cambelt change so that's a good opportunity to check the camshaft adjuster anyway.

OK , just to say that, as suggested by Wino, for my last oil change I used Quantum Platinum 5w 40 and poured about half a litre of oil into the filter canister before screwing in the filter. Much, much quieter on start up! A good result; thank you very much.

Many thanks for this reply. Getting used to the sounds of different modern engines is yet another challenge that old timers like me have to face. The agricultural sound of many modern units has a certain deja vu element to it. When I first drove an HTP the characteristic three cylinder thrumm, so beloved of many, sounded suspiciously to me like the gentle rumble of worn white metal big ends so familiar in my youth. In fact, other than the noise referred to above, the four cylinder 1.2 tsi engine in my wife's car sounds relatively smooth and quiet compared to many other engines I've heard.

I know this thread is rather old now, but I'm just checking whether anyone knows if this issue was ever resolved? I'm asking because I've just noticed that my wife's Fabia 2016 1.2 TSI 90 that she picked up a few weeks ago on just 23k miles is making exactly the same tapping sound as you can hear in GeorgeK's video. As in the video, you can hear it most prominently at around 1000-1100 rpm when revving slightly on idle, and it is not audible on lower revs or when driving along. The car drives really well; i.e. well pleased with otherwise. The car was serviced last July and it's only done a couple of k since, and was regularly serviced before then. If it is a rather noisy but otherwise 'normal' hpfp, I can (reluctantly) learn to live with it. But obviously, if it's a faulty camshaft adjuster or something else more sinister it'll need seeing to.

No I must admit I didn't use carbide lamps; even my Morris 8 had those new fangled electric bulb things. And I well remember some very dubious pub crawls in my mate's A40 Farina. Happy days!

Indeed, not to mention all that decoking and valve grinding; and it is nice not to need a starting handle in the depths or winter, or have those lovely Ford Pop vacuum wipers that come to a stop when you're going up hill!

Many thanks for these replies. As someone whose first cars had 6 volt systems and no flashing indicators it's taking me sometime to adapt to modern motoring!

Hello Everyone. My wife recently purchased 2016 1.2 tsi 90 Colour Edition Fabia which has these fancy LED running lights running along the bottom of the headlight unit. Given these look sealed into the unit, I can't see anyway of replacing them should they fail. So do I assume that I have to replace the whole headlight unit (a few hundred quid) if one of these LED bulbs fails? Another masterpiece of modern engineering? Thanks

Thanks for all these replies everyone. What I have ascertained is this for the Mk3 Fabia. 1. If the car battery is flat, and like mine, the manual lock is on the drivers door, you can gain access manually using the key, then if your car is deadlocked, you should still be able to open the bonnet by (carefully?) bending the release lever over the door trim (as I hoped). However, if the car is not deadlocked, then when you're in the car you should be able to open the passenger door with the inside door release and open the bonnet without bending the bonnet release lever. 2. If your manual lock is on the passenger door (pure Dacia) you're good to go at opening the bonnet by opening the passenger door with key, that is, unless you're up against some obstacle on the passenger side, in which case phone for a tractor or something. Having the lock on the passenger side also presents a problem if you're up against an obstacle and the fob fails for whatever reason. Does make you wonder though; if they have put the lock on passenger side on the Facelift model, is it because of the bonnet lever issue? At least the Mk3 Fabia has not got an electronic handbrake; they can be fun with a flat battery too. Ah, the joys of progress.

That's excellent; thanks a lot for your reply. Recently had to jump start my daughter's Yaris (battery stone dead after leaving lights on), so was on my mind!

Hello Everyone Sorry if this query has been answered already, but I can't find a thread on it. My wife has just bought a 2016 Mk3 Fabia 1.2 tsi 90, Colour Edition. In standard Skoda fashion, the bonnet release lever is on the LHS. No problem for my Mk2, as even when the passenger door is closed you can still release the bonnet. However, as far as I can see, with the MK3 you need to open the passenger door to operate the bonnet release lever; of so, then presumably if the car is deadlocked as it would normally be, you would not be able to open the bonnet if the battery were flat (so can't jump start etc.). So, two questions: 1. I note that with regard to the Octavia Mk3 (which has the same problem), some members have said that the plastic bonnet release lever is sufficiently flexible that you can still open the bonnet with the passenger door closed by bending the lever inwards as well as towards you. Is this also the case with the Mk3 Fabia? 2. If I have the car recoded so that it requires two clicks of the lock button on the fob to deadlock it (rather than one), like on most Japanese cars, then then in most instances the car would not be deadlocked and presumably it would be possible to gain entry using the key manually in the drivers door, and then opening the passenger door in the normal way using the inside door lever. Would I be correct in assuming this? Many thanks for any help. (Don't you just love the way they market cars these days; metallic paint, black alloys, bluetooth, touch screen, ticket clip on windscreen etc.etc. , but, by the way, if the battery is flat you're stranded because can't open the bonnet; great.)

Many thanks. Bought myself a rivet gun. Using it is less hassle than I thought (especially using aluminium rivets).

Hello, I’ve been following this forum for a while now and I’ve found it very informative so I wondered if anyone could help me with an issue I have with my Fabia Mk2 htp 12v 70 (2010, pre facelift). I’ve had the car for about a year; it has done 50,000 miles (i.e. approx.. 5000 miles a year) and has a full service history (the oil has been changed every year since new). I do a low annual mileage so I’m now changing the oil every 6 months (stop start journeys and all that). I’m using a genuine Skoda filter and Quantum Longlife 3w 30 fully synthetic. The engine runs well; it starts first time, sounds fine, and uses no oil or coolant. However, each time I start, whether it be cold first thing in the morning, or whether the engine is warm after a few seconds after turning it off, it makes a slight clattering diesel like noise for a brief second or less. I’ve had Golfs before with hydraulic tappets and I’ve never noticed this sound before, but having listened to a few allegedly ‘healthy’ Fabias and Polos starting up on YouTube this sound seems to be quite common in the this cylinder engine, so I assume there’s no cause for concern (?). However, I also noticed that when I started up immediately after changing the oil and filter I heard an additional and rather more pronounced rattle, again only briefly for about a second, but much more distinct and suspiciously timing chain like. Going from what I’ve read I’m guessing this is rattle happens because the tensioner needs to fill with oil after the oil change. Nevertheless, hearing it was quite disconcerting so I’m wondering is this common and ok, or again something to be concerned about? I’ve never heard it at any other time (i.e. only once briefly after the oil change), but even if it is a ‘characteristic of the engine’ it sounds so horrible I can’t see it being great for the engine, so I wondered whether there is anything that can be done about it. I can’t fill the filter holder with oil because it goes on upside down, but how about pulling the fuse from the petrol pump after an oil change so I can turn the engine over a few times to build up pressure before it fires? Your advice would be much appreciated.