R_Blue

I totally understand what you mean. Don't underestimate the power of your words too. When the need arises, I feel ready for another round with corroded freeze plugs. I'm sure the people who find this topic in the future will benefit from your description well.

Today I went to the hardware store where I bought the cable with a piece of old cable from the car with me. I compared them and they have the same thickness. Right designation is 10mm². They sell it regarding cables' outer diameters. That's a relief. When this was happened? So there is a friction point or another mechanical force causing this. I must reinforce that part.

Your car's name is Kathy right? So you have a full range speaker system in the front door including a tweeter and with the bass placed so delicately aimed at the lucky passenger's right places to give a massage while listening your favorite songs. 😉 and.....electric front windows? You let a genie out of a box. Wishing time.

Thanks a lot. You know, I got the inspiration from you. 😎 I also saw what happened with one of your sensor adapters. Favorit/Felicia dashboard parts are hellishly expensive. 😞 Not very informative too you know. My gauge was not dependable any more so there was no reason to keep it too. The info you have provided here really helped me to build this project this way. By avoiding an in-line sensor adapter, I've eliminated coolant leak risk. Just peace of mind. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I owe you 🍺

There are thicker than normal head gaskets. (2mm)

Before making the conversion, I tested the unit in hot water. I compared it with my multi-meter's temperature reading. They were the same.

Starter cable in my car is a separate one which is thick like a thumb. https://pasteboard.co/KeXBGYf.jpg You mean I need another one between alternator and battery?

I've been testing this for a month. I know, purists will hate this mod but my temperature gauge was getting stuck sometimes and not always showing the correct temperature. I also wanted a digital gauge for more meaningful observations. With some research and luck, this external digital temp gauge fits into the Favorit dashboard with minimum effort. I cut product's original external body. The wide part at the front. I did some modification on the retaining ring which holds the glass. To mount it into the dashboard, I've prepared a riser platform from a piece of plastic. Mounting with the riser platform is just like mounting the original analogue gauge. All procedure is completely reversible too. Sorry, but I don't have detailed pictures of the procedure but next time when I take the dashboard off I'll add more detailed pictures here. Product is from AX. Product code on AX: 4000581006537 I've ordered with 14mmx1.5mm sensor. Which is plug & play compatible with the car.

That can't be the clutch itself. You are a good driver. Your Felicia is lucky to have you as its owner.

There are still some plugs left. Sooner or later I'll be changing them too. I will keep this in mind. Thanks. Right. That is 6mm. I don't have a drift tool set. I just used different metal parts to hammer on. I tried different parts, hoping larger surfaces might not punch though easily. Better than a youtube video!

Hello Alessandro and welcome! I saw your car and it's truly a fascinating specimen. It's not related to your topic but may I ask you something please? You have one of my favorite accessory installed. The grille with lights. Is that an aftermarket part or installed on factory for special models? Where are those lights connected? High beams? Fog lights?

The problem was combination of various flaws of the whole system. I did this test before cleaning the slip rings and it seemed like it didn't work. I cleaned the slip rings later but I tested without those parallel cables. 😞 The problem has eluded me this way. I remember 6 was written on the cable reel in the hardware store but not sure if it was mm². It's the same as factory cable or thicker but absolutely not thinner. I'll check the exact value. Thanks! This means a lot for me. Thanks! The bearings were in a really bad condition. Finding that before anything worse happens was good too. Also, I've been told that, aftermarket alternators for Favorit/Felicia were too unreliable. When renovated, original Škoda alternators are wiser choice.

I've experienced this from firsthand now. All I can tell you is above video is a fairy tale. 🦄 This is what happens when you hammer the freeze plugs: So my freeze plugs started to leak recently. One 30mm right side of the engine head just above the engine number. The other one is the smaller 22mm from intake manifold. After replacement: I used a 6cm diameter short rod with a flat round end to hammer the plugs but after the very first hits, instead of moving, the plug started to tear open just like a tin can. 😠 The plug's rear side is too thin because of corrosion but its side walls remain their original strength. I couldn't continue to hammer from inside. I couldn't hammer from outside too because of damage risk to the plug housing. This left me clueless. Then dremel tool came to the rescue. I placed insulation tape over the tear on the plug to prevent metal dust entering inside of the engine. Using the flat edge grinding tip, I started to grind one side of the plug wall to structurally weaken it. I did this painfully slow to prevent over grinding and completely ruining the engine head. Eventually plug wall became thin like a paper at one side and I hammered again. This time it moved so I could pull it off. This happened only with 30mm large one. Small plug was teared too but it moved from its place. This work took all Sunday afternoon and it was very distressful too. Be advised. I really wonder how the professionals do this.

First of all sorry for the late reply. This problem have turned into an bottomless abyss. It took lots of work and trial&error because of inconsistencies. Also I had to deal with: - Completing painting car's bottom with anti-gravel before rain season. - Leaking freeze-plugs. - Leaking exhaust from manifold output connection. - Restoring sound system speaker connections. (Considering it as a luxury, I haven't touched the sound system since I bought the car in January. The car stereo wasn't even connected and sitting in the house. Now it's partly working.) Now to the topic: I think if enough time is given to the alternator at light load (day time), it will charge it eventually. I concentrated all my effort to clean the slip rings. I couldn't find a proper tool to clean them without taking the alternator off. So I improvised a cleaning tool. I glued pieces of sand paper to the tips of the old voltage regulator's brushes. Exactly the same size of the tips. Mounted the voltage regulator in its place and fired the engine. (all alternator cables disconnected) I let it run for 10 seconds. The result was %50 successful. One slip ring was cleared but the other one wasn't. Voltage change was negligible. I took out the alternator for better examination and cleaning the slip rings. Condition of the bearings was bad. They were making clicking sounds when rotated. There was a charred bee in the diode array too. For testing purpose, I cleaned the slip rings properly and tried again. Voltage output was increased! But still not acceptable. :( I took out the alternator again. I decided to make a complete renovation of this alternator. So I bought a new diode array. This one is a universal diode array compatible with 3+1 bolt connection. I think the extra bolts with cables are for Felicia 1.9D. (Tachometer feed?) I removed the cabled bolts by cutting their cables from the bottom. There are two D+ connectors compatible with other alternator bodies that don't have a separate D+ connector platform. I cut one and bended the other to opposite side of its natural direction to direct it towards the D+ connector platform of the old 55A Škoda alternator. I soldered the stator wires and the D+ platform wire. I cut the male connector at the bottom before assembling. I don't have the tools for bearing change so I took my alternator rotor to a machine shop. I've been told that slip rings are actually in good condition. Cleaning them was enough. So they replaced the bearings. Main bearing is a 6303-2RS. Secondary bearing is a 6201-2RS. Main bearing is secured in its place by three rivets. After all of these, I assembled the alternator. With great anticipation I installed it in its place to test the voltage AAANNNND.... It didn't work. 😞 No output from alternator. This left me with nothing but battery power. I decided to visit an alternator specialist for a test bench. I drove there on battery power. I took out the alternator for inspection. The technician placed the alternator on the test bench and guess what happened this time? It was working! He tightened the nuts of the diode table and gave me the alternator back. When I installed it, it worked this time! Luckily, the specialist didn't charge me for this. After going home, I replaced the flat washers under the diode array nuts with serrated lock washers. Finished? NO! Inconsistencies with the electrical system continued. 😞 It almost drove me mad after all I had done. The only thing left is the main cable and connectors. So I bought 6mm cable and replaced original cables from factory. Wiring loom is wrapped with insulation tape. One must unwind the insulation from firewall side to the far side ends with alternator connector. Also you should dissemble the glove box for ease of access to the interior side of the firewall. Main cable is divided into two near the battery. One end goes to battery, the other end goes to the fuse box and connected to the fuse box with a bolt and nut. I made the division at the fuse box connector by joining them together to the ring connector. I reinforced all ring connectors with solder by covering all bare copper cable ends at the clamps. I'm glad I did this. Because I found THE FAULT! The damn, terrible fault was the damage on the cables. There was additional foreign insulation over this part. So an owner before me had faced this problem. Someone knew this damage, but instead of fixing this, they had just taped it. You see the green dust already in the cable. That means copper had corroded from inside. The cables in the picture are main cable from alternator and the missing radiator fan cable. There is another story unfolded here. When I bought the car, original cable that must be coming from fuse no7 was missing. Now I've found this inside of the wiring loom laying damaged. I think, because of this damage, the radiator fan had became dysfunctional in the past. Eventually this could have been ended with this car's first overheating, followed by head gasket failure. They all knew this but didn't fix it. 😞 So, after alternator renovation and cable replacement new voltage readings are: (taken from hot engine) Battery terminals at idle: 14.16V. Full load: 12.5V Alternator terminal at idle: 14.24V. Full load: 12.72V Battery terminals at 1500rpm, full load: 13.64V Alternator terminal at 1500rpm, full load: 14V Turning everything on at the same time is a rarity. I used the car with night time regular conditions which was problematic before. Now the low idle rpm problem is gone. idle rpm is still affected from extra electrical loads like headlights, interior fan and radiator fan working together but it's not as much crippling as before. I did a little research for same era cars with similar alternator capacities. Some had higher rated alternators later years. I think 55A is the bare minimum so efficiency is very important. Whole electrical system condition is critical for achieving best efficiency and getting the most from your alternator. This includes all cables and connectors. If I had bought a 70 amp Felicia alternator before dealing with damaged cables, I would still suffer problems. Now I can live with my renovated alternator. Thanks for everyone contributing to this topic.

This was on the car when I got it. Maybe there was a discount on large batteries? All I know is, it requires two people to maneuver and lift it from its place in the hood. 😱

Thanks for all the help. What I've tried and found s far: All my previous voltage observations are from a voltmeter installed in the dashboard and not directly from battery terminals. The battery is a huge 72Ah. From a reputable local producer. Production date is 05-2018. Sealed type. Engine off battery measurement from battery terminals shows 12.7V. While engine is running at idle with no load, voltage is 14-14.2 max. While engine is running at idle and If I turn on electric appliances of the car, voltage drops to 12.3V (interior voltage meter shows this value much lower) I tried running a parallel cable from alternator body to battery negative. I tried running a parallel cable from alternator positive to battery positive. Voltages remained same. No effect. Voltage measurement from ignition coil 12V supply is like 1V lower than battery terminal. Running a parallel cable from battery to ignition coil have raised the voltage. So there is a high resistance connection. I removed all fuses from the fuse box and opened the ignition and there was still a voltage reading. That means car's original ignition supply is not fused!. I used a 15A fuse and a relay that feeds the ignition directly from battery. This raised the ignition coil voltage by 0.5V but still not satisfying. I haven't cleaned the slip rings yet. I will update this topic with more findings.

Unfortunately, part of a part class of products are usually the hardest to find.

Wow! That's great! Thanks for all the info. Next time when I have to make a points gap adjustment, I will start by setting this value. I'm thinking that too. Current R12 distributor is working but in the future I may return to electronic ignition.

Thank you! This really helped me. Pull up: Front wiper first speed Pull up second stage: Front wiper second speed Push the lever inwards: Windshield wash. Pull the lever to yourself first stage: Rear wiper Pull the lever to yourself second stage: Rear wiper + wash I repaired the rear wiper motor and it's working now. Those projects involves cutting that cover on the dashboard. I didn't like workmanship in the second. TC-6 is looking sleek. If it fails in the future, you could use its cover and buttons for a DIY project like those above. Cheers to that! 🍻

You were right. This post was in my mind all the time. How dependable was a 30yrs. old gauge? After installing the 82-92 fan switch, I observed some inconsistencies when the fan comes on and off based on temperature gauge position. I've discovered that, the temperature gauge is not moving smoothly. It was getting stuck only to be moved by external vibrations. When going on the road the car provides vibrations so the needle moves normally but if you are waiting in the traffic, the fan switches on with the needle showing the position where the fan normally switches off. When I tapped near the temp gauge with my finger, the needle was moving to its correct position! An analogue gauge without proper markings was very unpractical for getting accurate temperature data without guessing. You have built your gauges for this purpose. On top that, my stock gauge is not dependable with its current state! I had to do something about that. Thankfully I have a replacement!

Thanks for the quick reply. 🙂 I will try cleaning the slip rings.

I had this problem from the beginning. Voltage drops below 12V when moderate amount of electrical instruments are in use. It badly effects idle speed. It drops 900-1000 to 500-600. It gets harder to move the car from full stop at the hills without stalling the engine. Sometimes I have to press both pedals with my right foot like rally drivers or use the hand brake. Long story: I had this weak electrics problem from the beginning. So I installed a voltage gauge on the dashboard to monitor the situation. The car had some unacceptable mistakes to the electric system made by previous owners. I've replaced some of the connectors and cables. Corrected some wrong connections. Completely overhauled and reinforced the fuse box. None of these improvements totally solved the problem. Two weeks ago when I started the engine, I saw 17V from voltage gauge! I thought voltage gauge is showing wrong. It's a $1 part after all. I checked with multi-meter and it was right. Voltage was crazy. Luckily, I've read somewhere here about alternator problems. I already know that it's voltage regulator fail. So I turned on headlights, both fog lights, interior ventilation to max, rear window heater, radiator fan. With almost everything on the voltage stabilized at max. 14V at 2000rpm. I went to the nearest parts store and bought a new voltage regulator. So a $1 voltage gauge saved me from lots of troubles and probably lots of damage. So I have a new voltage regulator too. I hoped this would helped with the low voltage too but it didn't. Current state: If I turn on headlights or front fog lights (55W x 2) + interior ventilation (2nd or 3rd level doesn't matter), voltage goes below 13V. When radiator fan kicks in, voltage drops further to 12V. After that, it gets messy. If it's raining and I have to use the wipers, voltage drops to 11,5V! When I use blinkers voltage is dancing between 11.8 and 12. Anything below 12.5V heavily effects ignition thus idle speed and that creates the real annoying problem. Engine creates vibrations because of low idling speed and becomes very prone to stalling at initial moves going uphill. At the daytime there is no problem. Voltage will always be between 13.5 and 13.9. (All readings from dashboard source) I've already tried bypass cables directly from alternator to battery. Didn't have an effect. Old voltage regulator: New voltage regulator: Alternator itself: Condition of the slip rings: I can find diode assembly from local stores but I can't find any info regarding slip rings. Are they replaceable?

Thanks for the info. So I'll keep this part as a spare in the car. I've already told you that kettering arc distributor was a common modification for Fav. based vehicles with the reasons mentioned above. After some research, I also learned it's a common modification to replace Renault 12's original kettering arc distributors with local Fiat Regata clones' magnetic trigger type distributors along with their electronic ignition system! So there may be no logic in installing a R12 distributor to Favorit other than creating a lucrative "fashion" for the mechanics. I've learned that kettering arc distributor trigger has a special adjustment too. If I ever need to do that adjustment how can I make it? I can find info about almost anything Favorit related but R12 distributor on Favorit? Limbo. I may return to original system in the future but that means all parts will be from Vika.

Could you please tell me how to operate the rear wiper on a 1993 Škoda Forman LX? When I got the car, wiper lever was too loose it was turning on itself with gravity. I've replaced it with a brand new wiper lever. Original part from Czech Republic. Rear window wiper is not working too. I've learned that, it's a chronic problem because of some plastic cogs in the rear wiper mechanism. They sell rear wiper cogs in local stores but before attempting any repair I have to diagnose the exact problem. I couldn't test the rear wiper because I don't know how to turn it on. 😟 (Front and rear window washers are working.)

You are lucky to have a real electrician at all! Anyone who can join wires by twisting the ends together becomes an electrician nowadays. If I had showed this project to an electrician they would give me this face -> Can't describe it better. With TC-6, you've already made your own dream come true! 👍 I think, that's either for lazy people or just for showing off. In dark winter days, I saw people leaving their low beam light switches always on but weak battery performance in such days makes the crank harder so they have to switch it off and on again. In new cars, lights are automatic. A mod like this will surely give some new technology feeling. I think it is connected after the low beam light switch so if you don't turn it on, it won't have an effect. I've found a solution for the chronic broken interior light switch handle tip. I also have leds in there too. I'm planning to post a topic about that. Anyways, the second function is also for giving "a technology from new cars" feeling. I saw an Audi A3 yesterday and the interior light lit up just like mentioned in the project. After opening the door it comes alive gradually. After closing the doors, it goes off with a delay. With TC6 and your own modifications, you won't need much of this project's benefits. This projects main focus is pre-1993 Fav. cars. They don't have a tachometer too. I recommend people with old models to take a copy of the web sites contents before it vanishes from internet. It's a very valuable project both for car enthusiasts and electronic hobbyists. The Czechs really love their cars and I appreciate that. Do you like old style digital dashboards? Could you believe Lada Samara had this dashboard with a separate trip computer in 1989?