MijIsTired

Thank you 😁 It’s satisfying isn’t it. Also (touching lots of wood) happy that have had no reoccurrence of non-starting since, though can’t find a reasonable explanation for that as it seemed to be lack of sufficient fuel to get a first spark up.

Got the little sod out. Had to fish around for a while, hooking out bits of O ring with an adapted paper clip. Glad the second one is green or I’m not sure I’d have spotted the remnants. Used a combo or torches, mirror (thanks @sepulchrave) and phone camera for the ability to zoom in. Ended up taking out both air hoses and the air filter housing (which was surprisingly easily to remove. Never had need before), and the battery. Disconnected one of the radiator coolant hoses and it was still a bugger to get to. @Breezy_Peteinvaluable info again, both about location and getting the connectors off. Watched videos, had a practice on more accessible ones and voila! That stage could easily have been where I got defeated without this intel. Massive thanks again to Briskoda’s finest.

Great, thank you. About to go in 🤞

Not sure whether to praise your prophecy or blame you for invoking it, but ta-da! Last night the ECU light came on to have a party with the red flashing temp, and OBD now shows 'low circuit' fault P011700. Intermittent Evap hasn't recurred though. Coolant level still fine. Red temp dash light coming and going, with no pattern/correlation to anything I can discern re driving conditions, start up vs mid-drive, load the engine's under, or even whether parking uphill, downhill or flat. So current plan is still to remove whatever's in the way of seeing it properly, check as much of the wiring to and around it, and unless there's a really easy to see other cause (eg dodgy wire), replace it.

Always delighted to hear about knacks for doing things. Consensus is to disconnect first, but other tips very gratefully received. OBDll had wild temperature readings from a stone cold engine, and others experiencing the same seem to find replacement = solved. Only error code is intermittent EVAP which I’m also replacing.

Thank you, I’ve seen some helpful posts about how to deal with it once you can get at it, but always useful to mine prior knowledge about best approaches. Mirror & torch - check. You underestimate my ability to drop anything, anywhere. Dexterity is not my strong point.

Thanks, at the moment I can’t get at it sufficiently to do anything other than just about touch it.

Thank you 🙂

Hello @mikkelvitus and @varooom, can I ask which, in the end, was the correct sensor: the black one or the grey one (as per your photos)? I’m having the same issue with both coming up in CTS G62 searches, and I’m trying to avoid dismantling mine twice: once to identify, and again to replace. Thanks 😊

… on a 1.2l tsi petrol, 2011? Now I’ve finally found it (thanks to the legends that are @Breezy_Peteand @sepulchrave) and seen how buried under hoses it is, wondering what the minimum number of things it’s possible to detach to make it sensibly accessible. Started with the chunky air cleaner hose but while I could shift the clips easily enough, the hoses weren’t budging so had to give up for the night. Wondered if it would be better remove the duct that comes off the top of the radiator, but the rigid plastic snibs that click it in to place are equally reluctant to give up. So hoping for pearls of wisdom about which one to concentrate on, before I get the better tools out and lose more time to things that may not buy me that much extra space. Thanks in advance. When I get properly in there I’ll do a few photos in case it helps those trying to do the same.

Adding this in case it's useful for anyone else: Seem correct for my Fabia Mkll 1.2 TSi 2011 Combi.

@Breezy_PeteTHANK YOU! I can see where I am now. Better charge more torch batteries… I know my way round that side a little cos of replacing a breather valve, but it’s very crowded when in situ, can’t see a blummin thing, so not feeling quite so stupid.

Thanks, yes, I did look at that. But despite usually having pretty strong spatial reasoning skills, I cannot relate that, or anything else I've looked at, to what's in front of me when I'm standing with my knees up against the radiator. I did get under the car to check the leak so I know where the pump is. I understand engine fundamentals, so I can figure out where most things are even if an engine looks totally different to what I was used to. But I have no experience (and apparently little understanding) of cooling systems, so I'm pathetically stuck.

Thanks @sepulchraveand I would, if I could %#*{%^ find it. I’ve looked at Haynes, at diagrams, at many photos of other people’s (slightly different) engines and I’m humiliated in defeat. WhereTF is it? Side note: it may be that battery is actually my non-starting issue. But anyway, that bloody CTS… Is it under something, which is why I can’t find it?

I know it's not people's favourite to reanimate an old thread, but as I'm getting exactly the same I thought I'd see if I could summon the gods of the Mk11 forum 😁 I know I have a coolant leak (I'll return to that...) BUT after getting 'ding ding ding red flashy' a fortnight after topping up, it happened while driving (usually happens on start up), and the coolant wasn't below the minimum. As we were under 1/4 mile from home, turned around and came back, and started searching here and YouTube So far I've: - Peered into expansion tank, but can't see sensors to give them the customary scrape, though I don't think it can be just that anyway, now it's thrown a wobbly when topped up. Ordered a new one anyway, as it's low £££ commitment. - Plugged in OBDEleven, got error code P0441 which I know is EVAP. I've read about purge valves and will come back to that, but can't see that it would be adding to warning light issues, and it's an intermittent fault that's been around for months. - Also looked at live data, when engine was pretty cool, and again today when stone cold, but engine not running. Seem to be getting some wild temperatures. But I can't find confirmation that live data even works with engine off (ignition is on though, obvs). eg Coolant temperature reported as 148degC, but ambient temperature looks about right for the weather. But I've not spent enough time with manuals and instructions yet to be confident I'm understanding what those readings all mean. - And last night, engine refused to start altogether. It's up on axle stands right now, as I'm trying to find the source of the (slow) coolant drip though I'm a bit baffled by the whole system, and it's really bloody hard to follow the routes of pipes and see what's where, and attaches to what. Will need to drop the car before turning engine over, cos not on an ideal jacking surface 😬 Does this sound like the same issue @cash3005had, and it's the temperature sensor, if the OBD11 readings mean what I think they mean?

Bumping for the next-week crowd...

Af'noon all. I knew this service was going to have some corkers, but looking at the list I'd really appreciate some experience re what I'm going to have to pay for, and what's DIYable for someone with no driveway, no level surface (though may have found a place you can hire to work, which has a lift) and has limited size/strength, though plenty of ingenuity. Thanks in advance 😁 Car is Fabia Mk2 combi/estate 1.2tsi 2011 - "major oil leak, needs cleaning off and further investigation" It's been using more oil than usual so not a big surprise, except scale of it. What are you go-to spots to check/find a leak, and what are my chances of getting at them / fixing? Photo by garage 👇 though there's a video that shows other views up into the engine, that might be more help. Will screen grab if I can. - "sign of coolant leak from coolant flange/thermostat housing". I was expecting this, but I've looked up the posts on here re changing the flange and it sounds feasible but requires other things to be dismantled. Does this need muscle-mass and axle stands? The quote is over £400, which may include time to be sure of the location of the leak, but perhaps also the labour for the faff involved? Photo by garage 👇 - "Front lower arm bushes worn". Again, seen threads on here that suggest it's not hard, but needs chocks/car lift, and strength, and possibly three hands..? - there are several things under the £130ish diagnostic charge. Is it worth it? Some don't need dx as I know exactly what's wrong with the passenger door window (switch needs replacing), but I don't know why the exhaust warning light is sometimes on and sometimes not, or why the timing chain is noisy. (I've been looking at buying a dx device but dithering) - "rear axle heavily corroded and thin at shock absorber mounting point" OMflippinG. £1200 apparently, but that's a dealership. I know the answer is 'no of course you can't do that on your own, pillock' but anyone have a good experience of getting the whole axle replaced by a (non-dealership) garage and it all be fine and worth the money?! Photo by garage 👇 which I think is the underside of the OSR shock mounting point.

@tootoh d’oh, sorry, you’re right yes I still have a 1.2TSI 2011. I wasn’t paying attention to enough specifics in this thread, while I was stress-scrolling through search results 🙄 Thanks for the link. I had the car from 4yrs old, had service history, didn’t see seem to be anything as interesting as that. Off to re-search for threads about coolant issues for TSIs, slightly sheepishly…

Resurrecting this thread, as I've have a 'red light ding ding' situation, twice in the last couple of months, having never had it in 12 years. Both times coolant dipped below minimum in expansion tank. Both times topping up = warning light off, everything running normally. Time to get out Haynes to find the [checks @J.R.'s reply...] overflow tank. However, as we're also getting the occasional EM warning light come on, but because it also shows up when the earth in the boot loom is flapping about (fixed once, needs re-doing having Learnt Lessons) I wasn't paying much attention to it. But mention of potential for a leak into EGR gases, that's worrying me.

Thank you. Feeling a little pleased I would have made the right call. Gaining slightly more electrical confidence (but not so much I'm dangerous 😉)

We're not at all limey, so to speak. I originate from a super chalky area so I know what that does to kettles etc and after years of use our appliances barely show a hint of deposits, let alone a build-up.

It reaches a decent height, so not a dribble, just the wrong direction. Can't vouch for identical pressure though, it could be a finer mist though as I'm always driving, I haven't paid detailed attention to that yet. Will get my passenger to gather data next time I need them 🙂

Thanks. I'm going to have a look at the existing ones anyway, as it feels like it should be something that's an easy fix if there's just some gubbins in pipework. But it's going to be a way down the priority list considering the multiple other electrical jobs I've got in progress. Thanks all 🙂

Yes, that was my understanding too. And the text with it states they’re not adjustable. I’ve now found a paragraph in Haynes that suggests they are, but I’m not convinced every model from 2007-14 has the same fixtures, as other photos & videos suggest not. If failure is common, perhaps I should be impressed they’ve held out for 11yrs. Still wish I could just stick a pin in it though 😠

Plus... what was this ⬆️ about?