yorkshirecoble

Does anybody know what thermostats were used by Jorily in their modified (circlip type) housing for the 1.3 MPi? My thermostat does need renewal, but I cannot get a match for the one I have anywhere here in Galway. It’s brass and is smaller than that used for the standard housing. Dimensions are: 46mm Max diameter, 42.5mm o/a height, 23 high under the flange. Markings are: METAL – INCAR MADE IN POLAND 13620001 11C 88°C Any ideas what other cars used a similar type or a suitable part number etc?

Okay folks, I thought I had it fixed this problem as I used the car yesterday and last night with no problems at all. Today though, it's back to an erratic heater temperature and coolant leakage from the expansion tank. A new temp sensor seems to have cured the wild movements of the temp gauge needle and I fitted a new radiator fan switch for good measure. The old one was found to have actually worked a bit loose, but there didn't seem to be leakage from it. Also the heater is back to reacting strongly to engine revs. Whilst driving, it takes about fifteen minutes for the temp gauge to reach 95°C, then about 20 secs to drop to a (now) fairly steady 65 - 70°C and doesn't really go over 75°C after that. Stationary, this is how it behaves from cold: 0°C - 70°C - (15 minutes) 70°C - 80°C - (4 mins) 80°C - 90°C - (3 mins) 90°C - 100°C - (7 mins) At about 102/ 103°C- Radiator fan kicks in and runs for 2 minutes until gauge needle drops to about 93°C. I've done the one minute running from cold to check expansion tank pressure and it let out a short, soft 'pssst', but it always seems to hiss after running. Can't see evidence of oil deposits on the coolant surface, or emulsified oil on the engine filler cap and the engine oil level is fine as well. To Ken O'Neill: I have a new expansion tank cap on it's way, hopefully that'll cure it. To RicardoM: yes, I am interested in knowing how to check the cooling system pressure, and also how to remove the dash heater controls if possible. Thanks for the replies, I'll keep you all posted.

Recent posts by RicardoM in the 'common issues and solutions' thread on cooling system problems are a timely addition... In the last few days my 1.3 Mpi has had an interior heater problem with the temperature varying between stone cold and hot (all of it's own accord). The interior facia temp control has felt stiff sometimes and jams, but with a bit of pressure clicks past the 'obstruction' and resumes normal operation, so I thought nothing of it. I've had it in mind to get into that assembly to sort it, but suddenly the problem has got much worse. On lifting the bonnet yesterday I noticed the coolant was down to the low level mark and there was evidence of leakage at the expansion tank. With a top-up and a wipe clean I fired the car up: The heater temp was still sporadic and once warmed up I checked the hoses in the engine bay; all were warming up nicely and the top hose from radiator to thermostat housing was easily squeezed, therefore I assume that coolant flow is fine, the heater matrix is not blocked and the thermostat is likely to be working well, and there is no evidence of leaks anywhere except the expansion tank cap. Driving today however, the heater temp not only fluctuates but is reacting strongly to engine rev levels (speeding up and slowing down with throttle speed). The temperature gauge is also fluctuating as well, rising (only once thankfully) right up near the red before dropping steadily to about 70, then half-way, then down, then up and so on... On stopping the car and raising the bonnet, the expansion tank cap was hissing and there was quite a lot of coolant sprayed around the engine bay in that area. The tank level eventually settled to the minimum mark. I'm thinking there could be air in the system or the temp sensor may be faulty, but am concerned about the head gasket. What do you guys think? I'll have to get the spanners out now for a bit of tinkering, but in the meantime, any thoughts, ideas, suggestions etc much appreciated.

The last posts by RicardoM on cooling system problems are a timely addition to this thread... In the last few days my 1.3 Mpi has had an interior heater problem with the temperature varying between stone cold and hot (all of it's own accord). The interior facia temp control has felt stiff sometimes and jams, but with a bit of pressure clicks past the 'obstruction' and resumes normal operation, so I thought nothing of it. I've had it in mind to get into that assembly to sort it, but suddenly the problem has got much worse. On lifting the bonnet yesterday I noticed the coolant was down to the low level mark and there was evidence of leakage at the expansion tank. With a top-up and a wipe clean I fired the car up: The heater temp was still sporadic and once warmed up I checked the hoses in the engine bay; all were warming up nicely and the top hose from radiator to themostat housing was easily squeezed, therefore I assume that coolant flow is fine, the heater matrix is not blocked and the thermostat is likely to be working well, and there is no evidence of leaks anywhere except the expansion tank cap. Driving today however, the heater temp not only fluctuates but is reacting strongly to engine rev levels (speeding up and slowing down with throttle speed). The temperature gauge is also fluctuating as well, rising (only once thankfully) right up near the red before dropping steadily to about 70, then half-way, then down, then up and so on... On stopping the car and raising the bonnet, the expansion tank cap was hissing and there was quite a lot of coolant sprayed around the engine bay in that area. The tank level eventually settled to the minimum mark. I'm thinking there could be air in the system or the temp sensor may be faulty, but am concerned about the head gasket. What do you guys think? I'll have to get the spanners out now for a bit of tinkering, but in the meantime, any thoughts, ideas, suggestions etc much appreciated.

Okay, cheers people. The Haynes book states drilling the pop rivet. (I've not replaced a wishbone with a pop rivet fitted before); and yes, it must be there, as I suspected, for alignment purposes. Bizarrely, referring back to the Haynes, it actually states fitting the new rivet after fitting and torquing up the two bolts! Seems a bit of an afterthought that... Incidentally, the complete assembly cost €46 all in from www.irishautoparts.ie, (about £33 sterling and better value than euro car parts by the sound of it)!

Hi everyone, In the next few days the old felly will be treated to a new front suspension wishbone; and I have a couple of queries relating to this. First, there is a pop rivet that needs to be drilled out at the rear bush mounting; when fitting the new assembly, is it crucial that a new rivet is fitted? Secondly, in the event that genuine parts are not readily available: it would be handy to know the dimensions and thread details of A) the ball joint pinch bolt and, the front pivot bolt. Does anyone have this info? Any help/ advice much appreciated.

Replacement brake discs are on the cards for the old Felly and I have to say that an on-line search has turned up quite a wide selection of replacements. Here are some of the makes on offer: Eicher, Quinton Hazell, Textar, Delphi, Bolk, Brembo, Bosch, TRW, and so on. I'm not particularly overwhelmed by the choice but there are one or two in there that I've not heard of before. I have an inclination to go for brembos, but I do wonder how they compare to Bosch for example; Delphi I understand to be linked to Lockheed and have their rear brake shoes and spring set currently fitted, but what have the rest of you Felicia drivers fitted as replacements? Are you satisfied by your choice or have you regretted fitting that particular brand? (I'm not talking anything fancy here, just standard type solid discs).

Update: A new resistor solved this problem. Before buying the new part I re-checked everything again and was satisfied that all was in good shape. The apparent 'weakness' that I spoke of in my initial post may have been the broken brush holder spring or dirt, then again it could have been my imagination... Thanks to those who responded to my query.

Hi all, I wasn't surprised when the heater/ blower stopped working recently as I thought it had seemed weaker (at least on the lower settings). The fuse is fine and I stripped the motor out, cleaned it and replaced a broken brush spring while I was at it. A replacement relay #18 made no difference and the reisitor, well what can you do? it looks okay but may not be, so I 'cleaned it up'. It was only after replacing the motor and messed about with the switches that I discovered my heater was actually working, but only on the highest setting. Further investigation on-line turned up a related topic in the Briskoda Fabia section. Apparently if the resistor on a Fabia dies you are left with just the highest blower setting which, unlike theother three is connected directly to the motor. My question to those in the know (and before I splash the cash): Does the Felicia resistor work in the same way so that I can assume a new one will solve the problem? Any help appreciated.

Try: www.rexbo.eu (Germany), they have all sorts for Favorits (and Formans) from mechanical bits to body panels. They also ship to the UK.

That's a result. No faffing about on this one! Shows what can be achieved when you know exactly what you want to do, stick to the plan and go for it. Nice pick-up, well done.

Your coulor looks the same as my '98 facelift LXi and the code marked inside the boot is W959 which is a pearlescent paint.

Had this problem myself recently after new brake pipes were fitted. Fluid needed minimal topping up and the handbrake light was still on; back off with the cap, jiggled the float, and bingo!

Yeah, it's really annoying. Job's done now and the retest is 3rd April. I didn't think of crawling under the car to tidy things up, did loads of other stuff though, everything from air filter and valve clearances to new front strut top mounts. The only thing I thought it would fail on was the middle silencer (which sounds like a low flying Cessna), but they seemed happy with that!

Congratulations on the pass, and the mammoth mileage! I wasn't so lucky as mine recently failed the Irish NCT 'national car test' for the first time in my 7 years ownership. Only on corroded rear brake pipes though. Annoyingly, ex-mechanic friend had a look and reckons they're not bad enough to fail; I then took it to a mechanic to assess the job and get a quote; he also reckons that he would not have failed the car. Aarrrrgh!!