Drax

Hello All, Strange one - see what you make of this... I currently have the loops symbol flashing on the dash. Symptoms: - Get into car turn the ignition, not a peep from the engine, rear brake lights are on as if pedal is pressed (except its not). - Go back in house, wait 5 - 10 mins, come back, brake lights are off. Turn the ignition. Sometimes it starts, but mostly it will give a single kick. After several attempts it will fire up. Alterntively if I keep the key turned it will kick once, then pause for a few seconds and kick again. I then turn off the ignition completely and back on it starts fine. - Always on the first start in the morning - I've had it in temps of zero degress to 16 degrees and its the same. Even if I got to work for the day it will always start no problem in the afternoon. - Sometimes it will fire up first time! - Once engine is started runs without issue. - What has started happening now is the left indicator and the bonnet open lamps are lit but not fully - i.e like they are faded. They either fade out as the journey progresses or I've seen the flicker. Opening the drivers door makes the faded lamps go out! I've brought it to a main dealer - they told me it could take 10 mins or 6 hours. They spent 3 hours on it and couldnt resolve. I am racking my brains trying to figure it out.... Fuses look ok, bulbs look ok - would it be worth pulling the dash ot to check for loose wiring? I assume its a single block connector on the back? I though it might be water ingress but it doesn't really seem to be weather dependent, nor temp dependent. Just thought I'd post here to see if any ideas! Much appreciated.

Spent a bit of time locating the leak and found it coming from the plastic piece at the end of the head which holds the temperature sensor. I have removed it and found that the o-ring had split. Have a look at the attached pic - interesting what has happened here - the inner rim has been damaged and I have found a piece of the rim in the engine head - not sure where the rest of it is - I assume it has been washed further in to the system! Any ideas how this wear can happen if it is just coolant flowing through - heating/cooling causing to crack? Also I am concerned now that some coolant has leaked down into the clutch bell housing. I pulled the rubber stopper for viewing timng marks and noticed some coolant sitting on the flywheel. Is it possible for coolant to make the clutch slip or will it burn off after a good run? I havent driven the car much and certainly not up to full temperature but I think it might be slipping slightly although that could be my driving style - have been driving the girlfriends car all week with a grabby clutch Cheers.

Thanks for the replies guys...

Over the last few days, I've noticed a puddle of 'water' under my car. I checked the coolant tank and it is almost empty. I had a look yesterday and couldnt seem to find the source of the leak. I can see the coolant dripping from the back of the engine - It seems to be running down the back of the engine and dripping down finally running off where the gearbox and engine block meet. The dogbone mount is wet. However if I try and trace up I cant find the source, access is a problem.I have noticed some coolant sitting on top of the gearbox. Above that is a plastic thermo unit on the right of the engine which seems dry). I have checked some posts on this but cant seem to find much. My car does not have air-con. I am thinking water pump but only if it possible for the coolant to dribble down across the engine. Radiator is fine. This morning I bought some 'Radiator Stop Leak' sealant - but I am hesitant to use it in case it gunks the system up (I was assured by my local mechanic it wouldnt). I would prefer to locate the problem than this temporary fix. I am going to have another look later. Thoughts welcome! Cheers.

Well I feel like a right thicko now I had a closer inspection with a torch and discovered that there is a tiny crack in the metal that the bolt attaches to. Probably from pushing it hard into gear too much due to a sticking clutch! Nothing a washer cant fix. Thanks for the help

Thanks rwbaldwin. However if I place my finger on the circled bolt and press down the whole gearshift unit moves down - as if the two front bolts are only holding it on. If I was to remove the rear bolt and put if back with the flange on top then it would be rock solid. I would do this but just want to be sure in case this is designed maybe to absorb vibration or something?

Hello All, I've been sorting out my clutch/gearbox for some time now and finally it seems sorted - but while checking around the gear shift I noticed a flanged bolt which to me looks like it should be on top of the metal plate as opposed to below. Difficult to explain so I've attached a pic. The appears to be 3 bolts holding on the main gearshift unit - the front two are bolted over but the rear one is underneath the metal - This allows a small amount of play in the whole unit and to me doesnt seem right - If anyone can confirm this I'd much appreciate it! Also if the bolt is to be moved, it looks like the flange would push the unit down as the bolt is turned - would this cause a problem?

Lummox, once again you have amazed me with the speed of your reply! I will give it a go and and sure I'll just get a genuine part if necessary. All part of the learning experience! Are there any particular pullers you would recommend if I was to attempt the DIY option? Thanks dude.

Hello All. I've just bought a new wheel bearing for my front nearside. I will probably remove the hub and get the old bearing pressed out by a shop. The bearing I bought is not a genuine Skoda bearing - it is a VCL 1089 bearing. It comes with new hub nut, locknut, circlip and 2 nuts with washers attached. I havent actually had a look under the car but after reading one or two posts on wheel bearing removal - can someone confirm if this bearing will work - I saw one post (will try and find it) that mentioned that the ABS rotor is part of the bearing? I could be wrong in my interpretation. Many thanks.

Holy god Lummox! You must have this website connected directly to your brain! That's the quickest reply I've ever seen Cheers! A broken bolt? - thats all I need? I didnt even spot that! Any ideas? I really to need to remove that bracket dont I? I will probably end up drilling it out... Cheers.

Hello All, I've decided to give a clutch replacement a go myself and so far things are going ok. I am about to remove the transmission but I am not sure if I have the clearance. The transmission is a 02J type. I have lowered the transmission so I could remove the bolts that attach it to the mounting bracket. I have also undone the 2 large bolts that attach the mounting bracket to the subframe. My problem is that even though I have removed the 2 bolts there appears to be some sort of metal 'dowel' still holding the bracket onto the transmission (see pic). I cant seem to remove it because it is on both sides of this link point. Trying a suitable drift to push this out does nothing. Does this bracket need to come off. Looking at it, I need the clearance. Also any more tips from this point would be greatly appreciated. In the Haynes manual it mentions moving the engine forward to gain extra clearance but there doesnt seem to be much give in it and I dont want to strain the left side mount. Also what kind of distance do I need to clear the transmission shaft from the clutch? Many thanks in advance! By the way the Haynes manual for this is procedure is crap.

Hey All. Have just called up a breakers yard about getting a new gearbox for my car - 99 Octavia 1.9Tdi. They have a 2001 model gearbox available. Now I havent had a chance to get codes etc but the replacement one is from a diesel model. Is there a good chance it will fit?? I know its a pretty general question! Sorrry Just thinking about viewing it later....

Thanks guys. If I start it up in the morning when its cold its starts fine - straight away, just when its warm its hot it needs a few extra rotations. Maybe I will look into that temp sensor...

Lads, Just wondering... when starting up my Octavia when its warm - for example in a petrol station.. I notice it takes a few more turns of the starter for it to get going. I always thought this was a characteristic of diesel engines due to compression or whatever, but after talking to a local mechanic he told me "I dont like the sound of that... I deal with diesels regularly", even though I have never had a problem starting the car. Is this normal? Cheers!

Thanks dudes

Hi. Anyone know if it is possible to get my hands on a parts diagram for an Octavia? Usually its only main dealers who have it but is it publically accessible anywhere. Cheers!

Hello All, Picked some bushes up for my front suspension today (see pic) Reading the Haynes manual it says that you need a hydraulic press to remove the old ones. Anyone done this without a press? (A vice perhaps?) Also do I need to replace the bolts with new ones? It mentions something about 'self-locking' bolts must be replaced.... Thanks.

Cheers Phil. So that lower one is the drain plug yea? Did you put about 2 litres of oil in? DGW, I have one of those cans - good thinking! Might try that first.

I bought some new gearbox oil today (Castrol SynTran 75w90 Synthetic) and am going to replace the existing oil. From the picture attached, the top plug is pretty obvious but the rear one seems quite far back a possibly higher than the bottom of the gearbox. (Will all the oil drain out?!) However it seems to have the same hex plug as the filler cap. Also the filler seems quite a tricky thing to get to with an oil can - Any tips on this? I was thinking of running a hose down past the battery with funnel on top and go in this way Cheers!

Hmmm I thought the slave was the one bolted onto the top of the clutch housing and the master is at the foot pedal.... I was thinking of opening the whole lot to inspect synchro's etc...

I have my suspicions about a 3 pronged black box on the right side of the unit. Dont have a pic sorry! To be honest I couldnt 'see' anything wrong with it. I spoke with a techie guy I know and he told about something called a 'dry joint' where I tiny gap may appear in the solder. Sometimes heat caused it to expand etc - causing the intermittent connection. With mine, the alarm that signals that the lights are on when a door is opened also fails to go off when the needles fail so it maybe something to do with the initial power supply to the unit. ? All hearsay and speculation of course. And bloody annoying!

Cheers Eddy. But if I bought a second hand one, do you reckon I could take it to a Skoda garage and have them do it for me?

Sounds like my car Carl! It could be air in the system. Do you notice when pressing the clutch pedal it is initially soft? You might get the system bled. Could be the master or slave cylinder aswell - check for any fluid leaks around these. It probably is clutch related - was the clutch ever changed? How many miles have you done?

Hello All, Anyone here does a clutch change themselves? I am having a problem with sticky gears. I had the clutch bled last week and it is still giving the same problem. The mechanic mentioned that it the clutch plates may not be sliding along the splined shaft they are on. There is no leaks from the hydraulic system. I am wondering though if it is possibly the slave cylinder? Is there anyway to test this? I am thinking of opening up the clutch and having a look but I know it is a big job. Are there any specialist tools required for it? Many thanks!

Hello All, I appear to having the dreaded instrument cluster failure on my dash. I had it last year but I took the dash out, resoldered some joints on the board and it worked for 9 months! Now its is failing again and I'm getting pretty ****ed off with it. I am reluctant to resolder again as it was a bit hit and miss the last time! I am thinking of going to a local scrapyard and seeing if I can just get a new cluster but is it possible to swap one out... or is it in some way tied to the key or a code in the ECU? Also, is the mileage displayed going to be different or is this stored somewhere else too? Many thanks!