Dear All,

I've had a problem with a hunting tickover since I bought this heap - occasionally the tickover just goes mental and jumps continuously between <500 rpm to 1500 rpm rather than a steady 700-800 rpm. It can continue like this for a minute or more until you rev the engine when it will then normally return back to a normal idle.

I had the throttle body cleaned and a computer throttle alignment done as per peoples suggestions and this improved it greatly but the problem has come back within a couple of months. Even when it is behaving itself with a reasonably steady tickover at 800 rpm, you can see the revs dip a little ever couple of seconds and the engine note change - it is almost like someone pinching and unpinching the fuel line.

Anyone got any further suggestions - is it worth starting to replace sensors and such like? A clean up of the EGR system? Is this problem related to the dodgy piston rings (I think it is still the originals)? I do drive the car conservatively so would an Italian tune up with some redex make a difference? When the throttle body was looked at earlier in the year, the garage did say that all the sensor readings were normal.

I'm really fed up with this car now, its been trouble all the way along!

Pretty sure last time you raised this issue we said to replace the coolant temp sensor, its an £8 part and is done easily (see the guides section). My car had the same problem and this sorted it out.

Thanks for the suggestion, I don't think it is the temperature sensor as the problem is intermittent, the temperature gauge on the dash/interior heater work perfectly and the car seems to get up to temperature within a couple of miles of driving as one would expect. I do notice that the radiator fan is rather prompt to come on if driving in traffic though if that means anything (i.e. when up to full temperature, you only need to be idling at standstill for 20 seconds or so even under mid-teens ambient temperature for the radiator fan to come on - I thought this was rather quick).

I've had a chat to a mechanic friend and he was quite convinced that it was the air flow sensor on the throttle. What do others think? Would this give an intermittent fault? How would this not show up on the computer diagnostics? Is it easy enough to change oneself?

Change the temp sensor

Change the temp sensor and clean the breather in the air filter.

I'll have a go at the temp sensor then. I had the breather apart a little while ago - the exit of the breather (i.e. between the air filter and the entrance to the throttle) was caked in oil droplets and then the little filter at the driver's end of the breather hose where it joins the up pipe was pretty caked up too. I cleaned this at the time as best I could and I've asked the Skoda garage to order a complete new pipe/integral filter (although they seemed hopeless at identifying the part number). I can fit this myself fairly easily. I'm just really annoyed at how unreliable this car is proving to be!

With respect, your mechanic friend clearly does not know about this engine,there is no air flow sensor, the throttle position sensor feeds into the ecu.

I think I'm right in syaing that the crankcase breather filter was deleted, there is an oil trap in the cylinder block where the pipe exits. I would try with it out, but do change the temp sensor - known problem, easy fix.

Thanks for the suggestions, I've just changed the plugs and the old ones looked healthy so no sign of burning oil so I'm presuming less likely to be a piston rings issue. I think I've identified the water temperature sender and also various other sensors that might be at fault such as the throttle position sensor. However, it'd be really helpful if someone could post a photo of the 1.4 16v engine with these various sensors pointed out and most of the technical guides seem to refer to the 1.4 mpi or the PD130 engines and the Haynes manual is useless. So the water temperature sensor, I'm thinking this is near where the radiator top hose enters the engine block, underneath the coil pack and has a steep downward angle so the sensor is pointing up and the wires are underneath? If so, that sounds a pain as you are bound to loose a lot of coolant changing it? I was hoping to get away with doing it in situ without draining the cooling system.

I did mine in situ and didn't lose much coolant at all. Just be quick and don't forget to replace the seal under the sensor.

My Alfa 145 did the same thing... three times over 100,000 miles.

And each time it was the lambda sensor.

Might also be worth trying the Cage Mod.

Thanks for the suggestion, it does smack of a fuel-air mixture problem of which of course the lambda sensor is an integral part. I hope the Skoda garage should be able to identify it from the readings on Vag com.

Thanks for the suggestion, it does smack of a fuel-air mixture problem of which of course the lambda sensor is an integral part. I hope the Skoda garage should be able to identify it from the readings on Vag com.

Perhaps, perhaps not.

I had one lambda that, even though it was still switching from rich to lean, was nonetheless gubbed.

Some more reading here (just in case you missed it):

http://briskoda.net/fabia-i/lambda-sensor-1-4mpi/124213/

This post echoes what I said about lambdas working 'within tolerances', but still giving running issues nonetheless:

http://briskoda.net/fabia-i/lambda-sensor-1-4mpi/124213/#post1452307

I thought I'd bring an old thread back to life as I've still got problems. So as you will have seen I've had a continual problem since I've owned this car of a hunting idle and less than smooth power delivery. Well twice last year I've had the throttle body cleaned and a computer alignment done and it has been great for a while with a steady tickover and better throttle response. The last time was in early November last year, along with an oil change and a clean of the EGR system by the local Skoda main dealer. Well I've done about 1000 miles since then, virtually all longer trips on open roads with a bit of town driving. The tickover flutter is gradually coming back - I've not had it surging violently yet as it no doubt will eventually do but I don't have a steady tickover at all, it just wanders slowly, especially dropping a few 100 rpm every few seconds. This weekend I had the complete momentary loss of power that sometimes happens (the revs dip to zero with severe retardation and then everything comes back to life as if nothing had happened within a second or so, with no warning lights). Also I'm down on power at low revs compared to what I'd expect - in fact it is completely gutless below 3000 rpm (more so than usual for this engine) and then I get a sudden surge of power above this.

I've had a wee look and the oil filler cap is caked in yellow emulsion (it was clean after the last oil change), also the join of the crankcase breather pipe where it enters the engine cover is also caked up with yellow gunk, much like mustard (I've been unable to source a replacement breather pipe without the in-line filter so far). I've not noticeably lost any coolant or oil and both look clean in the expansion tank and dipstick respectively and I previously had a pressure check of the coolant system for potential head gasket issues. The only thing I've not done so far is the coolant sensor as previously recommended but this surely wouldn't explain the gunk in the crankcase? I changed the spark plugs fairly recently myself and they didn't particularly show evidence of burning oil and as I'm not loosing oil I hope that it isn't the piston rings. I thought the fluttering idle could be the lambda sensors or the throttle position sensor but I wonder if the yellow gunk indicates a different problem or is just coincidental? Fuel economy of late (in low ambient temperatures of course) has been 40 - 46 mpg.

Any thoughts? I suppose I can get a local non-franchised garage to replace the coolant sensor (although I find it difficult to believe that this alone would cause all my problems). I can't believe I need to get a throttle clean and alignment every few months and any other jobs like lambda sensors or cleaning the EGR are going to start costing £££. Should the EGR system get clogged up that quickly? I've been trying to boot it a bit more under acceleration to keep the EGR clean and I've also done some hilly driving in the NY Moors so the engine has been under major load. I'm still worried by the yellow gunk.

A final note if it is of relevance, I put in REDEX fuel injector cleaner from time to time according to the label instructions and I've only been using Shell V Power petrol for the past few months in an attempt to stop this problem occurring - I assume that this petrol shouldn't be causing any harm?

The yellow gunk is not particularly unusual when the weather is cold. It is a mixture of oil vapour and moisture.

You need to clean out the breather pipe from the back of the engine to the air filter if it is getting clogged. I don't think that mine is as bad as yours but I do clean out the gunge from the air filter end every so often and find that this improves the way the car runs.

The car is designed to run on 98 RON petrol, do the V Power is probably better for it, although I can't tell any difference with higher octane fuel in mine, so I have gone back to Tescos finest 95 RON. The V Power will probably keep your valves and injectors cleaner which is no bad thing though.

I have replaced the front lambda probe and coolant sensor on mine and still occasionally get a hunting tick over.

Give the crankcase breather system a thorough clean out - pipe and air filter housing. I also change my oil every 5k miles with the occasional engine flush to help keep the breather system oil trap (in the crankcase) clear. This engine seems particularly sensitive to condensation and blocked crankcase breather, short runs and cold weather doesn't help. I also had a small problem with air leaking in at the egr valve gaskets - as they are metal they tend to get re-used but new ones sorted the problem.

I'll have a go at changing the temp sensor and cleaning the breather system then and see how it runs after that. I can't afford to start throwing money at it again so hopefully these simple things will make a difference.

I'll have a go at changing the temp sensor and cleaning the breather system then and see how it runs after that. I can't afford to start throwing money at it again so hopefully these simple things will make a difference.

Hi.

Have you been having any luck with this?

I have 2000 1.4 16V Fabia(~240 000 km) as well and been having all kind of "funny" problems from the beginning (car bought at 2005 summer).. I think that lambda(O2) sensors are replaced multiple times in Skoda dealer, sometimes that has helped and other times it hasn't. I think the car is just a big bunch of electric failures.

Anyway, back to story. The car started to be bit "sluggish" and "jerky" when pressing pedal to bottom at summer, especially after while driving and stopping. During the autumn the problem came out more clearly, it started to be jerky little earlier, even on almost cold engine.

The coolant temp sensor has been replaced, temperature gauge stays quite put, but some "sailing" still exists. Throttle body has been cleaned. I don't have access to VAG-COM yet as I'm having some communication issues with my equipment(but that's another story) so I'm unable to reset the codes and see if that helps.

But the thing that makes me worry most, is that after driving a while eg. 15 minutes, the engine gets warm and when you need to speed up little bit for hill or for some other reason, the engine warning light starts to blink and goes to "safe mode". After few minutes stop with the engine off the light stays put for a while, just to start blink again.

Has anyone seen anything similar?

The problems on this thread sounds exactly same as with my Furby and it would be nice to get this solved by myself. I'm going to give this solving few more tries and after that the car goes to garage.

BR

Toni

Just getting the same problem myself. 1.4 16v 2001, 60000 miles, average mpg of about 45, oil level & consumption is ok, as is the water. Small amount of emulsification on the filler cap. I also had the compression checked a few months ago and that seemed ok. Engine management light was on 6 month ago saying EGR something or other and an oil change and breather pipe and a few other bits seemed to sort it. The battery caused the EM light to come on a couple of month ago, and after putting a new battery in the engine started better and light was intermittent. The light is still on at the moment so first port of call is probably to get the codes read.

It used to do something similar, but rarely, when stopped at lights but a quick blip of the throttle seemed to sort it.

Just done 70 miles today, went home, then 4 miles to uni and was coasting in 1st when the kangaroo motion kicked in. Pulled over and the revs seemed to drop and rise. After blipping the throttle it leveled out and then progressivly started to rise and fall again. Im in a lecture now so Ill see if it will be able to get me home in half an hour. (Hopefully it will have had time to sit in the noughty corner and think of what its done!).

Im going to have a look at the breather pipe and see if there is anything going on in there as I did have some problems before with it a while back as mentioned above.

Ill report in with my findings:thumbup:

Thanks for the recent comments - with so many people having the same problems it can only mean that there is a design flaw in this engine (along with the suspension and so much else relating to VAG cars) which is infuriating to say the least. It doesn't help when the local Skoda dealer pleads ignorance about it, I'm sure they must have seen this problem loads of times and should be able to fix it straight off.

So I still haven't found a cure - it is great after a throttle body clean and alignment for a 1000 miles or so but then you can gradually see the idle get gradually more unsteady until you get this surging going on again. I've bought a replacement temperature sensor/gasket/clip but haven't got around to fitting them yet - I aim to report back when I've done it to see if it has made a difference.

So to reiterate, the problem seems to be that virtually all the time this engine has a slowly wandering/fluttering tickover, the commonest pattern is for it to momentarily dip 100-200 rpm every few seconds like someone is temporarily squeezing the fuel line but nothing too major. This then progresses to occasional more violent surging which is most disconcerting. The breather system/oil filler cap are prone to getting caked up with emulsion and there does seem to be much more oil entering the throttle from the breather system than I would expect or than is probably healthy. Finally there is quite a poor/lumpy throttle response with an awful flat spot until nearly 3000 rpm. Thankfully I've had no sign of warning lights so far. Then as mentioned above, just for fun, every so often the revs decide to momentarily die altogether leading to a severe retardation which is just plain dangerous if someone is following closely behind.

I'll persevere with it and report back any news (whilst saving up for a Toyota).

Edited 23 February, 200917 yr by tag1_uk

Have you cleaned the breather in the air filter housing yet?

Mine rarely give me a problem now and uses virtually no oil. I keep the pulling the hose off the side of the air filter (with the engine switched off) and checking that the breather is not blocked with mayonaise. You really need to change the temperature sender too.

Have you cleaned the breather in the air filter housing yet?

Mine rarely give me a problem now and uses virtually no oil. I keep the pulling the hose off the side of the air filter (with the engine switched off) and checking that the breather is not blocked with mayonaise. You really need to change the temperature sender too.

Checked the breather pipe on mine yesterday and although I only quickly had a look it seemed to be clear and its running nice again now. Bought a cheap ebay cable too so I can see what errors are popping up.

Is the temp sender fairly accessible as I might have a try of changing it myself at the weekend?

Ta, Mike

Dont just look down the rubber hose, look inside the spiggot on the air filter, that seems to be where the mayo collects.

The temp sender is pretty easy to change, just make sure you do it when the engine is cold.

My 16v is going at the weekend to be replaced with an Octy TDI.

Dont just look down the rubber hose, look inside the spiggot on the air filter, that seems to be where the mayo collects.

The temp sender is pretty easy to change, just make sure you do it when the engine is cold.

My 16v is going at the weekend to be replaced with an Octy TDI.

Havnt had a look down yet, but code read EGR: Insufficient flow.

Ill have a look down later.

Congrats on the new car

I had the same problem with my 1.4L 16v Octavia, the engine rpm would drop by 100-200 rpm on idle every 2 seconds and then recover, the problem only ever occurred during idling and was solved with a good clean out of the engine breather pipe and air filter unit including the little conduit inside the air filter housing where the breather pipe connects, cleaned all that emulsified oil out. Problem gone ever since.

Edited 3 February, 201016 yr by beercr8te