Problem whilst driving....

[niknak33]

I have a problem when im driving the car seems to jerk. The rev drops down rapidly and suddenly picks up again, its like someone slamming on the emergency brakes and suddenly accelerating feeling.

anyone else experience this problem. its really weird.

could it be the EGR value malfunctioning or something else?

[niknak33]

found out i have a code, its p0401, egr fuel insuffiencent. i had the egr valve replaced last month, what else do i need to do?

[ultra_joel88]

what year is your fabia and what engine?

[Cliveski]

I had this problem on a previous car . . if my memory serves me right it was caused by a dirty throttle body which was sticking . . or one of the HT leads needed replacing . . sorry can't remember which.

[niknak33]

the car, is a w reg, 1.4 16v elegance.

[ap0gee1978]

If EGR's been replaced, then sticky throttle body sounds a likely culprit. Nowt a bit of carburettor cleaner can't sort!

[niknak33]

if i use a carburettor cleaner, then will this stop the jerking of the car whilst im driving?

[Rob.]

Had something similar...

My last Fabia (1.4 16v Y reg) has been going through a spat of refusing to start sometimes because of fuel system problems. My Mechanic has just (we think) traced it to the fuel pump relay! (I sold it to one of his other customers with the understanding I'd pay for the repairs of this issue)

Could be a good place to start, though the error codes on mine was actually referring to problematic valves, injectors and pumps... apparently a bad pump relay causes the whole system to freak out... He rang an Audi guy he knows who supplies VAG parts, they had "lots" of the replacement replays in apparently.. hmmmm.

Rob :-)

[niknak33]

I did the read on the engine light, it came up with cylinder 2 misfire and EGR valve fuel insufficient.

I checked my oil today, its really low, only topped it up last month. Could this be from the problems in the EGR value.

Help.

[BoroSnowy]

Hi,

I'm experiencing similar problems to those above.

My Y-reg Fabia 1.4 has a really low rev count when idling and intermittently goes through stages where it often stalls when I break at traffic lights and in traffic jams.

It seems to start up first thing on a morning okay though.

Another problem it has that seems to be related somehow is the loss of coolant.

Despite having the rediator replaced about 8 months ago when I took it to the garage with the coolant loss problem, it is now losing it again.

When I have problems with the car stalling, it seems to be when the coolant level is low.

My knowledge of cars is pretty limited but does anyone know if these two problems are linked?

And if so, what can be done about them and how much is it likely to cost?

Cheers!

[missp]

I had similar issues with my 2001, 1.4. Felt like she was "pulling back" at times and stalled after being driven for a bit but no probs starting first thing in a morning. Seems to be rectified since Lummox changed the coolant temp sensor (I think) hope that might help some of your problems?

[tag1_uk]

Several related problems methinks, I've gone through all these on my own car - lumpy idle/momentary loss of revs at speed and so on - things to do:

Clean EGR system.

Clean throttle - do throttle adaptation with VAGCOM.

Clean the breather hose in the engine cover/air box, especially the in-line filter at the timing belt end.

New plugs - possibly HT leads too (I changed the coil pack as well for good measure).

Italian tune up with some redex in the petrol, perhaps stick to branded fuel I know my car works better with this.

New coolant temperature sensor.

The above should hopefully help. The over arching problem though might still come down to the known issue of piston rings with this engine - keep an eye on oil levels, condition of the plugs and so on. The person that was suffering coolant loss - check for yellow emulsion on the oil filler cap - it could be a sign of a head gasket leak - get a garage to pressure check the coolant system - alternatively there is a known weak point with one of the plumbing connections at the bottom of the radiator - check for a water leak from here.

[ap0gee1978]

There's a very good ( ) guide for the Fabia coolant temp sensor, here, which is primarily for the 1.4 MPi, but also has an add-in bit for the vRS. I must admit, it never caused poor running when it went on my or SWMBO's cars, although the idle was poor on SWMBO's. It's easy-peasy on the MPi, and a bit harder on the vRS (plus, needs a bit of G12 to top-up unless you got for a full drain) but in either case, if it's a suspect, it's worth replacing if only because they have a limited lifespan anyway and it's something a garage would try during fault-finding, but would obviously charge you the labour as well!

If you're losing oil or coolant at any significant rate (topping-up more than once a month or so, say), it's definitely worth getting looked at properly, though...

[Cliveski]

if i use a carburettor cleaner, then will this stop the jerking of the car whilst im driving?

You use the carb cleaner with a cloth to carefully clean the metal butterfly like flaps in the throttle body.

[niknak33]

thanks guy, im gonna hand it in the garage soon to get fixed. worst thing is, i only need the car till march, then im selling it, so much money is being spent on just keeping it going.

[karlbar2k]

when you do the throttle clean dont disconect the wiring to it! unless you have VAG COM to do the reset.