hello all ! i have an octavia 1.9 sdi 02 plate, the engine is running well and suddenly at times the noice just changes, it goes louder with a more of a knocking sound, and there is no power left when driving. you have to drive at high revs and it is really bad up-hill, then suddenly goes ok again at times.

I had something similar with a Xantia TDi, which turned out to be the cam belt tensioner. Result one very dead engine.

Unless you can positively, on basis of mileage since this was done, eliminate the cam belt tensioner as the problem, I'd say do not drive the car again, except to take it somewhere that is geared up to replace the cambelt using a full belt kit!

Well ended up taking it to the my local mechanic today, gave me a heart attack when told me to collect it, he said there is a problem with the fuel pump, could cost me in the region of £500-£1000, the pump was coming up on the diagnostics computer, but as he was not a specialist he told me to take it to another pump specialist who it is booked in for on monday, £55.00 an hour just to find the problem, but being a specialist he knew exactly what the problem was when i told what the car was doing but still had to check it and said would not take more than 1hour for the check, some kind of timing device on the pump which gets confused at times and delivers less fuel to the engine, so fingers crossed till monday.

Edited 17 October, 200817 yr by AYAZELITE

Well ended up with a bill of £900, at the end left the car with a bosch specialist in pumps and also in mechanics, he had the car for 3 days, at the end he found the problem was linked with the earth wiring around the gearbox which was left loose by the person who changed the gearbox and that caused the pump earth wire to short and ended up damaging the valve in the pump, also cleaned all injectors and by passed the damaged earth on the ecu, and gave me a bill of £900, with a 3 month 3000 mile waranty,:thumbdwn:

Ouch!! Will the specialist give you a letter confirming what you've just said? If so, then I think you've got a claim against the firm that changed the gearbox.

Well being just over a year and over 30,000 miles the warranty has expired on the gearbox, they would not exept liabilty for this problem, and you no what, the problem has started again, took the car back to the garage they kept it for a day and they diagnosed the fault to be in the ecu, not switching the valve in the pump which is causing the car to loose power especially up hill, it sometimes comes to a stand still goin up a hill somtimes:(, and told him not paying anymore money, and want it fixed, so he is trying to find a ecu.

Well being just over a year and over 30,000 miles the warranty has expired on the gearbox, they would not exept liabilty for this problem, and you no what, the problem has started again, took the car back to the garage they kept it for a day and they diagnosed the fault to be in the ecu, not switching the valve in the pump which is causing the car to loose power especially up hill, it sometimes comes to a stand still goin up a hill somtimes:(, and told him not paying anymore money, and want it fixed, so he is trying to find a ecu.

Old post I know, but I'm having the same problem with my Fabia 1.9 SDi The symptoms you describe are the same as I am experiencing apart from my loss of power is permanent not intermittent. What was the end result with your vehicle?

Thanks

powerloss could be caused by a dodgy maf - maybe? not too familiar with how SDIs work however....