Hey, guys, I've been reading a lot around the forums ever since I got my Fabia 1.9TDI Elegance (year 2000) a couple of months ago. Briskoda seems a wonderful community and I really hope you guys can help me sort out two or three things about my Skoda that provoke my technical curiosity.

So here's what bothers me:

1. Whenever I get into reverse gear, I can hear a louder air ventilation sound coming from under the glovebox. I guess the air ventillation motor is in there, but why the increased sound? It disengages right after I disengage the reverse gear, so they seem to be connected in some way. Can you suggest a reason for that? SOLVED: By default the air recirculation mode engages automatically while in reverse (though the instrument light doesn't come up to warn of that).

2. At random times whenever I lock or unlock the car with the remote key the automatic interior lighting seems to malfunction resulting in "lights stay on" despite I've just locked the car or "lights stay off" despite the fact that I've just unlocked the car. To fix that malfunction, I just lock/unlock the car again and they return back to normal. It's so random and even rare that it spikes my curiosity more than worrying me or anything else. Any ideas on that one?

3. I recently started using the heating position of the air ventilation system and I noticed that the hot air coming from there smells quite funny. It's not an unpleasant smell, but a strange one - it as if you're smelling the dry hot air coming from a regular hairdryer. I've had and used almost 10 cars (ranging from old bangers to new ones) in my "career" and I've never smelled a similar thing coming out of a car's air ventillation system.

BTW The air filter element is new and I don't really think it has something to do with that, it seem to be connected in some way with the way the air is being warmed somewhere along the way AS THERE'S NO SUCH SMELL at the COLD position of the switch.

4. And finally, thanks to the excellent hands-on manuals found here around the forums I changed the evap temp sensor myself, which fixed the car's cooling. However, though most of the time it works perfectly alright, it seems that at random times the air conditioning struggles to provide cool enough air to do its job.

To better understand what I mean, here's an example:

I drive half a day and the air coming from the blowers is freezingly chilling. Then just out of nowhere it starts blowing air that's less cool despite I've made no changes to the controls. The air is still cool, but not quite enough and definitely not as chilly as it was earlier this very same day. The next day, it's back to normal again. I can't really reproduce it, so I can't get to the reason behind it. I've had the aircon system topped up with gas recently and it hardly needed any topping up, so I guess technically it's just fine. Any clever advice?

SO THAT'S IT GUYS. I really hope you can help me with some suggestions here as you can see my issues are hardly the type to take to the dealer's so I feel pretty stranded here.

Edited 13 August, 200916 yr by playtime
Typos!

1. Its to stop exhaust gases coming into the cabin when you go backwards.

2. No idea, but my Ibiza (same car in theory) never did it when I had a interior, I personally wouldnt worry about it myself but maybe thats just me.

3. I have to admit, I sometimes get this, check for any fish in the engine bay! hehe nah kidding again no idea, and I dont worry about that one myself.

4. Re-gas might be needed at a push. Mine Ibiza is near on 5 years old, and has never had one but then I never use the air con.

Help the 1st one helps really as the rest is me just trying to fill a post

Good luck!

I think I'll have the kitty in an omelette today, yum!

1. Is the heater going into recirculation mode, so it will sound a little different as it will use the air from inside the cabin not from outside.

2. Sounds like you might need to go back to the dealer.

3. might be something in the system. I just treed mine and i haven’t used the heater for a few mounts, it also smells a little like what your describing.

4. I am no expert on AC but it could be a faulty sensor in the system someware. I would get the dealer to check. The fact it is cold for a while indicates it is working but something is telling it to warm up.

You could try removing the pollen filter and seeing if theres any crap/ debris stuck in it could be causing weird sounds?

Its under the glove box.

Thats a good idea, and easy to get to!

The explanation by the first two guys seems to explain the sound pretty well - the air recirculation mode engages automatically (though the instrument light doesn't come up).

In regards to the air con I reckon it will be the evap sensor located somewhere behind and upwards from the headlight switch. I have the same car (2001 1.9TDI elegance) and had a regas which didn't see much improvement but showed no major system gas leeks.

The new evap sensor I could find for £23 plus £10 delivery but local skoda garage ordered and fitted for £50 which I went for.. though there are DIY manuals on here. Has worked fine ever since!

In reference to point 4.

Do you have the temp dial all the way down to blue or up around 18'c?

It could be that if you've got it on a number (or just not all the way down) the air con is reaching the temp the dial is set to so backing off to maintain this temp rather than continuing to cool. The thermometer for this is behind the little right hand grille on the control facia.. these can sometimes get full of dust and cause all kinds of mis behaving.. Mines been ten times better since I de-dusted it..

If you run with the dial all the way down then it should just keep cooling and cooling and if it's not it sounds like a fault. (Unless the aircon has a cool down period to avoid freezing up / over heating? But I'm just guessing now.)

In regards to the air con I reckon it will be the evap sensor located somewhere behind and upwards from the headlight switch. I have the same car (2001 1.9TDI elegance) and had a regas which didn't see much improvement but showed no major system gas leeks.

The new evap sensor I could find for £23 plus £10 delivery but local skoda garage ordered and fitted for £50 which I went for.. though there are DIY manuals on here. Has worked fine ever since!

Aircon evap sensor has been replaced with a new one (original part) couple a months ago. I did it myself actually. Before that the aircon wouldn't blow cool air at all - the very same reason I went to top the system up with gas - all in vain though, it was the sensor.

In reference to point 4.

Do you have the temp dial all the way down to blue or up around 18'c?

It could be that if you've got it on a number (or just not all the way down) the air con is reaching the temp the dial is set to so backing off to maintain this temp rather than continuing to cool. The thermometer for this is behind the little right hand grille on the control facia.. these can sometimes get full of dust and cause all kinds of mis behaving.. Mines been ten times better since I de-dusted it..

If you run with the dial all the way down then it should just keep cooling and cooling and if it's not it sounds like a fault. (Unless the aircon has a cool down period to avoid freezing up / over heating? But I'm just guessing now.)

I usually keep it at the lowest point - cold blue!

So I guess a clogged thermometer is not to blame here, right?

I'm not really sure about that (observation not really conclusive), but it is possible that the aircon problem is observed only when the outside temperature is quite high - over 32C (90F). And I also can be fooling myself, but it is possible that the air gets a little bit cooler if I keep the engine revved up. Does that ring any bells with someone?

The thermometer for this is behind the little right hand grille on the control facia

Mate which vent are you talking about here please ?

PS Sorry for the hijack:)

Either side of the AC / re-circ buttons are two little grilles.. it's behind the one on the right.

if you pull firmly but gently on the bottom edge of the trim it should pull off and then you can see the thermometer and the little PCB it's mounted on.

Carful though, I don;t take any responsibility if you brake the trim somehow

I'm not really sure about that (observation not really conclusive), but it is possible that the air-con problem is observed only when the outside temperature is quite high - over 32C (90F).

And therefore the ambient air entering is at a higher temperature but spends the same amount of time passing through the system.:thumbdwn:

And therefore the ambient air entering is at a higher temperature but spends the same amount of time passing through the system.:thumbdwn:

Could be the reason alright man, but I'm not really conclusive on that one plus if that's true, that would be the first car aircon I see that struggles to do its job at these temperatures - especially when fully gassed and everything...

I was wondering - I see a lot of Fabia owners have issues with some sort of air ventilation flaps - is it possible that I have some of those faulty (at times) as well?