fabia 1.4 TDI PD economy

[andycraze]

hi guys, new to the forum

just recently bought a used 2007 skoda fabia 1.4 TDI PD 80bhp with 26000 miles and am experiencing I think low MPGs which I find slightly worrying but I will mention a few details first

saw the car about a week ago at Waters Auto Planet in St.Albans, drove it around and thought it's well put together, engine sounded good, pulled like the diesel should, behaved good throughout, on the journey I managed to achieve 61 MPG and thought OK that's how much I am supposed to achieve driving 30 to 70 on a mixture of roads

bought the car, agreed with them to carry out a full service and MOT before I pick it up, they did so using Shell Helix Ultra Extra 5w30 fully synthetic, I insisted on an oil to follow VW standard 507 for diesels

a week later, on my journey back 100 miles distance approx, doing 60-70mph I only managed to achieve 52MPG at best, I was in no way aggressive with the throttle

I did another set of 20 miles journeys on top of the above from the dealer and also could not achieve more than 51-52 MPG doing no more than 60-65-70mph again not aggressive with the throttle

around town I get 40+ mpg

I am both confused and worried as I don't know how to address this, the engine looks and sounds fine, it pulls away like a tank compared to my old VW 1.6 16v engine which is supposed to have more bhp than this, but the MPG isn't anywhere near what I was expecting on long runs or even around town, reading through forums people say they get 50+ MPG around town and 60+ MPG long journeys

I would appreciate any input on this, if you have any experience with this type of engine or simply what do you achieve with a 1.4 TDI PD 80bhp Fabia?

many thanks

Edited 16 January, 2011 by andycraze

[raisbeck]

I wouldnt trust the onboard computer too much. Some over read and some under read. Some are accurate.

Mine reads over by about 7 mpg.

Fill your tank and reset the mileage. Nearly empty that tank and fill up noting the mileage and quantity filled. Thats the only method to get an accurate mpg figure. On my PD the trip computer starts really low so shorter journeys look worse than they are. After 20 miles my mileage is sometimes only 55 (I have a Greenline PD so it should be marginally better anyway). When I get home after another 30 miles I am up to about 72 indicated which in real terms is about 65 mpg. This is winter driving. In summer I get 70 mpg driving normally on long runs. Going from other posts on here a longer run should normally get you about 60 mpg.

I doubt you have a problem. Do a brim check to get an accurate figure. Also expect to be about 5-10% down on normal summer driving due to winter diesel.

[andycraze]

thanks for the first reply, i get your point i will have to wait and see, drive it for a bit longer, maybe diesel from other pumps will behave differently

60mpg as other people on the forum on the long journey is what i was looking for and would have shut up, 52 seems a bit low and that is stretching it really slow, i am worried because the only reason we took the plunge to a newer fabia is because of the cheap close to nothing tax per year and economy

also around town what's your town mpg?

anyone else in a standard non greenline?

[raisbeck]

thanks for the first reply, i get your point i will have to wait and see, drive it for a bit longer, maybe diesel from other pumps will behave differently

60mpg as other people on the forum on the long journey is what i was looking for and would have shut up, 52 seems a bit low and that is stretching it really slow, i am worried because the only reason we took the plunge to a newer fabia is because of the cheap close to nothing tax per year and economy

also around town what's your town mpg?

anyone else in a standard non greenline?

Town driving depends on so many variables. Starting and stopping really hits the economy. I pootled to Worthing and back today on the slow coast road with towns in between. Never got in to 5th once. 65 mpg. Very few stops as traffic was quiet. Kept it around 1500 to 2000 rpm for any gear used. Running the engine below about 1800 rpm on mine hits your economy. Need to keep that turbo spinning !

Your mpg will get better as you learn the quirks of the car. Took me a while to get the best out of it. I made the mistake at first of keeping the revs way down. I dont get out of 3rd in town unless I am over 40 mph. I wont even consider 5th until 60 mph. Forget what you learnt about driving a petrol car. Most efficient place to drive the PD imo is in the peak torque band. On mine thats 1800 to 2200.

Now where is Estate Man ?.........he will give you the low down on all things 1.4 PD related............Helloooooo, Mr Estate man "PD Post"

Edited 16 January, 2011 by raisbeck

[andycraze]

Town driving depends on so many variables. Starting and stopping really hits the economy. I pootled to Worthing and back today on the slow coast road with towns in between. Never got in to 5th once. 65 mpg. Very few stops as traffic was quiet. Kept it around 1500 to 2000 rpm for any gear used. Running the engine below about 1800 rpm on mine hits your economy. Need to keep that turbo spinning !

Your mpg will get better as you learn the quirks of the car. Took me a while to get the best out of it. I made the mistake at first of keeping the revs way down. I dont get out of 3rd in town unless I am over 40 mph. I wont even consider 5th until 60 mph. Forget what you learnt about driving a petrol car. Most efficient place to drive the PD imo is in the peak torque band. On mine thats 1800 to 2200.

Now where is Estate Man ?.........he will give you the low down on all things 1.4 PD related............Helloooooo, Mr Estate man "PD Post"

i live in worthing so our fabias might meet one day

it might be a matter of me adjusting to the engine as i was driving a petrol before, i will keep in mind the 1800-2200 range, but to think of it that's how i was driving my petrol

i guess the only real way to measure mpg is manually rather than rely on the on board computer

[seboni121]

hi guys, new to the forum

just recently bought a used 2007 skoda fabia 1.4 TDI PD 80bhp with 26000 miles and am experiencing I think low MPGs which I find slightly worrying but I will mention a few details first

saw the car about a week ago at Waters Auto Planet in St.Albans, drove it around and thought it's well put together, engine sounded good, pulled like the diesel should, behaved good throughout, on the journey I managed to achieve 61 MPG and thought OK that's how much I am supposed to achieve driving 30 to 70 on a mixture of roads

bought the car, agreed with them to carry out a full service and MOT before I pick it up, they did so using Shell Helix Ultra Extra 5w30 fully synthetic, I insisted on an oil to follow VW standard 507 for diesels

a week later, on my journey back 100 miles distance approx, doing 60-70mph I only managed to achieve 52MPG at best, I was in no way aggressive with the throttle

I did another set of 20 miles journeys on top of the above from the dealer and also could not achieve more than 51-52 MPG doing no more than 60-65-70mph again not aggressive with the throttle

around town I get 40+ mpg

I am both confused and worried as I don't know how to address this, the engine looks and sounds fine, it pulls away like a tank compared to my old VW 1.6 16v engine which is supposed to have more bhp than this, but the MPG isn't anywhere near what I was expecting on long runs or even around town, reading through forums people say they get 50+ MPG around town and 60+ MPG long journeys

I would appreciate any input on this, if you have any experience with this type of engine or simply what do you achieve with a 1.4 TDI PD 80bhp Fabia?

many thanks

I have the 1.4tdi 70bhp and its awesome really chuffed to bits with mine you need to have a word with estate man he will put you on the straight and narrow,but economic they are ,never get above 4th gear unless you get above 58-60 mph and you will reap the rewards you will be thoroughly impressed with your 1.4tdi

[raisbeck]

I have the 1.4tdi 70bhp and its awesome really chuffed to bits with mine you need to have a word with estate man he will put you on the straight and narrow,but economic they are ,never get above 4th gear unless you get above 58-60 mph and you will reap the rewards you will be thoroughly impressed with your 1.4tdi

I wasnt sure if it was the same for the standard 1.4. My 4th gear is near identical to fifth in a standard Fabia. So the figures you quote are about right for mine. Not so sure about the standard gearbox.

[GeneralPurpose]

Andycraze. I'm not sure I can contribute much to what has already been said on this thread...I think Andy, the guys have pinned it. But, I could just add that maybe your car may still have had some summer diesel in it if it had been on the forecourt for a while waiting to be sold, and this would have given you some better mileage to start with. Diesel doesn't deteriorate as quickly as petrol if left standing. I also agree with Raisbeck about keeping the revs up in or near the maximum torque area as that does give good mpg in the higher gears. On the standard model it produces 195nm of torque at 2200rpm. I use both the brim to brim method to calculate mpg and the OBC. My OBC is quite accurate most of the time too when I compare it to my pencil and paper method. Like has been said don't over use 5th gear under 55-60mph. It does labour the engine a little and gives fewer miles per gallon. I find above 60 in 5th is better and preferably cruising at 65mph gives even more. Mine is the standard car not the Greenline like Raisbecks. I think the only difference between the standard and Greenline gearing is the final drive ratio. The gearbox otherwise is essentially the same (it's used in the 1.9TDI also). You might like to try some Diesel fuel system injector cleaner at some point soon. I use Millers. It may never have had any used in it but most of us diesel heads use it once a year. That's all that's needed. It just cleans up the system and returns your injectors to near completely new performance. It does work. Raisbeck has also reported good results from using Shell diesel.

Once you have owned it for a while you will find the 'sweet spot' for engine revs and speed to allow you to get good miles per gallon. When the summer diesel arrives you will notice an immediate improvement too. I have found for example that driving on 'B' roads in the summer in 4th gear at 45mph I achieved 74.3mpg. I wasn't taking any real notice of the mpg either just trying to keep up with the traffic flow. Don't worry about the car...the 1422cc PD engines are incredibly tough, and almost never ever go wrong and just run for ever and a day without anything but normal servicing. They are that good! Keep posting to let us know how you are getting on.

FOOTNOTE: bumped into a guy at the garage the other day with a Mk2 Fabia hatchback (standard model not the Greenline) with the 1422cc TDI in it. He tells me he's had it from new and does 32,000 miles per year in it and averages 61mpg each year based on his receipts. He had done over 115,000 trouble free miles in it and has no intention of changing it. Phew!!

Edited 17 January, 2011 by Estate Man

[andycraze]

hi estate man, thanks for your input, yes it's true it might have been sitting on their forecourt or in a garage somewhere for a while with summer diesel, i have just recently put some millers as you said, and still got not more than 52mpg on a long run

also around town whats your driving style? above posts said to keep it within 1800-2200 rpm which sounds slightly under reved but does have pulling power, as I switch from 2nd at 2200 to 3rd it goes down to 1500-1600 which seems slightly under reved? will have to experiment and see how long a tank lasts me

it's reassuring to hear that the 1.4 tdi PD is being praised by others who have been driving it a lot more than me, I don't do more than 6000 miles per year so I will probably struggle to get the best out of the car around town

quick question about idling speed, when i turn the ignition on it seems to be idling at 1250rpm, after driving it a while it goes down to under 1000 but it seems to go up/down/up/down even then, also when in traffic it seems to go up, have heard about anti-stall or something along these lines, is this how yours is behaving? it seems it's not as steady as my old petrol which started at 1100-1200 then went down to about 800-900 and stayed there, but then im comparing technology from 2000 with 2007

many thanks guys!

[GeneralPurpose]

No...this is not correct. You should be idling lower at around 800-850rpm hot or cold. It sounds as if the battery was disconnected at the garage during it's time on the forecourt and maybe the engine idle which is linked to the ecu and fly-by wire throttle control is in need of resetting. There is a procedure for this that you can carry out without returning to the garage. Has it been doing this since you have had the car? It could be other things too...but prolly not. Come back on that last question if you can.

[andycraze]

No...this is not correct. You should be idling lower at around 800-850rpm hot or cold. It sounds as if the battery was disconnected at the garage during it's time on the forecourt and maybe the engine idle which is linked to the ecu and fly-by wire throttle control is in need of resetting. There is a procedure for this that you can carry out without returning to the garage. Has it been doing this since you have had the car? It could be other things too...but prolly not. Come back on that last question if you can.

yes it has been doing that since i got it, once it gets warm it does idle at around 800 but it does not stay there, it goes up then down, then up again...also while driving ive noticed today when i press the brake it tends to get the idle down from 1100-1200 to 1000 or under...

anyway idle seems to be over 1000 most times but strangely it goes up / down/ up down random

any tips on how to reset the ECU?

[andycraze]

quick update

took it out for a few drives today and noticed the following

start from cold starts at 1000 then in 3 seconds moves up to about 1250 (close to the first longer line which is shorter than at 1500) taking it for a drive it tends to stay at about 1100 until the engine warms up a bit, don't know how warm etc because i don't have a temperature indicator anywhere on the dash, at points when i press the brake revs down from 1100 to 1000, until eventually it drops down to under 1000 at 800-900 revs, stopped the engine, started up again within 1 minute revs were back up at 1100 and after 2 seconds up to 1250, as i pull away and get out of the drive, i go 1st and second gear, i brake and take it out of gear and then revs to down to under 1000 (800-900) at which it idles for the rest of the journey when not in gear, also after i drive it for about 15 minutes, stop the engine then start the engine revs are under 1000 as they should be

also would help massively if anyone knows or has checked what is the normal amount of fumes to come out of the chamber when you take the oil cap off with the engine running?

i get some fumes at times when the engine is running, they are not constant, imagine half the thickness of cigarette smoke maybe less than that even? is this normal?

there is no smoke coming from the exhaust and if i put my hand over it it does not even smell, there is air and i imagine some emissions coming out but as ive said my hand does not smell of any smoke or etc so this leads me to believe that the exhaust system is fine and no oil is getting any way to the catalytic converter, emissions should be well low for the 1.4 tdi as per the 30 pounds tax a year

any help would be greatly appreciated. thank you

[raisbeck]

quick update

took it out for a few drives today and noticed the following

start from cold starts at 1000 then in 3 seconds moves up to about 1250 (close to the first longer line which is shorter than at 1500) taking it for a drive it tends to stay at about 1100 until the engine warms up a bit, don't know how warm etc because i don't have a temperature indicator anywhere on the dash, at points when i press the brake revs down from 1100 to 1000, until eventually it drops down to under 1000 at 800-900 revs, stopped the engine, started up again within 1 minute revs were back up at 1100 and after 2 seconds up to 1250, as i pull away and get out of the drive, i go 1st and second gear, i brake and take it out of gear and then revs to down to under 1000 (800-900) at which it idles for the rest of the journey when not in gear, also after i drive it for about 15 minutes, stop the engine then start the engine revs are under 1000 as they should be

also would help massively if anyone knows or has checked what is the normal amount of fumes to come out of the chamber when you take the oil cap off with the engine running?

i get some fumes at times when the engine is running, they are not constant, imagine half the thickness of cigarette smoke maybe less than that even? is this normal?

there is no smoke coming from the exhaust and if i put my hand over it it does not even smell, there is air and i imagine some emissions coming out but as ive said my hand does not smell of any smoke or etc so this leads me to believe that the exhaust system is fine and no oil is getting any way to the catalytic converter, emissions should be well low for the 1.4 tdi as per the 30 pounds tax a year

any help would be greatly appreciated. thank you

On mine: Idle stays at about 900. Never moves, hot, cold, regen or anything else.

As for fumes with the oil cap off.........never tried it and don't plan to. I think perhaps your being over critical. Your always going to get some vapours in the engine for all sorts of reasons, the engine recycles all this stuff and takes care of it for emissions. Maybe give the car a bit of a run, keep the revs up and blow out any crap that may have collected from an over careful previous owner. Always a good idea to give it some stick now and again to keep the turbo vanes happy.

Dont worry too much about revs in town. I am usually between 1500 and 2000 in town. Its only when I get above about 45-50 I like to keep it around 2000.

[seboni121]

quick update

took it out for a few drives today and noticed the following

start from cold starts at 1000 then in 3 seconds moves up to about 1250 (close to the first longer line which is shorter than at 1500) taking it for a drive it tends to stay at about 1100 until the engine warms up a bit, don't know how warm etc because i don't have a temperature indicator anywhere on the dash, at points when i press the brake revs down from 1100 to 1000, until eventually it drops down to under 1000 at 800-900 revs, stopped the engine, started up again within 1 minute revs were back up at 1100 and after 2 seconds up to 1250, as i pull away and get out of the drive, i go 1st and second gear, i brake and take it out of gear and then revs to down to under 1000 (800-900) at which it idles for the rest of the journey when not in gear, also after i drive it for about 15 minutes, stop the engine then start the engine revs are under 1000 as they should be

also would help massively if anyone knows or has checked what is the normal amount of fumes to come out of the chamber when you take the oil cap off with the engine running?

i get some fumes at times when the engine is running, they are not constant, imagine half the thickness of cigarette smoke maybe less than that even? is this normal?

there is no smoke coming from the exhaust and if i put my hand over it it does not even smell, there is air and i imagine some emissions coming out but as ive said my hand does not smell of any smoke or etc so this leads me to believe that the exhaust system is fine and no oil is getting any way to the catalytic converter, emissions should be well low for the 1.4 tdi as per the 30 pounds tax a year

any help would be greatly appreciated. thank you

Hi is yours the 3 cylinder 1.4tdi as this is the 1 I have and if so you've got a problem there mine ticks over at start up around 1000 but once warm its never over 850-900rpm,you need to investigate it might only be a glitch but should'nt be ticking over at 1250rpm

[andycraze]

thanks for your input

the idle is definitely a problem on mine then, it doesn't seem to stay stable, also sometimes when driving out of gear it idles at 1100 when i press the brake the revs go down to 1000 then back up when i depress the brake, the same doesn't happen when stationary, it just stays reved at 1100, it's weird because sometimes it just reverts back to the normal behaviour idling uner 1000, then all of a sudden it goes back up again for no apparent reason, sometimes i turn the engine off and on and it reverts to the 1200 even after it was fine at under 1000, will have to get someone proper to have a look at it before i storm down to the dealer, but any initial thoughts why this could be? hope not faulty ECU possibly related to the poor economy

am not convinced about the vapour though, don't know if it should give any or if the vapour is just the oil getting hot in the chamber which like hot water will gives out some vapour, will have to keep a close eye

[andycraze]

Hi is yours the 3 cylinder 1.4tdi as this is the 1 I have and if so you've got a problem there mine ticks over at start up around 1000 but once warm its never over 850-900rpm,you need to investigate it might only be a glitch but should'nt be ticking over at 1250rpm

yes mine is the 3 cylinder 1.4 TDI PD with 80bhp, pulls like a tank for a little engine if reved i'm just not satisfied with the economy which leads me to believe as stated in above posts that there is a problem somewhere and hope to discover it fairly quick so i can get on to the dealer to deal with it

when it starts for maybe 1 second it stays at 1000 but within 3 seconds it gradually goes up to 1250...odd and frustrating

have heard some people saying about having the ECU re-flashed with updated software? maybe this is the case? hopefully nothing more serious that can't be fixed in a 'jiffy'

[raisbeck]

yes mine is the 3 cylinder 1.4 TDI PD with 80bhp, pulls like a tank for a little engine if reved i'm just not satisfied with the economy which leads me to believe as stated in above posts that there is a problem somewhere and hope to discover it fairly quick so i can get on to the dealer to deal with it

when it starts for maybe 1 second it stays at 1000 but within 3 seconds it gradually goes up to 1250...odd and frustrating

have heard some people saying about having the ECU re-flashed with updated software? maybe this is the case? hopefully nothing more serious that can't be fixed in a 'jiffy'

Give it a blast down the motorway.........

[andycraze]

Give it a blast down the motorway.........

done so already, no joy still same idling speed

i have found little oil being spilled by the side of the oil cap after taking the plastic cover off, its not a huge amount i think it's not sealed properly, it's not the oil cap as i have changed it already and still i found a little spill so it must be the whole plastic head where the cap screws on, also not sure is there a lot of pressure forming in that chamber with the cap on while driving hence the spill?

after driving it for about an hour this evening still the idle speed is variable, even when it is proper warm it's up to 1200, then randomly goes down to 800-900 for a while, then if i switch the engine off and on again it starts at 1000 then moves on to 1200, this is frustrating

i managed to get some good consumption though, mixture of clear town roads with some stops at lights mainly evening town with no cars around, 57mpg average but it felt that if i would have pushed it i could have gone 60+ so i think the in dash calculator is slightly off when it does a short trip calculation, also i am surprised something must have happened beacause on the trip before it didnt go anywhere over 52mpg at 65mph motorway but now on the bit of motorway that i\ve gone onto it was pushing towards 57-60 if i wouldnt have stopped at those lights and turned...strange!

hope nothing serious with the revs and oil fumes / burning smelly oil in the chamber

anyone know a good shop to take it to around sussex (maybe worthing, lancing, shoreham?) who knows their 1.4 tdi pd? any help would be appreciated, many thanks!

[andycraze]

quick update regarding the revs, i have discovered that when i pull the acceleration pedal, from the floor towards me the revs go down to what they should, idling at about 850, i've only noticed this after the car was warm so i will have to test again when cold to check if it will go down from 1250 to 1000 as indicated by you it should be warming up

pushing the pedal slightly to the side to accelerate, when revs come down they kind of stick to 950-1000 but then i pull the pedal like above they go back down to 850 as normal

this now i hope you agree takes the faulty ECU or etc out of the equation and points me to a mechanical pedal / wire issue, i've looked at the pedal and it looks to be electronically controlled, no wire etc like the old days so any help along those lines would be appreciated, many thanks

[GeneralPurpose]

quick update regarding the revs, i have discovered that when i pull the acceleration pedal, from the floor towards me the revs go down to what they should, idling at about 850, i've only noticed this after the car was warm so i will have to test again when cold to check if it will go down from 1250 to 1000 as indicated by you it should be warming up

pushing the pedal slightly to the side to accelerate, when revs come down they kind of stick to 950-1000 but then i pull the pedal like above they go back down to 850 as normal

this now i hope you agree takes the faulty ECU or etc out of the equation and points me to a mechanical pedal / wire issue, i've looked at the pedal and it looks to be electronically controlled, no wire etc like the old days so any help along those lines would be appreciated, many thanks

Hello Andy, sorry not to have posted back about your problem, I've not been about for a day or so. Anyway, as you indicate...you may have a faulty 'fly by wire' accelerator pedal from your description today. I take it there isn't any carpet/rubber mat problem holding the pedal from coming back up completely? So...it is known that a number of Skoda 1422cc PD engined Fabia's of about your year developed faulty gas pedals. These were made by Bosch if I remember correctly. Most should have been replaced by now if it has been serviced at a Skoda dealer. But yours may have escaped. I would not bother trying to look any further into your problem yourself, but just take it to your dealer. I'm assuming you bought it from a Skoda dealer, they will be able to fix it easily with no fuss. My initial thoughts were that the idle needed resetting, but your diagnosis may point to the pedal issue instead. Normally, the idle speed resets itself after the battery has been disconnected. If it doesn't, there is a procedure to follow to reset but I would hesitate to do it yourself, let your dealer try it if needed. Sometimes disconnecting the batery again and then reconnecting after a few minutes have passed can fix it but you shouldn't disconnect the battery without a good reason on a modern car. It can upset other things. If you have bought the car recently secondhand, it should be covered under warranty I would think.

Your mpg will vary from day to day to some extent due to weather conditions, temps, wind, traffic conditions of course, route you follow etc. Sounds as if yours is pretty normal actually. A faulty throttle control will maybe affect consumption slightly.

With the oil cap off the engine with it running you will always get some fumes coming out of the oil filler hole. This is completely normal and is mostly steam from condensation in the engine. If the engine is very very worn or the engine breather is blocked you may get some blue smoke or high pressures coming from the oil filler. I doubt you engine breather is blocked or the engine worn. These engines can cover huge mileages without problems. Post back asap with any results for a visit to the garage if you can. Ta!

[andycraze]

hey estate man, thank you so much for your input, i think i may have solved the idle speed problem...almost, glad it's not the ect etc i will have to drive it more thoroughly in the next few days

essentially after you said idle could be reset somehow and read someone detailing a method to reset vag engines ecu to clear all errors etc although mine was not displaying any in the dash, disconnected the battery, left it for about 1 hour, then connected back, put the ignition on (just the lights no engine running) left it for 3 minutes like that, then took keys out and started engine, idle was again irratic so i assumed then this didn't help anything, only today it popped into my mind to pull the pedal with my foot...which horray has solved my idling problem...almost

what it does now it starts perfect as you said idling at 850 cold or warm, the reset last night could have done something though, i also read somewhere that you need to drive the car for it to read back all the driving data etc...which i did, but when driving now obviously pressing the acceleration it sticks very lightly at about 900...when i pull the pedal every single time it returns to 850

i had a look at the pedal and there is not cable etc it looks like a sealed cog, don't know how the mechanism works further than that, i assume it's an electronically controlled pedal which sends the signal further not an old fashioned wire?

have found some slight oil stains near the cap at the top, as you remove the big TDI cover you know the oil filler cap sits on a plastic mounted head i assume the seal is gone on that because i replaced the cap and i still had some stains, it's not a huge amount of oil, only maybe 2-3 finger nail stains every 50 miles of nice driving, but on a long aggressive journey i had more than that, there are signs of oil previously escaping through there, not a huge amount as there is no mark of stain anywhere else under the engine or on other parts just on the top cover, no broken seals or etc i would have noticed on the under engine cover or actually under the car or on hoses etc...

im in the middle of a project at the moment so have no time to take it back to a dealer, it's not a skoda dealer unfortunately, they are a franchised dealer, waters auto planet, they have a seat franchise close to me, not where i bought the car though, and i remember speaking to someone there who knew the deal with using the right type of oil for PD engines so i imagine it would be easy for them to fix the oil cap seal and the pedal issue

thank you so much again for your advice, i feel closer to knowing my new (used) car

[GeneralPurpose]

Hello Andy, yes you are making progress it would seem! In fact there are several different methods for resetting the operational parameters of a 'fly by wire' throttle pedal. Not sure which one is appropriate for the Fabia. The fact you can lift the pedal at this stage after your reset and still get a reduction in engine revs probably indicates the method you used wasn't quite right. I've worked as a tech on all sorts of vehicles but mainly Honda and Nissan. I have not officially teched on Skoda so I'm not an expert on VAG cars. However, some Honda and Nissan vehicles required the battery disconnect method, wait for a period, then reconnect, switch on ignition for 3 mins and then operate the accelerator pedal SLOWLY all the way to the floor, then SLOWLY let the pedal all the way up but avoid lifting it with your foot, all still with the ignition on. This tells the ecu the travel parameters of the pedal. Turn off the ignition. Wait for 60 seconds and restart the engine. Go for a drive to get the engine hot and finish the process. I don't know if this would work for a Fabia but be careful if you try it. If it is not the correct method the engine may want to rev very high if you tried this method and turning off the engine would need to be prompt. My advice at this stage is still to contact your VAG dealer for a fix. Good luck.

On the oil stains found around the oil filler under the plastic cover. Spilled oil from services and top ups sometimes finds it's way around the neoprene 'O' ring between the plastic cover and that seal around the oil fill pipe. This lingers for sometime and eventually finds it's way onto the top of the engine. This is probably what you are finding.

Edited 19 January, 2011 by Estate Man

[andycraze]

it seems like when i drive the car more aggressively oil is coming out more so i really think there is a problem with the plastic seal that goes on the pipe and where the oil cap screws on

regarding revs it seems it somehow has gone back to normal the only problem is somehow sticks (not always) at 900, i pull the pedal up and it's back to 850, sometimes it doesn't stick at all...strange...don't know yet if the pedal needs replacing or what? will keep you posted

[GeneralPurpose]

it seems like when i drive the car more aggressively oil is coming out more so i really think there is a problem with the plastic seal that goes on the pipe and where the oil cap screws on

regarding revs it seems it somehow has gone back to normal the only problem is somehow sticks (not always) at 900, i pull the pedal up and it's back to 850, sometimes it doesn't stick at all...strange...don't know yet if the pedal needs replacing or what? will keep you posted

Andy...this makes me think you may have a partially blocked engine breather. If your idle needed resetting it would most likely be 'off' all the time. A partially blocked engine breather would often result in extra engine crankcase pressure and ejection of small amounts of oil from the filler cap (soemthing that is maybe happening from your description). This in turn can also affect the engine idle speed too.The engine breather may not be blocked but partially bunged up with white congealed oil...which at times partially clears itself and then blocks up again causing the variance you speak of. It's not uncommon. Cars that have this problem are ones that have been used on shorter trips where they don't warm up properly and diesels do still generally take a bit longer to warm the oil up. It's easy to fix.

[andycraze]

hi again estate man, many thanks this is becoming more fascinating as they days go by!

is the breather system blockage you mention like they speak of in this post? we are talking about the crankcase are we? or is there a different case where the oil cap goes on?

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/154743-14-16v-crankcase-breather-system-where-is-it/

if it were the problem you are describing would pulling back the pedal even though its not moving at all have anything to do with it or is it a combination of both? pedal gone wrong plus breather system blockage?

i do get some yellow mayo around the cap at poins as i understand due to condensation which dissapears after a while so if the problem is like related to above post mayo in other places etc i hope it will be an easy fix

thanks in advance