Hi everyone im having a few problems with my skoda fabia 1.4, i have at present the engine, traction control,abs,power steering,brake warning lights all on. It started with the engine check light.It was diagnosed as the egr valve originally, which was replaced and a few weeks later it returned .

I then later replaced a wheel bearing on the front,, but when the car was jacked at the front and driven (so we could listen which bearing was faulty) both these lights came on(abs&traction). ( at the time i thought this would 'reset' after the car was driven........)

A couple of weeks later and the 'brake warning light' appears ( the same light as the handbrake). plenty of brake fluid

After putting this off for a period of time due to lack of finances and christmas commitments the little fabia finally threw its cards on the table and .... i lost all power steering, (check light on) this returned when the ignition was turned off and on in and light went out. Four days passed and it was fine, then whilst driving yesterday the steering has gone and not to return. I am a plant mechanic and have worked with engines/hydraulics and electronics, however i need a competent tech to diagnose my faults on my car as i have little experience with obd2. I live in the King's Lynn area and need to get this sorted asap , any good garages guys? any help appreciated john

Hmm, often traction control and ABS comes on when an ABS sensor (the car 4, 1 on each wheel hub) dies. Someone local with vagcom could diagnose this. If you fancied a weekend by the sea in Devon I'd be glad to do it for free.....

I suspect your battery is failing or one of the main connections is loose. I would check the connection to the fusebox on the battery and the earth strap.

The ABS (includes TCS) system is the most sensitive unit when it comes to bad power and is often the first to show.

The PAS is a big drain on electrical power (you can often see the headlights dim if you turn the wheel whilst stationary). It will stop working when battery voltage gets too low.

Hi thanks for your responses. I checked the battery voltage when it was cold the other morning and it read 12.1 v which is very low in my opinion. I then started the car and with a full load test it was about 14.1, seemed quite high the steering actually worked at the time and i monitored the voltage as i turned the wheel etc . It did drop into the 12's at one point however this did not bring up a fault and the steering continued mmm Next day steering has died and has been ever since.Surely if the battery was on its way out id notice it through starting it? Thanks for your offer of the vagcom mate, i think its best to get to the bottom of these lightys before undertaking a 350 mile trip but much appreciated anyway. Can anyone confirm what the brake warning light means?( the red one on dash) the same light as the handbrake switch which works, and my fluid level is correct? i recon ill have to meter the switch to see if its ok.

Do these cars suffer with problems with the maf sensor? as initially the garage diagnosed the egr but when it was changed the fault returned quite quickly. I have little faith in the local garrage i use, i find for little bits they are ok but diagnostic work requires a higher level knowledge.

EGR and MAF faults often get confusing.

You always need to test the MAF first and at WOT as the EGR is at minimum duty cycle. The 'air' entering the engine is the sum of the air through the MAF and exhaust gases through the EGR.

A quick test of the MAF is to disconnect it. This forces the ECU to use a default air mass calculation. If the car runs better with it disconnected, you have a problem with the MAF.

Edited 19 January, 201115 yr by rwbaldwin

again thanks your your response, the funny thing is the car seems to run ok. maybe a little sluggish but its a heavy car. If the maf sensor was playing up/dirty could this cause the light and little or no difference to the drive ?

Pop across to Jabba at Crowland, nr Peterborough? Not that far from King's Lynn. As I know, as I took their courtesy car up there when I last visited them

http://www.jabbasport.com/

Obviously worth a call first, to discuss with them.

Steve

again thanks your your response, the funny thing is the car seems to run ok. maybe a little sluggish but its a heavy car. If the maf sensor was playing up/dirty could this cause the light and little or no difference to the drive ?

You need to test the MAF first. A faulty EGR is detected when there is no change in flow through the MAF. The flow should reduce when the EGR opens.

Is it a 16V?

If so then my engine light was coming on daily after switching it off and suggesting low EGR.

I removed the EGR valve and it looked in good order so re-fitted it. I then removed the throttle body and where the EGR pipe enters the inlet manifold

(seen vertically just under a fully opened throttle butterfly valve) i noticed that it was completely blocked stopping any flow of the gases back into the engine.

Near the top of the pipe it has a, i'd say, 4mm hole running horizontally through it kinda like a chimney pot, clear this out and whilst the throttle body is off it would be best to clean it up and inside the manifold itself as it gets clogged with thick black sludge from both EGR and crankcase gases.

Hope this helps cure one of the faults.

Replace the battery Earth strap too as it is cheap and could cure the steering fault (it did mine after similar symptoms as yours)