Hi

hope someone can help with advice on issues with octavia 1.6

driving to work approx 2 days back temp light came on, this happens occasionally, normally turn ignition off and light clears. this time however light cleared but engine temp gauge read cold for journey.

probs then started.

car is now taking ages to get to temp

car has started to drive very unresponsive ie as if spark plug failure, rev dipay indicates revs fluctuating always seems on verge of stall checked tonight and engine seems to be jerking as if plug failure.

on way back tonight had difficulty starting, car sluggish and to top it when i parked the car discovered the radiator cooling fan running constantly had to remove fuse to turn off.

all these issues have come together, never experienced this kind of issue previous, car has never ever played up before in the 6 years i have had it.

could this be coincidence or could 1 problem cause these symptoms.

thanks for any help or advice in advance

cheers

dp

First thing I would do is change the coolant temp Sensor as you probably have the early black type fitted, which is notorious for failing, & can cause all sorts of running issues. Could also be a stuck thermostat or a worse scenario blown head gasket.

The sensor in the coolant bottle also fails due to gunk gathering on the metal prongs. Its only about £10 for a new one from the dealers. Be very careful when fitting the sensor to make sure the plastic clip is in place correctly and check you coolant level.

I would have said the coolant temp sensor , as that also runs the temp sensor

it also does the amount of fuel that is used , a bit like the auto choke

So as has been suggested , get the CTS sensor done first

When my son bought his MK4 Golf (same engines) I bought him the CTS , just as a welcome pressie , as I knew how faulty they can be

Good luck

Sarah

thanks for the help.

put in new sensor this morning still no joy.

car seems to run ok for few mile then issues start. temp gauge still not rising, car very 'lumpy' tick over seems to have improved though, engine does not seem to want to stall.

i have noticed however that the radiator fan only stays on after i have turned off ignition after approx 6 miles, i have to remove fuse to stop fan.

tried experiment and removed the fuse to fan and restarted car and the temp started to rise.

i presume if the thermostat had failed the temp would not rise? (i may be talking gibberish here)

i also checked oil as recommended by Paul and there does not appear to be any slurry in filler cap.

could problem be with fan?

again thanks for help previously, if any one can assist i would be grateful

cheers

dp

1) post a full fault code report

2) find out if the thermostat is stuck open and the radiator is getting warm as soon as the engine is, if so you need a new thermostat

3) find out if the radiator fan controller is faulty or there are fault codes associated with the fan control, if not and the fan runs all the time test the radiator temperature switch

4) regarding lumpy running once the temperature issue is resolved check and resolve the common air leaks on the intake, clean and have the throttle body aligned in adaptation.

Greg.