We have recently bought a 52 reg fabia 1.4 mpi and are having some problems with it. Firstly the colorant temp/level warning light will sometimes flash after the car has been started. I checked the coolant level and it's all fine so not sure with that one. The expansion bottle is quite murky and not sure weather build up is preventing the sensors from working? Also after short trips a tiny amount of creamy substance can be round around the filler cap, this used to happen on my BMW which I was told was condensation will this be the same thing on this? We've just gotten rid of a head gasket failed rover and were wanting the re assurance that this engine is better build quality that the blasted k series!!! It's my brothers first car which I recommended as I have a vrs and love it! Advice please thanks î— mike

Sounds like the expansion tank sensor, simply replace the expansion tank, they're not expensive.

The yoghurt on the filler cap will indeed be caused by condensation, regular use and longer runs clears it up.

The MPI engine certainly doesn't have the glaring design flaws of the fragile K-series but it isn't exactly cutting edge either.

So are they quite a decent engine? The murky expansion bottle won't be the tell tale sign of any under lying problems to come? I mean its got its full service history and the last owner was able to talk to us to verify the last few years of servicing. The garage so far are playing ball and going to deal with any issues we are having, so hopefully the car is going to be sound. With only 58k on it I dont think we're going to encounter any major issues (fingers crossed)

What i'd do is check the expansion fluid. Sniff it - if it smells like petrol or is oily... Then i'd get the garage to do a gasket change.

Either way, they will need to do a proper flush of the system and fill it once replacing the tank with some g12 - so i'm guessing you'd know soon enough as to whether there are any further issues... But personally i'd suspect that if a sensor that generally works in a closed-loop system is gunked up enough not to be working properly that other things could be at play...

...But then again it could just be poor maintenance putting hard water in the system or something equally stupid.

Edited 10 September, 201114 yr by Chris Coates

As for the engine itself... I think I can sum it up best with saying 'tractor-like' - If looked after it'll go and go and go. It'll never win awards for being the most economical or high-performing, but it's pretty bombproof overall.

And with a few tweaks here and there it's a lot more enjoyable to drive.

As with a lot of older engines, maintenance is key. Keep on top of the maintenance for it, and more likely than not unless you're really unlucky it'll serve you pretty well.

Thank you the fabia is in the garage getting seen too, again thanks for the advise