Hello,

I have been trying to decipher why my Fabia I 2006 1.4 16V occasionally springs up engine fault codes and stalls. Yesterday I went through a very large puddle and then a sequence of around 8 speed bumps, which triggered an engine stall and the oil light, EPC light and exhaust warning lights all turning on. The car would not start immediately and I had to leave it for five minutes before I was able to restart but with the EPC and exhaust warning light still on. This has happened a few times before and I have had the oxygen sensor replaced, engine RPM sensor removed and cleaned etc. I don't have VAGS but I do have a cheaper fault code reader which came up with the following fault codes:

Engine 01

18049 - Check DTC memory of air con (don't think this is related as my air con is not working at the moment)

16706 - Ign/Distributor Eng. Speed Inp Circ No Signal

17961 - Barometric/manifold pressure signal ratio out of range

17912 - Intake Air Sys. Bypass Leak Detected

ABS 02

01314 - ???

18265 - ???

I think the ABS codes relate back to the engine codes.

This is really p****** me off and it seems to happen randomly (last time was 3 months ago). Could this be a water intake problem or something being loose worsened by going over speed bumps? Similar situation occured the day before, again after going over speed bumps, and rougher ground.

Can anyone offer any assistance on the fault codes and possible solutions??

Muchly appreciated,

Mike

Edited 2 October, 201114 yr by mikear82

Your air intake has issues for starters - unmetered air = bad. It'll screw your mixture up to the point of stalling if it's really bad.

Are you sure you've not dislodged an intake pipe somewhere?

Also, your MAP needs looking at by the sounds of it...

Finally... Your distributor could have become dislodged after the bumps, or water could have splashed up and got into it - distributor off, hair dryer on it if wet and check there's no corrosion I guess... Then make sure it's fitted back on snugly. People have noted that the distributor can sometimes become dislodged causing anything from running lumpy to poor economy to stalling.

Keep us posted with what the results are.

Your air intake has issues for starters - unmetered air = bad. It'll screw your mixture up to the point of stalling if it's really bad.

Are you sure you've not dislodged an intake pipe somewhere?

Also, your MAP needs looking at by the sounds of it...

Finally... Your distributor could have become dislodged after the bumps, or water could have splashed up and got into it - distributor off, hair dryer on it if wet and check there's no corrosion I guess... Then make sure it's fitted back on snugly. People have noted that the distributor can sometimes become dislodged causing anything from running lumpy to poor economy to stalling.

Keep us posted with what the results are.

Steady Chris,

It's a 1.4 16V so it has no distributor for starters.

Secondly it's a 1.4 16V so has no mass air flow meter on the intake either.

Finally the MAP sensor code can be thrown simply because the car stalled.

mikear, it seems like you have a loom issue or a failing coilpack. These faults are always the hardest to trace so you have my sympathy.

Fail - I should wake up more before posting.

Steady Chris,

It's a 1.4 16V so it has no distributor for starters.

Secondly it's a 1.4 16V so has no mass air flow meter on the intake either.

Finally the MAP sensor code can be thrown simply because the car stalled.

mikear, it seems like you have a loom issue or a failing coilpack. These faults are always the hardest to trace so you have my sympathy.

Hi guys, thanks for the replies.

Funnily enough, with regards to the coilpack I had one replaced only a couple of months after purchasing the car, which produced a similar light show on the dashboard! Only difference was that the car went into limp mode rather than stalling. Luckily it had the usual 1 year Skoda warranty and the Skoda garage in Inverness did the work. That was 2 years ago now though, and if another coilpack (or the same bloody one!) was going I would be very unhappy with their handywork!

I have heard the loom being mentioned a few times on forums in relation to water. What exactly is the loom? How could this be producing the stall and warning lights?

Thanks again for your help.

Mike

Loom = bunch of wires interconnecting various sensors components and ECU...

Obviously issues with the loom could result in all above.

Could be that water has exacerbated an existing wiring fault which is causing some of your codes.

Loom = bunch of wires interconnecting various sensors components and ECU...

Obviously issues with the loom could result in all above.

Could be that water has exacerbated an existing wiring fault which is causing some of your codes.

With this in mind would you recommend my local garage take a look at it or better to pay through the nose for the Skoda dealer to take a gander?

I am not keen to pay any money unless I know it is going to fix the problem. Already shelled £300 on chasing ghosts!

Cheers,

Mike

Personally...

...I'd take it along to a friendly meet and have people take a look at it there. Many hands making light work and all that.

Then if it's fixed or at least identified it's just the cost of a few beer tokens

Right now if you're looking to identify yourself you'll need a multimeter and to do continuity tests on the wires - double check none are broken.

My first port of call with that would be to sort: 16706 - Ign/Distributor Eng. Speed Inp Circ No Signal - So check any wiring to the coilpack along with the plugs for any signs of damage.

EDIT:

I've only got the MPI diag document, but I would assume the testing methods are similar... Can any tech specify the ideal readings?

Method:

Check the engine speed sender G28 plug for good connection. If not, clean up using elec component cleaner and try again. If problem persists, continue.

Disconnect the 2 pin plug to the sender and test with a multimeter:

Nominal value 400 - 600 ohms (THIS NEEDS CONFIRMING WITH SOMEONE ELSE WITH MORE INFO - I'M READING FROM AN MPI MANUAL)

Note - the reading is at 20 degrees C - it will vary.

If that comes back ok, check wiring of each wire from the plug for signs of a short.

If the wires are not found to be faulty...

...Double check flywheel connection with sender

And if that looks ok:

replace the sender to rule it out, and if fault persists:

replace the ecu

According to the testing manual anyways. This is by no means the absolute gospel.

But from the errors you're mentioning and the error code... It's what it sounds like.

Edited 7 October, 201114 yr by Chris Coates

Note - you could just replace the sender without checking the flywheel, then if it persists check the flywheel I guess.

Unsure of the price - but i'd certainly start there as the first port of call.