Awful on fuel...

[sepulchrave]

I have a 2007 1.4 16v 100Bhp Elegance one of the last to come off the production line before the facelift.

It states on the fuel filler cover "Use unleaded fuel that conforms to 95/98 RON"

Nowhere does it state that only 98 should be used, it runs perfectly on 95 juice and I am happy with that.

Please, you have a different, later engine and are being dogmatic to say the least!

Can you all at least TRY and keep your advice RELEVANT to the topic and useful to the OP. You're ****ting up his thread arguing the toss about nothing, some of you are even contradicting yourselves within minutes. Get some perspective, some of us are trying to offer sound and practical advice, please try and restrain yourselves.

[SkodaFabiaOwner]

Please, you have a different, later engine and are being dogmatic to say the least!

Can you all at least TRY and keep your advice RELEVANT to the topic and useful to the OP. You're ****ting up his thread arguing the toss about nothing, some of you are even contradicting yourselves within minutes. Get some perspective, some of us are trying to offer sound and practical advice, please try and restrain yourselves.

This is an open forum for likeminded enthusiasts and everyone is able to offer their advice or opinion. Chill out and don't worry about what others have to say, all advice should be taken with reasonable intelligence and self-research anyway, if in doubt all OP’s should contact a fully qualified Skoda mechanic for verification. I'm not sure I have seen 100% correct information coming from your posts, so try to use some of your own advice and restrain yourself, there's certainly no need to have personal digs with any poster, we all have the same interests in mind, to help the OP resolve their issue. Please stop bickering, show some maturity and stay on topic.

[sepulchrave]

This is an open forum for likeminded enthusiasts and everyone is able to offer their advice or opinion. Chill out and don't worry about what others have to say, all advice should be taken with reasonable intelligence and self-research anyway, if in doubt all OP’s should contact a fully qualified Skoda mechanic for verification. I'm not sure I have seen 100% correct information coming from your posts, so try to use some of your own advice and restrain yourself, there's certainly no need to have personal digs with any poster, we all have the same interests in mind, to help the OP resolve their issue. Please stop bickering, show some maturity and stay on topic.

I'm not worried what others say unless it's in direct contradiction to something I just posted, like yours for example.

In case you hadn't noticed many people who post on here have absolutely no idea what they're talking about but still their opinions pour forth, when people are just plain wrong in what they write it is more than reasonable to point this out since others who are genuinely seeking help may attempt to follow this useless misinformation, particularly when others chime in with similarly clueless 'opinions'.

Qualified Skoda mechanics are fitters, they are often the reason that people turn to these fora because they have little or no idea how to cope with problems outside their training, and there are many on these vehicles.

Please cite any information which I have imparted which you believe to be in error and I will act accordingly, I'm certainly not above apologising when I make mistakes, how about you?

I attempted to call for restraint, by aping my post and then attempting to claim the high ground you are simply making a fool of yourself. To be honest I'm mildly flattered but I feel you may be confusing mature and senior so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt until you can produce these uncorrected errors requiring my urgent attention.

Which Fabia do you drive by the way, your sig doesn't say?

[fabdavrav]

I bought my 1.4 16v 100bhp AUB engined Fabia way back in 2001.......the handbook and all the spec sheets at the time stated the output etc with a little * next to them....the * said "this is when running on 98RON fuel....running on 95RON will reduce the performance"

I knew that this engine first appeared in the VW POLO 16v it had issuses with fuel (stated to use 98 only), execss heat etc., and they tried to cure them with the revisions which then produced the AUB engine in my car!

When I asked the dealer (at time of purchase) about the fuel he said use the 98ron to get the full benefits and Skoda UK couldn't say exactly how much it was reduced by.....but the dealers said "unoffically" around 95bhp is the power with blunted throttle when running on 95ron......they don't like it!.

Now alot of these early 1.4 16v cars that were run on 95ron fuels and taken on short journeys are having problems with bad running, bad throttle responce, poor fuel consumtion, etc, etc.......even the mechanics at my local Skoda dealership (I know them fairly well) say that these engines need good long hot runs and 98ron fuel, proper oil (5w 40...or 0w 40) etc, etc,........

Anyway mine only has Shell Vpower, Mobil one engine oil, NGK iridum spark plugs, and is regulaly "stretched" to the red line under light loads...........result.....nice running engine with very low emmissions

MGP.........37mpg is the worst on a 32mile trip...........52mpg was the best on a 650mile trip.....average is 40 to 44mpg on a good 36mile trip!.......and it sounds sweet and leaps down the road (the best a 1.4 16v can)..

To the OP......I suggest he gets a bottle of "cataclean" (fuel system cleaner) and follows the instructions on it...then change the fuel filter, get a bottle of Wynns engine flush and do an engine flush then change the engine oil and filter, then change the spark plugs, and air filter.......get OEM from your Skoda garage...you can if you want use Mobil 1 oil.....and fit NGK iridium spark plugs as "upgrades/performance"...

linky to my post re engine flush....

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/208388-why-you-should-use-wynns-engine-flush/

[sepulchrave]

As ever fab brings the good stuff, OP please absorb the above and consider changing your ECU engine temperature sensor as well because they age badly and can cause your engine to spend much longer in cold-start mode than it really needs to.

[fabdavrav]

Oh yeah....forget one more thing to do.........

......replace the oil seperator (on the crank case breather) (they are a sod to clean..done it once) and clean up the insides of the pipework from it to the air filter (as it runs inside the air filter housing) and clean the stupid little flappy thing where the rubber pipe joins the air filter housing...........this whole lot can get gunged up and will affect the engines "breathing"....etc........

[flipster]

Excellent, we made it sensible practical advice in the end.

I've noticed at times that Sepulchrave's posts can come with an "interesting" attitude but his advice and knowledge seems very rarely wrong. A well informed and very technically competent member I would suggest.

Interestingly no-one seems to have picked up on the OP's maths..... He states 40mpg on his daily commute which doesn't appear to be too far off the mark for this engine, perhaps a little on the low side but nothing drastic. Yet his maths comes to more like 22-23 mpg. I'd wan't at least a 3litre for that kind of consumption.

I am also fully aware that this post has added no useful advice whatsoever.

Edited 16 December, 2011 by flipster

[Ad Lav]

lol glad I left the MK1 forum - you guys are like kids

And FYI 98ron is better for the 1.4 16v than 95ron - it takes more than one tankful to notice a difference though...

[dgmp]

Going back to the comments about the lights/heater etc using more fuel. I'm not sure if this is common knowledge or not, but these things may not actually be effecting fuel economy (right foot dependent).

I found out yesterday that until you rev my fabia past 3k, the alternator will not be 'excited' and not put out any voltage to the battery. Then once you do 'excite' it, it will continue to provide charging voltage to the battery until you knock the car off.

Therefore, if your relatively gentle on the loud pedal you could actually go the whole journey without having the alternator kick in, and without it being a drain on the engine/fuel!

Of course, it still spins with the belt, but with no load on it there is less friction in it's internals, and therefore on the engine.

Now, I'm unsure if this is the case with every fabia, so don't quote me on it, but the chances are fair that it could be common to them all.

I also agree that if the manufacturer advises a specific ron fuel there will be no advantage to using a higher one. Unless the engine has variable maps/timing etc to cater for the differences it would bring.

[cjb]

lol glad I left the MK1 forum - you guys are like kids

And FYI 98ron is better for the 1.4 16v than 95ron - it takes more than one tankful to notice a difference though...

That's interesting. I tried 98 RON in the Lupo (with an AFK 100BHP 1.4) and noticed no difference. Might try a couple of tankfuls.

[cjb]

I also agree that if the manufacturer advises a specific ron fuel there will be no advantage to using a higher one. Unless the engine has variable maps/timing etc to cater for the differences it would bring.

It's usually done as someone described above: The ignition is set relatively advanced, if it knocks, the knock sensor tells the ECU and the timing gets backed off.

[mark.r.cullen]

I found out yesterday that until you rev my fabia past 3k, the alternator will not be 'excited' and not put out any voltage to the battery. Then once you do 'excite' it, it will continue to provide charging voltage to the battery until you knock the car off.

This happened on my parents car - the alternator load signal wire had snapped

Many people say the ASR / TCS light appears when this happens, but from what I remember we didn't get that... the battery just wasn't charging until it was revved over about 3000RPM.

[cjb]

This happened on my parents car - the alternator load signal wire had snapped

Common problem- it breaks near the gearbox.

[mark.r.cullen]

Common problem- it breaks near the gearbox.

Yep, that's the one!

[speedover]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I've got the car booked in for a Major Service so hopefully changing all the individual bits and bobs will eventually sort out my fuel problem. It seems to be getting worse and worse and I'm positively certain that the car hasn't had a service in a very long time.

Now to sort out all the other little niggles the car has!

[Armegatron]

I bought my 1.4 16v 100bhp AUB engined Fabia way back in 2001.......the handbook and all the spec sheets at the time stated the output etc with a little * next to them....the * said "this is when running on 98RON fuel....running on 95RON will reduce the performance"

I knew that this engine first appeared in the VW POLO 16v it had issuses with fuel (stated to use 98 only), execss heat etc., and they tried to cure them with the revisions which then produced the AUB engine in my car!

When I asked the dealer (at time of purchase) about the fuel he said use the 98ron to get the full benefits and Skoda UK couldn't say exactly how much it was reduced by.....but the dealers said "unoffically" around 95bhp is the power with blunted throttle when running on 95ron......they don't like it!.

Now alot of these early 1.4 16v cars that were run on 95ron fuels and taken on short journeys are having problems with bad running, bad throttle responce, poor fuel consumtion, etc, etc.......even the mechanics at my local Skoda dealership (I know them fairly well) say that these engines need good long hot runs and 98ron fuel, proper oil (5w 40...or 0w 40) etc, etc,........

Anyway mine only has Shell Vpower, Mobil one engine oil, NGK iridum spark plugs, and is regulaly "stretched" to the red line under light loads...........result.....nice running engine with very low emmissions

MGP.........37mpg is the worst on a 32mile trip...........52mpg was the best on a 650mile trip.....average is 40 to 44mpg on a good 36mile trip!.......and it sounds sweet and leaps down the road (the best a 1.4 16v can)..

To the OP......I suggest he gets a bottle of "cataclean" (fuel system cleaner) and follows the instructions on it...then change the fuel filter, get a bottle of Wynns engine flush and do an engine flush then change the engine oil and filter, then change the spark plugs, and air filter.......get OEM from your Skoda garage...you can if you want use Mobil 1 oil.....and fit NGK iridium spark plugs as "upgrades/performance"...

linky to my post re engine flush....

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/208388-why-you-should-use-wynns-engine-flush/

Have to +1 this positive review of the 2001 1.4 16v AUB. I have been driving mine for 5 years now with a true MPG over 30,000 miles of 40mpg, with the worst being 28 and best 48.26 over a tank. Real life (not on board computer) MPG figures were typically 38 in the winter, 45 in the summer over full tanks.

Engine was ran with the cheap Halfords own brand oil, super market petrol, with a mix of high revs naughty driving and granddad driving. Typical journeys were 5 miles and driven everyday without issue.

Very resiliant engine that I have now passed onto my parents - I've just treat myself to an Octavia Vrs

Edited 26 December, 2011 by PEMBO

[bobh]

two RON's eh? So its goodnight from me, and its goodnight from him