Skoda Fabia MK1 1.4 Petrol 75BHP, add power?

[Shayx]

hey there my british friends

i have a Skoda Fabia mk1, 1.4 petrol engine 75BHP 16V automatic.

i really like the car but is feel sometime sooooo sluggish and have no punch what so ever...

is there any computer software or anything i can do to add some power?

i know it won't be VRS but i just want it to be a little more nippy. especially at low rpm.

[anewman]

It's meant to be run on super-unleaded, so put super-unleaded in there instead of the cheap stuff.

Just noticed you're in Israel, so it's possible fuel availability and the spec of your engine is different to UK models.

[Brun747]

Super unleaded in a 75bhp normally aspirated car ain't gonna make a jot of difference!

[Brun747]

....besides which - if it was a uk car, it would have to be mapped to run 95 Ron!

[Shayx]

Umm...what is actually "super-unleaded"?

here it goes by its Octan value. 95, 98 etc.

do you recommend using 98 instead of 95?

[Brun747]

Normal unleaded is 95 ron super tends to be 97 and above. The higher the ron = the higher the compression a fuel can withstand before detonation or knock. On a high performance engine (turbo charged in particular) you could probably notice the difference and probably also notice an increase in mpg but on a 1.4 75 bhp engine any difference would be placebo only i'm afraid

[Shayx]

thanks. i will try and see.

if i put 98 ron on top of the last 7 liters reserve of 95 ron, will it blend and be useless?

do i need fill the tank twice to really run on 98 ron?

[Brun747]

Not sure how Fabia ECU's work. My old Impreza used to take 2 or 3 tanks to "learn" a new fuel - older impreza's wouldn't learn and you would have to do an ECU reset to force the learn. I'm sure someone who is more in tune with Fab's will be along with this info.

[anewman]

Having looked it up seems I'm wrong. The engine which requires 98 ron is the 100bhp version (and also 115bhp 2l). Seems the 1.4 16v 75bhp with the automatic gearbox is an exception to the rule. Therefore as above you probably won't see much benefit from using it.

[Shayx]

if i won't see any performance difference then maybe it will help to clean the injection system?

[Brun747]

The engine which requires 98 ron is the 100bhp version (and also 115bhp 2l).

Are these uk cars? If so - they "by law" have to be able to run perfectly well on 95 ron. Many car's are recommended to run on super but it is by no means a requirement. Like i said above, unless the engine is of the higher performance variety, feeling any difference what so ever is highly unlikely.

[Phil-E]

Are these uk cars? If so - they "by law" have to be able to run perfectly well on 95 ron. Many car's are recommended to run on super but it is by no means a requirement. Like i said above, unless the engine is of the higher performance variety, feeling any difference what so ever is highly unlikely.

Yes they are. The require 98 ron in order to achieve their rated 100bhp. If normal fuel is used then the ECu adjust and lowers the power. Same with the new vRS with it's 1.4 tsi.

Phil

[Brun747]

Well ain't that just a sneaky trick by VW. I maintain that you won't notice sod all difference on a 100bhp car. The TSi is probably a different kettle of fish with being double blown and a bit higher up the food chain in the power stakes...... Having said that, when i ran my Impreza and made the move to Super, i could not detect any difference in power but there was a noted improvement in mpg to the tune of 4mpg

[rum4mo]

My B5 Passat 2.8 V6 is meant to use SUPER if rated max power is to be achieved, I keep meaning to fill it up with SUPER, but so far (12 years and 85,000 miles), I've not got round to it - I might become addicted to it!

[Dark_Hero]

Other than the fuel, you could use upgraded spark plugs and ht leads?

[rum4mo]

Other than the fuel, you could use upgraded spark plugs and ht leads?

Tut tut TDI person, these cars have COPs (Coil On Plug) and quality NGK plugs fitted from factory. (well as long as its a BBY engine!) Throttle body clean up and adaption might change things a bit.

Edited 8 June, 2012 by rum4mo

[Dark_Hero]

Tut tut TDI person, these cars have COPs (Coil On Plug) and quality NGK plugs fitted from factory. (well as long as its a BBY engine!) Throttle body clean up and adaption might change things a bit.

Ahh my bad! Is it ABT that do some tuning options for these petrol engines? I'm sure there's a 1.4 on here with some work done. Can't recall what was done lol

[rum4mo]

I think, speaking generally, if the engine is not turbo charged then no tuning house is interested to providing a power improving package - you can see why, for very little mechanical work on a customer's car, with a remap, a turbo charged engine can be improved by "acceptable" levels - "acceptable" levels probably equates to £?? per extra PS or HP. For a non turbo'd engine, the mechanical work on a customer's car becomes significant, and together with a remap , only gives modest increase in power which probably equates to £??? per extra PS or HP - which means that the market take up of that tuning package would be very small.

Though, for some people that improvement might justify the money required - so I'm not knocking anyone for getting that work done, in fact that tuning might turn a crap engine into one that can be lived with by improving drivability and fuel use.

[fabdavrav]

I think, speaking generally, if the engine is not turbo charged then no tuning house is interested to providing a power improving package

There is an ABT tunned and dyno verified 1.4 16v 100bhp kit fitted to a Fabia on here..........the ABT lifts power from 100bhp to 140 BHP........and as listed by ABT the modifications are....

1. remap

2. new camshafts

3.NGK Iridium spark plugs

4.Performance spark plug leads

5.High flow filter fitted to OEM airbox

6. and DEFO use 98 RON.......as ALL 100BHP (74kW) versions of this engine should use for longevity.....

[Brun747]

6. and DEFO use 98 RON.......as ALL 100BHP (74kW) versions of this engine should use for longevity.....

How will the use of 98 increase longevity? I understand that when a car is mapped for 98 then using 95 will put the engine at risk but how so in the case of the above?

[rum4mo]

That might be true for the early 1.4 16V 100PS engines, but this sounds like a later 1.4 16V 75PS engine linked to auto box, so it will be a BBY etc and they can't make use of anything higher than regular fuel. Likewise the ABT kit will only cover these early engines, and maybe a different kit for the later 100PS BBZ etc engines.

[M1k32102]

There is an ABT tunned and dyno verified 1.4 16v 100bhp kit fitted to a Fabia on here..........the ABT lifts power from 100bhp to 140 BHP........and as listed by ABT the modifications are....

1. remap

2. new camshafts

3.NGK Iridium spark plugs

4.Performance spark plug leads

5.High flow filter fitted to OEM airbox

6. and DEFO use 98 RON.......as ALL 100BHP (74kW) versions of this engine should use for longevity.....

That would be mine lol

[Superplonk]

I too have a Skoda Fabia mk1, 1.4 petrol engine 75BHP 16V automatic, bought to use through the winter and still have it 3 years later! The only thing I did not like was the fuel consumption and the apparent sluggishness that seemed to come and go.

After a lot of detective work I found that the engine was fitted with the wrong spark plugs, mine is the AUA engine with auto gearbox and this one has unique plugs (more expensive!) and not the same as the manual geared version also one of the HT leads was breaking down (Yes it is a single coil version). Also the butterfly in the throttle body was covered in oily crud. The other problem was the rear brakes binding slightly all the time. This was hard to rectify however it turned out to be the brake balance valve was restricting the flow of brake fluid. A Changing the valve and the other work has transformed the car.. Ok it will never be fast but it is much more lively and pleasant to drive also I am getting very near the "book" mpg an improvement of about 15%.

[Superplonk]

Re my previous reply have just read your post again and picked up on your last line "little more nippy. especially at low rpm". On an auto box the it should not matter about the revs and I wonder if your torque converter has failed. This would cause the car to feel very sluggish from low speeds in 1st, 2nd and 3rd because it is not letting the engine revs rise to the correct level for the task.

Years ago it was possible to do a stall test on gearbox, you had to chock the wheels for safety hold the footbrake on and in 1st floor the throtle and record the max revs, normaly the engine would stall. Not sure if it would work with a modern vehicle and I cannot find any data for the Fabia. If you do try this be aware that the gearbox needs to at normal operating temperature and the test needs to be done quickly and not repeated for at least 30 minutes or the gearbox will over heat very quickly and could be damaged.

[Phil-E]

Certainly doesn't sound right that it feels slugish at low rpm.

It should feel pretty "peppy" from a standing start due to the torque converter as it effectively increases the torque you get at the wheels compared to what the engine outputs.

I would suggest first of all a diagnostic check that should pinpoint anything obvious like dodgy sensors etc.

On the point of fuel economy these engines are never great on fuel anyway so paired with an old school torque converter auto box it will decrease the economy further.

Phil