Hi. Ive got a W reg Fabia. We bought it about 8/9 months Ago. It worked fine for a couple of weeks until we went on a long drive. The coolant light kept coming on. I had to keep topping up the coolant until I added some leak sealant to the mix. that worked wonders. passed the MOT but we were advised to get some minor repairs done. That was fine. Now the main problem started just before Xmas. The car starts fine, moves in 1st 2nd and third gear. but with no real power. 4th and fifth gear seem to be non existent. that car just roars when any pressure is applied to the accelerator. Now I have a little knowledge of cars and engines. But this I think could be 1 of 2 things. Clutch or Gearbox. I hope im wrong and that there could be a simpler explanation.But if the problem does lye with the clutc or gearbox would it be a better idea just to scrap it and get a new car. Afterall it is only worth about £1000. any feedback would be greatly appreciated. .

First up, welcome to the forum.

Sounds like the clutch is goosed to me, are the revs rising quickly but its

not pulling to match the revs? Depending on engine type this can be quite expensive

or reasonable. Cost wise, It hinges on whether or not the car has a dual mass flywheel

or not.

Losing coolant is obviously a leak, could be the rad, a hose or worst case the water pump or

the head gasket. Is the oil a milky brown colour on the underside of the filler cap? If it's good and

black it's unlikely to be the head gasket, if a pale brown/whitey colur the head gasket may well

be shot.

As for the coolant issue, it may be an issue with the coolant itself.

You need to use a specific type of coolant called G12, it's not expensive.

Adding a different brand to the mix (assuming a G12 type coolant was already in there)

can cause all sorts of problems. It can react with the G coolant and turn the lot to a thick

claggy gel.

It may be a bit easier to dignose the problem if you state

which engine size and type your car has.

I know a good independent garage in Woodford Green if you are

really stumped. I'll see if I can get this thread moved into the Fabia 1 forum so it will

be seen by some of the more technically minded members on here.

Welcome to Briskoda,

I guess your Fabia is a 1.4 mpi, if so the early ones were prone to coolant issues. There is a newer type of headgasket that cures the coolant problems if that is where the leak is. A headgasket change on the 1.4 mpi is not too bad as this is an OHV engine with a chain driving the camshaft, so no cambelt to worry about.

The lack of power / drive sounds like the clutch is slipping, when you say the engine 'roars' do you mean the revs rise but the car's speed does not increase?

Welcome!

Had the same problem with a Nissan Sunny myself! The clutch was slipping.. If you have basic mechanical skills, it wont be to much trouble to fix it yourself!

Hi and welcome aboard.

Hi there. Does sound like the clutch

I've got an engine and gearbox for sale, modded gasket already fitted and pulls well.