Hi please help!!...

When changing gears lifting the clutch in my "skoda fabia 2003 elegance 1.4 16v" it jumps a bit. and when letting go of accelerator letting the car roll, it gets shaky. also sometimes randomly when im stopped in traffic or parked up the car feels like its jumping or its beating. please help, i'm not good with cars so i don't know where to begin with diagnosing it, also i can't trust any garage they all say the same thing..

thanks in advance.

If they all say the same thing, perhaps that's what it is

Edited 9 April, 201313 yr by Gobsheene

Hi, we've got a 1.4 8v Classic & it does have a tendency to do some of what you've described. I drive an older Felly but occasionally jump in the wife's Fabia & immediately notice the difference in clutch response, being that bit sharper/less forgiving resulting in a greater tendency to stall if I don't quite get the rev balance right. Also these engines tend to be lumpier on idle & shake a little more on start up.

I'm not saying there's nothing a miss but the characteristics described aren't uncommon with this vehicle. An overall service may help as ours tends to run a little lumpier when approaching it's service point.

Rob

*If they all say the same thing, perhaps that's what it is

Sorry what i meant was that they all say different things.

Thanks Rob, if you know any more detailed things i can do please do tell

could be a few things

1st guess would be sticking idle control valve

Hi again, it's really hard to advise without experiencing the problem/s first hand. Would be useful to know what sort of mileage we're talking about & hence extent of wear/tear. Probably worth checking out the throttle linkage just to ensure it's operating correctly as it can get sticky with age. Also don't overlook the basics in terms of checking the plugs for condition & to gauge how it's running + air inlet/filter etc to ensure no restriction. May also be worth dosing up with a few shots of fuel additive (Redex or similar) to see if that helps.

If you've got anyone reasonable fairly local to you may be worth popping it along for an opinion & they may be able to hook her up to fault diagnose at the same time.

Edited 1 September, 20187 yr by ColinD

There is a linkage called a dog bone link that stops the engine moving forward and backward when you accelerate or brake, does that sound like it might be it?

Its a petrol engine, so it probably has not "worked" its dog bone link.

Also Robk1 is referring to an older engine design.

Your car sounds like it might have a duff/very old spark plug or a dodgy ignition coil - or fuel injector. The spark plugs would be the easy place to start.

I don't think this engine has an idle control valve, idle speed will get controlled by varying the fuel supply.

Has this car had regular servicing?

If you can't fix it then you need to start trusting, maybe a VAG indie, to sort it out for you.

I can't see any garage telling you exactly what might be wrong with it if you seem like you are then going to use this free advice.

Is the engine fault light getting switched on - if so get the fault code(s) read - this should give a hint at what could be wrong.

Edited 10 April, 201313 yr by rum4mo

Hi guys thanks for your help, its a 2003 and has done 90,000 miles, i've only been the owner for about 1-2000 miles so I don't know much about it, the dogbone thing sounds like it could be that.. could be spark or coil too, i'm not too sure, i think i'm going to take it to a garage and tell them what's happening see if they can give me a detailed answer as i know its hard for you guys to guess without seeing it. Thanks a lot will keep you all updated.

Sounds like a reasonable/logical way forward, good luck & let us know how you got on

Edited 1 September, 20187 yr by ColinD