1.4 mk1 Fabia: common problems?

[nutters_uclan]

Hey all

I'm thinking of getting a mk1 1.4 fabia as an interim car. Cheap, cheerful and hopefully reliable!

I'm going to view a couple next week, so is there anything I should look out for in particular?

Thanks in advance

Danny

[leenel88]

1.4tdi or 1.4mpi?

[nutters_uclan]

Oh yeah, sorry. They are all petrol version.

[leenel88]

Theres a 3cyl tdi aswell as the petrol versions pal, there a good solid engine the tdi's I'd pick one of them over the petrol anyday.

[leenel88]

just noticed your only up the road from me

[nutters_uclan]

Aye, I'm originally from Brierfield too!

[AaronMountford1990]

Electrical issues such as the ABS and TSC lights illuminate however this is fixed pretty cheap its a battery compartment issue with it rocking and cutting a wire which blows a fuse.

 

Other than that, that i know of they are pretty bulletproof

 

I have a 1.4 16V the 100bhp version (2000) and mine has never missed a beat, it pulls left slightly as the guy who had it before me spazzed the suspension but it still pulls like a train!

[Goblin]

I've got the 1.4 16V 100 as well and again, it's brilliant and pulls like a train. Watch out for oil consumption though, quite a few do like to sip the Castrol! 

 

Any issues I've had are fairly typical ones and some electrical gremlins. The main problem I had was when the power steering sensor went, and it does also have the leaky back door which comes as standard with all Fabias :p And then there's just irritating ones such as the electric window switch has 13 years of use in it so it's getting laggy now, the back wiper has a mind of it's own and the alarm goes off for fun.

 

But yeah, I love mine. They're solid cars!

[Taylor93]

There are two 1.4 petrol engines.

 

The 1.4 MPI (8V) - this is a Over Head valve push rod engine, designed decades ago, was in a 1.3L form in the Felicia. Good little engine which can take alot of abuse. Main problems with them are Head gasket Failures, Coolant temp sensors (£8 ebay), Thermostat's and Oil pressure sensors (£3 from SUK). Very cheap to repair/maintain, it has a timing chain with a 120k miles service interval although most get loose and are changed earlier as they dont have a chain tensioner (one less thing to go wrong). the AQW (68BHP) produces almost the same amount of NM torque compared the the 16V engine.

 

The 1.4 16V - Also Multipoint injection, but this was a more modern VW engine. 100BHP but that is at 6200 RPM, when it red lines at 6000, so its a bit misleading. That does also mean to get 100BHP you have to thrash the nuts off of it. Early ones (Engine code AUB) suffered with oil consumption issues, and if run on 95 octane petrol they would have carbon build up in the EGR system causing EML. Crank Case breathers can also become blocked with "mayo" on the AUB engines but can easliy be cleaned out. However the later ones (2004/05 onwards eng code BBZ etc) were a bit better and from what i have heard they are not as highly strung as they can handle the lower octane petrol but still used some oil. Make sure that the correct oil has been used. I had my 1.4 16V serviced by a freind who is a mechanic and he put 5W30 in it. If thats done it makes the top end sound incredibly tappety/diesel like. This can supposedly be remedied by a good oil flush and the correct grade to be put in. on the

 

Apart from that the Fabia's themselves suffer with a few issues accross the range, such as:

 

- Front Console Bushes

- PAS Faults, sometimes caused by plastic seal on the PAS sensor.

- Leaky rear door seals - fixed with some RTV/Silicon sealant

- Battery faults/electrical issues, often fixed by replacing battery leads like the short ground/negative battery lead.

- Electric Window regulators as with most VAG group cars of this era suffer with brittle plastic lifters which can break and cause the window to drop - £80 part from Skoda.

 

 

Right now i cant think that i have missed any key points, but that is my take on the two engines as i have owned one of each. If i have missed anything, can someone let me know

[nutters_uclan]

Wow, thanks guys.  Not sure why I'm surprised at the level of detail you've given me there, Briskoda is full of great people!

 

Thanks again, I really appreciate it.  I'm definitely going in to this purchase with my eyes wide open.

[blackie63]

sorry to hijack didnt want to start a new topic just wondering what timing chain kit i need for my 1.4 mpi 8v estate ?

[Taylor93]

I believe all the timing chains were the same for the 1.4mpi engines.

Crankshaft sprocket

Camshaft sprocket

Chain

Camshaft ends seal

And a chain cover gasket

Crankshaft and cam shaft sprocket bolts

I think that is all that is needed.

[blackie63]

im confused this ebay listing http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TIMING-CHAIN-KIT-SKODA-FABIA-1-0-1-4-GENUINE-GASKETS-/320708246600?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&fits=Model%3AFabia%7CCars+Type%3A1.4&hash=item4aabb37c48looks like the right kit for me but when i use the vehicle compatability check it says it is not for my car ??