Hi everyone, 

I have an odd issue and i have searched this forum and others for answers but none were found. I drive a fabia 1.4 16v (I now know they are the worst spec to drive!), it has had all the garage treatments recommended such as the egr valve and has been regularly serviced, but, the engine light has been on since i bought it 3 years ago and drives fine (the light would go off for a few days after it'd been to the garage but then it'd reappear).

But as soon as it starts to rain, the EML starts flashing, I cant get any revs over 1500rpm and the car almost goes into a limp mode but turn it off for half hour and then itd be back to "normal" mode. Recently however it's become much worse and the dash turns into a Christmas tree and i cant pull away without it stalling even by revving the tits off it. 

The cars now sitting in my shed after sh*tting itself this morning and is completely un-driveable, because it's raining... 

Has anyone had the same experience or know the cause of this? Any feedback would be great!

Many thanks, Harry.

Also, it's a 2000 reg and has done 110,000 miles.

What is the fault code thats on it? The eml light is their to tell you the car has an issue

I hope your garage are not just erasing the code as that is bad practice. The fault needs fixed first of all!

You can pick up a handheld fault code scanner for around £30! The one i use for quick issues is a VGATE scan tool. Available on ebay for around £30

That would be my first port of call

When it first happened the AA came out to fix the problem, and all there reader was picking up was the egr i believe, looking back through the paperwork there are no anomalies in the engine that the readers have picked out which haven't been fixed. 

Sounds like the usual unholy trinity of coilpack, leads and plugs, possible issues with CTS and crank sensor. Need more information really.

 

Damp weather will affect the HT side of the ignition, cold weather will affect the CTS making the car difficult to drive when warm, a failing crank or cam sensor will usually get worse as the car heats up as well. MAP/Lambda sensors don't give that much trouble other than from oil fouling and can be cleaned.

 

Tell us when or if these things have been replaced please.

 

Edit: If your HT components haven't been replaced within the last two years then do the lot.

Edited 15 December, 201312 yr by sepulchrave

When it first happened the AA came out to fix the problem, and all there reader was picking up was the egr i believe, looking back through the paperwork there are no anomalies in the engine that the readers have picked out which haven't been fixed. 

 

EGR code is often a red herring, the code is often thrown if the car even misfires a few times and always when the car stalls.

There was also an air pipe at the back of the engine block i had replaced which maybe could have been letting moisture into the cylinders causing a misfire? But this has been replaced, and I really can't think of any other issues it could be because in the dry it drives perfectly. 

I had a new cam and service 5 months ago as the old one disintegrated, the spark plugs were also changed then. 

When the car gets to temperature it will still be juddery to drive, but if you switch it off and leave it a half hour and then return to it then it'll drive away fine, well it used to. The cold weather hasnt affected it too badly (but then it's still warm for this time of year). It is purely when it's wet that it goes into limp mode. 
Looking bad through the service history, the chap who owned this car previously had been taking the car to the garage every other month for a reading and "general repairs" and the egr replacement(s), the gaskets, angle sensors, filters, fuse circuits, and HT lead set(s).

thanks for helping!

You need a new coilpack by the sound of it, I would replace the leads at the same time since a failing coilpack will often damage the leads and vice versa.

 

There are only a few things which will make the engine run badly and not throw codes, the HT components are one and the coolant temperature sensor is another, I would replace the lot and reset the ECU, you should be good to go then.

Ht lead or coil pack would cause a lumpy miss fire as one cylinder would be not working. Also through up fault code 'miss fire on number ... cylinder'

Sounds like bad connection in a multi plug somewhere. Take out all plugs and spray with wd40

Ht lead or coil pack would cause a lumpy miss fire as one cylinder would be not working. Also through up fault code 'miss fire on number ... cylinder'

Sounds like bad connection in a multi plug somewhere. Take out all plugs and spray with wd40

 

fletch, with respect I'm not guessing, I have the same car and have had the same problems which is why I'm sharing that experience with this poster.

Fair enough. I've had some problem with my old car . And also sharing my experiance to. Electrics ainty strong point but ive always known coil packs to cause a lumpy miss fire when the go down

Not trying to make enemies lol

#faultcodereader

Thanks for the help guys, when I take the car up to the garage tomorrow, ill have a chat with the mechanic and point out your suggestions and hopefully get my car back on the road! 

Take car to a reliable garage, tell them your bad experiences and get them to sort it out, and lower your stress level at the same time..LOL

Had the car back at the beginning of the week, like you all said, coilpack, leads and new spark plugs. shes running a dream now and i can drive in the rain! 
cheers everyone and merry christmas!