Hi everyone.

I'm new to briskoda and owning a skoda in general. I've recently bought a 2002 1.4 mpi 8v skoda fabia. U believe this has the pushrod skoda engine not the later VW lump.

I've had the car a few days and I've had the engine warning light come on and also the coolant warning light comes on occasionally.

Plugged it into a diagnostics and the warning fault came up as O2 sensor bank sensor 1 (manifold sensor) I've ordered a replacement .

The main problem is when the coolant light comes on the engine temp is displaying normal running temperature and the coolant level was fine. I then proceeded to checked the temp sensor on the thermostat housing and was shocked to fund that the thermostat housing appear to be a mess and what appears to be water marks surround the temp sensor. I proceeded to strip the housing to find the thermostat was sat loose in the housing and the 2 lugs either side were broken. To get myself out of a bind I removed the thermostat and resealed wondering if it had developed an air lock causing faulty readings on the thermostat.

All rebuilt and refilled ran the engine fine for a couple of small trips then the light came back on. Any suggestions as to why this may be happening?

I doubt it's due to high engine temp as without a thermostat the engine should be struggling to reach running temp anyway.

Sorry for waffling.

Cheers for any help

Plus forgot to mention I have order a new thermostat housing, thermostat and air temp sensor

I think you will need a new coolant bottle as the sensor is built in to that.

Changing the coolant expansion tank is very easy to do DIY.

 

http://myquickfix.co.uk/2011/10/skoda-fabia-vrs-temperature-beep-expansion-tank-replacement/

Well situation has escalated somewhat. Engine has just overheated can't work out why. Overflow tank had run empty until the cap was opened and it filled back up. I'm thinking I may have a blockage somewhere. Any suggestions on common blocking points in the cooling system?

Oh dear, if its pressurising like that it could well be head gasket failure.

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Yeah that's what I was thinking but there is not mayo in the oil no white smoke and the engine runs smooth as a whistle through the revs.

Sounds like exhaust gases are getting into the cooling system though.

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Yeah luckily I have a gasket set here ready to go on as I've just bought the car I was going to do it as a precaution as the previous owner didn't know where r it had been done at all. Would I need to skim the head if I've caught it this early as I really can't afford to get it skimmed at the moment. Also does anybody know the tightening sequence for the head bolts?

Don't know.  Until you get the head off you're not going to know.  Hopefully not, if it hasn't seriously overheated.

Fantastic cheers for the help hopefully shouldn't take me long as I don't have a timing belt to mess about with. Also going to run some checks on the coolant system to check it's not something stupid like a blocked rad or pipe. Then it's of with its head. Any idea where I would be able to find the correct valve clearances? Obv a bit skint atm or I would just buy a heynes manual.

Check the front right hand side of the head gasket where it pokes out of the cylinder head to see if it has the word TEMAC on it. This indicates it has the upgraded gasket.

 

 

The MPI engine has hydraulic tappets so an initial valve clearance adjustment is only needed if the valve gear had been dismantled. Haynes manual says that there is no need to adjust it if only renewing the head gasket.

 

From Haynes manual...

 

Fantastic info cheers guy one last question and then that's all avenues checked.

I've just tried various test to see if I'm getting any air bubbles in the coolant there are none. This points away from head gasket. But still doing this anyway. I've got a new expansion tank and thermostat. And I've run water through the engine and I have no blockages. How would I determined if my water pump has given up on me? And would I be correct in saying it's an external pump run of the aux belt as appose to being integrated with the timing?

You should be able to see the coolant flowing back into the expansion bottle. No flow suggests a pump problem.

A lack of bubbles doesn't mean the HG is OK. You have described so much pressure is building up in the system it forces the coolant out of the bottle. This does not happen normally.

AFAIK the water pump runs off the timing belt.

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AFAIK the water pump runs off the timing belt.

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Nah, the MPI doesn't have a timing belt, it has a chain. The engine harks back to the days of Noah. The pump runs off the aux belt.

Nah, the MPI doesn't have a timing belt, it has a chain. The engine harks back to the days of Noah. The pump runs off the aux belt.

Fair enough.

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Cheers for all of the help guys turns out it was a combination of the HG and faulty thermostat plus changed the expansion tank for good measure. however due to the level of shocking workmanship I've found whilst rummaging under the bonnet im going to be looking for a new engine as I'm worried about what else they may have done to it.

Cheers for all of the help guys turns out it was a combination of the HG and faulty thermostat plus changed the expansion tank for good measure. however due to the level of shocking workmanship I've found whilst rummaging under the bonnet im going to be looking for a new engine as I'm worried about what else they may have done to it.

 

Nah, engine'll be fine, you can only wreck that if you strip it and put it back together wrong or run it out of oil.