Hi folks,

 

I'm currently trying to flush my coolant, but only about 2-2,5 liters are draining out. There should be about 5,5 liters in this engine, shouldn't it all drain out?

This is how i did: Heater on hot, coolant cap off, and then i opened the drain plug. - Like it´s stated in the workshop manual.

 

Anyone know if this is normal?

 

The car is a 2001 Skoda Fabia 6y2 AUB 1,4 16V

 

 

 

 

I would appreciate your thoughts about this.

 

Cheers!

Edited 6 May, 201511 yr by Timfromearth

Have you taken the cap off the expansion tank to let air in?

 

I know it's difficult to get all the coolant out of the system, 'cos whenever I've gone to change a temp sensor or thermostat after draining from the bottom hose tap, it still pees out in considerable quantity when you undo such things.

Have you taken the cap off the expansion tank to let air in?

 

I know it's difficult to get all the coolant out of the system, 'cos whenever I've gone to change a temp sensor or thermostat after draining from the bottom hose tap, it still pees out in considerable quantity when you undo such things.

 

Yes i did sir! 

Do you think the majority are trapped in the engine then?

Have you tried blowing into the bottle?

Put a rag over so you don't get coolant in your mouth and blow into the bottle, it should force a lot more water out.

You might need to block the return pipe to the top of the bottle, just bend the rubber hose should do.

Yes i did sir! 

Do you think the majority are trapped in the engine then?

 

Yep.

 

You can push more out by blowing it out (don't ingest) or pulling off some of the hoses that connect to the block at the lowest points possible. There is likely to be some in the heater matrix behind the dashboard too.

 

I had an engine on blocks for months and every time I moved it to a different angle more coolant leaked out. Good luck getting it all out with the engine in the car :P

Yep, must be. There'll be a very small amount in the heater matrix that you'll not get out without blowing it out, but the rest is probably trapped in the engine by the fact that the thermostat is shut, and air can't get past it to balance pressures, or something like that.

I wonder if you could maybe disconnect one or both of the hoses labelled 4 and 18 on this page, from the expansion tank, and then put the disconnected ends down at ground level, you might be able to encourage more out?  Not tried it, but sounds fairly easy to try?

Thank you all for your help!

 

At this moment there is only clean water in the system, the problem is, when i fill it up with coolant again the mix wouldn't be right.. Right?

I have flushed the system a couple of times with water, ran the car a while on idle, letting everything circulate just to make sure the systems clean.

 

I took out the thermostat, if i understand this right to get free flow.

I will try to blow in the hose and see what happens.

 

Of to the car again..

Inspected the thermostat while i was at it, is it normal to be able to disassemble it? Like removing the metal core from the plastic housing?

 

I wish i could show a picture, but i don't know how to attach it!

Inspected the thermostat while i was at it, is it normal to be able to disassemble it? Like removing the metal core from the plastic housing?

 

I wish i could show a picture, but i don't know how to attach it!

 

Nope, it's goosed, replace it.

Inspected the thermostat while i was at it, is it normal to be able to disassemble it? Like removing the metal core from the plastic housing?

 

I wish i could show a picture, but i don't know how to attach it!

 

I'll PM you an email address and post the picture for you if you want, but do you mean that part number 5, here, the thermostat itself, can be disassembled from cover part number 4, and the main plastic housing, number 1? If so, that seems quite normal to me.  I replaced my thermostat and cover just a couple of months back (the cover was fine but came as part of a cheap ebay deal).

 

Just gotta walk the dog, back in half an hour.

Is it really 5.5 litres of coolant?  It sounds a lot.

I thought you meant the plastic cartridge with the metal internals, not the housing, because that's obviously a housing with a circular plastic cover that you remove to access the thermostat and not part of the thermostat itself.

Ah, I see there are two very different types, the 032121110B part number with the plastic housing, or the 032121110F version which is just metal. As you can probably guess, mine is the latter. Google imaging those part numbers educates me about the difference.

I'll PM you an email address and post the picture for you if you want, but do you mean that part number 5, here, the thermostat itself, can be disassembled from cover part number 4, and the main plastic housing, number 1? If so, that seems quite normal to me.  I replaced my thermostat and cover just a couple of months back (the cover was fine but came as part of a cheap ebay deal).

 

Just gotta walk the dog, back in half an hour.

 

Yes thats the one, and i probably ment plastic cartridge like sepulchrave mentions above, just part number five, in other words the thermostat itself.. 

Is it really 5.5 litres of coolant?  It sounds a lot.

 

I think so, according to the manual anyway.

 

I thought you meant the plastic cartridge with the metal internals, not the housing, because that's obviously a housing with a circular plastic cover that you remove to access the thermostat and not part of the thermostat itself.

 

That is probably what i ment, my english is not that great. Im just limping around in this languish trying to make myself understod. Haha

 

 

Ah, I see there are two very different types, the 032121110B part number with the plastic housing, or the 032121110F version which is just metal. As you can probably guess, mine is the latter. Google imaging those part numbers educates me about the difference.

 

 

032121110B are the one i'm talking about. What I'm trying to say is the brass plated metal "core" did come out of the cartridge.

Yeah, once I saw the google image of the B part number, what Sepulchrave said made more sense to me. The F part number has no plastic cartridge, presumably because they kept breaking.

It is definitely broken, fit a new one and all will be good.

Yep, here it is, looking broken:

 

That's what happens to them, it's why they changed it on the BBY, all the stuff on the AUB that was bad evolved on the BBY, thermostat, crummy dual wasted spark coil pack and leads, over-hard piston rings that wouldn't bed in properly unless viciously spanked.

Detail stuff that affected long-term reliability like ECU firmware, particularly the EGR implementation. All better on the BBY, but the AUB is still mechanically identical in design and character.

Yeah, once I saw the google image of the B part number, what Sepulchrave said made more sense to me. The F part number has no plastic cartridge, presumably because they kept breaking.

 

 

It is definitely broken, fit a new one and all will be good.

 

Thank you both!

There is a lot to do on this car, but i got it for free. Have been thinking of starting a project thread, maybe it can help others in the future.  I know it has helped me a lot by looking at other threads.

Edited 6 May, 201511 yr by Timfromearth

There is a lot to do on this car, but i got it for free. Have been thinking of starting a project thread, maybe it can help others in the future.

 

Here is the road you must walk in search of AUB reliability:

 

Get a VCDS license and lead, and reset the ECU periodically.

Only run it on high octane super unleaded.

Remove and thoroughly clean the engine breather box and pipework and the air filter box where the breather runs through a mesh filled tube before being recycled in the inlet.

Thrash the engine hard often, it's fun and very good for it.

New OEM quality coil pack, HT leads and NGK Iridium spark plugs.

New OEM quality temperature sensor.

New Pierburg EGR valve and a thorough inlet manifold, EGR pipework and throttle body clean followed by  EGR and Throttle body re=adaptation using VCDS.

Use 5W40 oil for the changes, 5W30 is too thin. Change the air filter for a Mahle OEM+ filter element.

 

Do these things when required and enjoy it, it will be a fun little car to drive that can give you near 50 mpg on a gentle run.

Sort out the dreadful handling with solid console bushes, eibach springs and 15" alloys with 195/50VR15 tyres running 2.5 bar pressure all round and don't bother slowing down for corners.

 

Edit: Change the temperature sensor NOW while you're doing the coolant and the thermostat, then reset the ECU.

Edited 6 May, 201511 yr by sepulchrave

Here is the road you must walk in search of AUB reliability:

 

Get a VCDS license and lead, and reset the ECU periodically.

Only run it on high octane super unleaded.

Remove and thoroughly clean the engine breather box and pipework and the air filter box where the breather runs through a mesh filled tube before being recycled in the inlet.

Thrash the engine hard often, it's fun and very good for it.

New OEM quality coil pack, HT leads and NGK Iridium spark plugs.

New OEM quality temperature sensor.

New Pierburg EGR valve and a thorough inlet manifold, EGR pipework and throttle body clean followed by  EGR and Throttle body re=adaptation using VCDS.

Use 5W40 oil for the changes, 5W30 is too thin. Change the air filter for a Mahle OEM+ filter element.

 

Do these things when required and enjoy it, it will be a fun little car to drive that can give you near 50 mpg on a gentle run.

Sort out the dreadful handling with solid console bushes, eibach springs and 15" alloys with 195/50VR15 tyres running 2.5 bar pressure all round and don't bother slowing down for corners.

 

Edit: Change the temperature sensor NOW while you're doing the coolant and the thermostat, then reset the ECU.

 

Thank you sepulchrave for the summary.

That is pretty much what i had in mind. I've actually been reading a lot about the car and engine, and i learned a lot on this forum.

 

VCDS - Check!

 

EGR system and throttle body clean and adapted- Check! (There's the original Pierburg EGR valve in the car, it cleaned out good with oven cleaner and ultrasonic bath.)

 

Crankcase breather clean - Check!

 

Coils and plugs are on my to-do-list.

 

Temperature sensor is pretty new, i was changed not too long ago. (I assume you mean the one for the cooling system.)

 

Will change all the filters soon, and the oil of course.

 

I'm also having a go on the whole electrical system. (Probably needs a new battery down the road.)

 

A second hand steering pump are on the way as we speak, maybe i'll get it today.

 

 

When i got the car every warning lamp was on and it limped forward screaming and shouting. Hehe. Now it just has the Airbag and PAS light on.

 

When you say solid console bushings, do you mean like polyurethane ones?

I won't spend too much cash on this car because it's sadly pretty worn, and got som rust issues here and there. I'm just trying to get everything reliable and working again without too much expense, and of course fresh things up.

I installed a new thermostat yesterday, the new one i got have been redesigned so it can't fall apart like my old one.