How to know if my Model has an immobiliser?

[felicia16v]

Yeh sorry 95.. chemo brain at the moment.

We didn't get the mpi until late 97 over here.

[RicardoM]

Felicia MPi had been manufactured from June 96, so the first one would had been N reg. In other words, no, we don't have enough evidence (based only on registration letter) that he has a SPi engine. I don't mind being corrected using accurate data. My only concern is to not mislead those we're trying to help. I appreciate that more professional, experienced people like you and others support this forum section because at the end of the day we all win by being well informed.
 
Putting that aside, based on RetroRunner's observation, his engine has no immo. That leaves him with the rest of possibilities of failure listed previously. On that note, Pod56 has just changed the fuel pump (after diagnosis) with good results. See here and onwards.

[felicia16v]

Pretty sure the first mpi ones we had here were on a "R" reg but I'm not here to argue lol.

Pretty sure we were a year or so behind the rest of Europe getting the first fellys. "M" was the first of them were had new favs and fellys lined up together.

[RetroRunner]

Thanks for the responses all.

It's a 135 B apparently. It's a '95 reg, Single Point injection, with a Bosch Mono-Motronic ECU.

It does have a healthy spark when turned.

It was, for several weeks previously, starting & running fine, but would just die on me at seemingly un-diagnosable  moments. ie, not related to weather, road bumps, hills or distance travelled etc.

I would have to wait for a few minutes before it would fire up again. Always, the battery was well charged & it would turn over effortlessly. Just recently, it cut out on the drive & has since just refused to fire up at all now. Lucky it happened on my drive & not in town!

As I stated previously, I've taken it to my local garage where they plugged in the diagnostic tool & got no problem reports at all.

We can blithely say 'I'd replace the crank sensor' or similar, but these components aren't exactly cheap & while I will spend out IF I know it needs replacing, I won't just throw money at wild stabs in the dark.

As to the fuel pump, this is now my intuitive guess as to the most likely fault, assuming we can rule out the ECU. However, there ought to be a way of testing if it's faulty surely. It's incorporated in the sender unit, right? I've looked at it & all looks ok, I also disconnected the wiring plug, cleaned it, & re-connected. I've also checked all the fuses. I do have one blown, but that's the rear window heater, which seems to have a fault, so I've left it blown this time.

Any ideas on checking the fuel pump would be appreciated.

Thanks again.

Edited 22 February, 2016 by RetroRunner

[KenONeill]

I might be able to help further if you can supply the exact model of Motronic used.

[RicardoM]

Any ideas on checking the fuel pump would be appreciated.

We have listed all parts that fail most often thinking you have at least the Haynes manual and you'll diagnose them yourself in turn, find evidence of the fault, and only then buy. Do you have it? All parts have testing procedures. In case you don't have a service manual, let me know and Santa will come earlier.

[felicia16v]

Personally I would see if there is any fuel pressure at the throttle body first.

You could remove the air filter and dribble a bit of fuel straight down the throttle body and starting it, that would show if it's sparking properly if it starts and runs for a couple of seconds,

If it's sparking it must be receiving a crank pulse.

[daverapid]

From my own experience with a mechanically identical Favorit [see post 15 on this thread] I am convinced your fault is the fuel pump failing intermittently. If yours is doing the same as mine any kind of testing of the pump is a waste of time as it will work every time you test it. My Favorit would struggle to complete 10 miles without cutting out. The engine wouldn't restart immediately, but in the time it takes to open the bonnet it would start.  

 

Since replacing the pump the car has covered about 1,000 miles without cutting out or failing to start once.

[RicardoM]

I am convinced your fault is the fuel pump failing intermittently. If yours is doing the same as mine any kind of testing of the pump is a waste of time as it will work every time you test it. My Favorit would struggle to complete 10 miles without cutting out. The engine wouldn't restart immediately, but in the time it takes to open the bonnet it would start.

I agree. Intermittent failures can be a nightmare to catch or to reproduce. Sometimes that is due to erratic pattern of failure of a particular part on its last leg. Other times it is the environment that plays with us. Humidity, temperature, vibrations, dirt, corrosion, etc. all can make our life a misery. As if that wouldn't be enough pain, in very rare occasions, little creatures chew on wires, deposit food, etc. I am sure every mechanic had his share of WTF? moments...

 

So how do we deal with those intermittent failures? Personally I use the following techniques (not only engine related):

• I force the failure to occur in order to make a dying part fail permanently. I do that using a more aggressive driving or I simulate extreme environment conditions (higher load, rough road, high humidity, etc.)
• I try to use some sort of 'spy' to monitor in turn the suspect parts and record the failure. I do that by using VAG-COM, miniature cameras, microphones, or other dedicated equipment with data acquisition and record means.
• If I have a known-good second hand part handy, I swap the suspect part.
• As the very last resort (with clients' approval) I replace the suspect part with a new one and hope for the best.

What is your preferred technique?

Edited 23 February, 2016 by RicardoM

[RetroRunner]

Thanks Ken.

Here's all the info off the ident plate on it.

0 261 203 546 (may be barcode number?) , B 10

17.02.95 (date I assume)

26SA356 (3rd digit could be a 5)

1761 1289

441.0.4046-023.6

I'm tending toward believing the ECU is ok, as I get a spark, but I'm far from knowledgeable on ECU's.

Hope that info is all good.

[RetroRunner]

Thank you very much Ricardo, for your early Christmas present offer!

I already have the Haynes Manual tho, be a bit foolhardy to undertake substantial tinkering without one eh?

You seem to imply that my Haynes would tell me how I might check the fuel pump, but it doesn't sadly.

What it does say in 'testing & adjustment' is that a diagnostic station should alert me to past failures, & this lovely line, 'Testing all the system components individually in an attempt to locate the fault by elimination is a time consuming operation that is unlikely to be fruitful (particularly if the fault occurs dynamically)' 

They'll get no argument from me there.  

However, we are now at a stage where the non-starting problem is constant.

Also, diligence & sage advice can produce results, because....

[RetroRunner]

Felicia 16v, thank you, thank you, thank you!

Just followed your excellent advice & presto! She fired up & ran, briefly, although a tad lumpy.

So, I think we can assume it is the fuel pump.

Anyone have any tips on where to acquire one? Or how much they cost?

Obviously I can do my own research, but experience has taught me that it's always good to ask, especially when you have such a friendly & knowledgeable community as is evinced here.

[RicardoM]

Oh yes, the Haynes manual... you gotta love their stylish phrases.

See PM for the efficient solution.

[RetroRunner]

daverapid. Thank you greatly for your advice too, as it would seem to be the solution, tho I really needed to know it was definitely the pump before laying out on a new one.

Both you & Felicia 16 v have, together, probably supplied the solution, though I'm reluctant to mark your posts as such until I've replaced the pump & she's running properly again.

Bitter experience over many years has taught me not to be too hasty in assuming a solution.

[RetroRunner]

RicardoM.

Back in the day, I bought a Honda 400cc M/cycle, as a frame, with accompanying chest of parts, as we did when young & foolhardy.

I was especially impressed as it came with an original Honda full workshop manual! Until I got round to reading it.

Turned out it was a cack-handed translation from the original Japanese. Made for hilarious reading, but not much use as an efficient guide to re-building the darned thing!

That proved to be just one of many labors of love I've embarked upon, over the years.  

[RetroRunner]

btw, in my researching so far, I came across this  http://www.skoda.co.uk/skoda-history

Just in case you haven't seen it before, but I suspect you probably have as a little voice is saying 'grandmother & sucking eggs'

[KenONeill]

Thanks Ken.

Here's all the info off the ident plate on it.

0 261 203 546 (may be barcode number?) , B 10

17.02.95 (date I assume)

26SA356 (3rd digit could be a 5)

1761 1289

441.0.4046-023.6

I'm tending toward believing the ECU is ok, as I get a spark, but I'm far from knowledgeable on ECU's.

Hope that info is all good.

OK, that's a pre-immo ECU, based on the date of manufacture. Still, it's looking like an intermittent (electric) fuel pump failure.

[RetroRunner]

Thanks again Ken. Even though it's looking like the fuel pump now, it's good to know that I don't have an immobiliser to worry about playing up.

[RicardoM]

In case somebody is wondering what might fail in a fuel pump, here is one of the reasons.

 

 

[RicardoM]

One more interesting video that shows how ingenuity can help us diagnose problems without having to buy new parts blindly.

 

[RetroRunner]

Nice one Ricardo!

What an ingenious guy. I've just been to the You Tube page to give him a thumbs up.

Sadly, I haven't got one of those listening doohickey's, but I could attempt to jury rig a light off my fuel pump connector I guess.