5 hours ago, RicardoM said:

I prefer you to stop interacting with me on any level

 

I asked you many times to put me on your Foe list and you didn't had the guts to do it, so here is your chance, for once in your life act like a Man and do it.

If you ask ''why you don't do it?'' the answer is ''i have done it in the past but you still made quotes in my posts'', so let's do it now together and case closed. Somehow or other you have turned 99,99% of the members here against you with that ''smart @ss'' attitude plus you do not admit your mistakes.

You are just a simple common mortal as all of us, you will never-ever be something special and you will never-ever you receive some recognition-distinction.

13 hours ago, D.FYLAKTOS said:

Somehow or other you have turned 99,99% of the members here against you with that ''smart @ss'' attitude plus you do not admit your mistakes.

You are just a simple common mortal as all of us, you will never-ever be something special and you will never-ever you receive some recognition-distinction.

You are making the same mistake again and again. You are not the exponent of the rest of the forum members. You don't know what everybody thinks, so you are creating statistics out of thin air, based only on your hatred and envy. Rest assured, I know exactly where my value stands, and I don't need any confirmation from you. Moreover, I have a life full of accomplishments outside this forum, and I am neither desperate after recognition, nor paranoid if something insignificant happened to my "trusty" car.

What you are saying negative about me are in fact projections of your own insecurity and feeble ego. It is very easy to see that you are obsessed with being the first and most active member in this section. You crave for having a high number of replies. Sadly, it is not the quantity of replies that counts, but the quality. Having hundreds of replies on the same topic in a never ending ping pong with the same member is hilarious. The longer a topic about one technical issue, the lower the value of the topic is because that shows that no common solution was found. Efficiency is zero at the expense of pure amateurism. Try to exercise more modesty and don't give up on anger management classes. Being loud and vulgar does not make you a man. Enjoy.

I think the time has come, a separate ''sub-forum'' must be created with a title something like ''Ask the Master'' or ''The God of mechanics speaks'' or ''the knowledge is ME" ,where the One and Only-Best in the West will give (after the member begging on his knees for answer and pay his respects) an answer which will not doubted for any kind of reason!

No matter if the ancient Greek legislator Solon (639-559 BC) said ''“Γηράσκω αεί διδασκόμενος” which can translated ''I am getting older always learning" here we have the exception which is a World phenomenon.

 

So, from now on ALL the Skoda owners  in countries with warm climate must prevent for the radiator fan running too often.

Why? Because when the radiator fan in high environment temperatures works often will damage your engine-make it overheated or explode etc, is that clear? Yes. Any doubts? No..who would dare after all?

 

Sorry to dissapoint you but you are both amateurs compared to me, the master. I have a less accomplished life, am more paranoid & desperate for recognition and am more feeble and insecure than both of you put together 🤣

Edited 8 May, 20224 yr by J.R.

I find it very tedious when these spats are in open forum as it really doesn't make for good reading.

 

I would hope that the original 'protagonists' are able to continue with meaningful contributions and without any further issues starting (or the present ones continuing).

Hopefully my polite request doesn't go unheeded! 🥊

Right... by the way... Thanks for the advice, the replaced temp sensor fixed the gauge. (now it looks "normal", around 90 when i drive).

I did not notice any difference with engine operation. The faulty sensor was sending a slightly "colder" signal (higher resistance) to the ECU. I guess the difference was not too big. 

 

It did not do away with the weird vibrations and slight changes of RPM but i guess that belongs to another topic altogether. 

 

On 09/05/2022 at 09:22, hzoltaan said:

It did not do away with the weird vibrations and slight changes of RPM but i guess that belongs to another topic altogether. 

Up to you.

 

I saw you put about cleaning the throttle body, I'm a big fan of this sort of thing, as well as covering the basics like servicing and maintenance before moving on to other more sexy, manly, technical stuff .  So what servicing and maintenance, new parts perhaps, have you done to the car, I'm sure you're not one of these that thinks a (cold) quick engine oil (and perhaps filter) is a full car service so what have you already done?

 

As you have possibly seen in other threads getting the correct parts and ones that are well made and reliable, can be very important.

 

Much servicing, maintenance and repairs on cars often boils down to cleaning and lubricating, mechanically and even electronically sometimes.

 

Just using the car fully frequently can often ease or sort some issues, or make them worse and perhaps easier to pin down.

 

Edited 10 May, 20224 yr by nta16
ETA:

Hi Nta16, as you mentioned, using the car frequently can erase things, so till now nothing too deep has been done with the engine. (the car had done 75km between the MOTs between 2021 and 2020, and did less and less kms as the owner (really old) gave up driving.  ... that said, the car is far better running than similar "Grandpa" cars i acquired in the past... an Opel Frontera for example needed full brake renovation after sitting for a year in a garage)

So far just a quick oilchange was done. Sadly, there is no sign of the last servicing, no stickers or service history,  though the fluids in the car and  the general state of the engine bay looks very promising.  I think i'll get around adjusting valve clearances in the coming days check filters and so on. And replacing the brake pads as one started to squeak. 

 

The vibrations: I must admit, this is my first Skoda for a very long time. (20 years ago that S100 bought without papers from a barn and driven a few yards in the village is probably not relevant experience ) So would i recognize the normal vibrations of a chaintensioner-less camshaft drive, pushrod engine that has 3 bearings? I guess not.

the RPM changes are a different matter i'll check the throttle body and seals and hoses around that area. 

I always recommend doing a full 60,000km service/check staggered between using the car on regular and frequent reasonable length journeys that was way you get used to the car, find out what needs sorting and what can be lived with whilst the car exercises out some issues or highlights them more.

 

A good service can greatly improve how the car runs but most people get the priorates totally wrong thinking engine and carb fiddling comes first when priority should be to brakes, steering, suspension, (all three include tyres) electrical safety items (lights, wipers, horn, etc.).  If the engine runs you can deal with the other items, the engine doesn't have to be running perfectly to have the car running, this of course is part of the problem why it can be neglected from running fully well.

 

I always give some priority to the car battery and its connections, cables, earths, etc., as with the old(er) cars often if you can get them running you car get them home and you can sort electrical or starting issues a lot easier with a good battery in good condition and state of charge and with good connections.  So many problems and issues can stem from a poor battery, the more so the newer the car but still on older cars too. 

 

It might depend what cars you are used to driving as to how the Felicia feels to you but driving it more and servicing, maintenance and repairs should improve the feel (and you'll get used to it more) small items and changes can make a bit difference, just because a part is working doesn't mean it's working well or hasn't gone way passed its optimum use or reasonable good working life.  I drive a car from 1973 with an engine designed from the late 1940s and then drive a 2015 Skoda Fabia with VW engine and there are not massive differences in vibration (the VW is perhaps the disappointing one).  

 

Old dirty engine oil could make a difference to the running of the engine, you've changed the oil (and hopefully filter) already but depending on how this new oil looks on the dipstick I would be tempted to do another hot long drain and refill with fresh oil (and filter change) after x-hundreds of km using the present oil as a running cleaning flush.

 

For engine servicing/tuning I'm with you starting with the valves clearances moving on to ignition, timing, fuelling.  Much servicing, maintenance and repairs can often boil down to clean and lubricate, boring and unsexy but very necessary and often very effective.

 

Some photos are always interesting but can also help as those that know the model (not me) can sometimes spot anomalies with your car that might be significant when sorting it.  

Edited 10 May, 20224 yr by nta16

Thanks! 

 I'm actually  still looking for a maintenance schedule for the felicia. My Cedric book does not contain that info in a neat separate part like a Haynes would. I got a manual to be dowloaded from a member here and i'll check that once at my home computer. (company restrictions in office. ) 

So far this is the state of affairs: 

Car has 62000kms, so if there is a big maintenance run at 60k, i will presume it was not done. 

Over the last few years it was used very little

the 500km trip home from the seller was surprisingly good. Brakes did not pull left or right, suspension was OK, tires are aged but barely used and visually new. (it was garaged, so i guess UV degradation is that big.) there were vibrations over 100km/h, i think wheel weights will take care of that. 

MOT ran out a week after buying, so it went through the typical Polish test, that showed me rear suspension being on 50% and left front brake being slightly weaker. 

brake disks are pretty good, (no warping and lot of "meat" on them) handbrake is strong as hell. (not usual on some old cars) 

The old owner was probably fiddling a lot with the car, engine bay was spotless, all plastics, hose clips, covers are present, battery is still on warranty, even the battery clamps look clean and attached in right angles. the general impression given by the car is that it was owned by a very careful owner. All locks, hinges, other mechanics in the car work great.

 

Planned maintenance coming up: 

- get a maintenance schedule and lubricants chart. (from the Cedric manual i gathered that 15W40 every 15k km, or DOT4 brake fluid ever 2 years. No info found about gearbox oil as an example of missing maintenance stuff... I'm telling you, weird repair book. Has a 1 page essay about technical parameters and classifications of brake fluids or a one-pager on oil viscosity,  but there is absolutely no chart of lubricant replacement schedule. )

- take a look at sparkplugs and if they are to be changed after 60k, get the Champions

- Measure compression once I'm there just for kicks

- check airfilter, throttle body, if schedule says replace / clean than do that.

- check valve adjustment, that part is awesomely covered in my manual

- I checked for grease points of suspension underneath but could not find any. If there are, let me know!

- What else...? 

 

As you say, this oilchange is mainly of cleaning purposes, will do another soon. 

 

 

I can only give general advice from about 30 years of running old over-valued and over-priced old cars (called "classics") as "dallies" rather than specific on your model as I don't know it (or much else really).

 

I'm not a fan of Haynes and like all forms of information, including manufactures and suppliers databases, internet including here and me all contain errors and omissions.

 

Personally I don't care how much tread is on old tyres if they're not been road used they can get hard so not perform as they should for braking, steering, suspension, road holding and handling and noise and comfort.  Look for the date of manufacture code on them, might be on the inside wall of the tyres sometimes and report back if you want.  I like to drive a car not go round like a maiden aunt off to church on a sunny Sunday so I want things to work well, I also can't stand unreliability (and I know all about that subject owning old BL cars).

 

For brakes flush and change fluid change fluid, check discs/pads and callipers, spray clean, check drums and shoes, clean, lubricate adjust as required.  Handbrake sounds good but clean/lubricate if required.

 

Steering checks as per book plus if power steering flush clean and change of fluid - D.FYLAKTOS done this recently and was pleased with the results.

 

I like to thoroughly clean the coolant heating system, clean, flush, back-flush, flush again with the system apart as much as possible/practical including the radiator, engine block, heater matrix, fan,  check thermostat, drive belt, pressure cap, water pump, hoses and pipes.

 

I hot drain, flush change gearbox and rear axle oils on my cars.  Only Monday a mate called round to say how pleased he was with the difference in just changing his gearbox oil, his car is 26 years old with factory fill and I've only been trying to persuade him to do it for 10 years, otherwise he services his car every 6 months.  When he got home he change the rear diff oil too using high quality oil I gave him 5 years ago to do the job.

 

Engine is usual, definitely change the air filter. until you compare the one fitted to a new unused one it's difficult to see how dirty the existing one might be.  I also like to do these things so that I know they were definitely done and when and (hopefully by me!?!) properly.  Spark plugs I change, personally I prefer NGK as a brand (generally any genuine made Japanese parts for electrics/electronics).  I also like to change HT leads as like spark plugs looking at them and testing them doesn't give you the full picture, just because they work doesn't mean they work well or constantly well and are not long passed their best, I like very much reliability, I always want to get the car home and have absolutely no interest in being a roadside repair hero, prevention is better than cure to me, I've had enough car repairs already to last me two or thee lifetimes.  Things like exhaust or gasket blows become more apparent as the engine and other components get quieter from use and servicing, maintenance and repair so I just deal with those as they arise.  You have sensors that can tell you things too.  Lubricating cables and levers in the engine (and elsewhere) can often help with odd problems.

 

I clean the light lenses inside and out and the electric connections and coat them, I want to see and been seen, I work my way round other electric connections as they come up or I can-be-arsed.  I regularly test the horns and wipers because I drive the car and sometimes in England it rains.

 

That's enough for now, other than I recommend not spending any money on "improvements" or "upgrades", especially cosmetic, unless a part or component needs replacing because that money may be needed for other unexpected work and also what you think you might want to change on the car you may not later once you know the car more, many "improvements" and "upgrades" can often turn out not to be and even not as good as what they replaced, I've had that t-shirt and worn it out.  Best tuning for the car is always to keep up with regular servicing and maintenance and repairs, you can't do further successful tuning without this.

 

Edited 10 May, 20224 yr by nta16

On 09/05/2022 at 11:22, hzoltaan said:

Right... by the way... Thanks for the advice, the replaced temp sensor fixed the gauge. (now it looks "normal", around 90 when i drive).

 

 

Here is a list from Mahle

https://www.euspares.co.uk/manufacturer/mahle-original/temperature-switch-radiator-fan-10434

click and red the details for each one

Switch-on point [°C]:

Shut-off Point [°C]:

 

Here in Greece (Hot climate) we use 80-85 C although some owners with older models use 75-80 C (in the second case the radiator fan will work more often but in shorter time)

I generally do pretty much what you just described. In the not too distant past i shook a '91 Jeep XJ back into shape by doing basically all that was described as maintenance, including cooling system flush and a complete rear brake rebuild. (it was nasty in there)... Sadly, that car gave me an immediate lesson: Whatever maintenance you go if the car had 20 years of botched botches of botched repairs and neglect it will not be much better. Eventually engine went (it was a Renault 2.1 Tdi, an engine that should not exist), wrapped cyl head. The second car that got a full package was a '93 Frontera with the massive cast iron 23DTR engine. There actually all went pretty rosy (it was in a decent state when i bought it) but somehow i never could get used to that incredible rattle of that diesel. Now that I'm buying another house and the new place will not require 4x4 in winter, i sold the Frontera and decided to get a simple workhorse estate for the renovation of the new house. And i ended up with a 100% original low mileage Felicia that i adore more and more. It's an interesting mixture of rock bottom simplicity (mine is the least equipped model and i like that), old time's charm (I mean archaic bits, like hub covers, sheet metal grille, that OHV engine with it's character and noise) and at the same time it's pretty modern with the MPI engine management. (I used to feel bad about smokey, smelly diesels or carburetted petrols I owned / own)

 

 

But I decided not to throw away bits and replace all.  The tires for example, they are like 7 years old. Not perfect, but not horrible. And I really hate throwing good stuff away... I'm a big recycle, reuse repair guy. Like I guess you are as well with BL cars. 

 

Is LDV400 a BL car? I used to live in one of those for a few months off Stansted. Tell us, which Leyland would you recommend as a daily drive?

old Brit cars certainly have a lot of charm. Sadly i do not have any (nor had to be honest.) 

Bearing in mind it's the thermostat that controls the temperature and the fan reacts and helps out when things get too warm.

 

I forgot to put fuel filter on the list, my car doesn't have one as standard but I added one in just before the carbs (wasteful but nice to hear) so I can at least see the petrol has made it that far and anything to ever save getting my hands dirty where possible.

 

From what I have seen on here the Felicia engine seems to be very robust if perhaps sometimes chain noise, I get chain noise on mine at just below 2,000 rpm which is annoying as that is 30mph built-up area speed limit in 4th gear so I use 3rd.

 

For oils and weights (grades) it can include personal choices and what I call oil beliefs, personally I would use a reasonable good engine oil for the first year just in case there are going to be leaks or other problems but after that I prefer high quality oils that offer a great range of protections and margins.  For the transmission as usually it is very low quality and cost I put high quality in at first hot, long drain and flush. (or clean and flush if required and appropriate). 

 

For the tyres, at 7 years old they are not old and if they brake and handle well enough and have been kept in a garage but the low mileage and sitting static on them will do them no favours, might even be part of the vibration problem but you will find out when you have the wheels balanced (and perhaps check alignment).  Personally I like to recycle where I can but I am not a fanatic about it so if I found the tyres unsuitable they would go, if anyone else could use them safely fine if not they would be recycled in standard industry ways.

 

Believe me I have had two or three life time's worth of botches on cars most from professional and specialist experts in the motor trade, I am mentally debating about one only this morning.  I could writes books (not just one) on the subject.  If it wasn't for bad luck I would have no luck with cars.

 

I had to look it up on my neighbour's website but the LDV 400 was post Leyland but obviously still full of Leyland.  We used to have a place nearby that specialised in LDV, gone now of course.  As for which BL car as a daily it depends what you wants and there's much similarities and sharing of parts but some models are a lot more popular so expensive to buy than others and the parts availability can be very limited on some and vast with the likes of older MGs for example.  I can probably get more new parts and more easily for my 1973 MG than you can for the Felicia - but the quality of those new parts can range from poor to abysmal.  For daily drives just off the top of my head Morris Minor, Triumph Dolomite (preferably Sprint), 1100 or 1300 (ADO16?) or a Rover P6, all very useable in modern times. 

 

The bits that you find archaic like hub caps, metal grille and OHV engine and what I like, my car has modern copy Minilite wheels but my previous 4-year older example I converted to 3.5" (9cm) rim steel wheels with chrome hub caps with 145/80 r13 tyres with a 15.5" (39.5cm) wire spoke steering wheel.  My current car has the standard latter 15.5" steering wheel and despite it's size the the steering is very direct and responsive, takes a bit of push-feeding on very tight bends though.  It also only has two seats, one door mirror (added), wind up windows, no radio, no cigar lighter ( previous model was without interior and boot light too), single speed wipers (but they do self-park), to turn the cabin heating on or off I have to lift the bonnet and turn a tap on the cylinder head, not so easy when it's hot, air-con and demisting is windows or roof down.  There's no sound insulation, though I did add sound deadening sheets when I could not find a rattle which turned out to be the first thing I thought I had checked but had not, so I can hear the carb induction, tappets, gearbox, rear axle whine, single box exhaust and a couple of poor quality parts but with the roof down it's just mainly induction and exhaust.

I bet you have a ball driving that MG!  145 tires? screaming in the corners and feels on the edge with 60-70km/h? The best way to have fun. The correct noises are pretty nice to hear too. 

Sadly, old Brit cars are quite rare and costly over here. But MGs and Spitfires do turn up every now and then. Dolomite or P6 is barely existent. But there are a lot of Series 3 LDs!

 

The interesting part about the Felicia is that (over here) everything is still available, dirt cheap, even if quality. (like today i got Delphi brake pads for 15 quid? The Delphi temp sensor was less than a tenner, and i just ordered a Mann airfilter that's again like 7-8 pounds) I miss one rubber trim from a rear door, and my experience about such parts (ugly when missing, but not making the car less usable) for older vehicles is that they are desperately hard to find. It's available for Felicia, though slightly different looking so i'd need to get a full set. 

So this Skoda is interesting in a sense that it's very simple car to work on even by end of '90ies standards, parts availability is great, it's emissions are OK due to the MPI... 

 

By the way, just got the airfilter out. X) Nasty. The car has brand new brakes and it probably had an oilchange not long before (oilfilter was clean like out of a box), but the airbox has leaves and dust in, filter element is grey... 

It could do with a throttle body cleaning as well but i do not want to do that without the OBD cable and software. I read that ECU needs some resetting. 

 

 

I am not surprised about the air filter as I put many think a car service is just change engine oil and filter and perhaps top up the windscreen washer bottle.  Changing that filter and cleaning out the airbox and its tubes and hoses will have a good effect in itself, remember the engine is basically a big air pump.  If you have not already done so cleaning out the airbox and its tubes and hoses as soon as possible.

 

It does probably mean the throttle body really needs cleaning which I think you can do without the worry of a scan tool but check with others.

 

Personally I would now run through a couple tankfulls of Shell V-Power or other petrol that has a greater additive package of cleaners, it will also help (a bit) clean out the cat from all the muck as perhaps over fuelling from lack of clean air.  Also reminds me to repeat replacing fuel filter.

 

Think of both air and fuel as in the computer term GIGO but in this case SISO (even when clean for most diesels), more air will give you more power and efficiency so more l/100km.

 

If the car has sat with the same windscreen washer fluid for some time I have found it can have what I can only describe as clear snot it the system that can block the washer pump or nozzles.  I have tried disconnecting the the system and running hot water through the various parts and tubes but one time I could only clear the system by replacing the hoses and nozzles as the snot just would not fully clear.

 

For parts I would be careful with quality and prices certainly on sensors, again others on here can give you more info or you can read in the threads yourself.

 

2 hours ago, hzoltaan said:

145 tires? screaming in the corners and feels on the edge with 60-70km/h?

No not at all the older cars are not as heavy as later cars and these are two seaters so lower centre of gravity, no screaming at 60-70mph.  The design, manufacture and compounds of the tyre are more important than the width.  There used to be a great website that explained going up one or two section widths did not really give much bigger contact patches between tyre and road surface, beyond me to explain it well.

 

My neighbour done this video for his YT channel for the model range, all done very quickly without preparation during one of the Covid periods, the car is on 5" (12.5cm) rim wheels but still with 145/80 r13 tyres and not particularly good ones at that, unfortunately that size of tyre tends to be on city cars. -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GWowHiIktA