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Hello people,

 

This is my first post here.

 

I own a 2007 Škoda Fabia Elegance, 1.4 16v, it's the BBZ engine (101 bhp). 

 

I have an expensive and annoying problem with it. It's just consuming petrol as if it were dumping it down the drain.

 

This week I topped the tank. Drove it until the reserve light came on. 10.014 gallons. And I only managed to get 140.8 kms (roughly 87.5 miles) out of it. That's about 14 km per gallon (US) or 27 l/100 km. That's absurdly high. 

 

Apart from the high fuel consumption I have no symptoms of an issue. 

 

I suspect a broken coolant temperature sensor is the culprit. Do you guys have some input on what may be wrong with my vehicle? 

 

Thanks in advance. 

IMG_20180107_194357.jpg

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Location, Columbia - so I presume that is US gallons (smaller than UK gallons)

 

However your display says l/100km 24.8 - that's about 11mpg. Yup that's a lot of petrol. My 2001 Octavia, bigger car with a similar version fo the same engine (75ps) does a bit over 40mpg

 

Probably related to temperature sensor however:-

Does it drive with reasonable power - coil packs are know to fail on these engines

Does it burn oil - oil breather issues are well known

 

Edited by bigjohn
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5 minutes ago, bigjohn said:

Location, Columbia - so I presume that is US gallons (smaller than UK gallons).

 

US gallons indeed, sir. Roughly 4 litres each, for a total of 40 litres for 140 km. Either US or Imperial, that's a lot of fuel for the distance. 

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2 hours ago, KenONeill said:

@juanse_2691 - I'd be surprised if this isn't the ECT sensor. One question/observation you can do without any tools: Does the exhaust smell of petrol/gasoline at trip end?

 

Thanks @KenONeill. I'd say the smell of petrol is pretty consistent. Haven't checked at trip end, but it's there at start or while running.

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14 hours ago, bigjohn said:

Probably related to temperature sensor however:-

Does it drive with reasonable power - coil packs are know to fail on these engines

Does it burn oil - oil breather issues are well known

 

@bigjohn it does drive with reasonable power, only a bit laggy at low revs but as far as I'm concerned that's pretty normal for the 1.4 16v powerplants. A spark plug change is on the way though, to see if it improves performance a bit. Oil -doesn't burn to write home about- but these engines have a reputation for using quite a bit of oil. So far I haven't seen any significant oil consumption. 

Edited by juanse_2691
Clarity
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4 hours ago, juanse_2691 said:

but these engines have a reputation for using quite a bit of oil. So far I haven't seen any significant oil consumption. 

 

My 1.416v is burning very little oil at 125k miles. Had a period of burning a lot of oil but that was a blocked oil breather pipe within the air filter - this pressurises the crankcase and blows oil past the valve stem seals

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Thanks @Wino. I'll do. Just learned that this morning when ordering the replacement part. 

 

@bigjohn that's good to know. Have new bulbs coming (Osram Nightbreaker Laser) as well as the replacement ECT sensor, so I'll be sure to clean the breather pipe just in case when I put the new parts.

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@juanse_2691 Well, the smell of petrol positively confirms that it's running very rich, and the most likely cause of that is a dud EMS channel on the ECT sensor. Don't bother with the spark plugs until after changing the sensor, so as to not wet foul new plugs.

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Well... I don't even know what to expect after changing the engine coolant temperature sensor but so far I haven't noticed any difference. Let's see how much this week's refueling lasts. Perhaps I was expecting too much of a change OR any other component (EGR? O2 sensors? Sticky injector) is the culprit. According to VCDS nothing is wrong with my car, there are no fault codes or CELs.

 

I'll keep you posted on my "new" MPGs.

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Have you checked for fuel leaks? With consumption that poor, I’d be looking for a split pipe or filter. 

 

Try parking the car over some clean and dry paper (the back of a roll of wallpaper is ideal), run the car and look for signs of dampness on the paper.

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1 hour ago, arry_b said:

Have you checked for fuel leaks? With consumption that poor, I’d be looking for a split pipe or filter. 

Interesting. But would the trip computer account for the leakage? I think the MFA would show normal values then. 

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I hope it's not expensive. The ECT sensor didn't solve the problem, judging by the numbers on the trip computer. Consumption hasn't changed a bit, though I feel the car is a little bit more responsive now -but that could be a placebo effect, anyways-. Let's see if a good injector testing and cleaning does something, and let's hope that it isn't a bad (stuck open) EGR or O2 sensor.

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  • 5 weeks later...

Quick update: I went to change my spark plugs (Putting new NGK BKR6EIX-11 iridium spark plugs) and spark plug from cylinder number 1 was caked in oil. The valve cover is out for a reseal and I'm cleaning the injection nozzles as well. Tomorrow we'll see. 

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@juanse_2691 - An oil-fouled plug could also cause rich running.

 

Likely causes of oil fouling are a worn valve stem oil seal (in this case on #1) or a seized oil control ring (again on #1). Is there any indication of the car producing blue smoke, particularly when cold and/or when you pick up the throttle after a period on overrun?

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