Fabia 1.4 MPI with P0101 MAF error

[ruimvp]

Hello All. I have cleaned throttle body and in the process I confess that manually opened the butterfly. The results were: 

- throttle position in idle passed from 5,5% to 3,3% (due to the cleaning or the damaged calibration?).

- P0101 error code (but this car has a MAP sensor not MAF).

- gas consumption improved with no performance changes 😃😃😃😃😃

 

Have you any ideas about the P0101?

Thank you for your help

 

[nta16]

Check all electrical and air connections, then if OK if your machine resets the throttle body just do that, or you could try carrying on driving and let the code disappear by itself.

 

Personally I would check all electrical and air connections and delete the code with your machine, or disconnect car battery and discharge any electric left, and then carry on driving.

 

[ruimvp]

Thank you nta16. I already cleared the code once but it show up again. I will see harness and plugs issues. Non metered air I will check. But what I do not understand is why a car without MAF sets a MAF code. I think Skoda has a specific issue for this code in this car. Maybe I am wrong.

[TMB]

I've seen other people get the same code with the 1.4 mpi.

 

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/414003-rough-running-and-codes-displaying/

 

 

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/157171-p0101-fault-vag-com-help/

 

Edited 17 January, 2022 by TMB

[nta16]

Check all wires and connectors to as much as you can they need to clean, secure and protected.  Check all air, vacuum, pipes, trunking and connectors for connection and tightness, carefully check and feel for any small cracks or splits which may be out of sight or difficult to see. 

 

It seems to me that some of the less expensive scan tools seem to be more read-only and do not clear all codes but obviously I have no idea if this applies to the scanner you have but a battery disconnect as detailed in the video below, as far as I know, should delete the code from a reader at least so if the code returns there is a fault.

 

If you can do a live running reading off you scan tool with measurements showing do that whilst either you or someone else carefully wiggles electric connections and wires and carefully pushes and pulls on all air and vacuum pipes, hoses, trunking and connectors.

 

Personally where possibly I would like to remove a throttle body to clean it or at least disconnect the electric connector and better still disconnect the battery - so at that time I would do the battery disconnect and discharge below to clear all and reset. 

 

I do not know of a special Skoda code, as far as I know all the over-complicated computer programs are VW - I might be wrong - so as long as you have the correct VW kit those are the codes.  Computers and computer programs play up, also they have errors in them so I am only surprised that they do not kill us all when installed into a car.

 

 

Edited 18 January, 2022 by nta16

[ruimvp]

Ok nta16. I disconnected the battery instead of clearing the code with the obdii tool. I have been thinking and read another topic and thought: since the throttle reads now 3.3% in idle and before the cleaning it was 5.5%, maybe the error is tripped for an ECU calculated value that is not the expected? P0101 is related with a low performance in air flow (not the MAF Sensor has i presumed).

[sepulchrave]

You should check for leaks in the vacuum hoses.

[nta16]

@ruimvpsee above post and posts.

 

A good place to start is at anything you moved or disconnected before, but also looking for as described above.

 

You have confirmed the error code but don't just go on raw error codes, interpret them.  On your machine have a look at other values and their accepted ranges at other points that might pin it down more for you.  But you can also use your eyes, ears and hands in the engine bay (and even nose and taste sometimes with other issues).  Or you could spray around sometimes for leaks.

 

[nta16]

I have just remembered something I meant to put - I think as you do not have any reset count number codes, and your fuel economy is good and no noticeable performance changes, then on a 15 year old car and computer system and programming I personally would just keep driving the car and see if the throttle sorts itself and if the error code disappears.

 

Even if the code remained but the car was running well I would just carry on.

 

[ruimvp]

Hello All. 

nta16,   when i cleared the code with the OBDII tool it showed up again. But when i disconnected the battery for a couple of hours, has you said, the code disapeared and i have been driving the car since tuesday without P0101 or other codes showing up. Thank you for your advice.  Let see what is going to happen in the future.

Another thing is that after the cleaning of throttle body the car has best gas consumption and i feel it more "loose" (i do not want to say more power). Since the hard reset with the battery disconnection the ECU onboard computer has 6.9 L/100 Km in the regist. I know that this onboard computer  value means 7.2 L/100 Km of real consumption. For an old car that is the heavy combi version and with 1.4 L and  8 valve engine, with catalytic converter it is very good (at least i think so).

[nta16]

4 hours ago, ruimvp said:

nta16,   when i cleared the code with the OBDII tool it showed up again. But when i disconnected the battery for a couple of hours, has you said, the code disapeared and i have been driving the car since tuesday without P0101 or other codes showing up. Thank you for your advice.  Let see what is going to happen in the future.

No problem, it was just an idea I'd seen a good while back and thought was good and found videos of  VW (and BMW) mechanics saying it works.  Many of the scan tools do not go deep enough to clear some of the error codes.  Error codes give you the starting point of where to look and not often the simple solution many think.  Then computer programs make errors so you can not always trust what they tell you but you must investigate.

 

 

4 hours ago, ruimvp said:

Another thing is that after the cleaning of throttle body the car has best gas consumption and i feel it more "loose" (i do not want to say more power).

I often say about cleaning the throttle body as that allows it to get nearer factory settings and effects other settings and the way the car runs, probably most noticeable when first pulling away and when in stop, start crawling traffic, it will effect your fuel consumption a bit.  Good to hear of the improvement.  Sometimes clearing some codes can also help with the efficient running of the car, not sure in your case but it was an odd code anyway best to see the back of it.

 

The engine wants air and fuel and to be clean inside, so that starts with a clean air filter, fuel filter and perhaps better quality fuel, then inside clean and effective engine oil with timely changes of oil and filter, then there are the sensors that need to be in good working condition to tell the computer how to run the engine and what comes out of the engine through the exhaust.

 

But of course the engine is one of the least import parts of the car, the brakes, steering, suspension (all three involve tyres), lights and visibility and safety electrics are more important.

 

Many of these other components and parts can have an influence on fuel consumption, including the driver of course and what's on and left in the vehicle but that's another wide subject for another place and time.

 

Good luck, let us know if the code returns or any new appear.