Good morning to everyone, I have a Felicia 1.3 MPI, 136M engine and lately I noticed a pinging noise when the engine is in its operating temperature. The noise is not synchronized with rpm, it looks random but fast, like "tick tick tick tick" and occurs at any revs, especially on low revs, when I accelerate. It's not regular like, for example, tappets noise. It doesn't seem to occur on idle. The engine runs ok, it doesn't misfire or it doesn't have any hesitation while accelerating. The car has about 200.000 km and in most of them the car has run on CNG. Since last May the car runs exclusively on petrol due to a fault in the CNG system. The car has run great on CNG, about 300 km with 13 kg of CNG (11€ in Italy) with only a slightly loss of power on low revs. 

What I have replaced:

MAF sensor, throttle body (I have done the TBA reset with motordiag simos manager and VAG COM), throttle body gasket, air filter, fuel pressure regulator and its o-rings, fuel pump, O2 sensor, thermostat, coolant temperature sensor, spark plugs, ignition coils pack and EVAP valve, nothing improved or changed anything

 

Useful info:

• I have the car since 2 years ago and I don't know anything about previous owner maintenance routines, but judging from the exterior, he didn't care at all
• The car has run with some cheap Motul oil, 10W40
• The car has been overheated three times in its life, in one of them the car has run 2 km with no coolant at all, no obvious damage occurs and headgasket seems fine
• The car has run a lot of time with a broken thermostat (stuck open) and tap water, now it uses the proper coolant. I have flushed it frequently to see if there were signs of rust in coolant, no rust so far
• The car has run a lot of time with the vacuum fuel pressure hose disconnected (I'm sure a mechanic forgot to plug it in) so the car has run very bad with rough idle or revving like crazy while at intersections
• I did a compression test: from the first cylinder: 16 bar, 15.5 bar, 16 bar, 15,5 bar, factory specs should be from 11 bar to 15 bar
• I regularly check the valves clearance
• Temperature is perfect, a steady 90°C with good warm up (temperature checked both with instrument cluster gauge and VAG-COM)
• The car doesn't eat oil or coolant, it doesn't smoke white, blue or anything like that.
• I have tried different sparkplugs, now I run with single electrode BRISK DR15YS 1334 that are a grade colder and they are designed for CNG, I have checked the gap before installation.
• I have tried also OEM NGK BKUR5ET-10 multielectrode but the engine runs better with BRISK
• I have checked for low fuel pressure, I didn't measure it with a gauge but I have disconnected the return line and fuel pressure looks quite strong
• I have checked and cleaned all the injectors, spray pattern is perfect. I have also checked them while running with a stethoscope and all of them work perfectly
• I have checked the hall sensor on the flywheel, I cleaned it and there are no damage
• I have cleaned all electric contacts I could find and I have checked for damages
• There are no fuel leaks or vacuum leaks that could led to an extremely lean condition
• I usually use regular 95 octane fuel, I have tried a full tank of premium 100 octane fuel but nothing changed, I have also tried various fuel treatment additives but nothing improved the noise
• Last time I have run the car on CNG I didn't heard any pinging noise, maybe because CNG has an octane rate way higher than petrol, it should be around 120
• There is no pinging until the engine is fully warmed up.
• Timing chain is noisy, it is still the OEM one and maybe it's so stretched that it could slightly affect timing
• I don't know if knock sensor is working, but due to the CNG system, it's impossible to reach it without disconnecting a lot of CNG stuff
• While scanning the ECU errors with VAG COM, it always reports the code 01177 ECU 37-00 Faulty, but this error was already there way before the pinging noise started to be heard.

 

I know some history of the car because it was my girlfriend grandfather's car. She took the car in 2012 when he passed away and then she donated it to me two years ago because I have spent a lot of time and money to fix stuff. I love this car, I have a pretty bad scoliosis ad I had surgery, I have never been in a more comfortable car than Felicia. I did a 1000 km trip with her and my back was still as good as I had just got up from bed. I want to give my Felicia what she deserves, no matter how much money and time I will spend. She must stay with me for another long time.
 

Anyway, I used a camera and I took a look inside the spark plug holes and I think that there is a lot of carbon buildup that could become super hot and could ignite the fuel before the spark, In Italy there is no product like seafoam, I have to look for a similar product.

Here is the photos:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/7959/1DgFqj.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/955/R9nRjn.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/930/uBLo3h.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/6545/s1rvxl.jpg

1 hour ago, danilob said:

Anyway, I used a camera and I took a look inside the spark plug holes and I think that there is a lot of carbon buildup that could become super hot and could ignite the fuel before the spark

Well, that's a comprehensive history thank you. It actually led to my discarding my original theory, then formulating and discarding several more, before deciding that the most likely cause is that the car needs a proper decoke. Points in your history leading to this:-

1. Compression in a 200_000 km engine is higher than the ex-works range for a new engine.
2. Your description indicates that you have coke inside the combustion chambers, which could cause hot spots.

38 minutes ago, KenONeill said:

Your description indicates that you have coke inside the combustion chambers, which could cause hot spots

Observing the pistons led me to the same conclusion. One thing I forgot to mention is that, when engine is hot, releasing the gas pedal sometimes makes the car kangooring for a second, especially on low gears and low revs. When the engine is cold it didn't happen. I don't know if it's relevant or not, maybe it's the stretched timing chain or the ECU or it's just a consequence of fuel continuing burning right before the cut-off

 

37 minutes ago, KenONeill said:

the car needs a proper decoke

I have seen several methods including spraying water mist in the intake, using seafoam and hydrogen cleaning. I would avoid taking apart the engine as I don't feel confident enough to do such a big job. I'm worried about pieces of coke that could lay around valves, piston rings, oil passages and kat. Do you have any suggestions?

Anyway, thank you for your opinion and your time. Out of curiosity, what were your other theories? 

2 hours ago, danilob said:

I have tried also OEM NGK BKUR5ET-10 multielectrode but the engine runs better with BRISK

 

I have seen several methods including spraying water mist in the intake, using seafoam and hydrogen cleaning.

 

I had a major problem with those spark plugs, take look

 

 

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/491830-ngk-bkur5et-10-your-opinion-about-them/

 

The 1st and the 2nd method are for professionals, don't try it by yourself

The look of your piston's head match to those which Chris Fix has uploaded for Seafoam use.

As i read you have neglected your car too much in some sectors and i wonder how you manage to drive in such a bad situation.

 

32 minutes ago, D.FYLAKTOS said:

The look of your piston's head match to those which Chris Fix has uploaded for Seafoam use.

 

I have seen it and yeah, they looks very similar. Unfortunately Seafoam is not sold here in Italy and I don't know any similar alternatives

 

45 minutes ago, D.FYLAKTOS said:

I had a major problem with those spark plugs, take look

 

Mine looked a bit better but I definitely felt the difference and the lack of responsiveness 
 

34 minutes ago, D.FYLAKTOS said:

As i read you have neglected your car too much in some sectors and i wonder how you manage to drive in such a bad situation.

 

As I said I'm not the one who neglected it, I have the car since two years ago and since then I have addressed a huge amount of other problems in my free time. I'm not a mechanic, I'm a self taught and as my knowledge increases, so does my ability to recognize problems and negligence by the previous owner or lazy mechanics. I'm doing my best, the more I learn, the more surprised I am by fact that the car, despite all of that, has run and it's still running.

20 minutes ago, danilob said:

Unfortunately Seafoam is not sold here in Italy

 

https://www.ebay.it/itm/403354612195?hash=item5de9cef1e3:g:kHAAAOSwTWRhvDwL

 

https://www.amazon.it/Sea-Foam-Motor-Tune-confezione/dp/B004NPUR38/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_it_IT=ÅMÅŽÕÑ&crid=3PZND70WZLSOR&keywords=Sea+Foam+motor+tune&qid=1644152194&sprefix=sea+foam+motor+tune%2Caps%2C204&sr=8-1

 

https://www.ebay.com/b/Sea-Foam-Automotive-Fuel-Additives-Treatments/179492/bn_7114964332

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/15032166538

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=sea+foam+motor+tune&i=automotive&crid=9SEKB2DRHNM1&sprefix=sea+foam+motor+tune%2Cautomotive%2C158&ref=nb_sb_noss

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Motor-Treatment/dp/B00Y4TL95I/ref=sr_1_23?crid=9SEKB2DRHNM1&keywords=sea+foam+motor+tune&qid=1644152077&s=automotive&sprefix=sea+foam+motor+tune%2Cautomotive%2C158&sr=1-23

 

😉

3 hours ago, danilob said:

I have seen several methods including spraying water mist in the intake, using seafoam and hydrogen cleaning. I would avoid taking apart the engine as I don't feel confident enough to do such a big job. I'm worried about pieces of coke that could lay around valves, piston rings, oil passages and kat. Do you have any suggestions?

The trouble is that a proper decoke involves removing the cylinder head so that you can literally chip carbon build up off the combustion chamber, piston crowns, inlet valves and ports. I'm not aware of a product that will clean these without risking leaving you with one or more valves stuck ajar, or scratched bores.

 

As to other theories, they mostly revolved around pre-ignition of one form or another.

I think I will try seafoam, I have found a German seller that sells both fuel additive and intake spray variant. From the CrisFix video it did something in a short soaking time and without fuel additive, I will also add the fuel additive and I will let the product soak for more than 5 minutes, before going around on high engine revs. Then I will change the motor oil with some good Castrol GTX Ultraclean 10W40 and oil filter. Is it necessary to raise the car for an oil change? It will be the first time for me.

Anyway, hydrogen cleaning, if done properly, should dissolve carbon build up instead of chip it up because hydrogen has a combustion power (I don't know if it's the proper name) way higher than regular fuel, that's what I have read online

I would obviously prefer a proper cleaning by removing the head but unfortunately I don't feel confident at all to do it and I don't know anyone I trust that could do this

10 hours ago, danilob said:

Is it necessary to raise the car for an oil change? It will be the first time for me.

 

If you do it by yourself yes a little bit with a lifting jack or other way, you need some space to reach the oil drain plug.

 

 

Take the new oil filter, apply some oil on his gasket and then screw it ,put some oil from above and start the car for 4-5 seconds so it will soak some inside, then fill till the stick shows the level reached the Max (total will take about 4,3 till 4,5 litres)

danilob, the Seafoam fuel additive gets mixed reports and reviews and I am not sure why you would need it after using fuel cleaners before and having injector spray patterns perfect now btter whilst you are carrying out the other cleaning to put in two or three tankfuls of petrols with greater cleaning additive packages (like Shell V-Power as an example) .

 

You did not mention air filter(s) engine (cabin) but given the other work I assume you have renewed them.

 

I am not sure the Seafoam intake spray will achieve much but if you want to give it a go and I could well be wrong.

 

For the engine oil if it is sludge'd up and dirty then you may want to consider using an engine flush before this oil change, then using the Castrol GTX Ultraclean until your next oil & filter change when you could consider a better oil.  Just one example of an engine flush. - https://www.millersoils-shop.co.uk/engine-flush

 

Note if you use a Haynes manual they usually have some errors and omissions in them, as with all information you get from any source including me!) cross check against one, two, three, other (reliable) sources.

 

If you use an engine flush follow the instructions for that then for the oil change as well as the usual instructions -  

• for all jobs allow loads more time that you think it will take, never be in a rush
• if this is the first time you’ve done an oil change on this car have the loan of an oil filter removing tool
• have the existing engine oil as warm as possible before draining to be able to get as much existing oil and muck out as possible
• remove the oil filler cap as this will allow the oil to drain better
• protect yourself from hot oil when draining
• leave oil to drain for as long as possible to get as much existing oil and muck out as possible
• towards the end of the drain pour some warm(ed) fresh oil in to act as a final flush and allow to fully drain
• * - make sure you have the oil filter seal on the old filter or off from the filter housing on the engine - *
• clean sump plug and drain hole and filter housing opening
• before fitting the filter smear clean oil around the seal of the oil filter and fit filter hand tight then as instructions – do not over tighten
• replace sump plug (and new washer?)
• steadily refill oil, start with about two thirds of the stated quantity of oil (as refills never take the dry fill quantity stated), leave to settle for a while, top up very slowly, better to need to add more than overfill, leave to settle before checking again, continue until it is near the maximum mark on the dipstick
• start the engine and check for leaks (after your first drive check for leaks again)
• then, if you want to or it is appropriate, top up to maximum as per instructions.

I hope this also helps, good luck let us know how you get on.

 

Edited 7 February, 20224 yr by nta16

@danilob

Congratulations for the comprehensive history. That is how you ask for help to somebody who doesn't have direct access to the car.

I am not sure why you changed so many parts without success. Could it be improper diagnose? The normal process of repairing a car is this: diagnose -> find evidence of fault -> buy parts.

Anyway, here is what I would do:

- change the timing chain. NOW. For a neglected car, I am expecting to find a total mess behind the timing cover. Chewed sprockets, elongated chain, heavy marks on the timing cover, etc. It is quite hilarious reading that you check regularly the valves clearance when the timing chain is flopping inside all over the place.

- put proper new spark plugs as indicated by the service manual.

I think we all had similar thoughts as all of RicardoM's but perhaps not so bluntly.

 

I am not so sure the timing chain area will be totally catastrophic but obviously it sounds like it needs checking, danilob put he regularly checks the valve clearances but did not put whether this includes having to make any adjustments, unless that is what he meant and he was chasing his tail on this even more than normal.  A loose chain can make a lot of noise without doing too much to running or damage, I know as an idiot garage put a cheap chain on my car and thought I would be pleased about its low price!!    *%$$*£^ garages and mechanics!

 

All things considered the car sounds like it's pretty sturdy and danilob has done a good job rescuing it.

 

Motul oils are generally good so perhaps the car has had reasonable engine oil & filter changes as to many people that is a full service on a car.

 

Edited 8 February, 20224 yr by nta16

Thank you so much to d.fylactos and nta16 for such a detailed and comprehensive guide. I will follow your tips and instructions very carefully! When I have replaced the O2 sensor I have noticed that the drain plug screw was quite beat up, I think they reuse the same plug over and over but since there are no leaks, I think they have at least replaced the washer.
 

13 hours ago, nta16 said:

I am not sure the Seafoam intake spray will achieve much but if you want to give it a go and I could well be wrong.

 

Seafoam Intake spray should have a more "direct" effect, given the fact that it should be sprayed through a vacuum hose directly into the intake manifold, I will report my results!

12 hours ago, RicardoM said:

I am not sure why you changed so many parts without success. Could it be improper diagnose?

Thank you for your compliment, as an IT Developer I'm used to troubleshooting something I don't have hands on and so I know how much info and details are important. The reason why I have replaced so many parts is because the car had always something "off". I mean, it did run, but not 100% ok. Scanning the ECU reported nothing but the "01177 ECU 37-00 Faulty". It turned out that every single sensor and part affected the drivability of the car in a way or another. They did work good enough to not trigger any error, but not good enough to let the car run good. When I said that replacing them did not change anything I refer to the spark knock problem only. Sorry, I should have mention it.

Speaking of "improper diagnose" in this poor Felicia I have seen atrocious "fixes" and they all led me to think that the main reason for such a disaster was the broken thermostat and lazy mechanics. Here is my theory and what I have found during all the work I have done on this car: 

• At some point of its life, the thermostat did broke (classic Felicia problem with broken plastic clip and years of tap water)
• Due to the broken thermostat, the CNG reducer (that picks up coolant to heat up the CNG from the thermostat housing rear hose) can't heat the CNG anymore and the car had problem on CNG
• A very "intelligent" mechanic, fixed the problem by blocking the cold air intake port inside the air filter housing, letting only hot exhaust air in and restricting the air flow by putting a cap with a small hole between the air filter housing and the plastic hose that goes in the throttle body cover
• The thermostat problem didn't show up because, in the meantime, tap water was used, the coolant tank was slightly cracked and the radiator was barely working
• Hot air is way less dense than fresh air so the engine had to pull harder, all of that with the fuel pressure vacuum line disconnected.
• Because of that a lot of oil vapour got into the plastic throttle body cover, the throttle body, MAF sensor and intake manifold and eventually into the cylinders, creating all of the deposits. When I have cleaned the throttle body I couldn't even see the screws on the valve because of the oil deposits.
• In the meantime there was always a coolant leak, another "intelligent" mechanic suspected the heater radiator, so he filled the coolant system with an industrial amount of leak stop and put a plastic garden water tap to exclude the heater from the system. When I have disconnected the CNG reducer coolant hoses, they where entirely clogged with dark brown sand, fortunately no other hoses where clogged and the rest of the system is clean. It was super disgusting.

I have photos if you are brave enough 😂

 

The car had run like this for years. As far as I know my girlfriend's grandfather wanted to junk it and buy a Fiat Panda, so he stopped doing any work or maintenance. He passed away in 2012, right before junking it. My girlfriend was a novice driver at that time and she needed a car and that's the story how my Felicia survived. She told me that the car used to run very badly, until I have started to put my hands on it. Now she has a wonderful and in mint conditions red Fiat Coupé, and I have my white beloved Felicia.

The thermostat problem did show up when I fixed the radiator, coolant tank and I pour the proper coolant. Every little piece I changed, improved the behaviour of the car. You may wonder: "is the ECU able to report any other error code besides the 01177 ?" and the answer is yes it is. When I have replaced the throttle cable, I have set it a bit too tight and the ECU throwed the error about not being able to perform basic setting, or when I have investigated over the O2 sensor, I have driven the car with the sensor disconnected to see if there were any improvement (just for some minutes) and the ECU did throw the O2 sensor error. I don't know why the 01177 error is always there, is the ECU really faulty? Besides the spark knock, the car drives beautifully, it revs up quickly and it sounds way healthier than before.

Anyway, the timing chain is the next of the list, unfortunately this is my only car and I have just recovered from Corona. I will do the Seafoam and oil change treatment, I will check for any metal residues inside the old oil. Then I will search for a (hopefully) good workshop and book my car for a timing chain replacement. It's noisy, but not as noisy as I have heard in a video in another thread and the amount of noise didn't get worse in this two years. Thanks again for your suggestions and your opinion!
 

5 hours ago, nta16 said:

danilob put he regularly checks the valve clearances but did not put whether this includes having to make any adjustments

In this two years I have checked the clearance three times and I had to make adjustments the first time only, in fact there was a tapping noise. I have checked them so many times because I didn't feel confident about setting them right due to my lack of experience and the "fear" of a beginner. Now that I gain some experience and confidence I'm not that "paranoid" anymore 😂 Anyway, I have followed the guide RicardoM wrote. Exhaust and intake valves are made by different material in my engine so I have set their clearances accordingly.

 

5 hours ago, nta16 said:

I know as an idiot garage put a cheap chain on my car and thought I would be pleased about its low price!!    *%$$*£^ garages and mechanics!

Oh my god! Read above, we are on the same boat! 😂

Sorry for my long answer and thanks again to everyone for the help!
 

59 minutes ago, danilob said:

I have noticed that the drain plug screw was quite beat up,

 

Some repair-shops use pump to get the old oil out and don't touch the drain plug bolt.

Some guys use a magnetic one to any any metal micro detritus but this is controversial.

@danilob

Try fixing the problem one method at a time.

For example, don't do timing chain and carbon deposits simultaneously. You would never know what was the culprit.

IMO, getting rid of the carbon deposits will not make a difference. Maybe you will get a placebo effect because you will see a lot of white smoke out the exhaust and you will think 'that's fantastic'. Seafoam is another marketing BS. There are videos on YouTube showing before/after photos of the piston deposits using a mini camera. The effects are minimal. Carbon deposits are very tough to clean. Only mechanical brushing and heavy chemicals destroy them but you need to dismantle the engine lower part.

12 minutes ago, RicardoM said:

For example, don't do timing chain and carbon deposits simultaneously. You would never know what was the culprit

You are right, in fact I think I will do an oil change after the seafoam, and I will book the car for the timing chain only after a few months, so there will be two oil changes in a shorter period of time and thus the oil should be as clean as possible for the new chain and sprockets.

 

15 minutes ago, RicardoM said:

Seafoam is another marketing BS

I know it could be not so miraculous as many ads said and I don't expect anything in particular, but if there is even the slightest chance that it can reduce knocking, then I want to try it. I have a mini camera and I will check if something changes or not. I will keep you updated!

 

24 minutes ago, RicardoM said:

Only mechanical brushing and heavy chemicals destroy them but you need to dismantle the engine lower part.

Giving the fact that the car needs a total repainting, including engine bay, I think that while the engine will be out of the car, it's the perfect time to do it, hopefully in the near future and with people that love and can do their job.

As nta16 suggested I will replace the oil drain plug and its washer, what's the size of that bolt for a 1.3 MPI oil sump? I have found M14x1.5 with a16mm long thread but on another site it stated that it's for the 1.6 oil sump

Yes I would definitely replace the plug if it's beaten up and then if you get a bag or box of sealing washers you do not need to worry about the new plug and always have a new washer (in the old days you could reuse the washer but money is more important than materials and recycling in the modern world despite corporations and youngsters pretending otherwise).

 

danilob as a computer guy you know how very, very, very, imperfect computers and their programs are, you as a driver or passenger can often know and sense more than the computer programs, you have eyes, ears, taste, touch and obviously a marvellous biological electronics in your head so always use those in conjunction with any scan tool.  Always take any error codes as the starting point of diagnostics or at least cross-checking.

 

I for no good reason might defend the first mechanic as he might have been asked just to keep the car going with no cost - but then you went on to the second mechanic.  Yes I have had a lot of experience of mechanics and the motor trade generally in my country so I can also tell you that specialist experts can be just as bad even if they are highly respected widely by others, con-men are very good at projecting and protecting a fantastic image and reputation they do not deserve.  I deleted almost all the photos I had as few would believe them, other than those that had also had bad work, and for my mental and physical health.

 

Your car sounds fantastically robust, I think if you can get someone reliable to advise you on how bad the timing chain might be to see how quickly it might, or might not, be as what is noisy to you might not be so bad to others.  I doubt it will be in great condition but like mine if you avoid where it rattles most and all your cleaning, lubricating, servicing, maintenance and repairs may take some of the excess strain (for the want of the right word) off it.

 

For learning and cost it is best to sort one part/item/area at a time but sometimes we do not all have the time or lifeforce to spend for too much farting about with cars and may need to use them in short order and just have them running to get to work to pay for them.  So if sometimes it is just quicker to throw an inexpensive part on to get the car moving then do so - but hold on to the previous part until you are sure the new part is fully working - you know reinstalling the previous version because the updated improved version, is not!

 

You probably know plan-do-review, if not I can send you notes, always stick to it, as you can imagine despite giving the advice often I do not always follow it but always regret not doing so.

 

We have had two Fiats, so we both know your girlfriend's Fiat Coupé would never be anywhere near as robust as your Felicia but can provide you with all the learning about car repairs and maintenance you could ever want, or not want.  A mate had a s/h 20v non-turbo for about 12 months a couple of decades back and we almost bought a new imported LHD Barchetta in 1999 before the Dealerships officially imported them but when the exhaust trim fell off the 3-year old Cinquecento (Sporting 1107cc) and given the other problems we got a MX-5 instead.

 

I hope your Covid was not too bad and you are fully over it, do not dismiss it and think you can not or will not possibly get it again.  My wife got it very mildly the other week and we are triple-jabbed.

  

@danilob possibly some good new for you, whilst on another thread that included chain rattle I twice had it confirmed by a poster that

- "Yes, all 1.3 Felicias have the rattly timing chain Skoda engine."

 

So unless your is very rattlely or beyond normal rattle you can possibly lower the priority on this until you learn to do it yourself, if it is worth doing, the poster said a new chain does quieten things down but they were rattlely from 20k-miles when new anyway.

 

Below same engine in later 1.4 MPI.

 

 

Edited 10 February, 20224 yr by nta16
spelling

On 08/02/2022 at 22:08, nta16 said:

Yes I would definitely replace the plug if it's beaten up and then if you get a bag or box of sealing washers you do not need to worry about the new plug and always have a new washer (in the old days you could reuse the washer but money is more important than materials and recycling in the modern world despite corporations and youngsters pretending otherwise).

I ordered what I need for a good oil change, unfortunately the plug was listed as "in stock" but yesterday I have received an email that says that in reality, it's not, it was cheap and I will need it anyway so I have said to ship it whenever they have it in stock again. I have also bought a Liqui Moly Engine Flush and, as you have suggested, a box of sealing washer. If the plug doesn't arrive in time, I think I will reuse the old one with a brand new washer. Maybe it's just dirty and it's not as bad as it looks.

 

On 08/02/2022 at 22:08, nta16 said:

danilob as a computer guy you know how very, very, very, imperfect computers and their programs are

I totally agree but my computer science professor always told me that "The main fault in computer science sits between the keyboard and the chair". Programs are made by human, another philosophical question is "Would you ever fly in an full autonomous airplane with an autopilot software written by yourself?". As far as I know Felicia Siemens ECU (1,3 MPI Felicia has the Siemens Simos 2P ECU) has a bug in its firmware that causes the famous "sticking idle" problem. Who knows if my specific ECU with my specific firmware revision is bugged or there is, in reality, a problem that leads to the Faulty ECU error? I have managed to get my hands on the most recent revision of Simos 2P ECU. It should have the most optimized firmware revision with also faster memory chips (source: http://jmjm.cz/clanky-skoda-felicia-1300-mpi-siemens-simos2p.php#simos-hlavni-komponenty). I will do some tests when I have enough time.

 

On 08/02/2022 at 22:08, nta16 said:

we both know your girlfriend's Fiat Coupé would never be anywhere near as robust as your Felicia

My girlfriend Coupé has the same 1.8 engine as the Barchetta. Fortunately it's maintenance is not as expensive and complicated as the 20V 5 cylinder version. They are completely different, one is an "exotic" Italian sport car, the other is a tough, built-to-last Czech little tank. Fortunately the Fiat Coupé is not as weak as other Fiat cars, since it was assembled by Pininfarina, but it's not as solid as the Felicia, especially with interior trims.

 

On 08/02/2022 at 22:08, nta16 said:

I hope your Covid was not too bad and you are fully over it, do not dismiss it and think you can not or will not possibly get it again.

My Covid was mild too fortunately, I had fever for just two days and then only some flu symptoms, now I'm 100% fully recovered, thanks for asking!

 

On 09/02/2022 at 00:59, nta16 said:

Below same engine in later 1.4 MPI.

 

My chain rattles exactly like that

Edited 10 February, 20224 yr by danilob

17 minutes ago, danilob said:

As far as I know Felicia Siemens ECU (1,3 MPI Felicia has the Siemens Simos 2P ECU) has a bug in its firmware that causes the famous "sticking idle" problem.

 

Felicia and Siemens ECU idle problem? Here i am!

 

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/499328-how-much-time-do-you-warm-up-your-felicia/page/15/#elControls_5632349_menu

 

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/499328-how-much-time-do-you-warm-up-your-felicia/page/16/?tab=comments#elControls_5633057_menu

 

@danilob sorry I have only just seen your post. -

 

5 hours ago, danilob said:

I think I will reuse the old one with a brand new washer. Maybe it's just dirty and it's not as bad as it looks.

Yes I perhaps should have included clean the drain plug, and add now that after cleaning you might be able to dress up (off) any metal burr on the hex edges.  Use the correct, or best fit,  socket or ring spanner always, if you have one for this first time at least use a six-sided socket for removal, start with as shorter a handle/bar/lever as possible to release the plug and only try longer leverage in stages until the plugs moves as you want to remove the plug as smoothly as possible and in case someone has cross-threaded it.

 

Always check you can fully remove any fill plug before starting on ta drain plugs, easy for the engine of course.

 

When you put the drain pug back in use the correct sized socket and length of lever to not overtighten or ring spanner of the correct length, the washer should do the sealing so you just do not want the drain plug vibrating loose.

 

 

5 hours ago, danilob said:

"Would you ever fly in an full autonomous airplane with an autopilot software written by yourself?"

 Just imagine the over-complicated intertwined and invasive programs problems in my wife's 2015 Fabia let alone a 2022 car.  The car battery has just about always been very important in cars but now in modern cars, I can't seem to get over to most how the low state of the battery will have the computers making the owners/drivers suffer with weird warnings and faults.

 

You may know if this is so? - chips in cars are low tech hence why the chip manufacturers were not in a rush to make them and get paid late by the car manufacturers when the modern chips made more profit and were paid for quicker.  I would not want a car made during Covid for any sort of build quality issues.

 

 

5 hours ago, danilob said:

Fortunately the Fiat Coupé is not as weak as other Fiat cars, since it was assembled by Pininfarina

Yes I well remember the badge on the side.  My mate never kept a car long enough to see too much trouble from it - even a Fiat. 😉  I always like the shape and cut styling of the Coupé.  I liked the colour coded dash but was surprised to find it was plastic (like another mate's bosses BX 16v, and plastic bonnet).   All about or over 25 years ago so they are "classics" now.

 

 

5 hours ago, danilob said:

My chain rattles exactly like that

In that case you can forget about it for now.  Doing the engine flush and when you get to better quality oil will probably help to quieten it a little, anything that has the engine running smoother helps but do not expect too much difference.

 

I am also a big believer in cleaning the gearbox oil and using better quality oil as this helps particularly in extremes of weather or car faults or mechanical use (and abuse).  Also timely changes of other fluids and clean if required, particular brake fluid of course but also (clutch), coolant as D.FYLAKTOS - and power steering, as D.FYLAKTOS is about to do.

 

I know you have done a lot of coolant changes but I have simple and unoriginal but thorough system(s) for cooling/heating system cleaning, best done in warmer weather unless you like all year round wild swimming, let me know before you do yours and I can send it to you, or a long-ish post.  The old British cars like mine have mechanical 'water' temperature gauges so the very few other owners with cars like mine than have actually done the full system can really see the difference on the gauge as well as the crud that it gets out.