hi anyone out there help me with this complete mystery.? 😕 had a skoda fabia mk1 1.2 petrol on 2004 plate engine seized up randomly no knocking noises or any warnings at all fine one day totally unstartable the next.  only possible clue was the coolant level dropped a few days beforehand and i simply topped it up ( by a pint or so )  and all seemed ok after. but i was told i had put the wrong oil in it a few weeks before i did full service plugs oil and filters. i used mannol fully synthetic number 504 for VW engines. the ebayer told me it was the correct oil to use.  anyway on checking the car during taking parts of it to scrap it to the breakers yard at just a mere 88.000 miles i noticed 2x of the 3 spark plug tips had

sheared off. very odd that is.  firstly it was thought it was the starter motor but on a simple test that worked fine. so what made this fabia engine just seize up it makes no sense at all. so any feedback from other skoda owners out there on this mystery would be greatly appreciated. 

When you say the spark plug tips had sheared off do you mean the electrodes?

Three cylinder engine can seize if the timing slips.

2 hours ago, sepulchrave said:

Three cylinder engine can seize if the timing slips.

 

My thoughts exactly. A lot of these types of issues can stem from the timing slipping.

Thanks for the replies. yeah the whole electrode tip on two of the 3 plugs had broke off. and ah i see an engine can seize if timing slips i bet thats what it was then. i was the 7th keeper of the car and i only did a 1000 miles in it. it had done 88.000 miles. i was told i had put the wrong oil in it though.  i used mannol 5w/30  number 504 for VW engines.  but i think that is total rubbish cos i have used it before its good oil. it ran very smooth and quiet on it for those few months i had the car.  Dave h.