53 minutes ago, petrolcan said:

 

I used to have a Signum (like a Vectra but better) and cranking sounded just fine on a new battery or being jumped. A new starter, a weak point on the diesels, cured it.

 

Have you tried some Start Ya Bastid (aka easystart)?

I still keep coming back to why the throttle body is completely idle.  On the wifes mazda, turn ignition on, press pedal and the butterfly moves in relation to the pedal. In the fabia its locked solid shut, but do the system test and it opens and closes.  As yet I’ve not proven if we’re getting a spark. 
But it does look like I need to invetsgate a new crank sensor.  
 

Thanks for all your input though guys,  It is appreciated.

Hugh

2 hours ago, TMB said:

Would the BKY engine be the same?

 

Ours doesn’t appear to have a plug at the oval grommet.  Our one seems to justhave a cable going through the grommet.  The plug is up back left kind of under the dipstick.  Guess i need to see whats inside the grommet. 

^ Yep, I was thinking that you said your crank sensor has a captive cable, with connection to the loom remote from sensor.  Reckon you'll still find it can be done without gearbox moving, though Mr BKY's video appears at times to have been filmed by a tiny person sitting behind the engine.

This is the current part number and appearance of genuine sensor for a manual gearbox BBZ Engine impulse sender 16v 1.4 / 1.6 Golf4 Beetle Bora A2 030957147AA Genuine VW | Deutsche Parts (deutsche-parts.co.uk)

If you think that listing is expensive, retail price at Skoda dealers is a startling £111.80 plus VAT!

Once again, in another 'bid or Make Offer' listing, ebay may provide potentially excellent value (appears to be missing its captive screw, but that's likely 'workaroundable' by extracting old one)?

Would be nice if this is the last 'boom' from the parts cannon for you, apologies for my apparent bum steer on the TB.

Edited 15 June, 20232 yr by Breezy_Pete

1 hour ago, Breezy_Pete said:

^ Yep, I was thinking that you said your crank sensor has a captive cable, with connection to the loom remote from sensor.  Reckon you'll still find it can be done without gearbox moving, though Mr BKY's video appears at times to have been filmed by a tiny person sitting behind the engine.

This is the current part number and appearance of genuine sensor for a manual gearbox BBZ Engine impulse sender 16v 1.4 / 1.6 Golf4 Beetle Bora A2 030957147AA Genuine VW | Deutsche Parts (deutsche-parts.co.uk)

If you think that listing is expensive, retail price at Skoda dealers is a startling £111.80 plus VAT!

Once again, in another 'bid or Make Offer' listing, ebay may provide potentially excellent value (appears to be missing its captive screw, but that's likely 'workaroundable' by extracting old one)?

Would be nice if this is the last 'boom' from the parts cannon for you, apologies for my apparent bum steer on the TB.

I was searching last thing last night for one. The pattern ones I found cover that part no as well as quite a few similar no’s.  I’ve just ordered a pattern one thats on next day delivery so we should have it tomorrow or Sat at the latest.  I’ll try and get out tonight and see if I can get the old one off.  Fingers crossed….

Edited 15 June, 20232 yr by Bmwdumptruck

This page shows a couple of older equivalent part numbers,in grey boxes near top of page.

 https://www.skoda-parts.com/spare-part/030957147aa-speed-sensor-1-4-16v-55kw-european-union-41175.html

 

Not sure why so many part numbers, I have a spare for my manual BBY but that's a different number from any of those, though it has a captive cable.

8 hours ago, Bmwdumptruck said:

I still keep coming back to why the throttle body is completely idle.  On the wifes mazda, turn ignition on, press pedal and the butterfly moves in relation to the pedal. In the fabia its locked solid shut, but do the system test and it opens and closes.  As yet I’ve not proven if we’re getting a spark. 
But it does look like I need to invetsgate a new crank sensor.  
 

Thanks for all your input though guys,  It is appreciated.

Hugh

 

Ignore the throttle body, it's fly by wire, you can jump all over the pedal but the throttle will only move when the ECU tells it to.

So after an afternoon struggling under and over the engine I managed to swap the crank sensor.  And we’re no further forward. We have a higher cranking speed, nearer 250-270 from 130ish.  But still no life and now we’re also getting a crank sensor fault code!!  
We don’t appear to be getting a spark either, so its no throttle body movement unless on the test cycle amd no spark!!  
Anyone know what’s involved in swapping an ecu? I assume keys need coding to it, anything else?

Edited 17 June, 20232 yr by Bmwdumptruck

You won't get any life out of the throttle body until the engine starts so that's a RED HERRING! Please listen.

2 hours ago, Bmwdumptruck said:

Anyone know what’s involved in swapping an ecu

 

Spending lots of money unnecessarily in desperation to get no further forward.

 

A whole industry has sprung up to take the money that people want to spend.

 

Changing a crankshaft sensor will not increase the engines cranking speed, 250 rpm sounds like a reasonable cranking speed but you should try and find out if there is a lower limit that has to be exceeded for the ECU to initiate combustion.

 

Have you tried bump or tow starting?

 

What did you do that makes you say you "dont appear to have a spark"?

The ECUs hardly ever fail on MK1 Fabias.

36 minutes ago, TMB said:

The ECUs hardly ever fail on MK1 Fabias.

Seems every part we’ve looked at ‘hardly ever fails’. Clearly one is bucking the trend. 

1 hour ago, sepulchrave said:

You won't get any life out of the throttle body until the engine starts so that's a RED HERRING! Please listen.

At the moment the only reference I have to this is the opposite. The wifes mazda moves with just ignition switched on.  I know it’s not the cause of the issue as we’ve tried a brand new OE one, but It’s a def a sympton, something is stopping it from being told to work. 

1 hour ago, J.R. said:

Changing a crankshaft sensor will not increase the engines cranking speed, 250 rpm sounds like a reasonable cranking speed but you should try and find out if there is a lower limit that has to be exceeded for the ECU to initiate combustion.

 

Have you tried bump or tow starting?

 

What did you do that makes you say you "dont appear to have a spark"?

Old sensor, engine apparently turned over at 127.

New sensor now says it turns over at 250-270, same starter, same battery. It’s not about what the engines doing but what it thinks it’s doing. As I’ve said it turns over as it always has.

Atm I don’t see any reason to believe a tow start would make the slightest difference.  
After watching a handfull of youtube vids I bought a spark tester and tried one of the coil packs.  Now I’ve been warned that trying a coil without it connected can blow it,(if you have operated the coil pack outside compression pressure ionisation, they fail.), but there’s three others and from experience we know it can start and run on three. Should I be testing for a voltage at one of the terminals in the coil pack plugs? 

 

So, atm, I feel we’re still looking for whatever is causing the ignition to not send the relavent signals to both the throttle body and the coil packs.  

1 hour ago, Bmwdumptruck said:

Seems every part we’ve looked at ‘hardly ever fails’. Clearly one is bucking the trend. 

 

Oh well, good luck with it.

Check or re-check fuse 52 (15 Amp) for the ignition circuit. 

I'll try to check out what my throttle body does with just ignition on, and maybe make a vid of it during a start-up.

Did you adapt the ECU to the new TB with VCDS after fitting?

I'll see if I can read off cranking speed on my BBY Polo too, by disabling start-up, perhaps by removing some fuse or other.

 

 

 

The throttle body should initialise when you switch the ignition on, other than that, pressing the pedal will not do anything until the engine has started.

Just back from taking a look at the SH near identical car we’ve been considering as a replacement.  Big advantage that it’s a runing and mot’d car, and with only 55k on it. Another ‘old fellas car’, like ours was originally. But being sold by a backstreet trader. 
However, all four discs are shot. The AC doesn’t work, although ours hasn’t for some years now either, not bothered about it tbh.  
But, plugging my original code reader in and every area I looked in has fault codes!!  There’s one P1857 which is an abs fault? Although it was under ‘engine’.  The seller said he’d been told the egr needed cleaning, but no egr fault showed.  But the other one, potentially more worrying was a dashboard fault. I believe the dash is the other part that has to be coded to the car?  Wife thinks they’ve maybe had it apart and pulled the engine management bulb!!  
At the moment were pondering it. At £1500 I see it too dear, but at £1000 I might be tempted to take a chance on it.  We’d have the existing one for spares then, as they are exactly the same model, BBZ 1.4 Ambient models. But I worry we could very soon end up with another troublsome car on our front. 

8 hours ago, Breezy_Pete said:

Check or re-check fuse 52 (15 Amp) for the ignition circuit. 

I'll try to check out what my throttle body does with just ignition on, and maybe make a vid of it during a start-up.

Did you adapt the ECU to the new TB with VCDS after fitting?

I'll see if I can read off cranking speed on my BBY Polo too, by disabling start-up, perhaps by removing some fuse or other.

 

 

 

Definitely got 12v across fuse 52. Tested fuse and tested voltage on both sides with it in situ.  Yes we adapted the TB to th ecu and adapted the original when swapping back to it.  It moves and whines when going through the test sequence. 
The ecu doesnt like our new crank sensor, we’re now getting a fault code for that even though the cranking speed is nearer what it should be, apparently.  

That genuine one on ebay has been relisted at same low starting price, with offers engine speed sensor for vw part no 030957147AA | eBay ?

 

This is what happens with my TB at ignition on, if I just leave it without turning the key further to crank.

 

 

Edited 18 June, 20232 yr by Breezy_Pete

3 hours ago, Bmwdumptruck said:

Just back from taking a look at the SH near identical car we’ve been considering as a replacement.  Big advantage that it’s a runing and mot’d car, and with only 55k on it. Another ‘old fellas car’, like ours was originally. But being sold by a backstreet trader. 
However, all four discs are shot. The AC doesn’t work, although ours hasn’t for some years now either, not bothered about it tbh.  
But, plugging my original code reader in and every area I looked in has fault codes!!  There’s one P1857 which is an abs fault? Although it was under ‘engine’.  The seller said he’d been told the egr needed cleaning, but no egr fault showed.  But the other one, potentially more worrying was a dashboard fault. I believe the dash is the other part that has to be coded to the car?  Wife thinks they’ve maybe had it apart and pulled the engine management bulb!!  
At the moment were pondering it. At £1500 I see it too dear, but at £1000 I might be tempted to take a chance on it.  We’d have the existing one for spares then, as they are exactly the same model, BBZ 1.4 Ambient models. But I worry we could very soon end up with another troublsome car on our front. 

 

£1500 is a crazy price, with all those problems it's overpriced at a grand, the main issue is that a low mileage is massively overvalued by the trade, a low mileage is actually WORSE for these cars so look for one with average mileage.

6 hours ago, Bmwdumptruck said:

I believe the dash is the other part that has to be coded to the car?  Wife thinks they’ve maybe had it apart and pulled the engine management bulb!!  

 

Yes, and there are no incandescent bulbs, all the warning lights are SMDs. Nothing to stop someone bunging a lump of Blu-Tak in there though.

Edited 18 June, 20232 yr by TMB

5 hours ago, Breezy_Pete said:

That genuine one on ebay has been relisted at same low starting price, with offers engine speed sensor for vw part no 030957147AA | eBay ?

 

Yes I’m watching that one. But not sure we want to try anything more.  Wifes found another to look at tomorrow night. Slightly older 1.4 Estate with 67k, £900. But it’s a bit scruffy, but for the boy thats not an issue.  

Been a while, but in the end we just scraped it.  Our Lad buggered off to Wales with his latest skanky gf, had a baby with her, fell out and is still there no job no money. Tbh were happy he’s out of our hair.  
But on the fabia front, been keeping our eyes out for a similar fabia but in estate form for our own use.  Was so impressed with the lads one, everytime I had to do anything to it was generally pretty easy. Everything came apart and went back together as intended. Genuingley feel these are some of the best engineered cars out there.  
So a few weeks back we happened upon a 56 plate Ambient 1.4 16v 100hp estate in my favoured Red with just 47k on it.  Got a fair bit of history and the mot history confirms mileage. So we’ve bought it.  Needs a few bits, noisy cv and I’ve not seen any evidence that its ever had a cambelt change.  So both are top of the list before we use it too much.  

On 25/10/2024 at 21:36, Bmwdumptruck said:

Been a while, but in the end we just scraped it.  Our Lad buggered off to Wales with his latest skanky gf, had a baby with her, fell out and is still there no job no money. Tbh were happy he’s out of our hair.  
But on the fabia front, been keeping our eyes out for a similar fabia but in estate form for our own use.  Was so impressed with the lads one, everytime I had to do anything to it was generally pretty easy. Everything came apart and went back together as intended. Genuingley feel these are some of the best engineered cars out there.  
So a few weeks back we happened upon a 56 plate Ambient 1.4 16v 100hp estate in my favoured Red with just 47k on it.  Got a fair bit of history and the mot history confirms mileage. So we’ve bought it.  Needs a few bits, noisy cv and I’ve not seen any evidence that its ever had a cambelt change.  So both are top of the list before we use it too much.  

 

Small world