Hello all,

 

I own a 2010 Skoda Yeti, 1.2L TSI.  I drove the car with two friends to Dakar in Senegal.  We then got so nostalgic for the car that we decided to drive it back.  In Southern Spain, we made the grievous mistake of pouring oil cleaner (not petrol cleaner) in the petrol tank (there had been some water that had gotten in with bad Mauritanian petrol).  The car has never been the same since.  The check engine lights came on and I had to drive the rest of the way in no higher than 3rd gear!  Couldn’t accelerate past 35-40 MPH.  Nightmare.  Multiple rounds of petrol cleaner and fresh tanks of petrol have not solved the issue, it would seem.

 

Cash was low since then and I didn’t drive the car very much.  I brought it in for repairs a couple months ago and the situation was (I thought) resolved- no more lights, got up to speed well, mechanic adamant it had been fixed.  That said, I didn’t drive it since then.  

 

I just went on a 60 mile drive to Southampton port and 15 miles in, the engine began to struggle again in the higher gears (though no light).  It got up to speed, but definitely not as high as it could previously — huge amount of overheating.  It also rattles when idling.  The engine is hot and stays hot (aluminum?) for a while.  So things are unresolved, clearly.  Does anyone know what the situation may be?  About 144,000 miles on it.

 

To add another interesting wrinkle, the Yeti is on its way to North America now for several months of touring- I noticed the issue on the way to the ship.  Couldn’t cancel things because I’d already prepaid an exorbitant rate.  Hoping that if there isn’t a reasonable fix, a VW mechanic will be able to help out there.

 

I’m sure you don’t see posts as ridiculous as this too often, so I’m hoping I can get some insight from all you knowledgeable people.

 

I’m not a car person, sadly, and a couple thoughts have been offered to me by those who are — could it be catalytic converter?  I don’t understand how nothing is coming up on the diagnostic, and I asked the mechanics to take a look at the fuel injectors, fuel/oil filters, and to make sure there's no water getting in the fuel (head gasket issue?).

 

Thanks for your time.

Hello, welcome to the forum.

Hoping that you manage to get issues sorted before hitting the road out in the US of A.

Are you losing coolant? Was there any sign of water in the oil. Were there any DTC error codes?

Hi, welcome to the Yeti club. 

Off the top of my head after reading your story, I would suggest if not already done, change the fuel filter.

If you have had some water in the tank, it will want to stay there. If possible, drain down tank, when the fuel level is as low as you can get.

 

Be interesting to know how you get on.

Hi

 

I agree with the suggestion above to change the fuel filter (a quick job) even if it has already been changed.  The paper element may have mopped up water and be restricting fuel flow. If you have had water contamination in the fuel, the water will tend to sink to the bottom of the tank, whereas the pickup pipe will be a little bit above this level.  The water is therefore likely to hang around. So best if possible to get the tank fully pumped or siphoned out, which will also give an opportunity to inspect the colour of what comes out.  You can buy a length of clear hose with a squeeze bulb type pump for about £10.

 

I doubt if a dose of (petroleum based) oil cleaner in a tankful of petrol would affect running too much, though it will lower the octane.  Your lack of power accompanied by the Check Engine light is likely to be deliberate power restricion by the ECU (" limp home mode") to prevent engine damage due to a detected fault.  Anything that restricts the flow of fuel (e.g. blocked fuel pipes or filter) could also reduce the amount of sustained power that can be developed, even without the light showing.

 

I don't know why you have overheating, though driving around in 3rd gear will be rather inefficient and won't help.  What does the temperaure gauge show ? Presumably you have checked the coolant and the rest of the cooling system.

 

The chain rattle at idle may be a sign of chain and/or tensioner wear, especially in view of the high mileage.

Lets go to before the Fueling issue,

 

Is the 1.2 TSI fitted with armoured leads? (cylinder 3 especially.)

Is the car running the upgraded Timing chain and tensioner that many pre 2011/12 required.

 

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/495806-ht-leads-skoda-fabia

 

 

Then there is the fuel, the tank etc.

 

?

Is the Ant-freeze / Summer Coolant / Rust inhibitor in the Colling System at the correct ratio. 

Is the engine oil the right spec for the temps the engine is running at?  maybe 0w 30 FS III   VW504 00 / 507 00.

Is the Air Filter clean? 

 

 

Edited 10 June, 20241 yr by Ootohere

These are great suggestions -- thank you all!  I'm just worried because I feel the issue should have come up on the diagnostic machine, no?  Current course of action is to check the codes on an OBD 2 reader and then check: air filter, fuel injector, fuel filter, fuel pump.  For the rattle in idle, worn engine mount/pulley bearing.

 

11 hours ago, Warrior193 said:

Hello, welcome to the forum.

Hoping that you manage to get issues sorted before hitting the road out in the US of A.

Are you losing coolant? Was there any sign of water in the oil. Were there any DTC error codes?

I don't think I'm losing coolant -- it wasn't mentioned that there was a leak when I was last there, but I guess it's technically possible there has been a slow leak since then.  I don't know about oil or DTC codes, but I'll have to ask.

 

On 10/06/2024 at 06:22, Carlodiesel said:

Hi, welcome to the Yeti club. 

Off the top of my head after reading your story, I would suggest if not already done, change the fuel filter.

If you have had some water in the tank, it will want to stay there. If possible, drain down tank, when the fuel level is as low as you can get.

 

Be interesting to know how you get on.

I'm going to ask if they might drain the tank in any case.  Maybe it's still there?

 

On 10/06/2024 at 09:11, Austin 7 said:

Hi

 

I agree with the suggestion above to change the fuel filter (a quick job) even if it has already been changed.  The paper element may have mopped up water and be restricting fuel flow. If you have had water contamination in the fuel, the water will tend to sink to the bottom of the tank, whereas the pickup pipe will be a little bit above this level.  The water is therefore likely to hang around. So best if possible to get the tank fully pumped or siphoned out, which will also give an opportunity to inspect the colour of what comes out.  You can buy a length of clear hose with a squeeze bulb type pump for about £10.

 

I doubt if a dose of (petroleum based) oil cleaner in a tankful of petrol would affect running too much, though it will lower the octane.  Your lack of power accompanied by the Check Engine light is likely to be deliberate power restricion by the ECU (" limp home mode") to prevent engine damage due to a detected fault.  Anything that restricts the flow of fuel (e.g. blocked fuel pipes or filter) could also reduce the amount of sustained power that can be developed, even without the light showing.

 

I don't know why you have overheating, though driving around in 3rd gear will be rather inefficient and won't help.  What does the temperaure gauge show ? Presumably you have checked the coolant and the rest of the cooling system.

 

The chain rattle at idle may be a sign of chain and/or tensioner wear, especially in view of the high mileage.

Thanks for the tips here.  I'm definitely going to have the fuel filter inspected and changed and yes, removing the fuel to get the water out.  I will double check the temperature when I get the car again and let you know.  Re the chain rattle, a friend suggested that it might be a "worn engine mount" or a "pulley bearing" issue given that I only can hear it when idling.  Perhaps those can be replaced easily?

On 10/06/2024 at 09:25, Ootohere said:

Lets go to before the Fueling issue,

 

Is the 1.2 TSI fitted with armoured leads? (cylinder 3 especially.)

Is the car running the upgraded Timing chain and tensioner that many pre 2011/12 required.

 

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/495806-ht-leads-skoda-fabia

 

 

Then there is the fuel, the tank etc.

 

?

Is the Ant-freeze / Summer Coolant / Rust inhibitor in the Colling System at the correct ratio. 

Is the engine oil the right spec for the temps the engine is running at?  maybe 0w 30 FS III   VW504 00 / 507 00.

Is the Air Filter clean?

This is very interesting.  Regarding the first two suggestions re leads/timing chain + tensioner, would you suggest I replace those off the jump at my coming servicing?  If you wouldn't mind (I am a true novice here), would you mind linking me to the proper parts that I might purchase to bring to my north american mechanic?

No idea what you have already on your car.

With the plug leads maybe put a picture up here.

 

@xman is who can maybe tell you part numbers. 

Be aware that the cheaper OBD readers do not read all codes. You need a professional one.

As an update for all, the issue was resolved by a good natured mechanic.  His OBD reader suggested that there were problems with the spark plugs, but upon swapping the plugs out with one another and reattaching the ignition coils, the issue completely resolved.  I was able to drive ~1000 miles on that fix.  However, now the situation has reappeared.  I believe there's the ignition coils are getting loose.  A friend of mine is suggesting replacing them altogether.  Does that sound like the right choice?  @Ootohere, given your knowledge of this, do you have any recommendations for particular ignition coils and/or armoured leads?  I'll purchase them now if so!

Sorry no I have no suggestions but hopefully someone will be along. 

Hi Bosphori

 

The single ignition coil has four HT outputs.  Here are some suggestions for part numbers to search. It is up to you to double check suitable fitment

 

Skoda Part Number 032 905 106 *    (* is a variant letter, for example B or D)

Bosch     00112

Bosch     ZS-K 2X2 E

Bosch     F 000 ZS 0210

Hella       5 DA 358 000-171

Beru       0 040 402 003

 

In the UK these parts cost about £50

 

The HT cables come as a set of four

 

Skoda Part Number 03F 905 409 *

Bosch 0 986 357 844

 

These parts are also about £50

 

Some HT cables were fitted with extra protection to prevent them being chewed by Pine Martens which is a problem in some European countries. The cable next to the turbo may have extra protection from heat.  All these cables have internal suppression, do not use old fashioned copper core cable.