Hello all, I recently bought a 25 year old mark1 Fabia Combi, and looking for some advice/feedback on an issue that may or may not be a problem, and that I have not been able to find being discussed in the forum. I have been driving diesel vans and cars for years, and this is my first "modern" petrol engine vehicle.

The engine is a 1.4 8v MPI, which runs well, as responsive as you can expect, and so far good around town and on the motorway.
However, at tickover, there seems to be an occasional "judder", which I can hear and feel in the car, every few seconds or so. It feels a bit like worn engine mounts, but too intermitent but also regular to be so, and there doesn't appear to be any movement of the engine during pulling away or gear changes. It's not quite like "hunting" (which I remember from bike engines years ago), but just a little "judder" every few seconds.
The oil and filter were recently changed (before my purchase), and I plan on checking, and probably changing as a matter of course, the plugs, but is this a known sympton, and would it be ignition or carburetor related?

Cheers

Sons idle on his was a bit erratic due to vaaccum leak at brake servo hose. They have a tendency to split at the joins. Fabia mk1 are all fuel injection either multipoint or direct. It may be plugs needing changed or perhaps a failing coil pack. Might be worth scanning to see if its a misfire at low revs.

Alasdair

I seem to remember that this may just be a characteristic of this old engine, due to various tweaks related to emissions regs.

Thank you Alasdair, I'll check that hose in a minute. I think I need to invest in a scanner, it seems a handy diagnostic tool.

Just as an update, I checked the hoses under the bonnet, they seem to be ok.
I checked the airfilter, which could do with replacing, but it;s not that bad yet, but gave it a good "slapping" and put it back.
Wether it''s that, or that I've been driving it regularly since I got it, or that I drive it mainly down the motorway and it gets a proper workout, or maybe that I'm filling with fresh petrol now that I use it, it has stopped doing it..
So happy days.

Now to check the waterpump and alternator to see if they are they source of that slightly annoying and mildly worrying noise under the bonnet when idling..