Ok firstly i will own up to being a female and as such relegated to the "Auto Ignorant" corner.

We recently bought a P reg Felicia 1.3 estate

The problem is a "rattling" noise from the rear left area of the engine (if facing the engine from outside the car) ... It is not too loud to honest and does not seem to effect the performance during driving. It will "lurch" a little in high 3rd if pushed ie going up hill, but going into 4th or easing off the pedal stops this.

I have had a couple of comments and suck through their teeth ..

Tappets have been mentioned but a Skoda dealer (admitedly over the phone) said that they usually last longer (mileage is 95000) and are hyrdolic so not adjustable.

Also timing belt ? ... been told this is terminal !!

The noise is not really noticable outside the car and speeds up with revving ... more "tap" than "bang/thud"

Does this ring any bells to anyone ? Is my skoda destined for the scrape heap ?

ANY advice would be really appreciated as i am hoping not to get fleeced when i take it in for a diagnostic.

Thanks in advance and Happy New Year

Don't worry about the timing belt, it's a chain on the 1.3 and it's probably that that's rattling

Hi There

Your Skoda dealer has given some duff info i'm afraid!!

The tappets are not hydraulic on a 1.3 and need adjusting roughly every 10-12,000 miles. This will help quieten things down a little if they need adjusting. Haynes Manual explains this well and the clearances are:

0.25mm on inlet

0.20mm on exhaust

To do this first of all have a a screwdriver, a set of metric feeler guages, a 13mm socket and an 11mm spanner handy.

Next put car in 5th gear (engine off) and jack the car on the drivers side front jacking point so that the roadwheel is raised. Then open bonnet and remove the two nuts on the valve cover and the clips for the breather pipes, remove and put to one side. Then you will notice a metal plate held on by a bolt over valves 1 and 2 (viewing car from front) this also needs to be removed with a 13mm socket

Valves reading from left to right are:

1 = exhaust valve

2 = inlet valve

3 = inlet valve

4 = exhaust valve

5 = exhaust valve

6 = inlet valve

7 = inlet valve

8 = exhaust valve

In short when you rotate the roadwheel that is raised in a clockwise direction you will see valves moving in the sequence they are designed to and when you see valves go down this means that an opposing valve is designed to be adjusted (do not adjust the valve that has went down it is the opposing valve!!)

You will notice from turning the wheel that valves go down in pairs with one closely behind the other meaning that only a little rotation will be needed to get the second one down.

To adjust the tappets use the rule of nine which basically means subtracting the numeric value of the valve from 9 so an example following:

if valve number 1 is down then 9 subtract 1 = 8 so check and adjust valve number 8 get the idea?

If valve 2 is down then by the same method you need to adjust valve number 7.

To adjust valve clearances you will need to loosen the 11 mm nut on the finger and adjust the clearance with a screwdriver whilst checking the clearance before and after. remember to retighten nut.

Be careful not to have too close a clearance so double check as this can lead to poor performance and damage to the valve seats. Once done just put everything back together

As for the timing chain they all rattle i am afraid after about 50,000 miles and get progressively worse as there is no inbuilt tensioner on this engine. The good news however is that the chain is double linked and very strong. I have never heard of one snapping. You can get this changed for around £150-200 all in if you cannot bear the noise (this is what i did) and it will make a dramatic difference. It is up to you whether you want to do this or drive it into the ground!!

hope this is of some help:thumbup:

Thanks for getting back to me ... from other posts and this i think it probably is the Timing Chain.

I'm not wanting to drive it into ground as we are on a budget and i have become rather fond of this car.

Structurally it is a tidy little one ... came with 11mnths MOT and all documents show only basic failure points in the past.

Must admit one post mentioned "Chainsawing the engine" when a timing chain rattle is left unattended, while others make it sound like a quint glitch in the Felicia 1.3. Which is it ?!??!?

As for the tappets (sp) ... sounds do-able but with zero space to work and no tools i'm stuffed ... so off to the garage i do go :(

Thanks though and any other "tips/ideas" are greatly received.

I guessing that skoda felicias have a common issue with timing chains,

oh dear

it cost around 120 euros here for new timing chain

good luck with it.

sounds like the chain to me, nor a big deal.

one day i will invent a retro-fit tensioner for the 1.3. and make my first million hehe.

Thanks for getting back to me.

I bit the bullet and batted my lashes at the local Skoda Dealer.

After various mechanics and the boss came out ... much tyre kicking and woeful shakes. Turns out it is the Tappets AND the Chain Arrrrgggghhhh !

Oh and by the way madam ... watch your Starter motor ?!?!? What the fudge ?

Been given a preliminary quote of £350+ inc parts. They can do the work if i provide the parts but still gonna be a mint with just labour, so i thought i might look at that Ebay Skoda chap.

Only had the car since the 18th and bloke we got it from has been polite but still "Caveat Emptor" :thumbdwn:

Hubbish agrees with me that this is a good car (deep down) and worth the investment ... mind you he has less car knowhow than me (we're stuffed:().

Still i like the Skoda ... i like the proverbial "middle finger" at posh roadsters and it appeals to my sense of reverse snobbery !

Gonna invest in a "I might drive a Skoda .. but i'm in front of YOU" bumper sticker

On a more serious note .. am i being fleeced ? Is this over priced ? and am i flogging a dead donkey here ?

T.

I would see how it goes - definitley worth doing the starter motor if its an issue - what made the garage say it was a problem? Is it making a noise after starting?

As for the timing chain I wouldn't worry too much about it - I had a Favorit which is basically the same engine - and I had the timing chain done when it was quite old and had done a lot of mileage. It didn't cause any problems.

The tappets will be ok for a bit too - but is definitley a DIY job if you have the time and a few basic tools - I managed to do mine ok, and its as easy as changing the spark plugs, or an oil + filter.

You don't want the garage charging you that much - how much did you get your car for? Have you tried a non-dealer garage for a quote?

take it to an independent and have the tappets done.

forget the timing chain for now, they will clatter on for ever.

as for the starter. well, keep an eye on it. if it gets worse, take it to an independent.

you might be able to tell, i don't like main stealers!!!!

I think you need a good mechanic love.

Make sure he gives the car a good look over and not you

On a serious note if you were further North my local dealer is friendly although I just buy my parts from there and then have my mechanic fix my Felicia.

I have the 1.6 version it is costlier on the tax but that seems to be about it.

Is it a flogging a dead horse? I doubt it unless you're having serious engine and rust problems.

Are you sure you went to a "proper Skoda garage" and not one with people dressed in hats shouting Yee Haw!!!!!

Thanks everyone who has answered so far.

From looking back over similar posts it does indeed seem that the timing chain does clatter and with little issue for quite a while. Even if i could delay changing it for a couple of months that would be great.

Tappets seem to rank high as a priority and a local "Delboy and Rodney" garage round the corner will adjust them for £40 ... best so far. They seem cowboys but are always busy ... so

can't be that bad then eh ?

Starter motor ... tricky. It makes a kinda Whirrr noise straight after the engine has started, as if it's about to take off ! How on earth can i describe it better .. like a rev but higher pitched and "airy" ... failing miserably here :confused: didn't really notice it until recently and the bloke pointed it out. It has been harder to start lately but i had been putting it down to the cold weather. Ebay has the complete unit for £60 inc p&p and labour round the corner is £35 p/h rather than £65 at the Skoda place. Think i will get them to take a look before buying the unit though as i have seen mention of "dirty cables" and loose connections also a possible cause.

Defo think we bought a lemon here but for £799 it still has more charcter and charm than most ... the tribe has named it "Clutterbuck" though at the moment "CLATTERbuck" might be more fitting.

Thanks for your help and keep it coming if you don't mind ...

T.

Roflmao .... !!

I like your sense of humour Captian Sisko !

Nope no Hats or Haws ... just chocolate box preeners and a coffee machine.

Where is my greasy hero in dunagree's with a wrench in his back pocket ? . Hey up ... Womens Lib, thats meant to be ME !!

Gotta be serious for minute though ... has some scratches and patches but rust is not on the list, as for engine problems i used to have a metro in my youth and THAT had issues, this is a lovely little runner (gonna jinx it now having said that).

Even does hill starts (metro just refused) and can leave "posh" cars standing at the lights but i wouldnt know that as im a serious sensible mother now *COUGH*

Going to stick with it and get it back on it's feet and top notch.

Thanks for input folks .... more .. more .. more !

Thanks Ghostdn your SOH isn't bad either

When I bought mine in 2006 for £745

I had to get the front discs and pads done

Had a full service, (oil, filters, spark plugs) as it wasn't really running to my satisfaction and had injector cleaner in the tank to really give the innards a good clean.

Now the engine purrs and certainly gives good grunt when called upon.

It's had a new rear wing after a foreign truck side-swiped it so I have 3 wings to look at again this summer to sort the rust out.

The tools to do the tappets yourself will cost less than £40, and if you have room to park, you have room to do the tappets. Takes a bit of getting used to adjusting, but once you know what you're doing you'll be away and ready to do it next time. I managed to just about do it without removing the oil splash plates like harryhill mentions. The Haynes manual does not explain how to do this job well at all. But this *is* an easy enough job to do, and if you're not averse to getting your hands dirty, a good job to do. Check and double check the clearance before moving onto the next one.

You may also consider replacing the rocker cover gasket, especially if it's leaking oil around it (they are under £2 from dealers). The seals on the 2 bolt tops on the Felicia are different to the Favorit I am used to, but if they're like a rubber and the rubber seems a bit worse for wear, or signs of leaks there, it's worth replacing those too.

Also check the front camshaft cover for any signs of oil leaks (below the spark plugs and just above the oil filter). There's 4 10mm nuts across the front (the same type as on top of the engine) and this comes off (in my case needing a hard tug) and has a gasket too like the rocker cover, which is cheap and relatively easy to replace. These seals tend to dry out and become brittle with age, as I found out when I removed them.

Still i like the Skoda ... i like the proverbial "middle finger" at posh roadsters and it appeals to my sense of reverse snobbery !

Gonna invest in a "I might drive a Skoda .. but i'm in front of YOU" bumper sticker

That's my idea of car ownership And you've definitely chosen the appropriate Skoda model (you can find people posting in the Fabia section who take a different view;))

Starter: sounds like a slightly faulty solenoid contact, see this thread: http://www.briskoda.net/forums/octavia-i/sticking-starter-motor/93365/?highlight=solenoid

If you recognise the symptoms you can see from the testimonies that you can postpone it without worries (but of course the starter could give up anytime).

That your car has been harder to start lately should not have anything to do with the whirr, more probably the weather - if it gets harder could be a good idea to check the usual suspects: spark plugs and wires, distributor cap (dirty? cracked?) leaking rubber hoses giving the engine too much cold air...

If it was me and I had to be a bit careful about costs, I would probably put starter and time chain on the waiting list and go for the tappets. I would also get fresh oil, filters, spark plugs, a DIY job even for me but maybe not so attractive in January if you have to do it outdoors.

Good luck!

I think you can leave all of it till the warmer summer weather.

I dont think any of it is terminal, and can go on as it is for many (noisy) miles.

My timing chain rattles at 50000,I thought it was noisy 20000 miles ago.

My starter makes a funny noise (oh well).,

I suppose adjusting the tappets might make a difference; 90000 says the dealer?

I think the felicia is a 'noisy' car, but if you want to put some work into it .

Some 'Slick50' from the accessory shop, and an oil change shuts the noise down some.

Plugs, HT leads, can make a difference to how the engine runs.

There's lots of debate about slick 50 style oil additives - genereal consensus seems to be they may do more harm than good

The Engine Oil Bible : Additives

It didnt do me any harm in the last 300,000 miles in four different cars, and I think it shuts the noise down some.

And of course lots of people do not use additive's, a practice which certainly has no bad effect on the wallet.