Ok .. the other problems with my beloved Skoda don't see too doom and gloom.

Must admit to driving it rather nervously though.

New worry ! ... noticed what i thought was some steam coming from the bonnet while waiting at lights, admitedly was hard to tell. Popped the bonnet and traced it to the coolant reservoir ... seems to be wet around the cap (liitle leak of fluid) and from the hose leading out the bottom, i can see dries streaks where it has obviously leaked in the past. The steam was coming from the cap area. Chappy @ Skoda filled the reservoir as it was near empty ... could it be it is not on tight enough ? Is steam coming from there a worry ?

I am SO close to saying "who can come down and sort this bucket out for me ... Arrrgghh" ... i do a mean Sunday Dinner :chef:and i won't set the kids on you !

Thanks as ever for your patience ....

T.

Oh dear, is it showing as overheating on the temperature gauge &/or does the radiator cooling fan turn when the temperature gauge is high ?

I wouldn't assume the worst as you may just have a leak out of one of the hoses, or the pressure cap on the header tank (resevoir) may have just been loose. It could also be a combination of these things and a leaky radiator.

To give a comparison mine leaks a little water from the radiator where i know there is a tiny little leak near the top. I will get round to changing it soon!!

One thing to say is not to get too alarmed at seeing some steam as once the thermostat opens hot water then travels to the radiator and if the radiator is wet or very cold as is the case this time of year it is normal to see some steam as it is just near operating temprenture. Mine looks like a steam train some mornings!

I would check your temprenture now that you have it topped up as it should read in the middle and only rise when stationary to around the 3/4 mark. If this is the case all is well so far.

Next take off the oil cap where you put oil in and check to see if there is much residue. If there is a lot of mayonnaise type residue around then this is a problem and points towards a potential head gasket problem because of cross contamination of water and oil. A little mayonnaise is ok i.e a thin layer because after all it is a cold time of year and very damp which makes it difficult not to have some type of residue especially if you only do short journey's. To give some perspective to this, if it looks like a whole jar of hellmans has been tipped in then this is more worrying!!

If all is well run your car on a short journey up to temprenture and then pop open the bonnet and squeeze the coolant hoses to look for leaks. Hose leaks can be cheaply fixed either by tightening the jubilee clips or if necassary their replacement. Have a look for any damp patches on the radiator which will be very noticible if this is the case. A radiator brand new can be bought for £40 from a decent motor factor or ebay and hoses cost a few quid.

I honestly don't think you have much of a problem here and try not to be too concerned as it is easy to jump to conclusions and fear the worst!

Dont forget to top up with 50% antifreeze and 50% water mix

Let me know how you get on and i will try to help if necessary.

sounds like it could be the head gasket up to its old tricks!!

as your (self confessed) not a tec head, i would advise going to see a car vet, and have the coolant system pressure tested. this should let you know if the head gasket is on its way out.

I had my temp go high and steam escaping from under the bonnet as the fan didnt kick in.

Check your water levels for signs of oil in there.

Might be worrth checking the water pump and the whole cooling system.

Good lord .. you guys are good and so helpful !!

The blokes at the Skoda garage filled the reservoir for me and i think if there was the slightest of hints of oil skim on it they would of jumped on it and added that to my woes (and quote) at the time, having said that i have not looked myself yet.

There does not seem to be a dirty "tide" mark visible around the coolant reservoir but i have only given it a cursory glance. The steam i refered to was wisps at most and hard to see once the bonnet was up (due to the breeze).

I had a quick peak at the dip stick when we bought it, the oil looked black/dark but no sign of opaqueness or debris, none of the milky taint i would expect if it was contaminated with fluid.

All this was from quick glances .. not with the aim to diagnose a potential problem, so the outlook may still be gloom. As soon as "Head Gasket" was mentioned i screamed ... this consigned my Metro to the scrap heap many moons ago :( and i really do like this car !.

I'm itching to get under there and take a look but im having real trouble get a haynes, need to order one in as Waterstones don't stock them !?! .. i must admit (with great shame) to not knowing where even the blooming "Oil Filler Cap" is, so i can't even check for Hellmans ... could i bring up an engine diagram on Google ? Nooo way.

Sat here in a funk seriously considering replacing the whole damn engine .. Ebay has a B/New one (base mind) for £595, not bad eh ? Either that making friends with a local scrap yard but knowing me i will come away with a Doberman instead.

BUT ... my tenacious streak has been tickled and im blowed if im letting this car slip away from me.

Why can't cars have blood and guts ? Let near a bashed up body and im in my element but cars ? **Shudder**

Amazon.co.uk: Skoda Felicia Service and Repair Manual (Haynes Service & Repair Manuals): Books: Mark Coombs,Robert Jex

You should know where the oil filler cap is, it's where you put oil in. It sits on the rocker cover on top of the engine. You should check the level of the oil on the dipstick against the 3 marks every-so-often. Books etc usually say every week but I do it more like every 3 weeks.

If you have a 1.3 and you have a headgasket problem confirmed by compression testing, you might want to give it a go yourself. The parts and tools should come up to no more than £40-50 I imagine. You need a careful, thoughtful approach - it should be possible to do. Exhaust down pipe bolts and the head bolts themselves are the most difficult bits. Only problem is you won't have the benefit of all the facilities a garage has so won't be able to so readily see if the head has warped, but cracks would probably be obvious.

Put it this way, if it is head gasket, and the cheapest quote for the work means you are going to get rid of the car anyway, you have nothing to lose by getting a haynes manual and giving it a go yourself appart from the cost of the parts and tools.

Suppose the other thing you could do if you don't feel up to it is get another felicia and pull your existing one to bits before getting the scrap metal value out of it so you have plenty of spares should anything go wrong with the next felicia.

Start with buying a new coolant cap. Also try tighten/reposition any hose clips where it may be leaking.

For £595 you could get another Felicia

The oil filler cap is right there when you lift the bonnet

Pic of my engine bay

This is the pic of my Felicias engine bay. The Black round thing you can see by the engine cover on top of the engine is my oil filler cap. I think on the 1.3s they might be yellow? But thats where you'll find it.

It might be worth driving around locally and seeing how long it takes for the

temp guage to go up and listen for a high pitched squeal.

When i had issues with mine I drove it to my uncles and house and back and the guage was in the red with the fan not cutting in.

A new thermostat and fan switch soon sorted that one out.

If the fan is cutting in when it is meant to then the problem probably lies elsewhere.

The same thing happens on my Felly as you've described. Coolant disappears, streak marks around the outside of the coolant tank etc... Checked my oil level, is at the higher end of normal but will keep an eye on it. What are the signs of the head gasket going and how fatal is it usually?

As for your Haynes, i got mine cheapish off eBay, that's where i'd recommend

K-Seal (Im not Andrew)

Eyes Left, the big RED thing (It's alway's been like that, nurse) is my oil filler cap.

(It live's just under my bonnet :Yikes: )

AFAIKM Head Gasket failure isnt usually terminal. But can be expensive sometimes.

Ghostdn check out This Ebay auction

I almost bought one last year.

WoooooHoooo !!

1) NO mayo .. not a smear .. no trace .. not even a Weight Watchers portion !

2) No sign of oil in the coolant reservoir (header?) ... dipped a rolled up kitchen towel in there and it came back oil free and clean.

3) Some blotches on the radiator but being a flossy moo, i didnt check BEFORE going for a drive (twit).

4) Found the oil cap (lord that was embarassing:O) ... Question is it meant to have a seal ? Mine came off without any trouble/no unscrewing .. new one needed me thinks.

5) Quick 20-30 min drive and temp leveled at between 70-110 mark .. approx 90 degree ?

6) Dipstick ... (knew where that was ) ... No "3" marks, just an indented area approx 2cm long .. oil level was in the middle. Will add pic for your learned advice.

7) Gave the cap of coolant a dry and firm screw on .. no leaks/steam during or after drive.

**Breathe Deep** ... Looks good (doesnt it ??)

We have a budget of £350 end of month to use on Clutterbuck () .. List includes Tappets,Oil change,Poss Drive chain (found cheaper chap). Oh and some new caps !

Captn .. thanks for the heads up on the Ebay .. will take a closer look.

YET AGAIN ... thanks for your tolerance and help !!

T.

You're welcome. Us Felicia owners have to share our experiences to get the best out of the cars

AFAIK the oil filler cap doesnt have a seal as they are meant to me easily unscrewed.

90C is about right. As long as it doesnt stick in the red zone.

Mine goes about halfway.

Good luck with "clutterbuck" Are you going to post piccies of your Felly up

Does the felly have an electric fan (remember im a soon to be skoda owner)?

It has been mentioned before now but i would definitively just take a drive and then park. Pop the hood and hang around and see if the fan starts.

The guys here can probably tell you the exact temp where the fan should start but it should be somewhere around 90/100 degrees.

You might just be having trouble with the temp sensor for the fan or something.

But it sounds good i would say =)

And i dont think you need to looking on ebay.

This is a minor thing =)

WoooooHoooo !!

1) NO mayo .. not a smear .. no trace .. not even a Weight Watchers portion !

I thought it would be ok:thumbup:

The fan is electric and on the 1.6 version can even start when the engine is off once the car has ran for a bit and warmed up enough. (unsure of the 1.3)

You don't even need to lift the bonnet you should hear the fan engage provided the radio isnt on or too loud.

The temp guage has to go above halfway prob 3/4 of the way almost.

"4) Found the oil cap (lord that was embarassing:O) ... Question is it meant to have a seal ? Mine came off without any trouble/no unscrewing .. new one needed me thinks."

Re: Noisy Felicia 1.3 engine

Simonize says:-

"just a bought a new oil filler cap it was loose and rattled, I discovered the rattle some months ago and only today got around to buying the part. only a few euro but now its silent!"

Ref:-

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/felicia-fun-forman/noisy-felicia-1-3-engine/57334/2/#post846828

Brand New Oil Filler Cap

Thanks for the link MR Smith .... Jorily really is a good bet on Ebay .. already got a wish list a mile long !

Now about the red "thing" that lives under your bonnet Hmmmm :nurse: .. Lord i gotta bite my tongue .. you have just handed me a miriad of gags on a plate there (told you i was twisted)

----------------------------------------------------------------

I have had the fan cut in a couple of times .. you're right the temp was higher than the usual middle measure.

**The fan is electric and on the 1.6 version can even start when the engine is off once the car has ran for a bit and warmed up enough. (unsure of the 1.3)** ..... Think the 1.3 has the same "quirk" as the 1.6 as i have had the fan start just after parking and engine is off .. ?!?! So will aim not to panic about that too (Should change my name to PIKE)

May be my imagination but the "tapping" .. seems to of quietened down, probably just got used to it now lol. Can still hear a rattly/tap noise though but im think is probably more due to its age and needing a drive chain change, than imminent collapse.

Starting so much better in the mornings lately .. think it's like me, not a cold morning person .. seems to be holding it's revs better too. Still needs to warm up a bit or it stalls .

I'm wondering if it wasn't driven for a while before i bought it ?

Of all the cars i have driven (not a huge amount admittedly) this felicia is by far the best ... even compared to a brand new Mondeo with just delivery miles on the clock and my 8yr old is conviced Skoda's rock and other makes .. quote "Suck buckets" ... Kids !

Roll on end of month ... Clutterbuck gets a tweaking.

T.

Went to my mechanics just a moment ago

Saw a Peugeot that was idling rough then stalling. Mechanic said the owner ran it on an empty tank so it prob needs injector cleaner.

Morissons doing Redex injector cleaner with 100% extra free atm. I dont need any. Used some ovber the past 2 years and still got some left in my garage.

Another Peugeot came in and it's washers werent working and had gunk under the filler cap.

I'm in two minds about adding "extras" to the tank etc ... Did you find it an improvement ?

What is the general concensus on additives ? (mental image of a hyperactive Skoda after too many additives) ... Good or Bad ? I suppose it depends on what is added and why ?

Poor Peugot's .. Should of bought a Skoda !

T.

Additives can help.

I used it in my car and my sisters Micra.

They now rev smoother and cleaner as the fuel injectors are now clean.

Didnt notice performance improvements but as long as the engine sounds smooth and things then I'm happy.

On a diff note when I drove work vans I always used BP ultimate diesel (well you would use premium fuel if someone else paid :P )

And the engine did sound a little quieter and revved cleaner. Cause they use better detergents in prem fuels.

Obv a cleaner, smooth engine delivers better mpg and helps engine refinement.

Just dont overdo the additives

The Redex 100% extra free tub should treat up to 4 tank fulls.

I had the problem you are describing with my peugeot when i first got it....could be completly different but there was an airlock in my coolant system, i thought it was going to be something major and was really annoyed as i had only just got the car but when i found that out all i had to do was put more fluid in, let the engine run and find where to bleed the radiator.... i dont know if this will be the same on a skoda now though, havnt been in mine for a month

I used to use Redex for years, an injector cleaner does what it says on the tin,one tankful treatment is enough.

I have used K-seal, its worked for me.

And Slick 50 has always made a difference with me.

You get at least twice as much as you need with these, so you can save half of it for another day.

Two others I have used for many years, they are one off treatments :-

BROQUET Fuel Catalyst

and

ASTA3000

They seem to take their time to work and then sustain an enhanced performance forever, but not cheap.

Others say 'snake oil' but they worked for me over 100's of 1000's. and HAVE NEVER damaged anything.

I always replace plugs,and leads, and air filter, and WD40 goes down pretty well at times.