Help! - Anyone own a Skoda Fabia 1.4?!!

galvanizersbaby

Can anyone help if they either own a Skoda Fabia or have seen under the bonnet of one?:o

I'm looking to buy one and I've seen the 1.4 classic version (it's quite basic - Y reg and power steering is only mod con)

Only thing is when the engines running and I looked under the bonnet the actual engine seems to be shaking and vibrating like nobody's business!!! it is firm in the mount but the amount of movement seems excessive to me - the dealer that owns the car says this is normal for Fabia's but I wouldn't have a clue.

Can anyone comment?

Thanks in advance!

Strider590

Had a 1.4 Seat Ibiza (same car), the ignition leads have a habit of going pop and this would cause the shaking problem you describe. Once changed for aftermarket leads (as opposed to the expensive OEM one's from a dealership) it had no more problems in over 9 years of life and 87k miles.

anewman

There are two versions of the 1.4, the 8v and the 16v. The 8v is an Over Head Valve engine based on a Skoda engine which has been used in many previous Skoda cars, it is not a VW engine and not the same as the one in the Ibiza (plus it uses an ignition coil as opposed to leads etc). It is very common for these engines to idle rough and feel like they are misfiring or hunting. The reason apparently is that the idle is kept low in order to meet emissions regulations. It is also quite fuel hungry, won't go over 40mpg on average. The engine was eventually deprecated in favour of the Skoda designed 1.2 htp as it would not meet future emissions requirements.

In summary, it is normal and nothing to worry about. I'd reject it if there is any unusual knocking or sounds when driving it though as that's when engine movement is problematic.

A common problem on these cars that is likely to rear its head at this time of year is the thermostat is a particularly bad design, it is held in place internally with two plastic clips and these break leading to slow warm up. There's an improved version of the thermostat available from a seller called Jorily on ebay. Temp sender failures are not uncommon too. Apparently the engine is somewhat prone to headgasket failure and an improved headgasket was released. But if there is mayo on the oil cap this could be due to short journeys and a knackered thermostat.

Also see www.briskoda.net

galvanizersbaby

anewman wrote: »

There are two versions of the 1.4, the 8v and the 16v. The 8v is an Over Head Valve engine based on a Skoda engine which has been used in many previous Skoda cars, it is not a VW engine and not the same as the one in the Ibiza (plus it uses an ignition coil as opposed to leads etc). It is very common for these engines to idle rough and feel like they are misfiring or hunting. The reason apparently is that the idle is kept low in order to meet emissions regulations. The engine was eventually deprecated in favour of the Skoda designed 1.2 htp as it would not meet future emissions requirements.

In summary, it is normal and nothing to worry about. I'd reject it if there is any unusual knocking or sounds when driving it though as that's when engine movement is problematic.

A common problem on these cars that is likely to rear its head at this time of year is the thermostat is a particularly bad design, it is held in place internally with two plastic clips and these break leading to slow warm up. There's an improved version of the thermostat available from a seller called Jorily on ebay.

Also see www.briskoda.net

Thanks for your help anewman - it is much appreciated

anewman

Just thought another thing that can be a problem, particularly with high mileage, is the timing chain can stretch, and as there is no tensioner in the design it can lead to a rattling noise from the lower left hand side of the engine (as you face it). Sometimes the chain can stretch enough to affect running. Never heard of one snapping though.

Rather unhelpfully Skoda has been selling timing chains with the timing marks embossed incorrectly so if you ever need to get the chain changed check the appropriate threads on Briskoda and if going to a garage print it out for them, they'll thank you for saving them having to re-do the job a second time.