Felicia 1.3 LX MPI - Will start from cold, but then stalls.

[Cartoon Steven]

Having a major problem with my Felicia 1.3. The engine will start as normal from cold, but once the ECU has finished doing it's 'choke' thing and the rev settle down to normal, it stalls, and then won't start again until the engine is stone cold.

It will drive for a short time, if I drive it immeadiately after starting it, but then it's just like it's not getting any petrol and stalls again. No response from accelorator at all, and refuses to start again.

Before this, it was just a little 'lumpy' occassionally when lifting foot off the gas. Now it's undrivable.

Any clear ideas what this is likely to be, and how expensive it might be to fix? As it's getting on a bit anyway, and it's due it's MOT this month, I don't want to throw new componants at the problem, just to wind up with an MOT failure anyway.

Sadly I'm very close to scrapping it and replacing it with another, much younger Felicia. However, if this is likely a simple and inexpensive problem to fix, I might just change my mind and give it another chance.

All ideas welcome.

[rigsby]

I would start with a temp sender (about £15)

[Cepheuz]

i would check for air leaks, and clean fuel lines and replace filters (air and fuel)

[Cartoon Steven]

Thanks for the suggestions. My mechanic (shamefully I'm no grease monkey) is going to tow me in today, so I'll point him in the right direction of those possibilities. (my Skoda is the only one he's worked on).

I would have attempted the temp sensor repair myself, but I live in a rural area with little public transport, so even just getting the part would have been difficult.

I'll let you know how it went, and what cured it.

[anewman]

Originally Posted by Cartoon Steven

I would have attempted the temp sensor repair myself, but I live in a rural area with little public transport, so even just getting the part would have been difficult.

That's what ebay is for Hope you get it sorted anyway

[Cartoon Steven]

I know, but I need to get it sorted by next week, or I can't get to work!

Stupid timing, but depending on what the garage say about it (they now have it there), it's looking like it's touch and go whether I bother repairing or just replace. It's a shame, especially if it's something simple - but I need wheels.

[Cartoon Steven]

My mechanic reports that the error code he's getting is for the 'crank sensor', a part which he's ordered. Fingers crossed I should be on the road again for a least 1 more year

After that I'm very interested in finding a 1.6 Felicia to replace it.

[harryhill]

Yep that would have been my suggestion as it seems to be a common problem. Sometimes it is a case of cleaning sensor connections as they get a bit of crap on them but may need replaced.

Nice easy fix providing there is nothing else underlying.

For your lumpy idle check your inlet manifold gasket isnt stuffed with a bit of WD40 round the edges whilst running and while you are at it try a clean cloth and a bit of carb spray to clean out the throttle body.

All these should sort out your idle providing of course that your valve clearances and plugs are ok

[Cartoon Steven]

Not looking good. The cranks sensor has been replaced, but now 2 of the coils have burnt out. The garage has sent off the ECU to determine if this has caused it. (£35), not sure how much the cranks sensor will have been, but I'm guessing around £100 + labour.

It's all starting to sound very expensive. Thinking of cutting my losses and just get another car. It's been over 1 month since it first broke down, and I need a car. Shame really, but there's only so much money can be spent on it before it becomes ridiculous.

Me might be an ex-Skoda owner very soon. (The MOT runs out tomorrow as well). :-(

[TnT]

Don't give up hope on the little thing, it's quite amazing what you can do bit by bit, either that, or once you've got yourself a new 1.6 Felicia, you can keep your old one, get yourself equipped with a Haynes manual and practice and learn, and you never know, you might get it up and running again and can make a few pennies on it to spend on your newer one

All the best with it, I've not idea if ours will start, or what it actually drives like yet, clutch and gearbox have to come first.

[Cartoon Steven]

I don't want to give up on it, but the way things are going - I just need a car. I live in a very rural area, so I just need a car.

It's been a good car over these last 11 years (from new) but there has to come a time when to end the pain. I can't have it at the garage much longer, and I really don't have space to have it hanging around as a spare.

I'm thinking of going FORD next. A cheap Fiesta, or something like that.

[TnT]

Fix or repair daily, Found on road dead, Ford =backwards, drivers return on foot just had a lookski on Autotrader, got some good bargins on there for a few hundred (Skoda Bargins by the way) Even had some low milage Octi's some Fabia's Felcia's - lots of goodies

All the best with your car hunting

[Cartoon Steven]

I'm just looking for something that's cheap and easy to repair. Over the years the local mechanics have been stumped in various ways by my Skoda. Something like a Fiesta they all know inside out, and it's easy to get parts for.

I've no loyalty towards Skoda's. I only bought it because it was one of the best value new cars I could afford at the time. I suppose if I was more capable of doing repairs and maintenance myself, it'd be worth getting a £500 Felicia or something, but as I'm not - I'm thinking of something more common.

I'm even drawn to a Japanese car. My first car was a Jap - and even though it was a complete banger, it just kept going and going.

Bit annoyed that the Skoda has gone this way. I've been very careful to have it serviced every year from new, it's only done 54,000 and it's now starting to fall apart, and fail in an expensive way! Even more put off by Skoda's after reading of Fabias and suchlike having similar and common faults! They just don't seem as bulletproof as I first thought.

[harryhill]

Hmmm

Lets rewind a bit. A new crank sensor, a duff coil pack, ECU getting sent off.

Can i ask you if there has been any electrical gremlins and blowing bulbs etc in the weeks leading up to it conking out?

If so i reckon that it may have been the Voltage regulator on the alternator overcharging and blowing things. This can damage the ECU i am afraid but the most important thing to do is just change the regulator. It is very cheap, in fact here is one on ebay for £16.99.

Skoda Favorit/Felicia Voltage Regulator-BRAND NEW!!! on eBay, also, Skoda, Car Parts, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 26-May-08 22:41:56 BST)

What i would suggest to your mechanic if he finds no faults with your ECU is to check this or considering the minimal cost just change it as it is a common problem that if not caught early can cause expensive damage to the ECU.

To give a bit more on this the alternators job is to ensure that the battery remains charged by offering back to the battery a voltage slightly higher than that drawn (13-14 volts). This recharge by the alternator can only be made if the charging is kept within a tolerance. Too low and it will not allow the chemical reaction to take place within the battery to recharge. Too high and it is dangerous and will lead to a need for power to be dispersed somewhere meaning burnt out components such as sensors etc etc.

Providing that your ECU comes back ok these things really don't cost much to fix. You could pick up a new coil pack for £15 from a scrap yard and it takes 2 minutes to replace. New ones are £60 from dealer and serves all 4 cylinders so just 1 needed.

I know you must be sick of car at moment but to be honest when you have a car that is 11 years old things will go wrong and it is best to get your hands dirty a bit as these things largely cost very little to do. If you hand things over to a mechanic then you have to pay their labour costs on top of parts + vat which proves costly.

I hope things get fixed for you ok

[anewman]

Parts are quite readily available through Skoda dealers and places like Jorily Skoda on ebay. They're relatively cheap too. Problem is you need to know what you're looking at and doing or be confident of making a best guess, but that's where this forum comes in

Maybe the mechanic isn't all that great and would be even more flumoxed with a more complex car like a more modern ford.

[TnT]

Our of all the cars I've worked on over the years, and with total exception to the Citroen 2CV's the Skoda is the easiest car I've ever worked on, it's been near on a decade over since I was playing in a proper garage with cars, later on did agricultural engineering, but every part is easy to get to, parts are so cheap you could grow wings and fly.

Every car is going to have common faults, every car is going need repairs and servicing. Cripes, my fathers garage has had 3 / 4 year old cars in needing new subframes, arms, steering columns, and as any general mechanic will tell you on here, a mondeo (new version) alternator is a total car strip down (8 hours in the book!). Fords are common, easy to get parts for, and I guess everyone knows them if they're a mechanic, but not the car of choice, plus I'd think parts would be more expensive. I've never known a car have cheap parts, I'm still giggling over the price of an oil filter and clutch .

For Jap cars though, the Nissan Micra K11 version (not the new french infected one), my wife and I had one, and they were like the Ariston washing machine, they went on and on and on and on and on and on and on............. worse part to go was the air mass meter (both of them). Still, like with all cars that age now, you have to be aware of rust, high milage etc - Micra's also have a timing chain and not a belt

Dependant on MOT work, after you've had all these bits replaced, it might just be worth keeping it for another year or so, just to get your money back on it. However, if anyone ever asked me what car they should get, I'd never be able to think of anything because I get all the horror stories off my dad If I had £15k to go out and buy a new car I would buy - well, no idea, probably all the new bits and a new shell to refit out the Felicia or a Citroen 2CV just for the fun of it!

Really do hope you get it sorted though

[sean moore]

having had the same problem as steven i changed the crank sensor coilpack still had ther problem so i pinched a air temp sensor from a scapyard and hey presto . the wife says the car is going better than before
hope this helps. i have a coil pack spare if you want to try that


sean

[Cartoon Steven]

Thanks for all the responses.

Harryhill - there was no issues with any electrics before the breakdown, in fact no issues at all. Suddenly it started to splutter when de-accelerating, did this a couple of times over 3 days, then that was it. It wouldn't keep running after it reached normal temp, and wouldn't start at all as the weather warmed up.

I appreciate what everyone has been saying about keeping it running/taking the DIY route to keep it ticking along - but to my great shame I'm a useless home mechanic.

The local garage I have been using has been very honest and upfront over the last few years, and sensible on costs (he appreciates it's an old car that's worth little money), but to be honest I think he's getting as pissed off with this car as I am. He's a very small garage, and he hasn't really got the time to spend on coaxing this old heap back into life - but he's willing to give it a go.

My real issue is that where I live, a car is essential, as there is no public transport, no shops, no nothing really. I've been without use of the Skoda for a month now, and there's only so many favours one can ask of friends and family to get around.

Still waiting to hear the report on the ECU - which should confirm exactly what is going on with this troublesome little car, and whether it's a reasonable proposition to get it back on the road for at least 1 more year.

I know using a mechanic is not the most cost effective way of getting it sorted, but I consider this better than an amateur like me randomly replacing components and hoping to strike lucky with a solution, or even worst - creating a whole series of new issues with the car.

I've taken a gamble, and it's quite possible that I've lost - but at the time it seemed the most sensible option to take with a car that just wouldn't start. It's spiralled into a more sinister problem than it first seemed - maybe? Until I get the report on the ECU I can't really say, but at the same time I can't wait indefinitely to find out - I NEED A CAR!!!

This is why I'm getting a little agitated at the situation.

If it's a complete dodo, who wants to buy a new crank sensor???

[anewman]

Originally Posted by Cartoon Steven

randomly replacing components and hoping to strike lucky with a solution, or even worst - creating a whole series of new issues with the car.

Sounds like Skoda dealer's mechanics

[Cartoon Steven]

Originally Posted by anewman

Sounds like Skoda dealer's mechanics

LOL. I have met a few like that.