Mk1 Skoda Fabia 1.2 starts, then stops after about 1 second
Discussion
I'm trying to get my late father's 2003 Mk1 Skoda Fabia 1.2 (petrol) going so my girlfriend's daughter can have it. Its only done 55,000 miles and is generally in good condition, although it has been standing, off and on, for 4 1/2 years.
As the heading says, it will fire and sounds fine for about a second, then dies suddenly. If cranked again it shows no inclination to start. If then left for about twenty minutes, the process can be repeated.
Checks I've done so far are:
As the heading says, it will fire and sounds fine for about a second, then dies suddenly. If cranked again it shows no inclination to start. If then left for about twenty minutes, the process can be repeated.
Checks I've done so far are:
- Fuel filter removed and checked for flow
- Added petrol to tank
- Fuel pumping though injector fuel rail.
- The battery isn't great but I've added a larger, good one in parallel with jump leads and charged it between starting attempts.
- Removed all engine related fuses and checked for continuity and volts at the respective fuse terminals in fuse box.
- Removed earthing leads on chassis, cleaned all parts with we t& dry & wire brush
- Removed earth lead on engine, cleaned with wet & dry & wire brush
- Tried the second key, in case it was the immobilizer in one of them
- Removed air filter housing, so ruled out inlet air blockage
You really need to get a good code reader onto it as it will likely give you a better chance of narrowing things down.
You say "fuel filter checked for flow", what does this mean?
Did you replace the filter?
Have you checked actual fuel pressure at the fuel rail?
Have you checked that when you turn it on the fuel pump runs on to pressure up the fuel rail?
Rig something up from the fuel rail into a bottle or something if you can to see if the pump runs & keeps running.
It certainly sounds like fuel delivery will be where the problem is from what you say.
Unfortunately other things can't currently be ruled out.
You say "fuel filter checked for flow", what does this mean?
Did you replace the filter?
Have you checked actual fuel pressure at the fuel rail?
Have you checked that when you turn it on the fuel pump runs on to pressure up the fuel rail?
Rig something up from the fuel rail into a bottle or something if you can to see if the pump runs & keeps running.
It certainly sounds like fuel delivery will be where the problem is from what you say.
Unfortunately other things can't currently be ruled out.
E-bmw said:
You really need to get a good code reader onto it as it will likely give you a better chance of narrowing things down.
You say "fuel filter checked for flow", what does this mean?
Did you replace the filter?
Have you checked actual fuel pressure at the fuel rail?
Have you checked that when you turn it on the fuel pump runs on to pressure up the fuel rail?
Rig something up from the fuel rail into a bottle or something if you can to see if the pump runs & keeps running.
It certainly sounds like fuel delivery will be where the problem is from what you say.
Unfortunately other things can't currently be ruled out.
E-bmw, thank you for your reply. In answer to your questions: You say "fuel filter checked for flow", what does this mean?
Did you replace the filter?
Have you checked actual fuel pressure at the fuel rail?
Have you checked that when you turn it on the fuel pump runs on to pressure up the fuel rail?
Rig something up from the fuel rail into a bottle or something if you can to see if the pump runs & keeps running.
It certainly sounds like fuel delivery will be where the problem is from what you say.
Unfortunately other things can't currently be ruled out.
You say "fuel filter checked for flow", what does this mean?
Initially I removed the pipe from the outlet end of the filter, pointed it into a bowl and turned the ignition key. A jet of petrol came out which used the bowl as a ski jump and covered the drive in petrol...
Did you replace the filter?
No, I took it off, blew through it form each end and refitted the same one.
Have you checked actual fuel pressure at the fuel rail?
Not as a pressure reading, as I didn't have a gauge handy, however by taking the outlet pipe off the rail and putting it in a bowl I had a decent looking flow when I turned the ignition key (I appreciate that flow and pressure are not the same thing).
Have you checked that when you turn it on the fuel pump runs on to pressure up the fuel rail?
I can hear the pump run up on turning the key, it runs for a second or two then the engine stops. If I turn the key again straight away I don't hear the pump. If I wait twenty minutes or so, it will again run briefly before the first start attempt.
Rig something up from the fuel rail into a bottle or something if you can to see if the pump runs & keeps running.
Yes, I think I have covered this.
It certainly sounds like fuel delivery will be where the problem is from what you say.
On an older car I would agree, however the symptoms line up with immobilizer issues too, so I'm still considering all possibilities.
The only instrument panel warning lights that currently work are the headlight and fog light lights, plus the LED displays on the intrument panel and radio aren't working, which from what I've read may be a fault (possibly a second separate fault) with the panel lights dimmer control switch.
I've had the instrument cluster out, dried it in the airing cupboard overnight, as condensation is a reported issue with these, and checked the recommended connections for dried solder joints, but couldn't find any.
Still mystified!
GliderRider said:
Have you checked actual fuel pressure at the fuel rail?
Not as a pressure reading, as I didn't have a gauge handy, however by taking the outlet pipe off the rail and putting it in a bowl I had a decent looking flow when I turned the ignition key (I appreciate that flow and pressure are not the same thing).
I would still try to get this checked as pressure is the resistance to flow & as you say not the same thing.Not as a pressure reading, as I didn't have a gauge handy, however by taking the outlet pipe off the rail and putting it in a bowl I had a decent looking flow when I turned the ignition key (I appreciate that flow and pressure are not the same thing).
GliderRider said:
It certainly sounds like fuel delivery will be where the problem is from what you say.
On an older car I would agree, however the symptoms line up with immobilizer issues too, so I'm still considering all possibilities.
Hence why I said I wouldn't rule out other things.On an older car I would agree, however the symptoms line up with immobilizer issues too, so I'm still considering all possibilities.
GliderRider said:
The only instrument panel warning lights that currently work are the headlight and fog light lights, plus the LED displays on the intrument panel and radio aren't working, which from what I've read may be a fault (possibly a second separate fault) with the panel lights dimmer control switch.
So are you saying no others currently work?If so a code reader may well help, also I know you mentioned a back up battery to assist starting but a fully charged good one can frequently rule out many electrical gremlins.
Definitely look for help somewhere like Briskoda or even YouTube
https://youtu.be/CGH5HQFDMwk?si=mcTJEwUT3DTnfTp3
Where I used to work a lady with an Ibiza with what I think was the same engine had the same symptoms as to what you described. Keeping the air conditioning on and placing that slight load on the engine prevented it from conking out again which is how she managed to get it to the dealer but as for what the final fix was I don't know
You can pick up something like an autel that works through your phone that will be able to diagnose and read codes from more modules for like £20. Even a simple OBD ELM scanner may highlight some issues. If it is related to voltage and immobiliser issues due to a weak battery then you make get incorrect error codes or error codes that are only there because of low voltage.
Briskoda will have people with specific knowledge for sure
https://youtu.be/CGH5HQFDMwk?si=mcTJEwUT3DTnfTp3
Where I used to work a lady with an Ibiza with what I think was the same engine had the same symptoms as to what you described. Keeping the air conditioning on and placing that slight load on the engine prevented it from conking out again which is how she managed to get it to the dealer but as for what the final fix was I don't know
You can pick up something like an autel that works through your phone that will be able to diagnose and read codes from more modules for like £20. Even a simple OBD ELM scanner may highlight some issues. If it is related to voltage and immobiliser issues due to a weak battery then you make get incorrect error codes or error codes that are only there because of low voltage.
Briskoda will have people with specific knowledge for sure
Does it continue to run if you hold the revs up with the accelerator ie don't leave it to the ECU and IACV to hold a steady idle?
Regarding not restarting straight after the short-run stalling, this could well be down to flooding and the 20 minute wait is allowing some evaporation and desaturation of the plugs to take place.
Regarding not restarting straight after the short-run stalling, this could well be down to flooding and the 20 minute wait is allowing some evaporation and desaturation of the plugs to take place.
Edited by tux850 on Sunday 4th February 23:36
hedges88 said:
Where I used to work a lady with an Ibiza with what I think was the same engine had the same symptoms as to what you described. Keeping the air conditioning on and placing that slight load on the engine prevented it from conking out again which is how she managed to get it to the dealer but as for what the final fix was I don't know
Turning the aircon on will usually trigger the ECU to raise the idle speed by a few hundred revs, and it could be that which helped the engine continue to run. Edited by tux850 on Sunday 4th February 23:38
A quick update on the Mk1 Fabia.
A friend, Rob, recently bought a TopDon all singing and dancing analyser. He ran through some checks on it which confirmed the immobiliser fault. He then took the instrument cluster home to check for any dry solder joints, as he thought a couple looked a bit suspect to the naked eye.
Anyway, under the microscope, Rob saw that all the through-board tracks were badly corroded, and deemed the instrument cluster beyond repair.
I bought the closest equivalent secondhand instrument cluster on Ebay, which came from Lithuania. Rob then transferred the immobiliser chip from the old to the 'new' cluster circuit board, and once all back together, the car started and ran perfectly.
The radio on the other hand was completely lifeless, so after watching some videos I attempted to remove it, expecting to find the circuit board in a similar state. Unfortunately, after much pulling and pushing and trying different things in the two release holes, I couldn't get the radio out. All of a sudden it started working though, so I guess I had had a bad connection which eventually made contact, or I just scared it into submission...
The LCD clock display on the left of the instrument cluster is showing gibberish, although Rob reckons this is a 'zebra stripe' connector between the circuit board and LCD display which needs slight adjustment. The right hand LCD display showing the mileage and trip works perfectly.
The next step is to get the car MOTed so it can go to the girlfriend's daughter in Bonnie Scotland, and we can have a space in the drive.
A friend, Rob, recently bought a TopDon all singing and dancing analyser. He ran through some checks on it which confirmed the immobiliser fault. He then took the instrument cluster home to check for any dry solder joints, as he thought a couple looked a bit suspect to the naked eye.
Anyway, under the microscope, Rob saw that all the through-board tracks were badly corroded, and deemed the instrument cluster beyond repair.
I bought the closest equivalent secondhand instrument cluster on Ebay, which came from Lithuania. Rob then transferred the immobiliser chip from the old to the 'new' cluster circuit board, and once all back together, the car started and ran perfectly.
The radio on the other hand was completely lifeless, so after watching some videos I attempted to remove it, expecting to find the circuit board in a similar state. Unfortunately, after much pulling and pushing and trying different things in the two release holes, I couldn't get the radio out. All of a sudden it started working though, so I guess I had had a bad connection which eventually made contact, or I just scared it into submission...
The LCD clock display on the left of the instrument cluster is showing gibberish, although Rob reckons this is a 'zebra stripe' connector between the circuit board and LCD display which needs slight adjustment. The right hand LCD display showing the mileage and trip works perfectly.
The next step is to get the car MOTed so it can go to the girlfriend's daughter in Bonnie Scotland, and we can have a space in the drive.
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