2008 SKODA FABIA engine coolant

Inspecting and Replenishing186
Cooling system
Coolant
The job of the coolant is to cool the engine.
The cooling system does not require any maintenance under normal operating conditions. The coolant consists of water with a concentration of coolant additive of 40 %. This mixture not only provides antifreeze protection down to -25°C but also protects the cooling and heating system from corrosion. It also prevents the formation of scale and significantly increases the boiling point of the coolant.
You must therefore not reduce the concentration of antifreeze agent in the coolant by adding water, also not during the summer months or in countries with a warm climate. The concentration of coolant additive in the coolant must be at least 40%.
You can increase the amount of antifreeze in the coolant if a higher concentration of antifreeze is necessary for climatic reasons but only up to 60% (antifreeze protection down to approx. -40°C). The antifreeze protection tails off above that concentration.
Vehicles exported to countries with a cold climate (e.g. Sweden, Norway, Finland) are already factory-filled with a coolant which offers antifreeze protection down to about -35°C. In these countries the concentration of coolant additive should be at least 50 %.
Coolant
The cooling system is factory-filled with coolant (purple in colour), which complies with the specification TL-VW 774 G.
We recommend that you use the antifreeze agent - G12 PLUS - PLUS (purple in colour).
We recommend that you contact your Škoda Service Partner if you have any ques-tions regarding the coolant or if you wish to fill up with a different coolant.
Your Škoda Service Partner can also supply you with the correct coolant additives.
Caution
•Other coolant additives may cause operational problems which, in partic-ular, involves significantly reducing the anticorrosion effect.
•Any faults or problems resulting from corrosion may cause a loss of coolant and, as a consequence of this, result in major engine damage.
Inspecting the coolant level
The coolant expansion bottle is located in the engine compartment on
the right.
– Switch the engine off.
– Open the bonnet ⇒ in “Working in the engine compartment” on
page 181.
– Check the level of coolant in the coolant expansion bottle ⇒fig. 172.
The coolant level when the engine is cold must lie between the “MIN”
and “MAX” markings. The level may also rise slightly above the
“MAX” marking when the engine is warm.
If the coolant level in the reservoir is too low, this is indicated by the warning light in the instrument cluster  ⇒page 24. We nevertheless recommend inspecting the coolant level directly at the reservoir from time to time.
Fig. 172 Engine compart-ment: Coolant expansion bottle
ABAA
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Inspecting and Replenishing187
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Loss of coolant
A loss of coolant is first and foremost an indication of a leak in the system. You should not merely top up the coolant in the reservoir. It is also important to have the cooling system inspected without delay by a specialist garage.
Losses can only occur through the pressure relief in the cap of the coolant expan-sion bottle which is completely free of leaks if the coolant boils as a result of over-heating and is forced out of the cooling system.
WARNING
Read and observe the warning notes ⇒page 181, “Working in the engine compartment” before working in the engine compartment.
Caution
One should contact a specialist garage as soon as possible if the source of over-heating itself cannot be determined and removed, since there may be grave damage to the engine.
Replenishing the coolant
– Switch the engine off.
– Allow the engine to cool down.
– Place a cloth over the cap of the coolant expansion reservoir
⇒page 186, fig. 172 and unscrew the cap carefully by turning it to the
left ⇒.
– Top up the coolant.
– Screw the cap tight until it is heard to lock.
The coolant which you use for replenishing the system, must comply with one specific specification ⇒page 186, “Coolant”. Do not use an alternative additive if the coolant additive G12 PLUS is not available in exceptional cases. Just top up the
system with water and as soon as possible arrange adjustment to correct the mixing ratio of water and coolant additive again by a specialist garage.
Only use fresh coolant for topping up the system.
Do not fill up over the “MAX” marking! Excess coolant which is heated up is forced out of the cooling system through the pressure relief valve in the cap of the coolant compensation bottle.
Wait until the engine has cooled down for a system which has suffered a major loss of coolant before pouring in coolant. This is necessary to avoid engine damage.
WARNING
•The cooling system is pressurized! Do not open the cap of the coolant expansion bottle if the engine is still hot - risk of scalding!
•The coolant additive and thus all of the coolant is harmful to your health. Avoid contact with the coolant. Coolant vapours are also harmful to the health. It is important, therefore, to always safely store any coolant additive in its original container out of the reach of children - risk of poisoning!
•If any splashes of coolant get into your eyes, rinse out your eyes immedi-ately with clear water and contact a doctor as soon as possible.
•You should also consult a doctor without delay if you have inadvertently swallowed coolant.
Caution
Do not continue your journey if for some reason it is not possible under the conditions prevailing to top up with coolant. Switch the engine off and obtain professional assistance from a specialist garage, otherwise it could lead to severe engine damage.
For the sake of the environment
Do not re-use coolant if it is necessary to drain the coolant in the system. It should be collected and disposed of in compliance with environmental protection regulations.
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Inspecting and Replenishing188
Radiator fan
The radiator fan may switch on suddenly.
The radiator fan is driven by an electric motor and controlled by a thermostat according to the coolant temperature.
The radiator fan may continue running for up to 10 minutes after the engine has been switched off - even if the ignition is also off. It may also switch on suddenly after a certain time, if
•the coolant temperature has risen because of an accumulation of heat or
•the warm engine compartment is heated up additionally by strong sunlight.
WARNING
You must therefore be aware when working in the engine compartment that the fan may switch on suddenly - risk of injury!
Brake fluid
Inspecting the brake fluid level
The brake fluid reservoir is located on the left of the engine compartment.
The brake fluid reservoir on right-hand steering models is positioned on
the other side of the engine compartment.
– Switch the engine off.
– Open the bonnet ⇒ in “Working in the engine compartment” on
page 181.
– Inspect the brake fluid level in the reservoir ⇒fig. 173. The level must
be between the “MIN” and “MAX” markings.
A slight drop in the fluid level results when driving due to normal wear-and-tear and automatic adjustment of the brake pads, and is perfectly normal.
There may be an indication of a leak in the brake system, however, if the fluid level drops significantly within a short time or if it drops below the “MIN” marking. A situ-ation where the brake fluid level is too low is indicated by the warning light  lighting up in the instrument cluster ⇒page 28. In this case stop immediately and do not drive any further! Obtain professional assistance.
WARNING
•Read and observe the warning notes ⇒page 181, “Working in the engine compartment” before working in the engine compartment.
•If the fluid level has dropped below the MIN marking, do not drive any further - risk of accident! Contact a Škoda dealer to obtain professional assistance.
Replacing brake fluid
Brake fluid absorbs moisture. This causes the fluid to absorb moisture from the surrounding air over a period of time. Excessive water in the brake fluid may be the cause of corrosion in the brake system. The water content also lowers the boiling point of the brake fluid. This is why brake fluid must be replaced every two years.
Fig. 173 Engine compart-ment: Brake fluid reservoir
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Index244
Child safety seat
on the front passenger seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Safety information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Child seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Classification into groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
ISOFIX system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Children and safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Chrome parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Cigarette lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Climatronic
Air outlet vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Defrosting windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Recirculated air mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Setting temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Clothes hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Cockpit
General view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Compartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Convenience operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Converting/masking over headlights . . . . . . . . . . 164
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
replenishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Coolant level
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Coolant temperature gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Coolant temperature/coolant level
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Cornering lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Correct seated position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Counter for distance driven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Cruise control system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Cup holder
front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
D
Deactivating an airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Defrosting rear window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Defrosting windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84, 87
De-icing the windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Diesel engines
Starting the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Diesel particle filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Digital clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Direction indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Distance driven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Door
Child safety lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Door, luggage compartment door and bonnet ajar warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Driving economically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Driving time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
E
EDL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Electric power-operated window
Operational faults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Electric sliding/tilting roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Electrically adjustable rear mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Electronic Differential Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Electronic Differential Lock (EDL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Electronic immobiliser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24, 31
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Electronic stability programme (ESP) . . . . . . . . . . 151
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Emergency locking of the door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Engine
starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
switching off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Engine compartment
Safety information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Engine electronics
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
replenishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Engine revolutions counter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Environmental compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160, 163
ESP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
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