2009 SKODA FABIA engine coolant

Inspecting and replenishing189
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Cooling systemCoolant
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) for topping up the system.
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.
A specialist garage 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 levelThe 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 185.
– Check the level of coolant in the coolant expansion bottle ⇒fig. 184.
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.
Fig. 184 Engine compart-
ment: Coolant expansion
bottle
AB
AA
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Inspecting and replenishing 190If the coolant level in the reservoir is too low, this is indicated by the warning light
in the instrument cluster
 ⇒page 29. We nevertheless recommend inspecting
the coolant level directly at the reservoir from time to time.
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 185, “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 189, fig. 184 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 189, “Coolant”. Do not use an alternative additive if
the coolant additive G12 PLUS - 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. witch the engine off and obtain
professional assistance from a specialist garage.
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Inspecting and replenishing191
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
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.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 fluidInspecting the brake fluid levelThe 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 185.
– Inspect the brake fluid level in the reservoir ⇒fig. 185. 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 33. In this case stop immediately and
do not drive any further! Obtain professional assistance.
Fig. 185 Engine compart-
ment: Brake fluid reservoir
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Index 248Child seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Classification into groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
ISOFIX system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Children and safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Chrome parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Cigarette lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Climatronic
Defrosting windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Setting temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Clothes hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Cockpit
General view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Compartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Convenience operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Converting/masking over headlights . . . . . . . . . . 168
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
replenishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Coolant level
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Coolant temperature gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Coolant temperature/coolant level
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Cornering lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Correct seated position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Counter for distance driven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Cruise control system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104Cup holder
front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
DDeactivating an airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Defrosting rear window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
De-icing the windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Diesel engines
Starting the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Diesel particle filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Digital clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Direction indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Distance driven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Door
Child safety lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Door, luggage compartment door and bonnet ajar
warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Driving economically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Driving time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22EEDL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Electric power-operated window
Operational faults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Electric sliding/tilting roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Electrical power windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Electrically adjustable rear mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Electronic Differential Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Electronic Differential Lock (EDL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Electronic immobiliser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30, 37
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Electronic stability programme (ESP) . . . . . . . . . . 155
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Emergency locking of the door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Engine
starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
switching off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Engine compartment
Safety information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Engine electronics
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
replenishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Engine revolutions counter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Environmental compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164, 167
ESP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Exhaust gas
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Exhaust gas inspection
Warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Explanations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
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