2009 SKODA OCTAVIA TOUR check engine

Instruments and Indicator/Warning Lights
34
Alternator

The warning light
 comes on after the ignition has been switched on. It should go
out after the engine has started. If the warning light does not go out after the engine has started, or comes on when driving, drive to the nearest specialist garage. The vehicle battery will be discharged in this case so switch off all non-essential electrical components. A peep sounds as an additional warning signal.
Caution
If the warning light
 comes on when driving and in addition the warning light

(cooling system fault) also comes on in display, you must then stop the car imme- diately and switch the engine
off - risk of engine damage!
Brake system

The warning light
 comes on for several seconds after the ignition is switched on.
If the warning light
 stays on when the ignition is switched on or comes on while
driving, there is a fault in the brake system. Visit the nearest specialist garage imme-diately and have the brake system inspected. The following text will be displayed in the information display*:
STOP BRAKE FLUID SERVICE MANUAL
3 peeps sound as an additional warning signal.One should get used to high pedal forces, long braking distances and long free play of the brake pedal when driving to the next specialist garage. For further information on the brake system
⇒page 133, “Brakes”.
Handbrake applied The warning light
 also comes on if the handbrake is applied. An audible warning
is also given if you drive the vehicle for at least 3 seconds at a speed of more than 5 km/h.
The following text will be displayed in the information display*:
HANDBRAKE ON
WARNING
•
Pay attention to the following instru
ctions before checking the brake
fluid level and opening the bonnet
⇒page 160, “Working in the engine
compartment”.•
If the brake system warning light
 does not go out a few seconds after
switching on the ignition or comes on when driving, stop immediately and check the brake fluid in the reservoir
⇒page 167, “Brake fluid”. If the fluid
level has dropped below the MIN marking,
do not drive any further - risk of
accident! Obtain prof
essional assistance.
Seat belt warning light*

The warning light
 comes on after the ignition is
switched on as a reminder to
fasten the seat belt. In the event that the driver is not restrained, a warning signal sounds for 6 seconds.The following text will be displayed in the information display*:
FASTEN SEAT BELT
Further information on the seat belts
⇒page 108, “Seat belts”.
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Starting-off and Driving
95
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
•
Let go of the key as soon as the engine starts otherwise there may be damage
to the starter. The engine running noises may louder at
first be louder for
a short time after
starting the cold engine until oil pressure
can be built up in the hydraulic valve
clearance compensation. This is quite normal and is not an operating problem. If the engine does not start ... You can use the battery of anothe
r vehicle as a jump-start aid
⇒page 188.
It is only possible to tow-start vehicl
es fitted with a manual gearbox. The tow-
starting distance must not be more than 50 metres
⇒page 191.
WARNING
•
Never run the engine in non ventilat
ed or enclosed areas. The exhaust
gases of the engine contain besides
the odorless and colourless carbon
monoxide a poisonous gas - hazard! Carbon monoxide can cause uncon- sciousness and death.•
Never leave your vehicle unattended with the engine running.Caution
•
The starter may only be operated (ignition key position ), if the engine is not
running. If the starter is immediately oper
ated after switching off the engine, the
starter or the engine can be damaged.•
Avoid high engine revolutions, full throttle and high engine loads as long as the
engine has not yet reached its normal oper
ating temperature - risk of damaging the
engine!•
Vehicles which are fitted wi
th an exhaust gas catalyti
c converter should not be
tow-started over a distance of more than 50 metres.
For the sake of the environment
Never warm up the engine when the vehi
cle is standing. Drive off right away.
Through this the engine reaches its operating temperature more rapidly and the pollutant emissions are lower.
Petrol enginesThese engines are fitted with a starter system which selects the correct fuel-air mixture for every external air temperature.•
Do
not depress
accelerator before and when starting engine.
•
Interrupt the attempt at starting after
10 seconds if the engine does not start
right awayand wait for about 30 se
conds before repeating the attempt.
•
It is possible that the fuse on the electric
al fuel pump is defect if the engine still
does not start. Check the fuse and replace it if necessary
⇒page 192.
•
Contact the nearest specialist garage to obtain professional assistance.
It may be necessary, if the engine is
very hot
, to slightly depress the accelerator
after the engine has started.Diesel enginesGlow plug system Diesel engines are equipped with a glow
plug system, the preglow period being
controlled automatically in
line with the coolant temperature and outside temper-
ature. The preglow indicator light
 comes on after the ignition has been switched on.
You should not switch on any major electrical components during the heating period otherwise the vehicle battery will be drained unnecessarily.•
You should start the engine immediately after the glow plug warning light

has gone out.•
The glow plug warning light will come on for about one second if the engine is
at a normal operating temperature or if the outside temperature is above +5°C. This means that you can start the engine
right away
.
•
Interrupt the attempt at starting after
10 seconds if the engine does not start
right awayand wait for about 30 se
conds before repeating the attempt.
•
It is possible that the fuse on the diesel preglow system is defect if the engine
still does not start. Check the fuse and replace it if necessary
⇒page 192.
•
Contact the nearest specialist garage to obtain professional assistance.
A3
s2g8.b.book Page 95 Tuesday, April 7, 2009 8:53 AM

Driving and the Environment
140
Avoiding full throttle Driving more slowly means saving fuel.Sensitive use of the accelera
tor will not only significantly reduce fuel consumption
but also positively influence environmen
tal pollution and wear of your vehicle.
You should avoid exploiting the top speed
of your vehicle wherever possible. Fuel
consumption, pollutant emissi
ons and vehicle noises increase disproportionally at
high speeds. The
⇒fig. 142
shows the ratio of fuel consumption to the speed of your vehicle.
You will cut your fuel consumption by half
if you only make use three-quarters of
the possible top speed of your vehicle.Reducing idling Idling also costs fuel.It is worthwhile switching off the engine in
a traffic jam or when waiting at a level
crossing or at traffic lights with a length
y red phase. Even after just 30 - 40 seconds
you will have saved more fuel than that
is needed when you start the engine up
again. If an engine is only idling it takes much
longer for it to reach its normal operating
temperature. Wear-and-tear and pollutant em
issions, though, are particularly high
in the warming-up phase. This is why you
should drive off right after starting the
engine. Do avoid high engine re
volutions at this time, however.
Regular servicing A poorly tuned engine consumes an unnecessarily high amount of fuel.Having your vehicle serviced regularly at a specialist garge enables you to satisfy one
of the requirements for economical moto
ring even before you set off on your
journey. Keeping your vehicle properly servic
ed not only has a positive effect on the
safety of your vehicle and maintaining its value, but also saves on
fuel
.
A poorly tuned engine can result in a fu
el consumption which is 10% higher than
normal. The foreseen maintenance work should be undertaken exactly according to the Service schedule by a specialist garage. Also check the
oil level
after refueling.
Oil consumption
is dependent to a consid-
erable extent on the load and speed of
the engine. Oil consum
ption could be as
high as 0.5 litres/1 000 km depending on your style of driving. It is quite normal that a new engine ha
s a higher oil consumption at first, and
reaches its lowest level only
after a certain running in
time. It is therefore not
possible to correctly assess the oil cons
umption of a new vehicle until after you
have driven about 5 000 km.
For the sake of the environment
•
You can achieve additional improvements
in your fuel economy by using high-
lubricity oils.•
Check the ground below your vehicle at re
gular intervals to detect any leakages
in good time. Please have yo
ur vehicle inspected by a specialist garge if you find any
stains caused by oil or
other fluids on the floor.
Fig. 142 Fuel consumption in litres/100 km. and speed in km/h.
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Driving and the Environment
141
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Avoid driving short distances Short distances result in an above-average high fuel consumption.– Avoid driving a distance of no more than 4 km if the engine is cold.The engine and catalytic converter mu
st first have reached their optimal
operating
temperature
in order to effectively reduce fu
el consumption and pollutant emis-
sions. The cold engine vehicle consumes approx. 15 - 20 litres/100 km of fuel immediately after starting. Fuel co
nsumption drops to 10 litres/100 km after just 1 kilometre. The
engine reaches its operating temperat
ure (outside temperature and engine
dependent) only after about
4 to 10
kilometres and the fuel consumption then
stabilizes. You should therefore avoid driving short distances whenever possible. An important factor in this connection is also the
ambient temperature
. The
⇒ fig. 143
shows the different fuel consumptions for the same distance, on the one
hand at +20°C and on the other hand at
-10°C. Your vehicle has a higher fuel
consumption in winter than in summer.Checking tyre inflation pressures Tyres which are correctly inflated save fuel.Always ensure that your tyres are inflated
to the correct pressure at all times. The
rolling resistance will be increased if the tyre filling pressure is too low. This will not
only increase fuel consumption but also
tyre wear and the driving behaviour will
worsen. Always check the inflation pressure of the tyres when
cold
.
Do not drive with
winter tyres
all year round for this costs about 10 % more fuel.
Winter tyres are also louder.No unnecessary ballast Transporting ballast costs fuel.The fact that every kilogram of extra
weight
increases your fuel consumption
means that it is worth taking a look in the luggage compartment to avoid trans- porting any unnecessary ballast. It is particularly in town traffic, when one
is accelerating quite often, that the vehicle
weight will have a significant effect upon
the fuel consumption. A rule of thumb
here is that an increase in weight of 100
kilograms will cause an increase in fuel
consumption of about 1
litre/100 kilometres.
You may frequently also leave a
roof rack fitted
on just out of convenience,
although you no longer need it. The incr
eased aerodynamic drag of your vehicle
causes it to use about 10% more fuel th
an normal at a speed of 100 - 120 km/h,
even when you are not carr
ying a load on the roof.
Saving electricity Generating electricity costs fuel.– Switch off electrical components as
soon as you no longer need them.
When the engine is running, the alternator
generates and supplies
electrical power.
The greater the load on the alternator as a result of having a large number of elec-trical components switched on, the more
fuel will be consumed for operating the
alternator.
Fig. 143 Fuel consumption in litres/100 km at different temperatures
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Driving and the Environment
142
Keeping a log of your fuel consumptionIf you really wish to ke
ep a close check on your
fuel consumption
, it is best to enter
the figures in a logbook. This does not take
much time but is a very worthwhile exer-
cise. It enables you to detect any change
(positive and negative) at an early stage
and to take any appropriate action. If you find that your fuel
consumption is too high, you sh
ould reflect on how, where
and in what conditions you have driven
the vehicle since you last refuelled.
Environmental compatibilityEnvironmental protection has played a majo
r role in the design, selection of mate-
rials and manufacture of your new Škoda.
Particular emphasis
has been paid to a
number of aspects, including: Design measures•
Joints designed to
be easily detached;
•
Simplified disassembly due to the modular structure system;
•
Improved purity of differ
ent classes of materials;
•
Identification of all plastic parts in
accordance with VDA Recommendation 260;
•
Reduced fuel consumption
and exhaust emission CO
2;
•
Minimum fuel leakage during accidents;
•
Reduced noise.
Choice of materials•
Extensive use of recyclable material;
•
Air conditioning filled wi
th CFC-free refrigerant;
•
No cadmium;
•
No asbestos;
•
Reduction in the “vaporisation” of plastics.
Manufacture•
Solvent-free cavity protection;
•
Solvent-free protection of the vehicle for transportation from the production
plant to the customer;•
The use of solvent-free adhesives;
•
No CFCs used in the production process;
•
Without use of mercury;
•
Use of water-soluble paints.
Motoring abroadGeneral Other circumstances may exist abroad.It is also possible, in certain countries, that the Škoda Service Partner network is limited or has not been established yet.
This is the reason why obtaining certain
spare parts may be somewhat complicate
d and specialist garage personnel may
o n l y b e a b l e t o m a ke l i m i te d re p a i rs . Š ko d a A u to i n t h e C z e c h R e pu b l i c a n d re l e v a n t importers are happy to provide information
about technical aspects of the vehicle,
required maintenance work and possibilities for getting repairs done.Unleaded petrolA vehicle fitted with a petrol engine must always be refuelled with unleaded petrol ⇒ page 138. The automobile associations can provide you with information regarding the locations of filling stations which offer unleaded petrol.HeadlightThe low beam of your headlights is set asym
metrically. It illuminates the side of the
road on which you are driving to a greater
extent. If you drive abroad on the other
side of the road, you wi
ll dazzle oncoming traffic.
In order to prevent the dazzling of oncoming traffic, it is necessary to stick a sticker over a certain part of the headlights.
s2g8.b.book Page 142 Tuesday, April 7, 2009 8:53 AM

Towing a trailer
145
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
should be attached to folding arms. Adjust
the mirrors so that they provide you with
an adequate field of view to the rear. Headlights Before starting off with a hitched trailer, also check the setting of the headlights. Alter the setting as necessary with th
e aid of the headlight beam adjuster
⇒ page 51. Detachable ball head The ball rod is detachable on vehicles which feature a factory-fitted towing device. It is stowed together with separate fitting instructions in the spare wheel well in the luggage compartment of the vehicle. Further information on the towing device
⇒page 146.
Note
•
We recommend that you also have yo
ur vehicle inspected between service
intervals if you tow a trailer frequently.•
The handbrake on the towing vehicle
must be put on when coupling and
decoupling the trailer.Driving Tips Particular caution is required when towing a trailer.– Do not, as far as possible, drive
with your vehicle unladen and the
trailer laden.
– Do not make full use of the legal maximum speeds. This applies in
particular to downhill sections.
– Apply the brakes in good time.– Keep a check on the coolant temper
ature gauge if the outside temper-
ature is high.
Distribution of weight The distribution of the weight is very poor
if your vehicle is
unladen and the trailer
is laden. Maintain a particularly low speed if you cannot avoid driving with this combination. Driving speed Do not drive faster than 80 km/hour for safety reasons. This also applies for coun- tries in which higher speeds are allowed. The fact that the driving stability of the vehicle + trailer combination reduces with increasing speed means that the legally allowed speed should not be used when there are unfavourable road, weather or wind
conditions, particul
arly near accident
black spots. You must always reduce your speed immedi
ately as soon as you detect even just
the
slightest swaying
of the trailer. On no account attempt to stop the trailer from
“swaying” by
accelerating.
Apply the brakes in good time! If the trailer is fitted with a
trailer brake
, apply the
brakes gently at first and then brake firmly
. This will avoid brake jolts resulting from
the trailer wheels locking. Shift down gears
in good time before negotiating a down-
hill section to allow the engine to also act as a brake. Engine overheating Please keep a check on the coolant temperature gauge if you have to negotiate a lengthy slope in a low gear at a high engine speed when the outside temperature is very high
⇒page 16.
If the needle of the coolant temperature gauge moves into the right-hand area or even the red area of the scale, reduce yo
ur speed immediately. Stop and switch off
the engine if the warning light
 in the instrument cluste
r begins flashing. Wait a
few minutes and check the level of coolant in the coolant expansion bottle ⇒ page 165, “Inspecting the coolant level”. Please refer to the following guidelines
⇒page 30, “Coolant temperature/ Coolant
quantity
”.
The coolant temperature can be reduced by switching on the heating.Any increase in the cooling effect of the coolant fan through shifting down a gear and increasing the engine speed is not possible since the fan speed is independent
s2g8.b.book Page 145 Tuesday, April 7, 2009 8:53 AM

Fuel
155
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
FuelPetrolGrades of petrolThere are various grades of petrol. Please
check in order to know which grade of
petrol your vehicle requires.
You will also find the same information affixed to the
inside of the fuel filler flap of your vehicle
⇒page 156.
A distinction is made between unleaded an
d leaded petrol. All Škoda vehicles with
petrol engines are equipped with a catalyti
c converter and must therefore be only
driven with
unleaded petrol
. Unleaded petrol complies with the
standard EN 228
.
The individual grades of petr
ol are distinguished by their
octane number
(RON).
Please adopt the following procedure if the grade of petrol which you normally use is not be available in
exceptional circumstances:
•
Engines which need
unleaded premium petrol 95 RON
can also be run on
unleaded regular petrol 91 RON. This does, however, result in a slight loss in performance.•
Engines which need
unleaded premium plus 98 RON
can also be run on
unleaded premium petrol 95 RON. This coul
d result in a slight loss in engine
performance. You can
in case of need
also use unleaded regular petrol 91 RON in
the event that neither unleaded premiu
m plus 98 RON nor unleaded premium
petrol 95 RON is available. Refuel as soon as possible with unleaded premium plus 98 RON or unleaded premium petrol 95 RON. If, in an emergency, the only fuel availa
ble is one which has a lower octane number
than that required by the engine then only drive at medium engine speeds and lower engine loadings. You can make unlimited use of fuel whic
h has a higher octane
number than that
required by the engine. There will, howeve
r, be no advantages gained by this in
terms of engine performance and fuel consumption! The handling, performance and
life of your engine are determined to a significant
extent by the quality of the fuel.
Do not use any petrol additives.
Use a fuel
complying with
the standard.
You can find further information on refuelling
⇒page 156, “Refuelling”.
Caution
•
Filling the tank even only once with lead
ed petrol will result in the catalytic
converter being destroyed.•
Operating the engine with petrol of a lo
w octane number can result in engine
damage at high revolutions or severe engine loading.DieselDiesel fuelYour vehicle can be operated with
diesel fuel
, which complies with the standard
EN 590
.
Fuel additives You must not use fuel additives, so-called “flow improvers” (petrol and similar products) in diesel fuel. If the quality of the diesel fuel is poor, it is then necessary to drain the
fuel filter

more often than stated in the Service schedule. You can find information on refuelling
⇒page 156, “Refuelling”.
Caution
•
Use fuel which complies with the standard
DIN EN 590
. Filling the tank even
only once, which does not comply with th
e standard, can result
in damage to the
fuel system.•
Water which has collected in the fuel fi
lter can result in engine problems.
•
Your vehicle is not adapted
for use of biofuel (RME), therefore this fuel must not
be refuelled and driven. Using this fuel (RME) can lead to damage to the engine or the fuel system.
s2g8.b.book Page 155 Tuesday, April 7, 2009 8:53 AM

Inspecting and replenishing
160
– Take the bonnet support out of its holder and set it in the opening
designed for it
⇒
page 159, fig. 150
.
Closing the bonnet – Lift the bonnet slightly and unhook the bonnet support. Press the
bonnet support into the hold
er designed to hold it.
– Allow the bonnet to drop from a height of about 30 cm into the lock -
bonnet
do not press down on it
!
WARNING
•
Never open the bonnet if you see that steam or coolant is flowing out of
the engine compartment - risk of scaldi
ng! Wait long enough until the steam
or coolant has stopped escaping.•
For safety reasons, the bonnet must always be properly closed when
driving. One should therefore check that
the lock has in fact engaged prop-
erly after closing the bonnet.•
Stop your vehicle i
mmediately while driving if yo
u notice that the lock is
not properly engaged and close the bonn
et properly - risk of an accident!
Working in the engine compartment Particular care is required when ca
rrying out any work in the engine
compartment!There is a risk of injuries, scalding,
accidents and fire wh
en working in the
engine compartment, e.g. inspecting an
d replenishing oil and other fluids. For
this reason, it is essential to comply with the warning instructions stated below and with the general applicable
rules of safety. The engine compart-
ment of your car is a hazardous area
⇒
.
WARNING
•
Never open the bonnet if you see that steam or coolant is flowing out of
the engine compartment - risk of scaldi
ng! Wait long enough until the steam
or coolant has stopped escaping.•
Switch off the engine and pull out the ignition key.
•
Apply the handbrake firmly.
•
On vehicles fitted with a manual gearbox, move the gearshift lever into
Neutral.•
Allow the engine to cool down.
•
Keep children clear of the engine compartment.
•
Never spill oil and other fluids over the hot engine. Such fluids (e.g. the
antifreeze contained in the coolant) may ignite!•
Avoid short circuits in the electrical system - particularly on the battery.
•
Never place your hand into the radiator
fan as long as the engine is still
warm. The fan might suddenly start running!•
Never open the cap of the coolant expa
nsion bottle as long as the engine
is still warm. The cooling system is pressurized!•
Cover over the cap of the coolant expansion reservoir with a large cloth
when opening it as protection for your face, hands and arms from hot steam or hot coolant.•
Do not let objects, such as e.g cleaning cloth or tools lie in the engine
compartment.•
If you wish to work under the vehicl
e, you must secure the vehicle from
rolling away and support it
with suitable supporting blocks; the lifting jack*
is not sufficient for this - risk of injury!•
In cases where it be necessary to carry out inspection work when the
engine is running there is an additional risk from rotating parts (e.g. the V- ribbed belt, alternator, radiator fan) and from the high-voltage ignition system. Please observe in addition the following:
− Never touch the electrical cabl
es of the ignition system.
− Absolutely avoid any jewellery, loose items of clothing or long hair from getting into the rotating part
s of the engine - Hazard! Therefore
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