Felly Fav and Trum. *Wanna see a fupped gearbox?*

[Yoss]

Ohhhh - good thread! Your Felicia looks lovely and I would concur that it is amongst the best left in the country from the pictures you've posted. 

 

I'm pleased that Favorit has found a good home as it has been on and off eBay quite a bit in recent times. It is a rather rare early model so worth preserving. It would be great to see either car at Skodafest in May - http://skodaowners.org/event/skodafest-2017/  - and whilst looking at the Skodafest page, do take a look around our Club's website. We have a growing number of members with growing collections of Favorit spares to help keep these cars on the road in the UK. 

 

I shall keep checking back for updates!

 

Hello Rob!

 

Nice to see you pop up on here. Not seen you on briskoda for a while. I shall certainly look into Skodafest. I need to meet a few more Favorit owners and there are a few bits and pieces I could do with. Funnily enough the original paperwork that came with the car includes an application form for Skoda owners club!

[Yoss]

Here you go.

 

Is Sylvia Philpott still membership officer?

 

[skoda_norman]

Oh my goodness me, I hadn't put two and two together! I do apologise!! Very good to hear from you and nice to know you're still Skoda'ering away. 

 

I'm afraid she isn't, but we will still accept that membership form  

[Yoss]

If I use this form do I still get membership for £11.50 inclusive of two badges and £6.50 a year thereafter?

[skoda_norman]

If I use this form do I still get membership for £11.50 inclusive of two badges and £6.50 a year thereafter?

 

Absolutely. We still hold true to those prices with due adjustment for inflation. 

 

That said, at £20pa, we've done well to keep the price as low as possible over the past 25 years.  

[Yoss]

So I've been taking it to work for a week and it's still not running right, but is better. I was turning the mixture screw half a turn at a time and it didn't seem any better so I thought I'd look at other options as I was led to believe this screw was quite sensitive and if it had no effect so far it may be something else.

 

Trawling the internet, the general consensus was throw the Pierburg away and buy a Weber. And whilst £300 for a brand new Weber and conversion kit does actually seem reasonable for what you get it is also the same amount I paid for the whole car. So I've ordered a Pierburg rebuild kit for a mere £25.

 

Though I've now decided the mixture screw was having some effect as I set it back to where it was when I got it, back two full turns in one hit and it was noticeably worse so I think I need to go back to this and be braver in my settings. I'm starting to wonder if someone wound it right off to get it through an MOT. I remember we used to do this for old Metros and the like. Weaken it off for the MOT so much it was undriveable then richen it back up immediately after.

 

 

So anyway this bag of very very tiny things arrived today.

 

 

 

The plan is to take the top off this and tip the tiny things inside.

 

The instructions consist of an exploded diagram with all parts numbered but no key, and some very basic instructions primarily in Italian. The English bits simply seem to be the Italian run through Google translate.

 

Fortunately there are better instructions online. Also fortunately the car came with a spare carb, the one pictured, so this is the one I'm gonna clean up and try to rebuild. That way, if I fuck it up, I still have a car I can drive.

 

So even if richening the one on the car works I'm still gonna try and rebuild the spare as I'm determined to try and understand how this thing works.

[egg]

Obviously loving this thread. Might be worth signing up to Facebook to join the Skoda Favorit group - there's often parts that come up and a couple of Skoda technicians on board. Don't have to add any friends and all that - or even use your real name!

 

Can't resist sharing a pic of mine!

 

[Yoss]

First thing I thought when I saw that pic was 'Hey that's Herne Bay'. The second thing I thought was 'Hey you bought M67 MNC!'

 

I was talking to the young couple who owned it at the Briskoda national last year. They seemed quite keen on it so I was a bit surprised to see it come up for sale a few months later. They bought it from someone near Manchester so it really has worked it's way south. That's a fair old drive from Nottingham to Herne Bay.

 

I took the Triumph for a lap of Kent couple of years ago. Here it is in Herne Bay.

 

And perhaps you can tell me what this is?

 

I thought it was a very shallow water tower then a friend said it was some sort of wartime radar device.

[egg]

Bub2006 drove it down for me very generously and left it overnight at ebbsfleet for me to pick up the next day.

 

I believe it was a water tower, but not sure what it's used for now.

 

Bring the Favorit if you're passing again! Amazingly there is another Fav in Herne Bay, an estate which I need to photograph.

[Yoss]

You mean he left it in Ebbsfleet overnight with the keys and probably the paperwork in it safe in the knowledge no one would try pinching it because it's a Skoda Favorit! They are their own anti theft device.

[Eddie Honda]

 

And perhaps you can tell me what this is?Triumph 591.jpg

 

I thought it was a very shallow water tower then a friend said it was some sort of wartime radar device.

I believe it was a water tower, but not sure what it's used for now.

 

It's a (disused) water tower. It has a load of mobile transmitters stuck on top of it.

[Yoss]

So the spare carb is currently in pieces and I've been watching and rewatching rebuild videos on YouTube but that doesn't make for very interesting pictures.

 

So I had a go at the parcel shelf. The stupidly massive speakers had to go. They were so heavy the tailgate struts could barely lift them (not helped of course by the absolutely* essential* big black rubber boot spoiler).

 

So I tried fitting the spare black shelf I had in the loft. But when I did I found I couldn't shut the tailgate. So putting the two together I found that whilst it is the same moulding the brackets are totally different.

 

You can see why the speakers had to go.

 

Different mounts.

 

So the brown shelf went back in minus speakers but I need to cover the massive holes. My first thought was two giffer hats, his and hers, a Homburg perhaps for me, a la Tony Hancock and something that wouldn't look out of place at Ascot for the wife. But in the meantime I came up with this giffertastic solution:

 

 

This was fitted just in time for its first Skoda meeting.

[egg]

Does yours​ have a boot torch? Mine doesn't..

[egg]

Sorry, double post.

[Yoss]

No torch here either I'm afraid. I think it was only on the really early cars, the ones with the asymmetric front grille.

 

There is a recess where it would fit but no sign of any wiring, not that it would be hard to wire in if I could find one.

[Yoss]

It works!

 

After two weeks of kangarooing around I finally have a nice smooth and sophisticated Favorit. I've spent these two weeks studying Pierburg rebuild videos and diagrams and stuff. I ordered a rebuild kit and cleaned and stripped and rebuilt the spare carb.

 

At one point I convinced myself the problem was with the automatic choke mechanism so this was studied and bits swapped from the spare. I took it for a test drive without the air filter on (this detail is significant and we shall return to it later) and it seemed to have worked. So I put it all back together feeling very pleased with myself. Took it to work the next day and it was back to square one and I felt quite deflated.

 

Also at this time I'd noticed it didn't do it going backwards. I thought I was imagining it so kept reversing it up our road (uphill) then rolling down and trying it again at all different rev ranges. Don't know what the neighbours must've thought. This was really bugging me. I started wondering if it was the carb at all or if it was something in the gears or driveshafts binding perhaps. Couldn't think of any reason why it only did it going forwards.

 

So I finished rebuilding the other carb and removed the old one. That's when I found this:

 

This is the rubber mount betwixt carb and manifold and the crack on the inside is clearly visible here. This went all the way through. So I put some silicone gasket sealant on the outside (several layers left to cure overnight) and Wellseal on the inside

 

I didn't use silicone on the inside in case it fell of and went into the engine. Wellseal is my gasket sealant of choice, it never fully sets, just stays tacky. I've seen engines where they've used silicone and it's oozed out inside and blocked oilways.

 

Carb mount with lots of silicone on:

 

 

So as I say, I left this to set overnight and whilst sat watching the telly I had a Eureka moment. The car has a strut brace from a Felicia and I'd noticed the air box touches it.

 

UK market Felicias all had injection with a smaller air box and the Favs never had a strut brace. So, I thought, when you put a load on the engine it leans back slightly. BUT the carb can't because of the strut brace, thus strain put on rubber mount and gap opens up letting in air.

 

This explains why it worked when I did a test run without the air box on. Also explained why it worked going backwards because the engine would lean the other way. Bingo! This had to be it.

 

So first thing yesterday morning I set about removing the strut brace. Should be a two minute job, two nuts either side. Unfortunately one of the studs on the strut top has come loose so the nut just goes round and round. The other end is up inside the suspension turret. I spent about half an hour trying to get something to put pressure on the bottom of the stud before giving up. I think I'll have to cut it off but I can't do that before I get a replacement strut top and I wanted to test my theory now. So I did what any impatient bodger would do and cut a hole in the back of the air box!

 

 

I think I cut a bit too much off the lid but it still seals and more importantly the car now works like it should and is now a pleasure to drive. I didn't really want to remove the strut brace anyway. I know the Favs didn't have them but Å koda wouldn't have fitted them to the Felly for fun, they must have thought they needed them.

 

So at some point I may try to find a smaller air box, any car that had a Pierburg 2e3 would fit and some must be smaller. Or I could buy a fancy aftermarket K&N type jobby but for now I'm just happy it works.

 

Better order a new rubber mount too, this one will only get worse.

[egg]

Top sleuthing, that's great work.

[Yoss]

Thanks. I didn't even need to rebuild the other carb but I'm glad I did. I was reluctant to take the one off the car until I knew what I was looking at in case I ended up breaking it.

 

Spent £25 on the rebuild kit but I've learnt how it all works and it's still a fraction of what it would cost if I'd taken it to a garage, just in labour alone.

 

The general consensus in the VW fraternity (I've had to trawl through them for research) is to throw the Pierburg away and buy a Weber but they're all idiots. Once your familiar with it it's easy enough to test each bit and there's a great feeling of satisfaction when you suss it out yourself.

[omegod]

I played with a Pierburg once, I still have sleepless nights !! 

[Yoss]

Far more simple job today.

 

Spot the difference.

 

Before

 

 

After

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Someone had fitted modern flat aero wipers. They just looked stupid on here. The big plastic lump where they join the arm was really bugging me and right in my line of vision. They're now in the bin where they look much better.

[dollywobbler]

YES! Not sure how I missed this. How utterly fantastic. Top wiper choice too.

[Yoss]

MOT time for the Triumph.

 

I got there a bit early and they were running a bit late so Neil asked if I wanted to help. I've been going here over twenty years and usually do the sitting in the car bit on my own cars so he asked if I wanted to do it in this.

 

This is a proper dashboard with a view of the chod I was sat in.

 

And this was the view from the chod of my car.

 

I remember when they first showed the concept of these and it was a proper sort of retro hot rod look. Then the production version came out looking decidedly toned down. I'd never been in one before but the only nod to retro is the body colour painted passenger airbag cover and instrument surround. That's it. I was sat there tapping various bits of plastic and it doesn't seem any better than my Felicia but that at least was meant to be a cheap car. Not impressed. Then again the owner probably wouldn't appreciate my Skodas. It just seems a wasted opportunity to make something different.

 

 

This is still lurking in the corner. Hasn't moved since I MOTed the Favorit in February.

 

Pov spec. It only has two carbs.

 

So on to my car. I know it'll be ok on the basics, I've checked everything I can at home and there's no rust in it. But over the winter I did a complete rear brake rebuild. New shoes, cylinders, copper pipes and stainless steel braided hoses. Plus a wheel bearing that was noisy. I know it all felt ok but there's only one way to find out for sure.

 

Rear brake test:

 

 

Bingo.

 

Everything else was fine. The new wheel bearing was a little loose, it just needed pinching up one flat. That's fine, it's hard to tell when you first fit them and it's just settled a bit. It's better to have it slightly loose and tighten later than too tight and have it overheat.

 

He also mentioned slight play in the steering. He mentions it every year because he has to but it never gets worse so he can't fail it. Basically it's the design of the car. There are two UJs betwixt steering column and rack which have a little movement in them but if they didn't the steering would be very stiff. Triumph say it's a safety feature. The dog leg joint gives way in an accident so the column doesn't spear you into the seat. Apparently. I'm not going to try it.

 

So that was that. Another year on the road.

 

One more picture. Parked between shite waiting for paperwork. I think I'd take the Fiesta over the Cruiser every time. Unless I had a lot of stuff to take to the tip.

[Yoss]

And speaking of Triumphs, last night was one of our monthly Škoda meets. It is mainly the VRS boys but I try and keep the older Skodas represented. Some don't have Skodas at all any more but still come along for the socialising. We've recently changed pubs as our previous one started going downhill. By sheer coincidence it is also used by one of the Triumph clubs on the same night.

 

It's a big pub so plenty of room for both but I'd noticed the Triumphs always park in the same place sideways to everything else. So this month I got there early and decided to park where they do. And if that didn't annoy them enough I parked the wrong way round!

You couldn't really get a much bigger contrast in styles. I have to say I like both. If I have room/money/time etc for another Triumph it would be a GT6. A nice smooth straight six in the smallest possible body.

 

Face off. Who's gonna blink first?

 

More Triumphs.

 

Then after we'd eaten I went for a little ride in this

This does belong to one of the VRS boys. Has a tuned Octy but also has this for cruising on a summer evening. It is fastish, though it's only 220, but that's not what it's for (he has the Skoda for that). It was a great contrast to my Fav, both being of the same era.

 

By the way the people hanging round the E36 in the background are doing so because it has a 5.7 litre Chevy (or Vauxhall Monaro to be precise) in it.

[Yoss]

Been taking the Triumph to work the last couple of days seeing as I'd dug it out of the garage for its MOT. Came back today to find this parked next to it. Shows the ridiculous size of modern cars to good effect.

 

 

The Triumph wasn't even a particularly small car at the time, it was a medium sized family car. The picture of the door is particularly stupid. I can't see into their car at all.

[Walter White]

First thing I thought when I saw that pic was 'Hey that's Herne Bay'. The second thing I thought was 'Hey you bought M67 MNC!'

 

I was talking to the young couple who owned it at the Briskoda national last year. They seemed quite keen on it so I was a bit surprised to see it come up for sale a few months later. They bought it from someone near Manchester so it really has worked it's way south. That's a fair old drive from Nottingham to Herne Bay.

 

I have only just seen this. "Young couple", that's very generous of you. Thanks Yoss.

Yes I sold M67MNC. Sadly the little car's charm could not overcome it's lack of power steering for my other half.

Very pleased to see him out and about and posing with fog lights. Still like Favorits and enjoyed the short time I had one for. Glad to see you have a Favorit now Yoss.

[Yoss]

Hi. When I say young, younger than me anyway. It's all relative. Couldn't help noticing most Fav owners at Skodafest were younger than me too. Are they finally shaking off their old man image? I've always driven old man cars even when I was 20.

 

My wife won't drive it either due to lack of power steering. That and the ongoing carb shenanigans mentioned above means she doesn't trust it even though I've sorted it. I keep telling her it's basically the same as the Felicia but she won't have it!

[egg]

No PAS means I need to drive properly, i.e. not turning the wheel without moving! A few three point turns become five point turns, but that's ok

[Yoss]

So we've just had a few days in Yorkshire and I had this idea before we left of taking some nice pictures of the Felicia in glorious countryside. It's the middle of June after all so the weather should be good. Nope, it rained every day to various degrees so we stuck mainly to the towns. So I've ended up with pictures like this.

 

A car park in Nottingham with trams in the background.

 

A damp corner of Bingley station car park

 

Oxenhope station with 25059 in the background. This was enjoyed to Keighley and back and was probably the highlight of he holiday for me.

 

Pez station shot in Keighley with RM 736 in the background. These get everywhere now don't they?

[Yoss]

This is the converted mill in which we were staying. Fabulous place that meant it didn't really matter if it was raining.

 

Someone else arrived with more money than us (or should that be more money than sense).

 

And how many people have holiday photos like this? At a boot sale in Brighouse. We know how to have a good time!

The far side of this abandoned silo has been converted into a climbing wall. You can see all the little hand and foot holds that have been stuck on. Bugger that for a laugh.

 

 

 

The other highlight, other than the 25, was finding a small independent cinema in Hebden Bridge was showing Withnail and I on Saturday afternoon. Can there be a better film to watch on a wet holiday in Yorkshire. I know it was set a little further north but "we've come on holiday by mistake" never seemed so appropriate. Ironically we came out of the cinema to bright sunshine at the one point it should have been raining.

[Felly Magic]

Re boot torches on Favorits, they lasted right until the end of Favorit production only fitted to LXi/E Plus & GLXi/E variants, base LXI/E's didn't have the socket fitted, mine had the charger socket cradle, but no torch, as they were crap and the batteries seemed to die very quickly on them