kabman

The codes are self-expalnatory. You have a failure of the heater circuit. It could be internal, in which case you'll need a replacement sensor, or it could just be a wiring fault. Check the wiring first - you might save yourself some money.

The end of the starter motor shaft is supported by a bush pressed into the gearbox casing. If it's wears it'll make a 'squawk' noise as the starter motor stops.

But it IS 'a simple on/off operation operated by a switch'. You say you've checked the solenoid and the power to the switch. That only leaves the switch itself or the wire between it and the solenoid. Find the red/black wire on the back of the switch. Have you got 12V there when you turn the key to the crank position? If not, the problem lies with the switch. If there is, trace that red/black wire back to the solenoid, checking for the point were there is no voltage (don't check for current - there will be no current anywhere in an open circuit). There are two inline connectors in that circuit. The first is under the relay carrier (under the dash by your right knee). The other will be in the engine bay somewhere.

The starter motor noise is a common problem. Probably the bush in the gearbox is worn.

Ethanol contains a lot less energy than the same volume of gasoline. Combined with the lower stochiometric air-fuel ratio of about 9:1, fuel consumption of ethanol is much higher. About 30% higher. You can get more power using ethanol or methanol because the charge burns a lot faster and is not as susceptible to detonation but to do this, the engine management system needs to be calibrated specifically for a particular fuel. The reason SAAB and Volvo and several other manufacturers' vehicles can run on E85 is that they utilise a 'flex fuel' strategy. This uses a sensor in the fuel system that measures alcohol content of the fuel and alters the injection and ignition calibration to suit. They also need to pay attention to the materials used in the fuel system. Alcohol will detroy rubber hoses, seals and alloy components. All gasoline contains some alcohol - about 5% in the normal 95RON stuff in the UK. But don't try and use E85 in an engine not designed for it.

If it's pre-2000 it'll have just one, located between the engine and the catalyst. If it's post-2000 it'll also have a second sensor located after the catalyst. Both screw in, they aren't welded. It will be the first sensor you will need to change if any. The second sensor is only used to monitor the efficiency of the catalyst and doesn't effect the fuelling of the engine. As for interchangability, it will depend if it's a 4-wire (heated narrow band) or 5-wire (wide band) sensor. Other than that, most sensors function the same way and only the plug and cable length differ. I've never checked but I would be surprised if all VAG models of equivalent model year and engine type/size didn't use the same sensor. FWIW my 1.4 Lupo is running happily with a Ford/NTK sensor (it was free)

Physically adjusting the camshafts. Someone had replaced the main cam belt and got it one tooth out. It's an easy mistake to make since there are two very simliar timing marks on the front cover.

I had the same symptom, as well as hunting at idle. It was cured when I reset the cam timing.

First, find TDC on cylinder1. You can do that by looking at the crank pulley but an easier way is to remove the plug from cylinder1, poke a long screwdriver or something similar in until it touches the piston, turn the crank pully until you feel the piston reach it's highest point (you may have to turn the puley back and forth until you find the right spot). Next, whip off the top part of the cambelt cover and check that the holes in the cam pulleys line up with the holes in the head. You can use 8mm drill bits to line them up. Have a look here for more info. timeing belt procedure

When I bought my car it had the usual annoying, clacking door check straps. I took one off to see what was causing the noise. There is a nylon bush (actually two top-hat section bushes, one inside the other) that the pin goes through and it's this that wears allowing the strap to flap about and bang against the pin. The drivers side was worst. I removed the bush, found a bit of nylon pipe that was a tight fit in the strap and pressed in a short piece (the yellow bit in the photo). I heated up the pin and pressed it through to make the hole just the right size, then trimmed off the ends of the pipe flush with the strap. Then I cut up the original bush to leave me with two nylon washers to go either side of the strap. Result - a bit of a faff but no cost and now a perfectly quiet check strap that should last longer than the original. The passenger side wasn't worn as bad so I tried putting a bit of heatshrink around the pin and refitting it. Well, it's not perfect but 99% better and there's no need to remove the strap so it only took a couple of minutes to do. It's held up fine for a few month now and, if it does start to make a noise again, it's an easy job to replace the heatshrink with a fresh bit. I hope this helps someone out - the clicking straps are like Chineses water torture!

I'd check the MAP sensor, compression, cam timing, look for any air leaks in the intake manifold (breather hoses, vacuum hoses, brake servo, etc). I had a similar problem and, after exhausting all other posibile faults, found the cam belt was one tooth out!

It's printed on the top edge of the gearbox flange (where it mounts to the engine) but it's very faint and virtually impossible to read with the gearbox in the car. It is also printed on a paper label under the boot carpet, along with the engine code, colour, trim, etc. Although that will only show the code of the cars original gearbox - not much use if it's already been changed.

Just a couple of things to add: There are two marks on the block behind the crank sprocket. TDC is when the chamfered tooth on the crank sprocket lines up with the right hand mark. 8mm drill bits fit the cam pulleys.

Well, the Scantool didn't work on my car but that's not too surprising. VCDS/VAGcom showed no fault codes on any module, including the instrument pack. I ran the 'output test' on the instruments and the MIL light is not tested so I can only conclude that it's not active on my car. I expect the same's true of all pre-2000 cars. My next job is to get hold of the right circuit diagram, then I'll know for sure. The EPC light is definitely not active on cars with a cable throttle body.

I have a generic ScanTool at work but haven't tried yet. If that fails I will borrow a VAG tool and try that. I don't know if there are any fuses or relays which is why I'm keen to get hold of a circuit diagram. I wouldn't expect there to be though. It is likely the LED shares a common power supply with other bits of the instrument pack and the ground is controlled by the ECU. I'll test this when I get time.

They're surface mount LEDs so can't be removed without cutting them off the PCB and it's very unlikely they would burn out. I've checked the LEDs are there on my car. As far as I can tell, the 32-pin green connector on the back of the instrument pack doesn't have a wire for the EPC light but I haven't figured out the wiring for the engine management light. Anyone have a curcuit diagram covering the instrument pack for a pre-2001 car? The one I have is for Dec 2000 on.

I have a '99 1.4E Lupo and the engine management light doesn't come on when I turn on the ignition. I suspected the previous owner had nobbled it to hide a problem but can't see any signs that the instruments have been tampered with or any wiring has been cut. Is it possible that early cars didn't have it as they're not OBDII compliant? One of the (many) requirements of OBDII is a bulb check at key-on. I know my car doesn't have an EPC light as it's a cable throttle (AHW engine) and it has the diagnostic plug behind the lower cubby not behind the ashtray. So....those of you with no light, are your cars 1999/2000? Anyone with a definative answer to this? It would put my suspicious mind at rest