power loss (1.8 16v) PROBLEM IS BACK AGAIN!

[waynos 0]

today i was driving home from work and all was good, bout an hour into the drive i put my foot down (as you do!) from about 4500 rpm onwards the car didnt really wana go , however if i had my foot half on the gas working up through the revs slowly it was ok. on one ocasion the car really struggled to get past 5k rpm. i dont rag the bollox off the car, just give it a bit of beans every now n then. does anyone know what this could be?

[jonnyboyo 0]

Rotor arm? Happened on an Uno Turbo i used to own where the revs would not rise, but it also back fired and eventually broke down so not exactly the same symptoms as yours. Maybe worth checking the condition of it to see if the metal contact is healthy though.

[mattnorgrove 0]

May be worn injectors??

 

Or fuel pump pressure/metering head problem??

 

May even be the fuel filter, mine ran loads better after swapping that...

[waynos 0]

cheers for the replies guys.i went out in it the same night bout half hour after i got in and it was fine! strange but i have a feeling it will happen again. i kno it definatly isnt the injectors as its got brand new bosch items in there.and cudnt be the filter as thats new. i changed the ignition leads and rotor cap but i couldnt get the rotor arm off! its like its glued on or something!

[mattnorgrove 0]

The rotor arm you need to gently prise off, mine was sticky when i changed it. Theres no screw or other fixing though, just ease it off.

 

When you changed the leads, did it include the lead from the coil, and has the coil ever been replaced?

 

Other than that, not sure. Funny it seems to be an intermittant problem though....

[waynos 0]

yea the coil lead has been changed as has the coil. pretty much all of the ignition system is new ish (new dizzy last year also)

 

i kno its a silly thought but could my stereo be affecting this? i have a 15 inch sub in there now n i had it really kicking the day it went funny ( you could see the voltmeter reading peak down and up on the heavy bass notes) was wondering if this could be sapping current otherwise needed to keep my car running? just a thought

[waynos 0]

yea the coil lead has been changed as has the coil. pretty much all of the ignition system is new ish (new dizzy last year also)

 

i kno its a silly thought but could my stereo be affecting this? i have a 15 inch sub in there now n i had it really kicking the day it went funny ( you could see the voltmeter reading peak down and up on the heavy bass notes) was wondering if this could be sapping current otherwise needed to keep my car running? just a thought

[mattnorgrove 0]

May well be that, one way to find out, crank it up, and see if it does it again....

 

(15"?! you must be hard of hearing!! :lol: )

[jonnyboyo 0]

My rotor arm on my valver was severely 'welded' on to the shaft. There was no way it was coming off no matter how much i tried to prise it off. It actually cracked trying to get it off leaving me right in the shee-ite :shock:

In the end i had no choice but to use a sharp chisel to chip it off :shock: :shock: it took me ages to get it off, and when i got most of it off the shaft was still covered in welded on plastic.

Good to know it wasn't just mine that has been welded on :)

[waynos 0]

yea ill give it a go tommorow, 15 inch sub is an absolute must for me lol. gonna give that rotor arm a go at the weekend.mine is really on there, just didnt wana go at it to hard in case i damaged the dizzy

[mattnorgrove 0]

Maybe some were glued on then?

 

Surprised mine came off relatively easily, most jobs on mine seem to turn into a nightmare... :(

[Jim 2]

Rotor arms were glued on by VW from the factory. It makes them a complete and utter turd to get off.. best thing is a big pair of mole grips to crack them off but you have to be careful putting too much force on there as you don't want to bend or damage in anyway the shaft into the distributor. Changed the rotor arm on two 2.0 16v's (well, Supercharged did my most recent one.. but it sounded like it was being a PITA :D) and they've been welded on there proper hard both times!

[mattnorgrove 0]

Rotor arms were glued on by VW from the factory.

 

Another quality VW idea...

[waynos 0]

right guys i still have the problem.ive noticed it happens only after say an hour driving.what i find stange though is if i turn the car off and instantly back on its fine for a little while then it comes back. if i leave it in its shitty state it gets worse and worse to the point that its a struggle to maintain 30mph without juddering etc

 

please guys i need your help!

[mattnorgrove 0]

Weird one that is, seems odd it only happens after driving for a while.

 

Have you tried disconnecting your audio kit?

[praise b the LOweReD 0]

i had similar prob with my 2l 16v ..does ur fuel pump get loud.. mine did and it was the fuel lifter pump in the tank.. it was starving my fuel injection pump.. so strugling and cutting out - 27 quid from gsf and a doddle to change she runs like a dream now.. just a thought..

[waynos 0]

i dont think it has anything to do with my stereo as i had it at a reasonable volume this weekend. travelled from london to telford! and had problems there and back. im not sure about the fuel pump, i dont really hear nothing inside the car but ill have to check out side when i go to work tomorrow.what i find strange is that even when rolling, if you cut the ignition ( i kno u shouldnt!) and instantly put it back on it will run fine for a little while.

 

been doing some searching for the same symptoms and the ignition amplifier has been brought up. could this be my problem? and would they be expensive to replace?

[waynos 0]

was the rotor arm after all, thanx guys . was a bitch to get off, ended up using a dremel to get it off!

 

the metal on rotor looked seriously shitty!

[waynos 0]

not fixed after all.on thursday morning it happened again on the way to work and on the way back.i changed the fuel pump relay on the same day but no difference.

 

this morning i thought id change the lift pump in the tank. then i went for a spin. 5 mins later it was back but felt worse this time. wouldnt rev past 2500k. turned the ignition of n back on and it was fine to the end of the road then it happened again! had to keep turning the ignition off and on to get back home.

 

some one please help as thsi really starting to bug me. feel like jus selling it n getting a pushbike or something

[A-J 0]

Did you change the fuel filter too?

[waynos 0]

im really losing my patience with it now

 

so far ive ruled out

 

coil- swapped for another one no change

ignition module swapped with my dads mk1 gti one no change

plugs swapped for a nother set i had no change

leads , rotor , dizzy cap brand new no change

new in tank pump no change

new fuel pump relay no change

 

fuel filter was done last year also

[Laughingboy 0]

Sounds weird, but change the main lead from the battery to the starter motor and check the earth strap.

 

My rado had this exact same problem but to a far worse degree. the lead was almost burnt through! why it would run better after being stopped left for a while and restarted is still to this day an utter mystery!! best guess was the lack of volts was affecting the ecu. The 1.8 16v is a sod for needing an excellent spark to run good. To the point that I would recommend anyone with a valver to check and replace this lead, the difference on mine was unbelievable!!! :shock:

[waynos 0]

cheers for the reply, my statrer motor wire is fine, made up a new one ages ago due to my battery drain problems. ill check my earth a bit later when ive calmed down. dont think im losing voltage though as my volt gauge is allways around the 13.5 - 14 v mark