Lost Power - need advice asap!!

astirl2809 · Post by **astirl2809** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 10:27 pm

Hi Guys/Gals.

Need some advice. Wife was driving her P reg 1.4 GL when it began to 'lose power' and 'rattle'. (her words). Been out to look at it. Starts Ok and on tick over engine seems quiet enough. However, rear exhaust is making quite a noise/roar. Give it a little rev and the exhaust also shakes. I think thats the 'rattle' she heard whilst driving. I cant see any holes in the exhaust and it doesn't look like the manifold is blowing.
Phoned a local garage and he thinks its the cat. If the cat converter has gone would the car give these symptoms or am i missing something else??

Cheers

Andy

Tris · Post by **Tris** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 11:44 pm

Yep

The Cat contains a piece of ceramic material, coated with a metal catalyst, usually platinum, and over time this can become loose.

So basically it's like a lump of rock, resting loose in a metal casing, hence the rattle.

It might still be fuctional, but it's obviously gonna be quite annoying.

So it sounds like the guy is right, has he given you a quote yet?

Be warned, they're not cheap because they're a natrual material.

astirl2809 · Post by **astirl2809** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 11:57 pm

Thanks for your reply Tris. Not had a quote yet. He said i could drop it round in the morning for him to take a look.
just wondering if replacing the cat was something i could do, or is it best left to a mechanic?? If it is a diy job then where is the best place to purchase a cat for a 1.4 CL?

PS.. Is the loss of power a result of the cat being stuffed???

mysteryboy · Post by **mysteryboy** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 12:07 am

when did u get so technical tris...lol

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heres a link I dug up... you might find it usefull

http://www.tigerstyle.co.uk/poloforum/v ... hp?t=17385

Tris · Post by **Tris** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 12:09 am

Hmmm I wouldn't fancy doing one lying under the car, I think there's a lot of hammering involved to get the old one off

Hopefully someone else can speak from experience.

As for the power loss, maybe the ECU's trying to compensate for the cat? Really not too sure, maybe worth waiting to see if the new cat has any affect.

Tris · Post by **Tris** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 12:13 am

This might help:

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/catalytic-converter2.htm

There is an oxygen sensor mounted upstream of the catalytic converter, meaning it is closer to the engine than the converter is. This sensor tells the engine computer how much oxygen is in the exhaust. The engine computer can increase or decrease the amount of oxygen in the exhaust by adjusting the air-to-fuel ratio.

^ Might be why the power's down?

astirl2809 · Post by **astirl2809** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 1:28 pm

Been to the garage. He says that he thinks the cat is OK. Talking about a sticky valve as he felt it was running on 3 cylinders. Cant fit the car in for a week!!!

Anything i can do. Feels sluggish to drive and sounds noisy. Lacks power.

andy

david burton · Post by **david burton** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 2:48 pm

this could be many things, but a common one is the distributor rotor arm. have a look, if it's pitted then replace the rotor arm and the dist cap. 10 minute job and is about 15 quid.

symptoms are: no power under acceleration / heavy load. tickover fine.

i wouldn't have thought the cat would give those symptoms.

astirl2809 · Post by **astirl2809** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 4:27 pm

Well, it looks as if its outta the frying pan and into the fire.

. 2 different causes from 2 mechanics. first said probably a sticking valve. He checked the dizzy cap and rotor as well. Suggested i change the plugs. Cars a P reg with 35K and fully serviced. Plugs were changed 6 mths ago so cant imagine it would be those - but will change them just in case.

Second mech is VW trained. He said its defo the cat as early VW cats are poor quality. He could hear the exhaust roaring and rattling. Also said that polo engines although robust will run rough if they get the smallest hole in the exhaust. So, i'm thinking maybe its the cat. So if anyone knows where i can get one cheaply, let me know.

andy

astirl2809 · Post by **astirl2809** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 3:42 pm

cheap cats anyone (not the furry four-legged kind!!

andy

warrmr · Post by **warrmr** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 4:05 pm

astirl2809 wrote:cheap cats anyone (not the furry four-legged kind!!

andy

GSF car parts part number

21506A for the Polo 1.4 95 to 00 ADX/AEX/APQ Engines or
21506B for the Polo 1.4 16v 95 to 00 AFH Engine

both Â£115.

www.gsfcarparts.com