UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

OK, changed my oil, filter and plugs yesterday, everything went eerily smooth, no spills, run-off ran clear after just a half litre of flushing, plugs went in a doddle etc. Started and ran fine initially, after needing a little extra starter and a shaky first few seconds.
Used proper Synta, a Mann filter which went on fine despite looking a bit dinky and having a different hole pattern to the old Halfords 602, and a set of Bosch copper plugs, all from GSF.

But, now, it's running "wierd". It still cruises alright, but the idle will go REALLY low, i mean 500 to almost 700rpm (depending on it's mood) where it sounds like a railway diesel ticking over, and the throttle response is abysmal.
If it's been off the throttle or on very light (so the engine is backing off, probably on over-run cutout), putting your foot down doesn't result in a near-instant ZING as usual, but a VERY noticable half second hesitation, a bit of a jolt (if it's in gear), and a couple seconds lazy gathering of pace before it zings. Most disconcerting, and if i'm not mistaken, just a little dangerous.
Also smelt like it was running awful rich when I parked up and did a bit of a rev-test, but that might have just been because it was all blowing back in my face.

Tried disconnecting the temp sensor to see if it was dodgy, which fixed things a little when it was warm the FIRST time, but after that it just altered the severity/exact nature of the problem, rather than fixing it, so i'm not convinced thats the trouble.
It's also a bit unpredictable. It doesn't fully come and go, but it gets worse and better.

The car is currently missing a hot air hose after ANOTHER crap halfords one self destructed (time to cannibalise an old hoover), but its been reasonably warm the last couple days and nights, so i dont think thats the problem. Anyway it's injection... shouldnt it be lovin' that, once its been running a few minutes?

Can anyone tell me what the hell this is? If it continues its going to be a total bastard.

Cheers

Thats exactly how my car ran when the exhaust was blowing, it was like having turbo lag without the turbo

Exhaust is fine though.... might be a little blowy, just a little thrrp from time to time, but not loud or anything. Nothing that would make you go... "that car's got a blowing exhaust..."

Distributor/vac advance going naff? <--- a thought i had earlier

A couple times today it also did the opposite of the low idle - revs descended in a decidedly lazy fashion 2000 -> 1000... (damn that tachometer is handy!)

Anything related to the adbrasive kind of noise that can sometimes be heard out of it at tickover or slow running (like, a sheet of paper being rubbed on top of a ream, nothing more serious than that), or the beehive that's set up shop and gets angry any time it's taken past 5000? (zubba zubba zubba = you're nearing the redline mate)

meh.

anyone?
worth changing the lambda as it seems maybe not (entirely) the temp sensor, or at least renewing the earth lead? if this is a possible lambda problem..

Getting this problem aswell..
any answers??

its a mk2 polo, its carb icing, last night and this morning were really cold.

without the warm air ducting its a bag of nails (and then they freeze up too).

for some reason I dont have trouble with the halfords ducting and mines been behaving almost perfectly (apart from idling at about 400 rpm when the choke has gone off and the engine is stil cold)

optima21 wrote:its a mk2 polo, its carb icing, last night and this morning were really cold.

without the warm air ducting its a bag of nails (and then they freeze up too).

for some reason I dont have trouble with the halfords ducting and mines been behaving almost perfectly (apart from idling at about 400 rpm when the choke has gone off and the engine is stil cold)

it's a mk2 engine, in a mk3
can carb icing be this bad?

mk2 engine in a mk3?

whyever did you do that?

injection all the way baby (unless it's at least twin carbs of course)

i havent a clue what it is, it seems to be doing it pretty much on a whim now, on/off during a journey. think i'm learning to cope with it.... roll on/off throttle etc. just worrying it might do it when that half second is crucial to survival.

reminds me i must get signed up at vagparts so martyn can get my order going (including a blue temp sensor - if its no good from what is effectively the stealers at a discount, then would it be any cop from elsewhere?)

well the mk3 spi's work in much the same way as a carb, and do suffer slightly when its really cold, although its not normal for them to grind to a halt like cars fitted with carbs, as the fuel is forced through the injector, rather than sucked through a jet in a carb

Tahrey1043 wrote:mk2 engine in a mk3?

whyever did you do that?

injection all the way baby (unless it's at least twin carbs of course)

my engine blew up and the mk2 engine was cheap.
It's got all my bits on from the mk 3 engine. including the injector.

It's stopped doing it now anyway. It's really weird. I'm gonna get a hot pipe to the air filter and see if it appears again

yeah it comes and goes, perhaps with humidity or something (which is tough for untrained humes - like meself - to sense). it was being a bugger for it yesterday, but i bet if i go out to shops now (after a bow tie, amongst other things!) it'll behave.

Tahrey1043 wrote:yeah it comes and goes, perhaps with humidity or something (which is tough for untrained humes - like meself - to sense). it was being a bugger for it yesterday, but i bet if i go out to shops now (after a bow tie, amongst other things!) it'll behave.

Bow Tie?
I got one I used to wear when I worked behind a bar.
you could borrow that.

Oh yeh. you live by where I work don't you?

nah it's for works (day job) christmas ball. we're going to be making nuisances of ourselfs around the nia (icc??? erm.. i dunno, i'm just going to follow the trail of tarted up folk from the hospital) evening of the 17th - be warned.

when you say i live where you work... where was that again?

and yeah... car ran like a darling even despite it being just as cold and damp last night! got the tie.... came back... did a quick oil check (it was also and excuse to get the engine warm).... it's down to minimum already. time to find out what the last top-up mileage was, i know its on here somewhere.

Tahrey1043 wrote: when you say i live where you work... where was that again?

Work on the birmingham business park, by the NEC.

ah yes