My Car Sounds Like A Tractor - Mechanic Needed

[Tomm]

Right, so my car (1998 R reg Polo 1.6 Petrol) is being a bit queer.

It all started on a very wet day a few months ago, the rain was so bad that there was about 6" of water on the roads. My car died suddenly. Since then it's not been right, but I haven't used it for 2-3 months.

When you turn the ignition, it turns over fine (I think the battery/starter motor are fine) but the engine doesn't 'engage'. Sometimes it will start, others it won't. Usually if I sit there long enough it will start eventually. When it starts, it coughs and splutters all over the place. The whole car shakes at idle (1000rpm), and sometimes the engine can't manage and it stalls again.

When the engine is idling, if I'm gentle with the accelerator, the car will rev nicely and at about 1500rpm, all the spluttering stops. From then up into the red (5000rpm or whatever), it's as smooth as it ever was. If I let it go back to idle and then hammer on the accelerator, it just seems to struggle and splutters lots and sometimes stalls.

I can't really drive it like it is because it stalls all the time and doesn't always start again. Like I said though, it all dates back to when the car got very wet, and I think the two things must be linked. I know there's a few people on here who are quite handy with cars, can anyone help?

[MattOnTheBmix]

wheres the air filter on it? if it was under water level and water got sucked into the engine it probably bent a con rod, thats probably a write off... if its not that its probably electrical

[Tomm]

I have no idea where the air filter is, sorry! There were lots of other cars out in the same conditions as me though, so I think my car must have just been unlucky.

If it's a bent con rod, surely the noise etc would carry on at high revs? Whereas my problems all disappear at high revs.

I don't like phrases like 'write off'

[fathopper]

Check spark plugs, ht leads, air filter, and distibutor cap and rotor, my 1989 caddy went like that couple weeks back on the way to college started coughing and splutering till it stalled, had to rev the hell out of it to get to college, since i changed and cleaned the above items its been fine....

pm me if you need and diagrams and what not

Edited November 1, 2007 by fathopper

[trials_pimp]

Sounds like the ignition system has got wet.

Usually the wet conditions create a spike in resistance in the ignition which can destroy the winding in the Coil pack and give missfires.

I know it means nothing to you, but you should take a look at the spark plugs, make sure there are no tracking marks (black burns) down the white porcelain of the plug.

If thats the case, you will need to replace the relevent plugs and leads.

You may also have damaged the coil pack, the only recource is to replace it.

This would be the most likely cause if you have break down at idle, and the car picks up during higher revs.

Of cource none of this is very accurate without seeing and hearing the car.

[Tomm]

Of cource none of this is very accurate without seeing and hearing the car.

I did record it on my phone but it doesn't want to bluetooth to my laptop, so I can't upload it. Will try harder. Thanks for your thoughts anyway.

[Trials Punk]

wheres the air filter on it? if it was under water level and water got sucked into the engine it probably bent a con rod, thats probably a write off... if its not that its probably electrical

Theres too many Irish about these days, got everything arse backwards. "My engines making a funny noise naow" "Lets strip her, must be something bent" "Oh dear me naow it was just the spark plug"

I would say 90% chance of it being electrical.

When you check you dizzy make sure that the shaft has no excessive play in it. Clean all contacts and use some water dispersant on it. If any contacts are blackened or dis coloured you can give them a light sand if you havn't got any dosh to replace them. Make sure that battery is disconnected first.

[Tomm]

I'm gonna give that a go tomorrow, got some WD40 ready.

Strange thing though, it seems to be working perfectly now. It just started fine, I've just been for a spin. Seems fine

[Matt_Tupman]

I'm gonna give that a go tomorrow, got some WD40 ready.

Strange thing though, it seems to be working perfectly now. It just started fine, I've just been for a spin. Seems fine

As was said above it was just damp in the electrics, still wack a load of WD40 under the dissy cap if you can find it

[Tomm]

As was said above it was just damp in the electrics, still wack a load of WD40 under the dissy cap if you can find it

Under the dissy cap? On my engine there's a big plastic guard that covers the whole engine block. Under that there are 4 leads that run into the engine block which I believe is the distributor. Do I have to take these leads out or anything? Or just spray WD40 in that general area?

[tipsy Jock]

The air intake for my Polo (R reg 1.4 cl) was located behind the bumper on the drivers side, so its possible some water might have got in. Try taking off the pipe work and drying it out. From memory it has a resonator box in the system so maybe thats got a puddle in it? Oh and I don't think your car has a dizzy, pretty sure it has a coil pack because its fuel injected. I'm not a car mechanic mind...

[Tomm]

Hmmm. I don't know, not sure it is injected to be honest? Anyway, it's got me from Lancaster to Manchester without a problem (Except I took a rather large detour half way to Leeds but it seems unfair to blame that on the car), so I think the best plan is to forget that there was ever a problem, push it to the back of my already scatterish mind

[joshball]

Right what you need to do is take off you rhead gasket where the pistons are and adjust the tappets as they have obviously losened.

If you have a fila gauge then it will be easy to do.

All you need is a socket set, screwdriver and spanners.

for your polo i would then you need a 0.30mm clearence on the exhuast valves adn with the inlets valves i should think 0.20 clearence will do it.

If this isnt the prob then adjust them anyway.

Will be good so you bearings dont get crushed.

Echo.Josh

X-x-X

[Tomm]

Is this guy telling the truth?

I know what a head gasket is, and I'm not going anywhere near it thanks.

[downhill_rob2@hotmail.com]

Right what you need to do is take off you rhead gasket where the pistons are

LOL.

he would know if it was the tappets, cause the car would run smoothly, but every time a piston (the one with the tappet at the wrong height) he would hear a little "tap" lol

So im guessing, this isnt the case

[Simpson]

Is this guy telling the truth?

As a rule i thumb i say never belive 16 year olds on an internet forum of how to fix your car.... i mean he could be a car mechanics son with lots of hand on expericence but i doubt it....

[Tomm]

As a rule i thumb i say never belive 16 year olds on an internet forum of how to fix your car....

And people that tell you to just 'pop your head gasket off' as if it's the fuel cap or something?

I dunno, he sounds like he knows more about cars than I do

[Fish-Finger-er]

Right what you need to do is take off you rhead gasket where the pistons are and adjust the tappets as they have obviously losened.

If you have a fila gauge then it will be easy to do.

All you need is a socket set, screwdriver and spanners.

for your polo i would then you need a 0.30mm clearence on the exhuast valves adn with the inlets valves i should think 0.20 clearence will do it.

If this isnt the prob then adjust them anyway.

Will be good so you bearings dont get crushed.

Echo.Josh

X-x-X

i either think your joking or you know a lot more than anyone else on this forum? as thats a very complex way of adjusting tappets that i dont quite understand.

assuming by fila guage, you mean feeler gauges(and not some italian sportswear tool)

1) im sure removing a head gasket would generally need for a new head gasket, ideally facing off the head, new head bolts, and a torque wrench

2) why would you need to remove the head/head gasket to adjust tappets? could of sworn they where at the top of the head, up nice and close to the camshafts. and certainly not down in the combustion chamber.

3) would you really expect a person who cant diagnose a problem on his car, and most likely has little knowledge of cars to adjust his tappets, using the i think 0.30 would be sufficient, 0.30 what? metres? (actually seriously now, do you mean mm, or are you using decimal points of an inch) and you just pluck that figure out of google.

4) im fairly certain(i.e im not as certain on this, as i am on the fact that generally speaking, you wouldnt remove the head gasket to adjust tappets, but im pretty darn sure) a polo of that age has hyrdaulic tappets. i.e tappets that need no adjustment.

5) when would tappets cause problems like this? and when are tappets an issue really, other than being a mild annoyance.

toms polo will be efi, so theres no points/dizzy on her. im not an e-mechanic so i wont try and diagnose the problem from here. but check each leads sparking(can be done with no tools, other than say a screwdriver or allen key/metal rod - google it if interested, or ill explain when i dont need a wazz quite so bad)

but no,i wouldnt follow josh's advice

[Fish-Finger-er]

right, ive been for a piss, 2 checks id do if i were you, without calling for any tools.

1)get the ht leads/pencil coils, and unplug one from the spark plug, place a metal object in it(screwdriver is a mechanics favourite) and balance it/hold the handle, so the metal bit is rough 1/4 of a cm away from metal(such as the engine). get someone to turn the key to try and start the car. you should see a spark arc across between the screwdriver and the metal. put the lead back on the plug you took it off, and repeat for the 3 other cylinders. if one or more of them fails to spark, try bending/wiggling the leads to see if its a broken wire etc, make sure its clipped/plugged in correctly at the other end.

2) if the vehicles got more than one injector(again suggest some googling and perhaps asking a slightly more mechanically learned friend) unclip the injectors(should be like a 2 pin plug, with a metal clip on it, push the clip in and pull the plug off, and try starting the vehicle. generally it should fail to start/run a lot worse with one disconnected. if it runs the same as it did, then youve identified which cylinder the problem is on. then its back to the drawing board(i.e finding a friend with a multimeter, checking voltages, perhaps checking/cleaning/changin spark plugs etc)

Edited November 8, 2007 by trials_punk182

[Tomm]

Thanks Mr Punk. I'll give the first one a try but you've lost me on the second one

Before I try it, is there anything I should/shouldn't do while messing about in that area? Disconnect the battery?

[hI-OOPS-CAPS]

might not be a prob from water. its not airfilter anyway as thats like at the top

my 1.0l polo sounded like a tractor when the catalyst blew. the whole thing rusted from the inside and there was a hole in the region of the exhaust port and the catalyst. new one on the internet was bout 75£ i think

[Fish-Finger-er]

Thanks Mr Punk. I'll give the first one a try but you've lost me on the second one

Before I try it, is there anything I should/shouldn't do while messing about in that area? Disconnect the battery?

erm, dont let the person turn the key till your ready. dont hold onto the metal bit of the engine/or the metal bit of the screwdriver(i advise balancing the screwdriver and watching from a few inches back). and i wouldnt wear metal jewellry while doing it.

disconnecting the battery would mean thered be no electricity to the car at all. so it wouldnt turn over and thered be no spark at all. so battery needs to be connected.

might not be a prob from water. its not airfilter anyway as thats like at the top

my 1.0l polo sounded like a tractor when the catalyst blew. the whole thing rusted from the inside and there was a hole in the region of the exhaust port and the catalyst. new one on the internet was bout 75£ i think

if my memory serves me correctly, on the 1.0's , the 1.2's and the 1.4 polos, the airfilter is as you said at the top, directly above the engine, with an inlet to the side of the driver headlight???

i assume it would be the same on the 1.6's, but unsure, may of been repoositioned due to bonnet space(ive never seen under the bonnet of a 1.6 polo, just head me head stuck under the bonnet of too many 1.4's)

[Tomm]

my 1.0l polo sounded like a tractor when the catalyst blew.

Pretty sure it's not that. The whole engine struggles and splutters sometimes - it's not just the noise that's the problem.

i assume it would be the same on the 1.6's, but unsure, may of been repoositioned due to bonnet space(ive never seen under the bonnet of a 1.6 polo, just head me head stuck under the bonnet of too many 1.4's)

I'm pretty sure the air filter (if it is what I think it is) is at the top of the engine, in the middle just behind the bumper. I'll get a picture in a minute just to make sure I'm doing the right thing.

[Gavyn.]

To check my leads I took the spark plug out put it back into the lead turned the lights off and got someone to turn it over and watched for the spark between the 2 points on the plug. I thought it was safer than the screwdriver thing and it worked perfectly well.

[joshball]

Get a new car.