Over-revving and losing power

Noz123 · July 24th, 2008, 07:21 PM

My VW Polo has started to lose power, it used to be able to go at high speeds very easily however it's now revving at 3500/min in 5th gear at 65mph. It can still go higher but (I'm guessing because of the high revs) it eats up petrol like nobody's business!

Anyone know what would be causing this or is it just age?

It's become quite noisy and makes a strong ticking over sound when stopped.

Petrol engine (1.6L) - R reg.

### EDIT ###

I should also say that when it's ticking over it's as if it misses a beat sometimes... I've read a few posts and was wondering could it be a broken tappet and if so would this cause the power loss?

CraigB · July 24th, 2008, 11:22 PM

Maybe I'm wrong, but if it takes more RPM to run the same speed that it used to, I'll bet the clutch is slipping. It also makes a car feel slower because the energy that was used to move the car is now just heating the clutch and flywheel.

Svempa · July 24th, 2008, 11:28 PM

I'm with CraigB on this one. The clutch is probably on it's way out.

Cobol74 · July 24th, 2008, 11:52 PM

Yep - Clutch is exit stage left IMHO.

Redliner · July 25th, 2008, 12:37 AM

Loss of power, high fuel consumption and ticking when idle could also be a sparkplug or sparkplug cable problem, I think...

epp_b · July 25th, 2008, 12:43 AM

In first or second gear, drive up to the speed where your engine is just below its powerband, then punch it. Or, rev it up in first gear and drop the clutch for a wheel-spinning start. If it revs higher than you expect without the car moving forward like you expect, your clutch is slipping.

prizrak · July 25th, 2008, 01:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by epp_b

In first or second gear, drive up to the speed where your engine is just below its powerband, then punch it. Or, rev it up in first gear and drop the clutch for a wheel-spinning start. If it revs higher than you expect without the car moving forward like you expect, your clutch is slipping.

And if it wasn't it will be images/smilies/wink.gif

tigger · July 25th, 2008, 03:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prizrak

And if it wasn't it will be images/smilies/wink.gif

Hey, send it out with a bang! images/smilies/lol.gif

Besides, even once a clutch starts slipping you can generally baby it along for quite some time. Not that its a good idea, unless you want to buy a new flywheel too.

It could be something like a broken tappet(s), or a bearing trying to seize. But it could also be a very simple and cheap issue, like Redliner mentioned, of a bad plug wire or plugs. That would be the first place I'd look.

epp_b · July 25th, 2008, 04:17 AM

Quote:

And if it wasn't it will be

Heh

Well, one drop of the clutch isn't going to kill it.

JipJopJones · July 26th, 2008, 03:55 AM

It could be the clutch, but if your engine sounds like it's missing a beat, then it could be misfiring or somthing could be wrong with the timing. You should have this checked out by a garage if it's the case.

Ottobon · August 4th, 2008, 01:05 AM

sounds like two problems, as said clutch is slipping. Check this by coasting in high gear and then at lowish RPMs hammering the throttle, if the clutch is going out the RPMs should jump way beyond what they should be at for the speed, i've had two cars clutches go out so I'm firmiliar with the affair.

2ndly, if its missing and using too-much fuel, as well as sounding more like a Subaru Boxer engine then you might just have a old sparkplug and or wire/distributor.

Can you take a recording of it being revved up? If nothing else the way it sounds will be a give away to if its firing properly (especially easy to tell on 4cyls)

Posmo · August 6th, 2008, 11:52 PM

No knowledge on the subject at all, but I thought I'd weigh in.

I agree on the clutch, but couldn't the ticking sound be the camshaft(s) being worn out? Or perhaps a valve problem?( no idea really, this is more of a question)

AltimaXX · August 9th, 2008, 08:00 PM

The ticking at idle could be that the valve lash needs to be adjusted, or if the car has hydraulic lifters, the lifters could be failing to properly fill with oil, which will also cause a ticking at idle.
For a manual transmission, the clutch slipping is the only way that it's even possible for the RPM to be higher than normal in gear, unless the tachometer is reading wrong. Were it an automatic transmission, essentially the same thing is true, the slushbox would be slipping.
An occasional misfire could be caused by valves that are very badly out of adjustment, but is more likely a problem with the ignition system (distributor/coilpacks/plug wires/ignition timing/spark plugs)
Good luck getting it fixed images/smilies/wink.gif

_HighVoltage_ · August 9th, 2008, 09:03 PM

How many miles does the engine have?
If I were you, I'd look into the head gasket, because it seems to me that your engine is losing compression.
I have a simillar problem with my Polo, but it's not as bad as yours - in order to maintain 60mph my revs are 200-300 higher than what they used to be 2 years ago.
Bear in mind that Polo engines don't have a very long life - if you've done more than 120k miles it might need a rebuild.

July 24th, 2008, 07:21 PM	#1
Noz123 Joined: Jul 24th, 2008 Last Online: July 24th, 2008 Posts: 1 Car: VW Polo Rep Power: 0	Over-revving and losing power My VW Polo has started to lose power, it used to be able to go at high speeds very easily however it's now revving at 3500/min in 5th gear at 65mph. It can still go higher but (I'm guessing because of the high revs) it eats up petrol like nobody's business! Anyone know what would be causing this or is it just age? It's become quite noisy and makes a strong ticking over sound when stopped. Petrol engine (1.6L) - R reg. ### EDIT ### I should also say that when it's ticking over it's as if it misses a beat sometimes... I've read a few posts and was wondering could it be a broken tappet and if so would this cause the power loss? Last edited by Noz123; July 24th, 2008 at 07:27 PM..

July 24th, 2008, 11:22 PM	#2
CraigB Joined: Feb 14th, 2007 Last Online: Yesterday Location: Asbury, Missouri, USA Posts: 527 Car: 1984 Ford Mustang SVO • 1991 Ford Ranger XLT Rep Power: 12	Maybe I'm wrong, but if it takes more RPM to run the same speed that it used to, I'll bet the clutch is slipping. It also makes a car feel slower because the energy that was used to move the car is now just heating the clutch and flywheel. __________________ CraigB

July 24th, 2008, 11:28 PM	#3
Svempa Joined: Jun 5th, 2005 Last Online: November 23rd, 2008 Location: Sweden Posts: 432 Car: Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16v Rep Power: 16	I'm with CraigB on this one. The clutch is probably on it's way out. __________________ The problem is that some of our competitors suffer from excessive build quality

July 24th, 2008, 11:52 PM	#4
Cobol74 Joined: Mar 21st, 2006 Last Online: Yesterday Location: Southampton Posts: 5,806 Car: Vauxhall Zafira 1.9 TDI Slush box. Rep Power: 50	Yep - Clutch is exit stage left IMHO. __________________

July 25th, 2008, 12:37 AM	#5
Redliner Joined: May 19th, 2005 Last Online: November 29th, 2008 Location: Canoas, Brazil Age: 29 Posts: 3,484 Car: Fiat Palio 1.6 16v Rep Power: 37	Loss of power, high fuel consumption and ticking when idle could also be a sparkplug or sparkplug cable problem, I think... __________________ Yes, it tells us that you participate in the mass cultural delusion that the sun's apparent position relative to arbitrarily defined constellations at the time of your birth somehow affects your personality.

July 25th, 2008, 12:43 AM	#6
epp_b n00b of the year Joined: Jun 23rd, 2006 Last Online: 06:31 AM Location: Canadaland :) Posts: 4,703 Car: 1995 Nissan 240SX Rep Power: 40	In first or second gear, drive up to the speed where your engine is just below its powerband, then punch it. Or, rev it up in first gear and drop the clutch for a wheel-spinning start. If it revs higher than you expect without the car moving forward like you expect, your clutch is slipping.

July 26th, 2008, 03:55 AM	#10
JipJopJones Joined: Aug 17th, 2006 Last Online: 06:58 AM Location: North Vancouver, BC, Canada Age: 18 Posts: 942 Car: Civic Si, Lada Niva Rep Power: 15	It could be the clutch, but if your engine sounds like it's missing a beat, then it could be misfiring or somthing could be wrong with the timing. You should have this checked out by a garage if it's the case. __________________ XBL Gamer Tag: JipJopJones Eh? Car History: 1977 Lincoln Continental (sold) 1980 El Camino (sold, but missed ) 1998 Civic Si 1997 Lada Niva... project in the works

August 4th, 2008, 01:05 AM	#11
Ottobon Joined: Nov 27th, 2005 Last Online: 06:40 AM Posts: 3,094 Car: Too many Rep Power: 30	sounds like two problems, as said clutch is slipping. Check this by coasting in high gear and then at lowish RPMs hammering the throttle, if the clutch is going out the RPMs should jump way beyond what they should be at for the speed, i've had two cars clutches go out so I'm firmiliar with the affair. 2ndly, if its missing and using too-much fuel, as well as sounding more like a Subaru Boxer engine then you might just have a old sparkplug and or wire/distributor. Can you take a recording of it being revved up? If nothing else the way it sounds will be a give away to if its firing properly (especially easy to tell on 4cyls)

August 6th, 2008, 11:52 PM	#12
Posmo Joined: Oct 5th, 2007 Last Online: 07:13 AM Location: Finland Posts: 472 Car: Ford sierra 2.0 in a few months time. Rep Power: 12	No knowledge on the subject at all, but I thought I'd weigh in. I agree on the clutch, but couldn't the ticking sound be the camshaft(s) being worn out? Or perhaps a valve problem?( no idea really, this is more of a question) __________________

August 9th, 2008, 08:00 PM	#13
AltimaXX Joined: Aug 18th, 2006 Last Online: Yesterday Posts: 190 Car: 1998 Integra GS Rep Power: 14	The ticking at idle could be that the valve lash needs to be adjusted, or if the car has hydraulic lifters, the lifters could be failing to properly fill with oil, which will also cause a ticking at idle. For a manual transmission, the clutch slipping is the only way that it's even possible for the RPM to be higher than normal in gear, unless the tachometer is reading wrong. Were it an automatic transmission, essentially the same thing is true, the slushbox would be slipping. An occasional misfire could be caused by valves that are very badly out of adjustment, but is more likely a problem with the ignition system (distributor/coilpacks/plug wires/ignition timing/spark plugs) Good luck getting it fixed __________________

August 9th, 2008, 09:03 PM	#14
_HighVoltage_ Joined: Aug 5th, 2006 Last Online: 05:33 AM Location: Bulgaria / Athens, WV Age: 21 Posts: 1,056 Car: 1998 VW Polo 1.0 Rep Power: 19	How many miles does the engine have? If I were you, I'd look into the head gasket, because it seems to me that your engine is losing compression. I have a simillar problem with my Polo, but it's not as bad as yours - in order to maintain 60mph my revs are 200-300 higher than what they used to be 2 years ago. Bear in mind that Polo engines don't have a very long life - if you've done more than 120k miles it might need a rebuild.

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