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car stuttering in low revs

  • 10-01-2008 1:04pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 8


    Hi Guys,

    I have a Golf 1.4 and the EPC light came on briefly last night. This morning when I got in the light was still on, and I noticed the car was slightly sluggish after gear changes. Anyway, with the weather last night, the road to work this morning had a lot of big puddles and I went through a massive one.

    I kept gonig but as soon as I slowed down and accelerated the car, it was stuttering alot between 1000rpm and 2000rpm. The car was really shaking but as soon as it clears 2000rpm. I didnt drive it much after that, about a half a mile.

    Has anyone any ideas what might be wrong? Could it be a wet spark plug or something more serious?


Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 6,605 ✭✭✭Fizman


    Hey Op, I have a 1.4 Golf (MkIV) and a few weeks back I had pretty much what you described. Does it feel as if its about to cut out, but never quite does? Extremely underpowered in low revs....slightly better in higher gears/revs but still not as it should be?

    For me it turned out that a cylinder was misfiring, so I had cylinder 4 lead replaced as well as the coil pack. There is a chance this could be your problem, but you won't really know for sure until a computer is hooked up to it to diagnose it.

    Lead cost €23, coil pack about €165 and €30 labour. Get it looked at sooner than I did though, I was stuttering all over the country for about a month with it (did about 1,200 miles with the EPC light on :o). Not good.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8 jakes


    Fizman wrote: »
    Hey Op, I have a 1.4 Golf (MkIV) and a few weeks back I had pretty much what you described. Does it feel as if its about to cut out, but never quite does? Extremely underpowered in low revs....slightly better in higher gears/revs but still not as it should be?

    For me it turned out that a cylinder was misfiring, so I had cylinder 4 replaced as well as the coil pack. There is a chance this could be your problem, but you won't really know for sure until a computer is hooked up to it to diagnose it.

    Lead cost €23, coil pack about €165 and €30 labour. Get it looked at sooner than I did though, I was stuttering all over the country for about a month with it (did about 1,200 miles with the EPC on :o). Not good.

    cheers man. my onlyproblem is that anytiome its on a diag device, nothing comes up.

    granted it has been a few months since the last time it was on, so I'll check it again


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,762 ✭✭✭WizZard


    Sounds like a coil pack needs replacing (my Focus just had the same issue)


  • Registered Users Posts: 689 ✭✭✭Mike2006


    Jakes,

    Is it a Mark IV or Mark V?

    Usually when the EPC Light comes on, it means that there is a coil that has gone. These are about €50 and are a straight swap so you could change it yourself. Just plug out old one and plug back in new one...

    But,


    If the coil was gone, you would have this fault all of the time...

    You say that the car feels sluggish and that the fault is intermittent..

    If I were you, I would go back to garage and have them carry out a compression test on all 4 cylinders. If the pressure is down on one of the cylinders you would have these symptoms and they would show as an exhaust system fault...
    Also, do this sooner rather than later as if you are down a cylinder, it is not very good for the CAT...

    Let me know how you get on..

    Mike.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 619 ✭✭✭WHITE_P


    Could also be the Air mass meter. Does it improve when the engine warms up. I had a Seat Toledo 1.8 20V, the Air mass (flow) meter went faulty and the car would be sluggish when cold up to about 2000 RPM, then it would clear and was ok once the engine warmed up.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 20,788 ✭✭✭✭cormie


    Is this VW only issue? Could a Ford Transit be effected by the same reasons? Mine was a bit stuttery at low gears at roundabouts and stuff, I don't know if stuttery is the right word, basically, you'd accelerate then at a certain point of acceleration, you'd hear the revs go up, but the speed wouldn't react to the revs, then all of a sudden it would jump to the speed it should be at such revs. This would all be over in a second or two but still.

    Same thing you're experiencing jakes?


  • Registered Users, Subscribers Posts: 13,408 ✭✭✭✭antodeco


    My car is the exact same (almera). For the past few weeks, at around 2.5k revs it stutters and as I accerlate it feels as if something is holding it back. Normally if I was doing 90kmh and I went to 3rd gear, it would happily push past 110kmh quite quickly, but now it doesnt seem to do anything, just sits there. Sounds very similar to the same problem.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,949 ✭✭✭SouperComputer


    EPC is your electronic throttle. It gets freaked out when it receives unusual readings from the MAF. Granted, the coils can be a common issue, depending on what version you have, but generally id go with a MAF in this case.

    Get the codes pulled and google em.


  • Registered Users Posts: 20,788 ✭✭✭✭cormie


    antodeco wrote: »
    My car is the exact same (almera). For the past few weeks, at around 2.5k revs it stutters and as I accerlate it feels as if something is holding it back. Normally if I was doing 90kmh and I went to 3rd gear, it would happily push past 110kmh quite quickly, but now it doesnt seem to do anything, just sits there. Sounds very similar to the same problem.

    What you doing in 2nd gear at 89kmh:eek: Although maybe you just can't do that with a transit? Sounds dodgy though? (I know nothing about cars by the way)


  • Registered Users, Subscribers Posts: 13,408 ✭✭✭✭antodeco


    cormie wrote: »
    What you doing in 2nd gear at 89kmh:eek: Although maybe you just can't do that with a transit? Sounds dodgy though? (I know nothing about cars by the way)

    Sorry, should say I dropped down to 3rd gear from fourth! :p Although saying that, it will gladly do 100kmh in 2nd reaching around 6k revs (redlines at 7.5k), not something that I do though!


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