Opel Astra - Lacks Power

BeeDI

I have an Opel Astra 1.4 litre petrol. 2008 model. 40,000 km.
Grand car. No problems.
However, for a small car with 1.4 liter engine, it seriously lacks a bit of kick, when trying to overtake, or when there is more than 2 people on board.
Is there an easy way, to retune the engine to get a little more response?
I'm not by any means looking for high performance or super speed capacity. Just want to be confident, it can respond, and overtake sharply and safely, rather then having to think about it for 10 seconds, when I give it a bit of accelerator?
Appreciate any help I can get.

TestTransmission

Get the car serviced,other than that not much you can do.

fptosca

It could really be a number of things: worn tyres, blocked air filter, broken or crimped vaccum hose, blocked fuel filter. Maybe something else.
If the car is only 2 years old I take that it's still under the manufacturer's warranty. Bringing it to the Opel Garage to check it out. It should cost you nothing.

Do you have it from new ? If so was it ever any faster ? If not there is nothing you can do really. I drove a 1.4 Astra last year, found it not too bad really but I had no passengers.

Bobo78

BeeDI wrote: »

I have an Opel Astra 1.4 litre petrol. 2008 model. 40,000 km.
Grand car. No problems.
However, for a small car with 1.4 liter engine, it seriously lacks a bit of kick, when trying to overtake, or when there is more than 2 people on board.
Is there an easy way, to retune the engine to get a little more response?
I'm not by any means looking for high performance or super speed capacity. Just want to be confident, it can respond, and overtake sharply and safely, rather then having to think about it for 10 seconds, when I give it a bit of accelerator?
Appreciate any help I can get.

It could be dirty idle air control valve/egr valve or faulty air flow meter.
I had very much the same symptoms on my car and and it turned out to be a combination of all.
Especially if the car lacks the power when there more then 2 people in the car that would indicate to me that there s a problem with iacv. If cleaning it doesn't help it might be faulty.
Also if there is a problem with idle air control valve you would notice that steering would sometimes feel more heavy and sometimes more lighter.

furtzy

Is the car hesitant under acceleration like a little delay when the accelerator is pressed. If so then the EGR might need a clean or a faulty MAF.

BeeDI

furtzy wrote: »

Is the car hesitant under acceleration like a little delay when the accelerator is pressed. If so then the EGR might need a clean or a faulty MAF.

Yes, that is the main issue. Press accelarator, several seconds later I get a response, even then it's an anemic response.
Not too bad, if only me in teh car, but if I have few people, then it's pretty unresponsive when I push the throttle.

EPM

But has it always been like that?

Owen

How are you driving it? One of the girls in the MINI Club I'm in had a Clubman, she thought it was slow. Then we showed her that to make the car go fast, you need to get it close to the redline, and hold the lower gears for longer.

If you're puttting your foot to the floor in 4th/5th, you're not going to get much of a response.

Leonard Hofstadter

A 1.4 is far too small an engine for that size of car, it's is only sold because of the stupid Irish mentality towards paying an extra few quid a year in tax.

It is too underpowered for that size of car, a 1.4 is the norm elsewhere in cars the size of a Corsa or Fiesta etc.

If it is extrememly slow then the EGR valve getting stuck is a common fault on those engines, and I wouldn't rule out checking the MAF either.

Does the car run badly at idle or feel very anemic when revved?

Edit: PD is right about petrol engines, especially small capacity low torque engines like yours; they need to be revved to make decent progress, if you change up at 4-5000 rpm when accelerating you'll find that it will cope with overtaking etc much better.

BeeDI

Replies to various.

Has it been allways like that. Yes! It's the wifes car, so I didn't take much notice, till I have had to drive it myself a bit of late:rolleyes:
Bought as a demo car at €8k miles.

Is it anemic when being revved? Not really. Just slow response when you tell it "go".
Took it for a good old drive last week end. Yes of course holding the low range for longer, helps, BUT not like I would expect.

Guess I will have the MAAF / EGR checked out.
Guess I was expecting to see the engine management light tell me if there was an issue with those systems!!!
Daughter had a Corsa, The light was constanly coming on due to the mass air flow getting dirty every 10k miles!!

Owen

Do an 0-60 test. Fast as you can, and compare it to the manufacturer's claims. If it's within a second or 2 either way, you'll know the car is okay.

Iron Hide

Sometimes a good service is all thats needed, but as the good captain said a pissy 1.4l engine is far too small for an astra, tho i dunno much about the "stupid irish mentatlity" towards tax when its a disgusting fee but anyway. 1.4 is fine up to a medium size hatchback (Fiesta, Mazda 2, VW Polo) but above that 1.6 is the way to go.

irisheddie85

I had an Astra as a rental with the small engine ok on your own but desperate with a few people in it.

The engine just doesn't have enough power for the size of the car.

You will have to rev it high to get any performance out of it or thats what i found anyway

EPM

If it's always been like that then it's probably fine. Just the lack of power relative to its weight is the most likely thing

kazul

fptosca wrote: »

It could really be a number of things: worn tyres,

How in the name of all that's good and holy could worn tyres cause a car to feel underpowered?

@OP, yes they're pretty feeble. I had a 1.4 Focus on hire in Malta a couple of years ago and it was terrible at hill climbing too.
Try an OPC if you get a chance, chalk & cheese scenario, wheel spin and torque steer all over the place. Too much power.

kmb

OSI wrote: »

TBF, that car has what, 80-90 BHP? Short of stripping the entire interior and most of the body work you're not gonna be able to make it particularly quick.

Small engines make for small perfomance.

Had to laugh reading that about the 1.4 engine.

Op get a Fiat bravo sport 1.4 150 bhp and 0-60 in 8.2 secs and have some fun.....

EPM

kmb wrote: »

Had to laugh reading that about the 1.4 engine.

Op get a Fiat bravo sport 1.4 150 bhp and 0-60 in 8.2 secs and have some fun.....

Not really comparing like with like. The normal 1.4 Bravo is in exactly the same boat as the OP's car...take it you drive a Bravo...

kmb

I do and i do agree that the 90bhp may be sluggish because of the weight but i was more responding to the "Small engines make for small perfomance" remark.

acurno

My girlfriend has the 2010 model. Gorgeous car, same engine.

I find the engine absolutely horrific. It's unbelievably bad at even going up modest hills, so much so that I have to change it into second and floor it. Terrible at overtaking.

She brought it into get serviced last week, they told her it was a common complaint. Suffice to say I wasn't there when she decided to buy it.

DaveJac

sounds about normal to me there going to be a fast car not built for speed just to be practical if you want fast buy an OPC Astra haha, If there was anything wrong you would have lights on the dash and be running bad