Mk1 96 Power Loss

[off-road-king]

Hi all

The answer is probably already on here somewhere, and if it is I am sorry to post again but my search turned up a blank as I am not entirely sure what it is I am searching for.

 

I have a MK1 1996 2.0, And every now and again when I am driving I get a loss of power, like a flat spot!

I have considered that maybe when i ran low on fuel that it has picked up some crud from the bottom of the tank and blocked the pump.(I don't know if that has happened to anyone before) It happens in all gears and is a real pain when trying to pull away from lights or off a junction.

 

So anyway I just thought I would check on here before I started to attack the interior of the car trying to get in the tank

 

Cheers Dave

[seatkid]

Have you checked the spark plugs/leads/coilpaks? Could just be misfiring.

 

Next thing to check is for air leaks around inlet manifold - maybe a pipe is not on properly or the brake vacuum pipe that goes from the servo to the inlet manifold is split (common).

 

As for crud in your fuel, it will be trapped in the fuel filter - but I would think symptoms (lack of power) would occur under load and speed rather than pulling away from start.

[off-road-king]

Have you checked the spark plugs/leads/coilpaks? Could just be misfiring.

 

Next thing to check is for air leaks around inlet manifold - maybe a pipe is not on properly or the brake vacuum pipe that goes from the servo to the inlet manifold is split (common).

 

As for crud in your fuel, it will be trapped in the fuel filter - but I would think symptoms (lack of power) would occur under load and speed rather than pulling away from start.

 

I have replaced all the above. And it is both under load/speed and pulling away! And if it was a pipe would it be intermittent or wouldn't that make the problem constant? Because it isn't happening all the time!

 

I have looked at fuel pump and all is ok on pick up filter, so now I am thinking about maybe the air flow sensor?

 

Any ideas guys?

[seatkid]

Do yourself a favour and check the brake vacuum pipe to the manifold. The engine rocks fore and aft under varying load. These pipes split and move because they are stiff plastic and the other end is fixed to the bulkhead.

 

It will cost you nothing to check before you start throwing big money at the problem.