No power, sluggish acceleration - 1.6 BFQ Engine

**kaspa_lee** · 14-05-2015, 12:32 AM

Hey guys,
I just got a 2002 Golf MK4 1.6 (Auto), essentially got this super cheap off a friend who could not fix it.

Essentially it's got little to no power. Acceleration is horrible, probably too dangerous to drive (can't navigate roundabouts quickly e.g.)

Here are a few things I've tried:
- Unplugged MAF, no difference. Replaced and cleaned, no difference.
- A few times, when completely cold and not driven for a few days drove perfectly for about 10 minutes
- Gets worse the longer you drive - will take forever to get up to speed and won't change down gear
- When slamming on throttle it continues/revs slowly in the same gear
- Sometimes changes down a gear and revs very high, but little difference in power

Replaced last year: EGR valve, plug leads, pre-cat sensor

Took it to euro mechanic today and there were a few fault codes - they cleared these but it didn't help. I have no idea what's going on and my friend had gone through a similiar process to no avail.

Sort of deciding whether to just get rid of it, so any help would be appreciated!

**h100vw** · 14-05-2015, 05:50 AM

Clearing the faults doesn't make them go away mate. What were the codes they saw.

Does it idle ok and rev freely in neutral?

Is there any oil in the gearbox?

Gavin

Originally Posted by kaspa_lee

Hey guys,
I just got a 2002 Golf MK4 1.6 (Auto), essentially got this super cheap off a friend who could not fix it.

Essentially it's got little to no power. Acceleration is horrible, probably too dangerous to drive (can't navigate roundabouts quickly e.g.)

Here are a few things I've tried:
- Unplugged MAF, no difference. Replaced and cleaned, no difference.
- A few times, when completely cold and not driven for a few days drove perfectly for about 10 minutes
- Gets worse the longer you drive - will take forever to get up to speed and won't change down gear
- When slamming on throttle it continues/revs slowly in the same gear
- Sometimes changes down a gear and revs very high, but little difference in power

Replaced last year: EGR valve, plug leads, pre-cat sensor

Took it to euro mechanic today and there were a few fault codes - they cleared these but it didn't help. I have no idea what's going on and my friend had gone through a similiar process to no avail.

Sort of deciding whether to just get rid of it, so any help would be appreciated!

**epitrochoid** · 14-05-2015, 08:53 AM

Check the temperature sensor (should be a green 4 pin sensor), crankshaft and camshaft sensor. If it has an electronic throttle (no cable), check the sensors on the accelerator pedal. If these malfunction, the engine usually only idles and has no power.

REgards
Epitrochoid

**Umai Naa!!** · 14-05-2015, 09:12 AM

Timing?

**kaspa_lee** · 14-05-2015, 12:28 PM

Originally Posted by h100vw

Clearing the faults doesn't make them go away mate. What were the codes they saw.

Does it idle ok and rev freely in neutral?

Is there any oil in the gearbox?

Gavin

It idles fine and revs freely in neutral. I haven't checked the oil in the gearbox (but it has been changed within the last 2 years to my knowledge). It drives great when completely cold or not used for a period of time - this happens especially when the car is up to operating temp/warm.

Wouldn't it drive okay for a bit if the codes are cleared? (esp if it's a sensor issue)

Originally Posted by epitrochoid

Check the temperature sensor (should be a green 4 pin sensor), crankshaft and camshaft sensor. If it has an electronic throttle (no cable), check the sensors on the accelerator pedal. If these malfunction, the engine usually only idles and has no power.

REgards
Epitrochoid

How do I check the sensors? Not as in how I find them but how do I assess them? Anyhow here are the codes:

And the codes once they were cleared...

**h100vw** · 14-05-2015, 12:40 PM

Originally Posted by kaspa_lee

It idles fine and revs freely in neutral. I haven't checked the oil in the gearbox (but it has been changed within the last 2 years to my knowledge). It drives great when completely cold or not used for a period of time - this happens especially when the car is up to operating temp/warm.

Wouldn't it drive okay for a bit if the codes are cleared? (esp if it's a sensor issue)

How do I check the sensors? Not as in how I find them but how do I assess them? Anyhow here are the codes:

And the codes once they were cleared...

No it wouldn't if there's a problem, why would it. The codes are just reporting what is seen by the ECU. If the fault remains, which it is as it doesn't drive well when warm. Then there is a hard fault you need to fix...

There's every chance that most of those faults are related, you would need a wiring diagram to verify.

Gavin

**kaspa_lee** · 14-05-2015, 11:31 PM

Thanks for the replies. What would be some recommendations in terms of next steps?

**h100vw** · 14-05-2015, 11:47 PM

It needs scanning again to see what codes still remain after the reset was done.

Gavin

**PoloBlack** · 15-05-2015, 08:27 AM

If the engine runs fine in neutral, i am thinking its a gearbox problem. Get the auto serviced as a cheapish starting point (assuming the box isn't kaput)

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**kaspa_lee** · 15-05-2015, 01:26 PM

Originally Posted by h100vw

It needs scanning again to see what codes still remain after the reset was done.

Gavin

It was scanned immediately after codes were cleared and returned 00545 Enginge-Transmission Electrical Connection fault.

Originally Posted by PoloBlack

If the engine runs fine in neutral, i am thinking its a gearbox problem. Get the auto serviced as a cheapish starting point (assuming the box isn't kaput)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hmm. How involved would it be to replace it with a manual box?

I'm guessing probably not worth it. Why are euro cars so complicated.