[hammondboss]

Hi people, need a little help with my sons car.
The car is fine when idling and revs up fine with no delay or hesitation.
But when you start to drive it there seems to be no power when you put your foot down. It hesitates when you floor it and barely gets over 3000 rpm even though when idling it gets right up to 6000. I've changed the mass air flow sensor, spark plugs, fuel filter, air filter.
When it does moves it just feels so unresponsive.
Any other suggestions please?
For what it's worth it's been sat on my drive for a couple of years with just the odd occasional short drive to keep it moving. It takes at least a minute to start from cold, just turns over and chokes until it finally starts but as i said it idles fine. (I put this down to the lack of use)

It's a 2004 Vauxhall Corsa 1.0

 

[andy_v]

how often or when is fresh fuel put in, has it ever had the fuel filter changed, last time it was serviced.

 

[Trucky]

Electric fuel pump?

 

[TTT]

Blocked exhaust? Timing chain jumped?

 

[hammondboss]

how often or when is fresh fuel put in, has it ever had the fuel filter changed, last time it was serviced.

I put two 5 litre cans of fuel into it and at the weekend I changed the fuel filter. It looked like it had never been changed and took an age to get off as it was rusted on. So much crap came out of it I was convinced that was it but it's still the same.

 

[hammondboss]

Blocked exhaust? Timing chain jumped?

There is a lot of smoke coming out of the tailpipe when idling so something must be getting through I guess. Timing chain probably too complicated for my pay grade lol

 

[marks152]

I reckon jumped a tooth or 2 on the exhaust cam. Very common. Makes the car guttless exactly like you describe.

 

[hammondboss]

I reckon jumped a tooth or 2 on the exhaust cam. Very common. Makes the car guttless exactly like you describe.

Is this an easy fix? For an average DIY skilled mechanic like myself

 

[DilligaX]

YT is your friend. You will need basic stuff as spanners, sockets, torx sockets etc. among other things. And NEW CHAIN, don't even think about using the old one.

When you say smoke is coming out of the exhaust - what colour?

 

[hammondboss]

YT is your friend. You will need basic stuff as spanners, sockets, torx sockets etc. among other things. And NEW CHAIN, don't even think about using the old one.

When you say smoke is coming out of the exhaust - what colour?

Thanks for the advice.

The smoke is a normal looking colour to me. Some black liquid leaks out but nothing I haven't seen from previous cars

 

[DilligaX]

I wouldn't say any smoke is normal.

 

[Alan G H]

I wouldn't say any smoke is normal.

At this time of year, it will most likely be water vapour, and the black liquid will be water mixed with carbon.

 

[DilligaX]

Water in exhaust is a by-product of works of a combustion engine, completed by the catalytic converter. Plus natural condensation.
So the water is in the system all the time regardless of the season, sometimes visible as a quite spillage.

In this topic, is it water or smoke, as the engine is hesitant under load.

 

[hammondboss]

Water in exhaust is a by-product of works of a combustion engine, completed by the catalytic converter. Plus natural condensation.
So the water is in the system all the time regardless of the season, sometimes visible as a quite spillage.

In this topic, is it water or smoke, as the engine is hesitant under load.

Well the car takes a while to start and there's a bit of smoke when it finally starts and also leaves black water deposit on the ground below. But after that it idles for at least 20 mins with no issues. Fan even comes on. Can rev it up to max with no hesitation at all. Juat when you try and drive it you get the delays and lack of power.

 

[marks152]

The hard starts also a symptom of jumped exhaust cam.

 

[Op Corsad]

I wouldn't say any smoke is normal.

Time for a pedal test, would you say DilligaX? Can't hurt, can it?

 

[DilligaX]

Time for a pedal test, would you say DilligaX? Can't hurt, can it?

What it is about?

 

[Op Corsad]

What it is about?

Well it sounds like the engine is in limp mode. The pedal test might well provide some trouble codes to contemplate what may have caused limp mode. An MAF problem, for example?

Or if marks152 is on the right track, maybe a camshaft sensor code may show up?

 

[marks152]

Well it sounds like the engine is in limp mode. The pedal test might well provide some trouble codes to contemplate what may have caused limp mode. An MAF problem, for example?

Or if marks152 is on the right track, maybe a camshaft sensor code may show up?

You wont get a cam or crank code if the exhaust jumps as its unmonitored and from experience its nearly always the exhaust shaft that jumps.

 

[Op Corsad]

You wont get a cam or crank code if the exhaust jumps as its unmonitored and from experience its nearly always the exhaust shaft that jumps.

We learn something every day! But the pedal test can't hurt, right?