'95 (6N) 1.4CL Polo advice needed please

[c0sie]

Hey all,

Last week I bought a 106'000 mile 1.4CL 6N Polo and need some advice please.

1] When I start the car from cold, as in first thing in the morning, the car struggles to turn over, as if the battery is running out of charge. However, once the car is started it will then start fine all day. The problem doesnt happen if it isnt cold in the morning though.

2] When I accelerate in 1st and press the clutch to engage 2nd the revs return straight down to 500rpm and it has been known to stall. If I go from speed and decelerate and then press the clutch in before stopping the car will either stall or the revs will drop to 500rpm, then hover back to about 900 before dropping back to about 700rpm then back up to 900 before settling down.

Does anyone have any ideas what might solve these issues?
I dont think the choke is sticking as the fuel economy is very good, I havent had chance to take the dizzy off to have a look in it but I will do so Tuesday. Im just getting worried because stalling as you roll upto a busy T-junction or roundabout isnt that much fun :)

TIA :)

[Jamie.T]

1. This is a sign of a battery or starter motor being affected by the cold weather, if i had to guess, i would say battery.

2. Idle control valve, or air leak on the inlet system. Take the valve off and clean with carb cleaner as they get choked up quite a bit on them.

i could have had a quick look today at it Cris, typical eh?

[c0sie]

If I had known I would have racked your brains for ages! lol

Wheres the idle control value located matey?

Thanks for the advice :)

[Jamie.T]

Its located usually on the inlet manifold. Its basically a servo for control idle and is normally black and round bodied. Heres an ebay link to the one i think is fitted to your car http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Idle-air-control-valve-VW-POLO-45-65-75-GOLF-/260370599034?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3c9f4c0c7a

Just strip it off and blast with carb cleaner (bearing blaster or nitro cleaner) If that doesn't do it, then check for air leaks around the brake servo, inlet manifold and vacumn hoses.

[c0sie]

Cheers for that Jamie, ill do that and report back :)

[DCM]

Agree with Jamie....

Battery will fail under cold cranking on a cold day.

Idle Control Valve would be my first thought with the stalling to.

I assume it is fuel injection though.

[c0sie]

Not injected mate, no.


Thanks for the advice :)

[wezzer]

it was the idle control valve on my golf dude,,, cleaned it out and was fine for a few thousand miles, used to do exactly as you describe !

[sldmodels]

My battery's been like that for a while, needed a replacement. I also had a similar problem on an older car, a boxy fiesta that'd stall at really strange times. It turned out that the air / fuel ratio was too rich. If it's that, it's a simple fix by turning a screw (if you don't know where this is, your manual should tell you).

[c0sie]

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j218/m60_maniac/IMG_0711-1.jpg

Found this pic on Club Polo that shows my engine bay perfectly.

Ive removed the throttle body and cleaned her up, but im now led to believe that my car is actually an injected car??

anyways, cleaned the throttle body, and now she revs at 1800rpm at idle.

Apparently it needs resetting at a garage now? And trust it to be late on a Saturday that I get this all done, when the garages are all shut.

[sldmodels]

Put your car reg into one of the insurance companies websites or webuyanycar.com

It should give you it's full name. I've had to get the turbo replaced on my focus, but wasn't exactly sure what model it was, and it came up with what it's registered as.

[smokes]

any car built after 1992 (j plate i think) will be injected in the uk, usually a simple single point injector and throttle body. This was due to the introduction a catalyst converters have to be fitted by law.

[mark christopher]

i dont recal having to set it when i worked in a vw dealer, your sure your throttle cable is not too tight? and you have no air leaks, its it does need setting up i doubt any old garage can do it!!

[c0sie]

Hey Mark,

Read a tonne of threads over on Club Polo's forum. Apparently if you disconnect the throttle body from the loom and then remove the TB from the car it requires the bodies be aligned again:

http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/cars/throttlebody.html

Bloody pain in the arse all this is lol!