Problems with a 55 Plate (Polosmith)

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Polosmith
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Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Dec 27, 2017 7:47 pm
Drives: 2005 (55) Polo 1.2 BMD 6V
Location: Hampshire

Problems with a 55 Plate (Polosmith)

Post by Polosmith »

Hi All,

Looking for some help and advice and hoping someone on the Forum can make some suggestions. My daughter has a last minute driving test on 3rd Jan and her Polo is intermittently playing up and we have little alternatives other than to sort it in the next few days.

The car sometimes seems to miss, as if running on 1 or 2 cylinders and stutters badly. if you stop, clean the plugs (or maybe just by stopping it cools) it then seems OK. A few times this has happened. Today however I drove it for 20+ miles and just a few times it missed, very briefly like fuel starvation.

I cannot figure out the problem and having read the forum the 3 Cyl engines are not good news.

It has a BMD 6V engine, it starts easily and pulls well and smoothly including up long 15% hills, however it does and has always smelt hot and smells of oil. I rebuilt the odd engine 30 years ago and then a hot running engine would signify advance timing.

Oil seems to collect in the hollows of the bolt head recessess in the rocker cover - I wonder if the oil filler cap is bypassing - has anyone experienced this? I cannot see any oil leaks on any engine joints.

Spark plug for cylinder 1 looks a good colour
Spark plug for cylinder 2 looks OK not as good as 1 but far better than 3
Spark plug for Cylinder 3 is caked in Oil, generally wet Oil

If you accelerate after overrun, there is a plume of smoke but it is not too bad - Oil consumption is not too bad.

I have read some of the forums and seen that Cylinder 3 is often the problem with burnt exhaust valves and maybe oil bypassing Piston rings. I have not done a compression test as my thinking is that poorly seating exhaust valves will affect the test.

I am guessing that at some point I need to strip the head off, regrind in the valves and fit new stem seals, however with the car running as described I don't think the valves are the problem.
There is No oil in the air filter casing, the diaphragm from the breather seems intact and not dirty (washed it out with Meths)

I am thinking the problem is the ignition pencils /coil on cylinder 3 and maybe some fuel evaporation from the engine running so hot. Welcome views or other things I should check?

Anyone have suggestions re the oil in the rocker cover and whether there is any adjustment to lower the engine temperature.


Hope you can help

Polosmith
littlepolo
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Re: Problems with a 55 Plate (Polosmith)

Post by littlepolo »

I'm not familiar with that engine and you haven't stated the mileage so I'll let someone else comment on that.

As for the coil packs, I did have intermittent problems with them before. You can swap them over to see if the problem moves to another cylinder.
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alexperkins
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Re: Problems with a 55 Plate (Polosmith)

Post by alexperkins »

The 1.2 6V is chain driven and the symptoms you are seeing are consistent with timing chain stretch causing the timing to be out. Have a read of this link:

https://www.picoauto.com/library/case-s ... ault-codes
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