Polo (9N) missfire/hic-cup

[Bluesman]

Polo (9N) missfire/hic-cup

About a year ago I bought a second hand 2002 VW Polo Mk6 (9N) with a 1200cc engine and 165,000 km (103,000 mls) on the clock. Since then I have added another 12,500 km and replaced the drivers door lock complete, replaced the catalytic converter, replaced the air conditioning fan assembly and replaced the interior fan switch. I should add that I am based in Malaga province and the car, unsurprisingly, is lefthand drive, with a manual box.

Now I have a new problem. When I last made a journey into Malaga on the motorway, about 35km, there was no problem, but as soon as I was driving in traffic towards the port things changed. There are a series of about 12 - 15 traffic lights along the 5km port road and each time I lifted off the accelerator and then re-accelerated the engine almost cut out and then start pulling again. Sometimes the engine might try to cut out again, so, I would lift my foot again and then reapply it. The situation got steadily worse as I completed my journey, but I managed to find a place to park. I made my call and returned to the car after about two hours, the engine started readily, as usual, and drove home without mishap. The engine only missing on one or two occasions as I returned through the traffic lights to join the motorway. Once on the motorway and cruising the engine pulled steadily for the 35km journey home. Since then I have made two or three short journeys (3-15km) without further mishap.

I have read through a number of posts relating to this model of Polo and the post with content the nearest to the characteristics suggests it might be due to a mucky fuel filter and/or a dirty throttle body. I can find no references to fuel filters, let alone throttle bodies, in the owners handbook. Situation that is not helped much by the fact that it is printed in Spanish. I am not particularly mechanically minded, clueless where a car’s electronics are concerned and, at 74 years old, of limited mobility. The car is kept in a rather dark communal garage and the garage that I normally use for servicing has just closed as the owner retired at the end of September.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Bluesman

[RUM4MO]

No luck, everything turning against you!

Anyway, maybe this could be described as an erratic tick over, though intermittent?

The trouble is there might be a fault code or codes being logged, even without the engine malfunction indicator being lit.

Have you ever considered buying a cheap VAG specific code reader, so that age of car there must be used ones appearing on ebay?