Roomster 1.6 petrol - Just wondering if any tech heads can shed some light on what is going on here.

My other half insisted on visiting her parents 350 miles away even though the engine on starting up was revving up and down, almost spluttering.

Once under way the car performed normally i had found earlier in the week but could tell it needed a good service.

Anyway she got to her parents ok, the next day she went to start it and it would not turn over.

She had the car towed to a garage and they have said that in two of the cylinders there was very low compression and also the cam chain has failed.

What i dont understand is how the cam chain worked for 350 miles until the car was stopped and then parked up, then sat there for 12 hours but on starting up the chain has failed.

I can only imagine that starting up the car has pulled on the chain though i know cam chain failure is rare.

The garage i believe is still looking at the engine damage, so far they reckon it will cost way over £1000 to fix, i have suggested getting an engine from a breakers as that will probably be cheaper.

Can anyone tell me what the engine code is for the 1.6 petrol, im guessing it wont be easy to find a replacement but if the same engine is used in other vag cars then it may help.

Cheers

I think you need to get it towed home and looked at there.

I'd not trust what the other garage said personally and it sounds a bit like they are going for the it's a woman, tell her whatever.

By the looks of it it should be a BTS, but you'll need to confirm this on your own engine.

Personally I'd go for your engine as it's a known quantity.

I also have to ask how old is the car and did you buy it new? If it's less than 6 years old and you got it from a dealer there may be another route for you to take.

Edited 27 July, 201015 yr by cheezemonkhai

Roomster 1.6 petrol - Just wondering if any tech heads can shed some light on what is going on here.

My other half insisted on visiting her parents 350 miles away even though the engine on starting up was revving up and down, almost spluttering.

Once under way the car performed normally i had found earlier in the week but could tell it needed a good service.

Anyway she got to her parents ok, the next day she went to start it and it would not turn over.

She had the car towed to a garage and they have said that in two of the cylinders there was very low compression and also the cam chain has failed.

What i dont understand is how the cam chain worked for 350 miles until the car was stopped and then parked up, then sat there for 12 hours but on starting up the chain has failed.

I can only imagine that starting up the car has pulled on the chain though i know cam chain failure is rare.

The garage i believe is still looking at the engine damage, so far they reckon it will cost way over £1000 to fix, i have suggested getting an engine from a breakers as that will probably be cheaper.

Can anyone tell me what the engine code is for the 1.6 petrol, im guessing it wont be easy to find a replacement but if the same engine is used in other vag cars then it may help.

Cheers

The fault in the management system. some where a sensor is not behaving. just a small air leak caused me Cosworth to stop. the wise advice is get it shipped to a mechanic who knows what he's doing, one you trust. The AA will help your there.

Who said the old days were bad, it seems these modern engines are an Arther Daley's delight.

Best of luck.

JDW

Well um thanks.

The car is in a garage and they have stripped away at the engine so bringing it back 350 miles is out of the question.

Think its more than just a sensor problem, Hopefully find out more from the garage tomorrow.

Oh dear... I was another who thought a second opinion was the best bet...

Yes well my wifes parents said the garage is known locally as a good garage.

They should have got back in touch today but my wife has heard nothing.

Thats a bit worrying.

Think i will ask to speak to them tomorrow, not much i can do 350 miles away doh.

they could be right , the chain will be tensioned by the oil pressure mainly which may be why it ran rough at first then was ok as the oil pressure tensioned it back up then after the long trip it may have jumped when being started next day.

the tensioner will have a spring in it to keep tension too which may have been faulty origionally.

it should have been a fairly straight forward job for them to check the cam timing and see if the chain had jumped etc

Yes well my wifes parents said the garage is known locally as a good garage.

They should have got back in touch today but my wife has heard nothing.

Thats a bit worrying.

Think i will ask to speak to them tomorrow, not much i can do 350 miles away doh.

As I said "Best of luck" Ask your wife if this garage has full a full dianostics facility for the management system of your vehicle. If not all they will do is change bits blindly. You can tell if any of the base mechanics are faulty, these tests have not changed since me dad's time, but if its part of the management system that is faulty then its a trial and error fix if you have not got the correct testing kit.

JDW