SWMBO has a 1997 VW polo 1.0 petrol. The car has only got 25K on the clock. She has had it for 2 years and has only put 6k on it.

The problem is that it feels a bit groggy and jumpy at times. It has recently been serviced and has had oil filters, air filters etc all changed. I had thought that with all the short journeys and low miles that it may just need a good thrashing to clean it out, but this hasn't helped.

I intend to check the spark plugs, but is there an additive for a non injection petrol engine which will clean it out?

Does lack of driving cause any long-term damage/ seizures is there any thing else i can do to get the car running more smoothly?

Cheers

JD

Look, there is one rule to cars...to keep them healthy, you HAVE to...HAVE to rev it really hard (on the road) once in a while to clean out the pipes inside and out. Otherwise you'll have carbon composities sitting in there and eventually clogging it up...like how us humans should regularly exercise and keep fit and avoid cholesterol to clog our arteries.

I'm sure a nearby reputable garage will be able to 'flush' your car at a good rate. Totally cleans the engine out, it involves passing a special fluid thru the whoel system to get rid of all the dirt and deposits inside.

Good luck dude.

Look' date=' there is one rule to cars...to keep them healthy, you HAVE to...HAVE to rev it really hard (on the road) once in a while to clean out the pipes inside and out. Otherwise you'll have carbon composities sitting in there and eventually clogging it up...like how us humans should regularly exercise and keep fit and avoid cholesterol to clog our arteries.

I'm sure a nearby reputable garage will be able to 'flush' your car at a good rate. Totally cleans the engine out, it involves passing a special fluid thru the whoel system to get rid of all the dirt and deposits inside.

Good luck dude.[/quote']

Becareful about using engine flush.....some manufacturers warn against using them.

Use high octane fuel and batter the hell out of it lots and lots. In fact lend it me for a week, she will be a quick-un when i have finished with it

Could it be something to do with the vacuum pump on the 1.0 engine? I seem to remember something like that playing up on my old 1043cc engine which I think is basically the same as yours. I'll check the haynes manual tonight!

Could it be something to do with the vacuum pump on the 1.0 engine? I seem to remember something like that playing up on my old 1043cc engine which I think is basically the same as yours. I'll check the haynes manual tonight!

TBH it could be anything or nothing. I just think the car isn't running as smoothly as it could. It hasn't taken any abuse or wear and tear and only has 25k in 8 years, average 3k per year (i intend to change that).

Im just worried that the lack of use has caused problems.

I will try the high octane or ultimate or whatever it is called for a while, and i will see what sort of additives Halfords have in store.

If i didn't know it had been serviced i would have said it was most likely a plug problem.

Cheers all

JD

i agree on the thrashing thing, if an engine is never revved hard or pushed i have found them to be slow, lazy engines. swmbo's sister was moaning that her 1.8 vectra felt slow in weymouth the other week, maybe cos she never went about 2.5K and was driving up and down the hills at 30 in 5th or 4th

Yeah if you don't rev a petrol a little it does nothing. Most don't do squat below 3k rpm and if it's a 16V probably 4k or even higher before it really starts to shift

Weak/breaking down condenser?

Someone in my office has just told me that petrol can go off! He says that if it is left for too long it can go off and basically lose all its good qualities.

Since SWMBO only puts about

It could go off if left for a year maybe - but not that quickly. I think a constant 3/4 weeks use and hard driving will certainly help.

Becareful about using engine flush.....some manufacturers warn against using them.

I know someone who's wrecked an engine using an engine cleaning additive. It sat in the cylinder below the oil filler (where it was put in) and didn't go anywhere else. So when the guy came to drive the car, it formed this sticky goo and seized the engine. a

Becareful about using engine flush.....some manufacturers warn against using them.

Of course they do, but that's not because of engine-hazard concerns, it's because the client won't go to pay 500 pounds for an engine flush from the manufacturer when it can be done outside for cheaper using the same fluid. Engine flushes are good for the car, I had it done to my old MV6 Omega and it ran so much much more smoothly after that.

I know someone who's wrecked an engine using an engine cleaning additive. It sat in the cylinder below the oil filler (where it was put in) and didn't go anywhere else. So when the guy came to drive the car, it formed this sticky goo and seized the engine. a

Engine flushes are good for the car, I had it done to my old MV6 Omega and it ran so much much more smoothly after that.

But how do you get all of the flushing oil out of the engine afterwards so that it doesn't contaminate the oil when you refill the engine? :confused: