Puma 1.7 Rebuild Mk II

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The icing on the cake - my new car has broken down. Engine management light came on and it lost all power, leaving me stranded on the way to work.

Got it recovered, taken back to the garage where I bought it from. The guy offered a 6 month mechanical warranty, but the car can't get looked at until Monday and they can't offer a courtesy car.

Don't really want to cancel my eBay listing on the Puma though. Probably going to have to rely on lifts.

I can't seem to catch a break.

Ed
 
OMG mate your luck with cars is crazy!
Maybe get a bus pass :p Hopefully this crap joke will cheer you up! :p

Get another cheap Puma! :?:
 
Little research and this problem seems to suggest a coil pack, lambda or cylinder misfire. So much for German reliabiliy, turns out this model was made in Spain ¡Ay, caramba!

gasps_in_spanish.jpg


Hoping it's one of the first 2. I'd been pottering around driving like a granny since I got it. 50mph top speed everywhere to get the max mpg. Wound up with 7mpg higher than the manufacturer's combined MPG rating. Hitting 55 consistently.

First time I decide to go above that speed and I'm cruising at 70, see an old work colleague, no less than J's wife who was en route to visiting our office. I overtake. Get it up to 80mph and the engine management light comes on. Powers going.

Get off the dual carriageway a minute later and upon leaving a roundabout I thought I had it in too high a gear. I change down and it's got no power. So I pull onto the grass. Switched it off, turned it back on and it was running very rough.

Strangely, when the recovery guy drove it off the truck at the garage the engine management light was off and the car ran smoothly.

Who knows? Hopefully a quick fix. Least it's under warranty.

Ed
 
Maybe the Puma gods are trying to tell you something............quick cancel the eBay listing whilst you still have a chance.
I am with Barry, change back to a standard throttle body, or it might potentially be worth looking at getting the ecu remapped, you have after all fitted improved air intake mods, up rated camshafts and sports exhaust manifold. I am wondering if the standard map needs a bit of a tweak to get the best out of all the upgrades as from reading your thread I am not sure you are even running a “TAPE” ecu with FRP map.
 
Standard map on an X reg Puma. I did think a remap might help. I did consider removing the listing so I had a car until the Polo is fixed. However, I'm sticking by my guns and selling the car.

9.5 hours to go.

Ed
 
Thanks again for everyones input over the project.

Don't think I'll ever do another car project again after this experience.

Take care all.

Ed
 
raggamuffin said:
Sold for £532.

£18 less than I originally bought it for.

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Least it's going to an enthusiast. Collecting it next Saturday.

Ed

Ouch :( :( That is a final kick in the teeth. If I was you I would be wishing he doesn’t turn up to collect it!!!!
The intake manifold has got to be worth that alone.
 
It is what it is. I been speaking to the chap collecting it. He wants it as a project & track day car. Seems to be a Ford enthusiast, so at least it'll be going to a good home.

Also means I can use the Puma until the Polo is fixed, which should hopefully be on Tuesday.

You know my luck with the project - I just want rid of the car to be honest.

It'll be collected next Saturday and i'm happy about that to be honest. I really wish my first project car hadn't been such a disaster as I've always had a passion for cars and probably would've done another project in the future, had this one not been so costly and plagued with delays and problems.

Ed
 
:cry: well if you do end up with another Puma or just want to hang about. Then you know where we are!

Maybe the new owner will join up and we'll see what happens next..
 
How could this situation get better? Let me tell you how - the compression test revealed that the head is kaput. 2-3 weeks without the Polo.

Courtesy car in the mean time. Collecting it tomorrow.

Someone put me out my misery please.

Ed
 
Is the Polo being fixed under the 'warranty' ?

At least you'll get a courtesy car this time.
 
He said all costs will be covered under warranty.

2005 Renault 1.6 petrol for a courtesy car. Did a road tax reg check to get the info. Apparently I have to pay for insurance myself though.

Least I won't be out of pocket that much.

I'm tempted to start saving more money and get something newer in the future. By the end of the year I could probably have enough saved to get a car that's only 2 or 3 years old and hopefully more reliable.

Ed
 
Further investigation seems to suggest this 3 pot engine is rather infamous for cylinder head issues. I'm reading tales of it happening on high mileage cars as well as one as low as 15,000 miles.

Even with the cylinder head work and ECU update, VW advises it can still occur again.

I think that settles it. Keep the car until I can get something more reliable and modern. Run it on super unleaded, drive it steady as I have done previously and keep everything crossed that it goes the distance before I can be rid of it.

I'm really not sure what to go with next though. I know it must be petrol and capable of 60+ mpg. Unfortunately this limits me to city cars and a lot of them are a little sparse in the features and comfort departments.

Oh well, I guess there's plenty of time to look around and do some research before I take the plunge. I guess I wasn't to know that this Polo had an engine that had reliability issues. Every long term review I read sang the cars praises and it wasn't as if I was going to be Googling engine management issues on this specific engine type prior to buying it.

Ed
 
Looking through historical posts on the VW forum for posts about the 1.2 Polo. Got to page 6 and read over 10 people with similar issues with the cylinders misfiring and needing big/expensive work done.

Ed
 
I would advise you to sell on the 3 cylinder vw asap after it has been repaired or as it's failed whilst under warranty then ask if you can exchange it for something else.
The 3 cyl engine is fraught with problems whether in a vw or skoda. To get the head off the sump has to be removed first. The electric steering is also troublesome with a pump under the passenger wing.
The 1.4 vw 4 cylinder is a much more reliable engine, stay well away from the 1.2 3 cylinder.
 
DOH said:
I would advise you to sell on the 3 cylinder vw asap after it has been repaired or as it's failed whilst under warranty then ask if you can exchange it for something else.
The 3 cyl engine is fraught with problems whether in a vw or skoda. To get the head off the sump has to be removed first. The electric steering is also troublesome with a pump under the passenger wing.
The 1.4 vw 4 cylinder is a much more reliable engine, stay well away from the 1.2 3 cylinder.

Can't afford another car for a while. Do you know if the Toyota engine (1KR-FE) is a reliable 3 pot engine?

Ed
 

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