i have just brought a 1996 1.6 sporting punto, is it normal for the car to high revs but not alot of power coming from it? i am very new to cars but i am sure that the car is losing power from some where, any one got any idears on where i mite be going wrong?

The more you rev, the more power you get usually. No need to rev it all the way to the red line, but peak power should be I'm guessing between 4000 to 5000 rpm. If you've just bought the car, check if it's been serviced recently. If not, get a service done on it, they'll change the oil and filters and stuff, and see if that's made a difference.

oo also, may sound daft, but are the tyres at the right pressure? If they're too low, the car will seem a bit sluggish.

We have just done a compression test on it and all the 4 were around 195-200 psi,

The oil and filter has just been changed, the spark plugs are brown in the middle and black at the edge which indicates they are good.

the engine sounds like vtec (kinda) at high revs but the car has no power, could it be a blocked fuel filter? or maybe a dodgy sensor?

Please help

Clare

I have no idea not too mechanically minded, I just give it to the garage and hope they can fix it

I'm sure someone who knows a thing or two about engines will come along soon and hopefully make some suggestions

increase in revs dont increase in speed = worn clutch ?

maybe?

thanks for the help, i fink

thefishdude said:

increase in revs dont increase in speed = worn clutch ?

maybe?

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I concur

well guys you were so helpfull

thanks

clare said:

well guys you were so helpfull

thanks

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What? you came on here expecting each and every one of us to be a fully qualified mechanic?

sorry but the way you put the thumbs down smiley suggests that you werent happy with the helpful replys that some people gave?

I was thinking the same thing

The thing of high revs giving no power does indicate a worn clutch, and yes, it will probably be expensive (just before christmas aswell )

We are all fiat owners, well most of us... and we are here to help, with the info we are given we can , nine times out of ten, analyse the problem.

Clare, when you pull away is there a burning smell? (not rubber burning) as this will usually indicate something clutch related

It could be something like a siezed release mechanism, or could mean a new clutch.

Sorry for essay

There is nothing wrong with the clutch, the car drives fine but seems very underpowered

We changed the fuel filter and it seemed to give the car some extra power but the whole rev range seems so flat. and when you hit the rev limiter the engine almost stops,

Could it be down to the timing?

i just thought the punto couldnt be that slow or could it? it is a 1.6? and my boyfriends 1.2 micra beats it easily at the moment

if the engine is going faster than the car then the clutch is slipping, why dont you belive them?

well taking it to the rev limiter won't help since the power is between 3k and 5k rpm.

I concur with the worn clutch idea. the only other thing could be the engine is starved of air? just kinda throwing a wild idea out here but i've heard about a bad air/fuel mix making the car sluggish. i dunno, try cleaning the air filter (unless you have).

I never said the engine is going faster than the car at all, try reading what i'm writing, the clutch does not slip at all, and as for the air filter its been changed to a brand new K&N,

it just seems that the rev range is very flat, is there any way to adjust the ignition timing? or is it ecu controlled?

the last owner told me that the cambelt had recently been changed, could it be due to incorrect cam timing?

anyone know what the standard torque and power are and at what rpm?

also it isnt a diesel its a petrol 1.6 so max power should be abut 6000rpm at a guess? and not between 3k and 5k

if you're revving it to 6k every time you change up, there's no wonder you're losing power. revving the balls off the car when it's cold will kill it (or so i've read on this forum).

"very flat"

elaborate on this, we need as much detail as possible... "very flat" is a pretty vague way of putting it if you ask me...

clare said:

try reading what i'm writing

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try being polite and listen to what people are saying it seemsyou know **** all about cars!

clare said:

anyone know what the standard torque and power are and at what rpm?

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bhp-88
torque-93 lb/ft- think max is at about 4.5krpm, (this is off internet, not sure if correct)

clare said:

also it isnt a diesel its a petrol 1.6 so max power should be abut 6000rpm at a guess? and not between 3k and 5k

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YES were not stupid i think people on a FIAT forum will know that a punto sporting has a petrol engine, and no, max torque is NOT at 6krpm! (little power at that, and wreck your engine )

More revs don't equal more power, I don't know the exact figures for your car, but I do know my car's redlined at 6750 rpm, but max powers between 4 - 5000 rpm, and is possibly similar with your engine. I know that if you disconnect the battery, it resets the ecu, which restores the car to its original settings. Whether this will cure your problem, I don't know, it's a bit of a wild card.

It can be pretty hard explaining a problem on a forum, perhaps you vould go to a garage, get talking to a mechanic, and ask them to take it for a quick spin, and see what they make of it. I doubt they would charge you for doing that.

From what I've read here, I think you know more about cars than you're letting on clare

Have a check done on the valve timing. As you suspect, it might be out by a notch after the cambelt change.