Technical Punto MK2 Sporting 16v losing power

[RyanH94]

Hi, im new to this forum but ill get straight into it as ive been trying to find a solution to my problem for a while now.

So, my car is a punto 1.2 16v sporting as mentioned in the title. A month ago on the way home from work it suddenly lost power whilst i was accelerating and seemed like it was going to stall and suddenly kicked back in as normal. It proceeded to do this every couple of minutes on the journey thereafter.

Since then it has been doing it intermittently and more noticeably when i'm low on fuel (1/4 tank or less and even more recently is doing it even with 1/3 of a tank) which leads to the conclusion of a fuelling problem. However when it does lose power i can disengage the clutch immediately and rev the engine to redline without a hiccup. Furthermore, the car does not accelerate properly! Regardless of the amount of fuel in the tank, it is lacking responsiveness especially at the lower end. The exhaust has been excessively blowing out smoke ever since i bought it 4 months ago (even with a warm engine) however it does seem to have got better since then but still does it more than it should now. The car never fails to start nor does it show up any warning lights on the dash and no codes relating to the problem. I also did a full service on the car shortly after buying it.

Sorry for the long post, thanks all

 

[flisko]

dunno if this will help but worth a try

 

[RyanH94]

Thanks flisko I will definitely give it a go been meaning to check all my intake components

 

[corky]

Ignition coils?

 

[Ziggy122]

Ignition coils?

it would sound that way to me - breaking down under load - when clutch is dipped there is no load

Is the check engine light on?

Zigy

 

[corky]

it would sound that way to me - breaking down under load - when clutch is dipped there is no load

Is the check engine light on?

Zigy

Mine did this in my old Punto but only when the engine light came on...

 

[Twotoncarman]

The exhaust has been excessively blowing out smoke ever since i bought it 4 months ago (even with a warm engine) however it does seem to have got better since then but still does it more than it should now.

I would do a compression test with and without oil to check bores and valves as well. Dont guess. Work methodically through things.
Check plugs for colour and condition, you can do this while doing a compression test.
What colour is the 'smoke', it could be oil, fuel or water. ( blue, black, white as a guide)

 

[Ziggy122]

this why i hate people who use the term smoke

What kind? What colour? How strong?

is it
Thick black? (diesels are worse for this) = Blocked induction, or over fuelling

A weird blue / grey = Oil been burnt, often worse when under load

White = Ignore when cold, but when hot = Burning water is a bad term, boiling water

Ziggy

 

[RyanH94]

Thanks for the replies. I have cleaned my throttle body and relating components and it has definitely improved engine behaviour in other ways but I can still feel it isnt accelerating as it should, im yet to let the petrol get low so couldn't say if it is still losing power but it doesnt feel like that will have changed. Also the smoke is just like your general cold start smoke 'white smoke' and the water level is fine, I have regularly checked it with no problems yet. I have no engine warning lights what so ever and I also believe it could be coil pack or leads, they are next on the list.

 

[Twotoncarman]

Thanks for the replies. I have cleaned my throttle body and relating components and it has definitely improved engine behaviour in other ways but I can still feel it isnt accelerating as it should, im yet to let the petrol get low so couldn't say if it is still losing power but it doesnt feel like that will have changed. Also the smoke is just like your general cold start smoke 'white smoke' and the water level is fine, I have regularly checked it with no problems yet. I have no engine warning lights what so ever and I also believe it could be coil pack or leads, they are next on the list.

If it was coil pack or leads you would get fault indications stored.
You also say this 'smoke' is there when the engine is hot

The exhaust has been excessively blowing out smoke ever since i bought it 4 months ago (even with a warm engine)

Investigate further, do the tests as you have been advised. Dont jump to conclusions.

 

[RyanH94]

If it was coil pack or leads you would get fault indications stored.
You also say this 'smoke' is there when the engine is hot

Investigate further, do the tests as you have been advised. Dont jump to conclusions.

I came across this article: ebay.co.uk/gds/5-Common-Symptoms-of-a-Malfunctioning-Fuel-Pump-/10000000177634796/g.html(won't let me post URL link)

Number 2 and 3 describe my problems perfectly, albeit that it doesn't mention anything in relation to fuel level in the tank but it seems to make sense that it's worse when it's low as there is less pressure. Can anyone verify any of this and would a malfunctioning fuel pump give off any warning lights?

And in relation to the white smoke from the exhaust could this have something to do with it as well as its not getting the correct fuel/air mixture, also the exhaust just smells strongly of petrol and nothing else.

Also to clear up something I first stated that is partially wrong the engine sometimes doesn't respond when I press the clutch in, it's 50/50 really.

Regards

 

[Twotoncarman]

Suspect head gasket if white smoke.
Have a compression test done - as I said before here in this thread.

I would do a compression test with and without oil to check bores and valves as well. Dont guess. Work methodically through things.
Check plugs for colour and condition, you can do this while doing a compression test.

Otherwise, you are absolutely wasting your time and ours. It is not the fuel pump.

 

[RyanH94]

Suspect head gasket if white smoke.
Have a compression test done - as I said before here in this thread.
Otherwise, you are absolutely wasting your time and ours. It is not the fuel pump.

Done a compression test, that's fine, just replaced the fuel pump and it's solved the problem. Works great now and the power is back, so yes it was the fuel pump. Only thing just get a nice bit of smoke when it's been idling and I pull off, aside from that no more smoke!

 

[flisko]

Done a compression test, that's fine, just replaced the fuel pump and it's solved the problem. Works great now and the power is back, so yes it was the fuel pump. Only thing just get a nice bit of smoke when it's been idling and I pull off, aside from that no more smoke!

was pump making loud noise?