Volkswagon Fox 91 : Power Loss Problem :(

[ahmedaf]

have a volkswagon fox 91 (2door).

Ive had it for about a year now andf i hasnt ever given me any such problem. The engine has always performed remarkably well with very good acceleration and stuff.

Now for the past two months the acceleration slowly decreased first, and in the past one month ive had problems getting it up to speed. If i press the accelerator the engine rev's up but the car doesnt pick up speed.... I have new spart plugs, wires, relatively new air filter, changed oil recently and stuff. I cant pinpoint whats wrong with it.

I press accelerator, car revs up..but speeds up VERY SLOW. It has trouble going up hill (i have to make sure i pick up enough speed before hand or it slows down to a crawl..even in second gear). I dunno whats up.

Im thinking about taking it to midas for a checkup but i`d rather know whats wrong so i can search for a place where i can get it fixed for cheap.

Any ideas ?

 

[Sluggo]

Sounds like a clutch if its a standard transmission.

Sounds like a new transmission if it is an automatic transmission.

 

[ahmedaf]

Its a stick shift. I guess it could be cluch

 

[SammyBoy]

if your car is revving up and you're not gaining speed, somewhere in the powertrain the power isn't being transfered from 1 part to the next.

I'm no expert, and if this happens in all your gears then it can't be a slipping gear. Is it an auto or a stick? If a stick, I don't know if this is possible, but if your clutch actuation point has migrated really really high, maybe the thing is never completely disengaging and you're riding the clutch all the time. This would be bad for the clutch too, so it would certainly get worse, not better, but I'd imagine the clutch would be completely toast by now.


Cliff notes: dunno, but good luck fixing it.

 

[SammyBoy]

only reason I brought up the clutch thing is cuz I've noticed in the month I've owned my VW (GO DUBS!), the clutch releae point has migrated a bit. it's a bit higher, and I actually like the feel of the clutch better now. But my busy mind that always seems to worry itself was wondering what could possibly come of this, and a release point that makes its say to the very top of the pedal, or even sorta releases when the pedal is at rest, would totally suck and since I don't know much about the mechanics of trannies I dunno if this would be possible or not.

Remember, it doesnt matter if your car sucks, when you're in a VW god is smiling at you

 

[ahmedaf]

Im guessing its the clutch because a lot of people have said that on multiple sites. Im gonna go get it checked tommorow

Anyone know how much it would cost to get a clutch fixed or replaced ? a rough idea will do .

 

[Sluggo]

Originally posted by: SammyBoy


Remember, it doesnt matter if your car sucks, when you're in a VW god is smiling at you

He is laughing at you, not with you

 

[nan0bug]

Originally posted by: ahmedaf
have a volkswagon fox 91 (2door).

sorry to hear that.

 

[AndrewR]

Originally posted by: ahmedaf
Im guessing its the clutch because a lot of people have said that on multiple sites. Im gonna go get it checked tommorow

Anyone know how much it would cost to get a clutch fixed or replaced ? a rough idea will do .

Fox clutch is tempermental in old age so it's almost definitely the culprit if it's a suspect. I had a couple Foxes (88 and 89), and they both needed new clutches as they aged (one needed two). The good part is that they went to 250,000 and 300,000+ miles respectively. Not bad!

 

[Black88GTA]

Other things to check out....

When was the last time you replaced the fuel filter? Could be clogged up, or your fuel pump could be going bad. Replace the filter - it's probably due anyways.

Exhaust smell at all like sulfur? A clogged catalytic converter can also cause problems like you describe. A way to check, take the cat out and run without it, see if the problem goes away.

And it could also be clutch/trans, like has already been said.

Good luck.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: Sluggo

Originally posted by: SammyBoy


Remember, it doesnt matter if your car sucks, when you're in a VW god is smiling at you

He is laughing at you, not with you

My 2000 Golf V6 4Motion is sucking pretty hard in the dealership this morning. God laughed his t!ts off last night when it overheated on the Motorway and my 2 hour journey became 5. :|

 

[Triumph]

Sounds like a slipping clutch to me, too! Usually you can find at least one VW specific shop in most medium sized towns, those guys know all about older dubs like yours. Couple of hundred bucks for a new clutch, probably.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

I'm no expert. I believe the cat is a pellet type.not a grid type,and over time the pellets will shrink. This causes them to move and compact inside the cat resulting in a serious restriction of exhaust flow. The cheep and dirty fix of used car dealers is to take it out and bounce it repeatedly on the ground, reinstall and its good for 30days, maybe.
If your secure in doing this. The clutch pedal should have 1"of free travel,that is before resistance is met. Check it with hand pressure to really feel it. If there is none, adjust clutch cable. If thats OK. Apply the park brake, put it in high gear. half throttle, release clutch as you would from a stop. If it kills the engine it should be good for awhile. If the engine does not die, clutch replacement tine. Do not do this repeatedly, once should be enough.
Automotive repair I know. Computers I"m learning.
John