Old banger Corsa losing power......

barbiedoll

My 15 yr old, high-mileage Corsa has recently had a couple of episodes where it has "lost power".

It starts well, goes into gear fine (sticks a little when trying to get into first gear sometimes but it does always go in), has been driving really well. I drive around 8 miles to work, then I'm parked up for an hour or less, then I drive around 1-3 miles for 5 or 6 visits, each for up to an hour, then I drive 8 miles home again. Today, I had been driving for 5-10 mins or so, (in traffic so stop/start) when it began to lose power in second gear, the revs dropped and I had to change down to first, rev hard and go back up to second again.

A week or so ago, it happened on the way to work, again had been crawling along in heavy traffic, when I managed to go up to third gear and get a bit of speed up, the revs dropped and the power decreased suddenly.

The engine doesn't cut out completely and so far I have managed to get it going properly by changing down and then up a couple of times, but part of my drive to and from work is on a fast(ish) dual carriageway and I don't want to suddenly lose speed and cause an accident!

No dashboard lights have come on, all fluids are topped up, no strange noises other than the usual engine noise (although I do tend to have the radio on)

Any ideas? OH thinks it is the clutch but I can't see how that would cause loss of power. The clutch is probably not in the best condition, it bites when the pedal is high but it is an old car. I was thinking something like fuel pump? Would that be an expensive fix?

Sorry for the non-techie language, I'm not mechanically-minded at all so am just trying to best describe what happens. Any help would be massively appreciated!

Rolandtheroadie

Petrol or diesel?

For the clutch, are the clutch pedal and brake pedal level with each other? Or is the clutch slightly lower.

Rolandtheroadie

Infact no matter. The same symptoms on my own Corsa B were cured by changing the fuel filter and also cleaning the in tank strainer.

Clutch pedal was lower than brake pedal so I adjusted the cable to get them both level again (on top of gearbox, threaded bar with a 10mm nut on it if I remember correctly). If it's got power steering, it'll be harder to see.

barbiedoll

Clutch and brake pedal are absolutely level with each other.
It's a petrol, 1.2L.

I'll give the fuel filter a try!

Thanks.

spacey2012

Fuel filter catches water, in the cold the trapped water freezes, expands and chokes the fuel supply.

somersethillbilly

Sounds familiar, if no joy with the above suggestions and if you start getting an engine management warning light, then suspect a failing crankshaft sensor. I've gone through a few of these in older Corsas.

colino

Unfortunately your usage of the car means it needs servicing by time instead of mileage as it is barely warming up and isn't really getting a chance to, "clear its throat". Coupled with no eml, that for a vauxhall is a rarity and is pointing at fuel filter and/or MAF (which needto cause a problem with something else as they themselves wont readily throw a warning light).
Have a friendy, local indie have a look. They're cheap and easy to fix so wont cost the earth.

barbiedoll

MAF? Mass air flow sensor? (the wonder of Google!)

Yes, I do try to give the car a bit of a run on the way home, I take the dual carriageway to enable me to get into 5th gear for at least a couple of miles, just to "clear the pipes" so to speak. To be fair, for the amount of travelling in first and second gear that I have to do, the car has been great up until now, for a banger at least.

It has been fine today but I will get OH to have a look at the fuel filter at the weekend, it looks like a fairly easy DIY job. Mind you, it always looks easy on Youtube, but you know what old cars are like, I'll probably have to buy at least 3 new parts to replace those which fall off the minute we undo a nut or bolt somewhere!

Stooby2

Actually rather than getting into fifth gear as soon as possible, try and rev the nuts off it through each gear first. Cars / bikes need a good run every now and then. As both my motorbikes generally just run into London day in, day out, once a month or so I go for a run to the coast and work the engines hard. They're usually purring by the time I get back.

Have a good look at the electrical connectors under the bonnet. I quite often find a dirty connector is a problem - the older they are the worse they can be - especially on the earthing side.

barbiedoll

Just to update....OH changed the fuel filter today, so far seems to have done the trick. Just taken car for a run and no loss of power at all so am keeping my fingers crossed that it will be ok now.

Many thanks to all posters for replies, you are all a great help, this site really does live up to its name!

B xx

Strider590

Needs a good service and a good shoeing........