Hi! & Mk6 1.4 Problem

[Steve F]

Hi All

New to the forum & hoping for some help :)

We have recently bought a Mk6 1.4 Zetec Climate and generally very pleased with it.

However, we have a really strange problem. When the aircon is switched on the car becomes a pig to drive. The engine bogs down when i try to accelerate, then picks up and it is almost impossible to hold a steady throttle - the engine hunts and also feels 'juddery'. It feels like the engine management can't work out what the hell to do with the fuelling.

I think the problem may be there without the aircon switched on but much less noticeable.

Has anyone had a similar problem or have any ideas?

Oh, for reference, the car is 08 registered and has 6,500 on the clock.

Many thanks

Steve

[Steve F]

No ideas anyone??? :(

[AndrewL]

I had a 1.25 mk6 with aircon and having it on used to seriously labour the car! I don't know exactly how much power the aircon demands but the car would drive really sluggishly below about 2.5k revs and then feel fairly normal towards the top of the rev range. It actually felt a little bit like turbo lag - but the worlds worst turbo!

Is this anything like you're experiencing as it might just be normal? Is the engine hunting under load or just whilst idling?

[Steve F]

Andrew

Thanks for the reply :)

I would say that it doeas hunt under load but once at speed and on a light throttle it is a juddering effect, like a misfire, or on a old car what it felt like when the coil was failing, or like i said in my initial post as if it doesn't know what to do with the fuelling and keeps changing its mind.

It's going back in to the dealer on Friday (for the 3rd time) so we'll see what happens then....

Any other ideas greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Steve

[Steve F]

Forgot to mention, I have 2 colleagues at work with MK6 fiestas, both of which I have driven. Yes, the aircon does sap the power but neither of them have the 'juddering' issue.

Cheers

Steve

[MRC89]

My Mk7 has the hunting/juddering problem, however mines the other way round, with the air-con on it's less noticeable as it raises the rev's slightly away from idle which is where it judders. I believe it could be a result of any of several things. Yet to take it in, but it's definitely getting worse. It even affects the drive speed when traffic crawling in 1st and 2nd gear.