POLO MINCED !

[lovejoy]

Hello from the Dark Side of the Moon.. there are similarities, believe me....

 

Do any of you knowledgeable chaps know ANYthing about 1400cc 16-valve year 2000 Polos ? I believe it is a pre-facelift Mk3, model 6N,

 

according to the WackyPedia pages. The one here is in need of valves, bearings, camshaft belt(s) - there are three, but owner says

 

he only needs the long one... (?) I heard from a source that these engines don't get re-built, due to the expense involved...

 

This was the personal import of one "Sir Vivian Richards" (Owzat?!) but that may mean nada to you autoshiters

 

any advice will be appreciated (that is helpful, that is ) I may get pics shortly, but not sure if it's really in autoshite taste...

[M'coli]

Door locks and handle mechanisms are fragile but easy enough to replace - however, there usually isn't an IR option so they can leave you locked out esp. if the boot lock mucks up too. The front seats are shite, quite possibly the most uncomfortable I've sat in that weren't sports seats.

[TimothyClaypole]

The rear arches rusted from the inside edge of the lip on both the ones I had.

[r.welfare]

These engines don't have a great reputation - tensioners made of chocolate mean you need to adhere to 40,000-mile timing belt (and tensioner) changes, plus they're known for problems with the piston rings. Not sure there's three cambelts, I thought there were only two.

[jonathan_dyane]

My sister had one and it was dreadful. Rotted like an Alfasud but without any redeeming qualities. My elderly 205 was like something next generation by comparison.

 

Avoid.

[CIH]

These engines don't have a great reputation - tensioners made of chocolate mean you need to adhere to 40,000-mile timing belt (and tensioner) changes, plus they're known for problems with the piston rings. Not sure there's three cambelts, I thought there were only two.

 

if a tensioner can last 40k it's doing alright in my book

[Craig the Princess]

This was the personal import of one "Sir Vivian Richards" (Owzat?!) but that may mean nada to you autoshiters

 

My dad would be all over this

[Bren]

I have known of problems with head gaskets - apparently one of those things that after repair the car is never quite the same.

 

I think VW stuff is generally over rated.

[ruffgeezer]

That particular family of engines is shit, we had a Ibiza come in with a knackered one (they suffer from oil consumption) and it took us a long time to find a replacement because of the high demand/ amount of shitters in the scrap yard because the engine is knackered.

[scaryoldcortina]

My daughter has a 1.0 8v 6N polo that takes endless abuse without complaining.

[lovejoy]

hmmm, thanks guys - now I see why I was told most times they don't rebuild this particular block,

I am trying to get the guy here who wants to get it up'n'running again the requisite parts, and they are NOT cheap !!

GSF + Europarts don't come up with much, seems VW is the only way to go - will keep y'all posted

[mk1_4dr]

Ive had first hand experience of 6n's. A 1lt and two 1200s.

They seem like nice cars, chunky/well built feel inside but all 3 had issues with the pedalboxes and ate clutch cables for fun.

 

I have no experience opening the engines up, I always just assumed it'd be easier/cheaper to chuck another lump in....

[Rod/b]

We had a MY2000 Seat Leon 1.4 and, assuming it's the same engine, then I've got first hand experience of the problems they throw up. They're actually pretty nice engines when they're working, but:

 

Cambelt tensioners - fall apart after 20-25k. Two failed. Luckily both times we heard the cambelt hitting the cover and stopped sharpish with no harm done, although one time it involved getting the car towed home from Aberystwyth to Hertfordshire at 11.30pm.

 

Water pumps - Crappy design. Plastic impeller falls off the spindle / disintegrates rather too readily. Aftermarket german versions with metal impellers are better, but the bearings went on the one we had fitted.

 

Re the comment above about piston rings. At about 100k ours started to use a lot of oil and ended up running badly when the lambda sensor got coated in burnt white shite. Fortunately* we never had to do anything about it as the car was written off quite spectacularly one evening.

[cobblers]

Regards the engines - I had one in a lupo. It used stacks of oil but ignoring that it was a really nice powerplant. 75bhp but a really nice torque curve and dead good on fuel. In the lupo I used to get 50MPG on a run.

 

There is some nonesense about how you can't split the block on them to get the crank out without buggering up the alignment, hence nobody sticks a new set of rings in when they are prematurely worn.

 

I put a full engine in, which was about £450 and actually quite a straightforward job.

[Felly Magic]

Finding a decent 2nd hand Polo 'valver' engine can be tricky, as it is a crap engine in the first place & most cars in breakers will be there for shagged engines. That gen of Polo has to be one of the worst made by VW, and every one I see is covered in rampant acne. I'd frag it to be honest, as that is all they are fit for.

[red5]

1.4's suffered with piston slap - even the traders avoided a noisy one when we took them in. 1.0 is ace, 1.9D is ridiculously good.

[Pete-M]

I got one running for a chap in work last week. He had an expensive replacement engine fitted to it a year or so ago, this time the hall sensor in the distributor had gone down. Replaced that and got it running. Only to discover it's pissing coolant from between the head and block, rattling like a bastard and the sills have had more plates than a greek wedding.

 

He's skint, so it's gonna be used until it dies. I give it three weeks.

[Felly Magic]

I got one running for a chap in work last week.

He's skint, so it's gonna be used until it dies. I give it three weeks.

 

As long as that?

[RichL]

I read this yesterday with some interest. I always thought the 16 valver was a bit of a dog and you would be better off with a dizzler. Anyway, I went out this afternoon to buy a paper and get a pint (day off work ) and this Polo comes past as I am crossing the road and I have never seen so much blue smoke following a car for years. All i know is it was a petrol and a base spec (poss 8 valver?) on an 04 plate.

[Rod/b]

VAG SHIT

[kinkersaab]

VAG SHIT

 

x2

[Guest]

Iv had 2 of these in my time . 1st 1 been an N plate 1.0 that was absolutely gutless . 2nd been a p reg 1.4 that 1st died on me due to the coil pack giving in in kingslynn a good 100+ miles from home , then it blew the diff to pieces whilst doing a j-turn in the carboot sale carpark resulting in a scrapyard box been fitted, then a few months later the gear linkages / leaver giving up the ghost and falling to bits at tamworth services leaving me no option but to bodge and driving home with no 2nd or 4th gear

 

another thing commen with these are ideling issues that cause it to stall at traffic lights and such leaving you looking like your average splitarse

 

fun cars the 1.4 id have another anyday if the price was cheap enough

[Pete-M]

I always thought the 16 valver was a bit of a dog .

 

The Polo 1.4 16v was a grin. I had a company one when they were new as I was unfortunate enough to be a VW sales droid. Only 100 bhp but a good laugh to drive and not that slow. One of those little cars that always seems to goad you into going faster.

 

The Polo 1.6 8v was probably the best one to use as a daily. A bit shit on fuel for a small car (it's the weight...) but nicely torquey and went quite well. Not quick, but not bad.

[lovejoy]

Pete - you're about the only guy who has said something good about them !! I am waiting for the local chap, who hopes to get this running again, to read all these replies - it may well put him off completely, but somehow I doubt it ! The availability of parts / engines /to swap etc. out here is ZERO, which is why I can see a nice little earner here.... don't ask... but I do it for my 3 cars all the time.

He is one of two guys on the island who purport to be VW specialists... (but can't get any spares !!!) but his bodywork skills are excellent.

 

The other guy whistles off up to Puerto Rico to bring back VW parts, rips you off on prices back here, but can only get USA / Mexican spec stuff,

which in this case is of no help ( no Polo mints in USA )

[Pete-M]

Pete - you're about the only guy who has said something good about them !!

 

I'm only saying good things about the 1.6 8v and the 1.4 16v.... the rest are miserable little things.

[kinkersaab]

Pete - you're about the only guy who has said something good about them !!

 

I'm only saying good things about the 1.6 8v and the 1.4 16v.... the rest are miserable little things.and they're all driven by arseholes who main aspiration is to drive a golf next

 

E.F.A

[Akron]

1.6 8v is a fantastic engine very durable and long lasting, makes the wife's Felicia fly. 1.4 16v is an absolute dog though nice enough to drive (if you like revvy engines) but all the durability of a chocolate teapot.

The better 1.4 to have was the Skoda engine which was used in the Fabia only common issue is a rattly timing chain because of no tensioner .