ocrp Posted September 8, 2005 Report Share Posted September 8, 2005 Just come back from holidays, and finally got to spend some time behind the wheel. That also means that all those little problems suddenly come to light. The car is a '98 Passat 1.8 20v SE, just clocked 100k and if anyone can offer any advice on these few issues, it would be much appreciated. a) When driving with the aircon running, there is a substantial loss of power (mainly on lower speeds i.e 0-40 mph). While there is always some loss of power to be expected on most standard cars, I don't expect it to be that bad. Is this normal, or does it indicate a fault. The aircon itself runs very nicely (if not a touch noisy under the bonnet). b) After long journeys, there is a small patch of oil under the engine the next morning (7-8 cm diameter). I check the oil level constantly, and it is ok. On my last service (non-dealer), they wrote on the schedule "various oil leaks, require steam clean". Is it worth checking this out, or should I take no notice as long as its only small leaks? c) One morning I noticed condensation inside the o/s indicator glass. On closer inspection, it seems there's a 1 cm-deep pool of water sloshing around. It eventually drained out. How does this come about, and is a big job to repair? It looks like I need to remove the headlamp to access the indicator. Thats it for now.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted September 9, 2005 Report Share Posted September 9, 2005 a) This could be a sign of your MAF sensor (a.k.a. Air Mass Meter) going. Do you have any other intermittent performance problems? The MAF sensor is about £75 to replace, plus labour, although it is a 10 minute DIY job. b) Definitely get it checked out - get the car cleaned underneath. It may be minor, but it won't always be your engine oil - it could be the power steering oil, aircon fluid or even brake fluid... 3) There is probably a pinhole crack in the indicator lens. You could try to find the pinhole and seal it, or just replace it with either a new indicator unit (you can't replace the lens as it is a sealed unit) or one from a breakers. HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrighthere Posted September 9, 2005 Report Share Posted September 9, 2005 I had the same problem with c) so I drilled a hole in it! It was like a waterfall. You can buy a second hand one from the breakers for £10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocrp Posted September 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2005 [ QUOTE ] a) This could be a sign of your MAF sensor (a.k.a. Air Mass Meter) going. Do you have any other intermittent performance problems? The MAF sensor is about £75 to replace, plus labour, although it is a 10 minute DIY job. [/ QUOTE ] Just replaced the MAF before holidays. Power was up with aircon off, but still not much difference with it running, so I'm assuming thats not the problem. Talking about intermittent performance problems, I forgot to mention in my post an additional issue that recently cropped up. Occasionally, when accelerating, the car starts to judder. I then need to lift off the gas slighlty in order to stop it. I'm not sure if this is misfiring, or the clutch slipping. [ QUOTE ] b) Definitely get it checked out - get the car cleaned underneath. It may be minor, but it won't always be your engine oil - it could be the power steering oil, aircon fluid or even brake fluid... HTH [/ QUOTE ] Its not the power steering fluid, cos I am constantly checking that as I had a loss a few months back and I am on the lookout for a leak, but that seems to be ok. My oil is quite dark by now as it hasn't been changed since January. None of the other fluids match that colour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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