Hi, hope someone can help...
I've had my Punto (Mk2 1.2 16v Sporting) for nearly four years and have done
65,000 mainly careful miles with regular dealer servicing. I've had no problems before but recently the engine has been behaving oddly.The problem started with difficulty pulling at low revs in high gears and has gradually got worse. This is manifested as a kind of knocking surge. Now as well as that problem the car struggles to accelerate when I floor it. The engine labours up to about 4000 revs and it feels as though the powerplant is not responding to the accelerator. When I hit 4000 it pulls forward as normal, this does not seem to happen if I accelerate slowly and progressively. The problem seems to get worse as the engine warms up.
I steer clear of supermarket fuel and tried a bottle of injection cleaner which made NO difference. The only other symptom is the idling which fluctuates between 1200 and 500 in a kind of "rumbly" way.
I'm no mechanic so the car will have to go in but I don't want to look like a numpty and get scammed. I'd appreciate it if someone could make some suggestions to highlight the problem and maybe give an indication of a reasonable cost.
Thanks in advance
Ben