Missing a beat and now no heat!

[Cookegan]

Don't think they are related but...?

53 1.8T Tourer

First problem, every now and then if you get a bit enthusiastic with the throttle the car misses / jerks and then recovers and revs normally all the way. Gentle throttle increase usually avoids the problem (but not always).

Second problem is no heat at all! First did this when the really cold stuff was happening and recovered after driving and was working OK for a couple of weeks. Now back again and annoying when the windscreen won't clear and it is b***** cold driving around. Having looked through the Forums a while today, I suspect an airlock, but not sure.

Oh, while I'm on, the clutch also squeaks, especially when cold and damp. Doesn't seem to be slipping as such, but I assume this won't get better on its own.

Any ideas most welcome.

Thanks in advance.
Dave

[Gman2]

The jerk upon rapid acceleration is quite common - culprit likely to be coil packs but also check the pipes connected to the turbo are attached etc. New OE coil packs "take offs" were available from Rimmers and are an easy diy job to replace.

If you have an airlock are you getting any gurgling on startup behind the dash? If so then you'll need to bleed the coolant and there's a "how to" on the forum. Why do you think it has an airlock - has it had any work done recently? If the car's not heating up the PRT may be duff - your's may have one being a late 2003 model. I had the same problem on the ZTT and they're available again from Rimmers for approx £35. If it's not getting to running temp within the first few miles it's a good bet that's the problem.

[Cookegan]

Thanks for the response. Excuse my ignorance, but what do the "coil packs" do? It is almost as if there is no firing for one cycle and then a recovery. There is no obvious back-firing nor other noises. The symptoms are very similar to those that were previously traced to a blocked / dirty fuel filter on my old Mazda. Car actually runs fine at almost any speed with a steady throttle, and you can still feel the turbo kick in above 3k :)

I do get some gurgling behind the dash, but usually on shut down rather than start up. The car has a long history of coolant loss, despite multiple garages stating there is no leak.

Regards

Dave

[chrissyboy]

yep i agree with what has been said , if driven slow the car dont jerk ,if you give it some the car jerks till you ease off and the car is all steady again ,would be the coil packs .. i also had a little problem where i got some jerking due to the tiny pipe on the turbo coming off and affected the waste gate .but with that i had a little whistle noise ...as to the gurgle ,you shouldt have any nosie ,you have trapped air in the system that neds to sorted asap....