1.2i merit plus

[Adamski23]

Hey, i dunno much about cars, so you'll have to forgive my arrogance:roll:

Neway i have a 1.2i Merit Plus (K), and i its really slow. It tops out at about 85-90 which is really pathetic. Is this normal for a completly standard 1.2i?
I have read Aragorn post about modding the 1.2i and have learnt that the injection is slower than the carb, fair enuf but 85mph tops, surely not.

I was hoping someone could tell me if this is right for the standard engine, or is that too low? Im getting seriously pissed of getting whipped by my mates f**king 1.1 rover metro!!!:mad:

Also one other thing, the car (according to the guage) is always running hot after 10-15mins, always in the top 3/4s. I have checked the radiator, the fan and changed the thermostat yet it still runs hot. Im even considering changing the gauge now, ne suggestions? :confused:

Thanks.

[Stuart]

sounds like your head gasket is on its way out casuing a loss in power and the high temps.

is there "mayonaise" in the oil cap after a longerish run? and is the coolant oily? if either are true then youve got a shagged head gasket. easy job (well i say easy, its more time consuming) and a fast way to learn how to fix your car.

[Adamski23]

nope, checked that today, i did all the plugs, distributor, air filter and tried to clean the injector, need to get sum redex or something. The oil is fine, well could do with a change. As for the coolant thats fine too. I hadnt considered the head gasket but that seems fine. ne other ideas?

thanks

[Stuart]

hmmmm it runs hot and well down on power ...

are the coolant hoses hard when you stop after driving?

[Adamski23]

hmmmm it runs hot and well down on power ...

are the coolant hoses hard when you stop after driving?

Erm, tbh mate ive never looked lol. I will have a look next time i drive, probs saturday if i remember, if so what could this mean?

cheers for your help

[Stuart]

i can almost garuntee that if its that down on power, and running hot then the headgasket is gone/going.... the hard pipes will show if the coolant is getting over pressurised by a leakin HG-coolant passage

[Adamski23]

ok well i will check that. I jsut been reading else where that the overheating could be due to the water pump, do you think thats worth checking? could that cause the overheating if thats not working properly?

[Stuart]

oh you'd know if the water pump was shagged ;) they usually fail siezed lol

[Adamski23]

Lol fair enough mate, u obviously know more about this than i do. Does 85 flat out seem slow to you? its seems ****ing slow to me? I wasnt sure if thats normal, just wanted to ask if that is or if it is indeed underpowered.

[Welsh Dan]

Given a long enough road I can get my 1.2 carb to read over a ton, but when you take into account the 'accuracy' of Nova speedometers, I'm probably doing a figure nearer 40 lol.

85 could be about right depending on the mileage the engine has done, any bodykits/spoilers and the quality of the fuel you're sticking in it. I'm usually more concerned with reaching 70 uphill than anything faster on the flat.

[novabex]

Mines a 1.2 carb and it does 100... lol

On a private road of course.

[LUV2XLR8]

i had the same engine, i got 110 out of it (down hill) lol
if your after more speed try a different box maybe ?
im putting an f10 on my 1.4sr

[Adam]

The limits 70 anyway, so wheres the problem? Lol

Does sound like headgasket going, pump is probably fine if your not hearing a bad grinding, and the cambelt is still on,Lol.

[hendrix]

my 1.2i nova which had a hard life only did about 85ish flat out. was poo! could maybe get to over 90 on a back wind lol

[craig green]

Mine will wind up to an indicated 110. Thats really holding out with little regard for the screaming astmhatic lump.

1200s feel 'stiff' & underpowered anyway in my experience. Horrible engines, but tough & quite torquey considering there size.

[Matt2107]

You could also try sniffing the header tank for exhaust fumes after a fair run of the engine but be extra careful when you take the cap off as its under pressure and maybe be hot etc.

[craig green]

You could also try sniffing the header tank for exhaust fumes after a fair run of the engine but be extra careful when you take the cap off as its under pressure and maybe be hot etc.

Thats not really a good method. Its hard to smell it sometimes over the aroma of stale antifreeze.

Its worth loosening the cap when the car is fully cooled & see if its pressurised then or look & see if the plugs are wet, again when cold.

Probably be losing coolant which is often the 1st indication or reason for suspicion. Perhaps the timing is out, hence down on power?

[Adam]

A "tweaked" 1200 SPI, will reach the rev limiter in 4th, which is an actual 110 ish mph TRUE speed.

[Riggy]

lol ad i wonder who found that out lol

[Riggy]

i had the same engine, i got 110 out of it (down hill) lol
if your after more speed try a different box maybe ?
im putting an f10 on my 1.4sr


1.4sr's had an f10 anyway fella :thumb:

[Adam]

lol ad i wonder who found that out lol
So i've heard anyway :p:p lol

[LUV2XLR8]

thought the 1.4 sr's were 5 speed?
this is off an astra stage car, good knows what the internals are like. :S

[Philsutton]

hmmmm it runs hot and well down on power ...


its a 1.2i, it was down on power when it came out the factory lol, to be honest a 1.2i is only going to achieve 80-90ish anyway.

Also the 1.2 carb had about 10bhp more than the spi one so hence why you can get 400mph out of it or what ever speed you claim to have had it at lol

[Adamski23]

well i bought the car off my brother, when he owned it he reckoned it cud do a tonne (then he ses a lot of things). I checked the air filter again today, theres a thick tube that runs to the bottom of the ar filter,i dont know wht its for, but its was clogged with this thick yellowy paste. what is this pipe for, is it a breather or sumthing to do with fuel? Anyway i cleaned it all out and it hasnt made a **** of difference so.....

[Adam]

Its something to do with vacuum that pipe is.
I just blocked both of mine off.

[Stuart]

the thick pipe is the crank breather... you erm need it o prevent the crank case from being in positive pressure which can blow all kinds of seals and/or prevent oil from getting round correctly ;)

just clean it out and try again

[Adam]

Oooo, i thought he was referring to the small vacuum tubes on the SPi throttle body.
Lol