Hi all,
I have a 1994 Golf Mk3, which has served me well since I bought it in 1998, except for one recurring problem. Nearly every year it seems to fail its MOT on the emissions test. So far I've had lambda sensors replaced and even a whole new catalytic converter, at a cost of hundreds.
After the cat was fitted about 3-4 years ago, the C02 emissions dropped from the failed level, to 0.00, which was great, I thouight all the problems would be solved. However, a couple of years on it started to get dangerously close to the limit again (0.30 is it?), and failed the first test and just scraped through on the second.
The car doesn't get used very much anymore as it's now a second car, so I figured giving it a good thrashing before taking it in for it's MOT might be a good idea last year. So I took it for a good drive immediately before dropping it off, and amazingly it passed.
The time of year comes around again, so I thought I'd do the same thing this year. It's only done 1,200 miles since the last MOT, so I figured it might be alright. However it spectacularly failed on emissions yet again, and was way over the limits. Mechanic couldn't tell me what the problem it was until he'd had a proper check over everything, so it's booked in again for Friday.
He said using some sort of engine cleaner to flush the system through might just do it, as I said there was no point spending much due to the age and mileage (120,000+) of the car.
Anyone know what the cause of the recurring problem could be, or anything I can do to resolve it? Could it be linked to the small amount of use it gets, or is it just a fault with the car?
Any help/advice is much appreciated.
Cheers
Mike
I have a 1994 Golf Mk3, which has served me well since I bought it in 1998, except for one recurring problem. Nearly every year it seems to fail its MOT on the emissions test. So far I've had lambda sensors replaced and even a whole new catalytic converter, at a cost of hundreds.
After the cat was fitted about 3-4 years ago, the C02 emissions dropped from the failed level, to 0.00, which was great, I thouight all the problems would be solved. However, a couple of years on it started to get dangerously close to the limit again (0.30 is it?), and failed the first test and just scraped through on the second.
The car doesn't get used very much anymore as it's now a second car, so I figured giving it a good thrashing before taking it in for it's MOT might be a good idea last year. So I took it for a good drive immediately before dropping it off, and amazingly it passed.
The time of year comes around again, so I thought I'd do the same thing this year. It's only done 1,200 miles since the last MOT, so I figured it might be alright. However it spectacularly failed on emissions yet again, and was way over the limits. Mechanic couldn't tell me what the problem it was until he'd had a proper check over everything, so it's booked in again for Friday.
He said using some sort of engine cleaner to flush the system through might just do it, as I said there was no point spending much due to the age and mileage (120,000+) of the car.
Anyone know what the cause of the recurring problem could be, or anything I can do to resolve it? Could it be linked to the small amount of use it gets, or is it just a fault with the car?
Any help/advice is much appreciated.
Cheers
Mike
