Clio 197 low on power

[Brunoandrade98]

Hi all,

All of a sudden, my 197 seems a bit low on power. Almost like it doesn't want to rev as quickly.

The car is a late 2007 197 with 61k miles. Timing belt done 2k miles ago. I'll be changing the oil and filter next weekend, but they were both done just shy of 6 months ago. It does seem to burn a very small amount of oil, but nothing excessive by any means. From my last oil change, which was the first since I've owned the car, I haven't topped it up and it only slightly went down from the max level.

OBD scanner doesn't find any faults.

I know that this could be caused by a lot of things, but I was wondering what I should look at first. I'll appreciate any input.

Thanks in advance.

 

[burrellbloke]

Have you checked basic things like if the spark plugs look clean, if the coil packs are clean, no obvious exhaust leaks?

When does it seem that the power has been lost? Is it the upper rev range or mid range?

The oil is unlikely ot have any impact on the ability to rev, or to hit top power.

 

[DS197]

Also worth considering the possibility of a collapsed secondary cat.

 

[Brunoandrade98]

Have you checked basic things like if the spark plugs look clean, if the coil packs are clean, no obvious exhaust leaks?

When does it seem that the power has been lost? Is it the upper rev range or mid range?

The oil is unlikely ot have any impact on the ability to rev, or to hit top power.

I figured if it was low on compression, I'd see oil consumption.

I haven't checked the plugs, but they are relatively "new". I changed them about 2k miles ago.

I'd say it's the lower rev range, but even the higher range seems hesitant.

I've not yet checked the coils, but will do later today. I'll also take the spark plugs out and take some pictures of their state.

 

[Brunoandrade98]

Also worth considering the possibility of a collapsed secondary cat.

Not a bad shout. I have noticed that it also sounds slightly different. It also pops slightly on gear changes, on occasion, especially when colder.

 

[Foxspeed]

checked lambda voltages.....could be a poor lambda sensor

 

[l33th3tr33]

Also worth considering the possibility of a collapsed secondary cat.

Is it worth swapping out for a sports cat if this is the case? Would that make it less likely to pass an emissions test if it was the only cat in the system?

 

[DS197]

Is it worth swapping out for a sports cat if this is the case? Would that make it less likely to pass an emissions test if it was the only cat in the system?

I’m not sure how true it is but I’ve read that the secondary cat is a 200 cell cat which is the same as a sports cat. The former can be picked up second hand for around £50 so I would personally go for that.

The car will definitely pass an MOT with only the primary cat in place and I believe pass with only the secondary cat in place if you have an aftermarket manifold.

 

[Brunoandrade98]

checked lambda voltages.....could be a poor lambda sensor

I can certainly do that. What voltage should I expect for a healthy sensor?