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Shuddering/Loss of Power

63K views 67 replies 27 participants last post by  peterpoultney1951 
#1 ·
Evening,

I am a long time lurker after buying a Flair 110 Petrol in November 2015, and been very appreciative of the helpful tips from this friendly community. I have been thoroughly enjoying my Cactus since then without any problems at all (apart from needing to replace the wipers!).

However tonight I was accelerating fairly hard from a 40mph zone to 70mph and the car wasn't having it: it shuddered a few times and there was a distinct loss of power. My wife was in the car and said that had started happening to her fairly recently but occurred quite regularly. It feels like the turbo is struggling to add any boost or that the engine is being throttled in some way; its difficult to describe. The car otherwise functions completely normally.

I found a post here that seems similar (http://www.cactusforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1103) but there seemed to be no resolution, and most folk were referring to their diesel car. Has anyone else experienced this in the petrol 110, or have any theories as to whats going on? It was just serviced about a month ago with an oil and oil filter change, could it be something to do with that given that the oil cools the turbo?

Thanks again for all the helpful info!
 
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#52 ·
Cactusboy said:
My main issue is the occasional cutting out, yes it's irritating and totally random and could cause you to lose power at a critical moment BUT as those with "stop/start" will know when it cuts out the power steering does too!!!!
I don't follow this - your quote above is; "My main issue is the occasional cutting out, yes it's irritating and totally random..."

And yet you wrote on 7th July "it only happens immediately after changing gear, 3rd to 4th to 5th etc "

I can't reconcile your words "totally random" with "it only happens after changing gear...".

Is it the heat?

And BTW from previous threads/postings I have been under the impression that Paully's issue is to do with the ECO mode stopping the engine at the wrong moment.
 
#53 ·
davew said:
[

And BTW from previous threads/postings I have been under the impression that Paully's issue is to do with the ECO mode stopping the engine at the wrong moment.
Sympathising with Cactusboy actually...Doesnt matter why it just `conks`, its disconcerting and sometimes quite dangerous when it does. If yours doesn`t be grateful..
 
#54 ·
"My main issue is the occasional cutting out, yes it's irritating and totally random and could cause you to lose power at a critical moment BUT as those with "stop/start" will know when it cuts out the power steering does too!!!!"
Posted by Cactusboy - Sun Jul 08, 2018 5:05 pm

My Cactus is the first car I have driven where I haven't lost the power steering when the engine was stationary. Especially when freewheeling with the engine turned off did I still have full power steering. Before anyone criticises me, I know this isn't advisable as it affects the braking system.
 
#56 ·
davew said:
Cactusboy said:
My main issue is the occasional cutting out, yes it's irritating and totally random and could cause you to lose power at a critical moment BUT as those with "stop/start" will know when it cuts out the power steering does too!!!!
I don't follow this - your quote above is; "My main issue is the occasional cutting out, yes it's irritating and totally random..."

And yet you wrote on 7th July "it only happens immediately after changing gear, 3rd to 4th to 5th etc "

I can't reconcile your words "totally random" with "it only happens after changing gear...".

Is it the heat?

And BTW from previous threads/postings I have been under the impression that Paully's issue is to do with the ECO mode stopping the engine at the wrong moment.
It happens randomly immediately after completing a gear change, I can't explain it any better.

Just for info it's not happened recently, but there might have been a slight trace of it today...
 
#58 ·
Hi everyone,
I seem to be having the same issue, though I'm with BlueHDi 100 S&S ETG6.
I just had the car checked at the local Citroen, but they have no idea what it might be. They also said any issues with the spark plugs would cause an error message, but the diagnostics came out clean. In any case, the issue with the spark plugs might not even be relevant for the diesel engines.
Has anyone found what might be causing it?
 
#59 ·
Have read through all posts on this issue because my C4 Cactus 1.2 Puretech Feel (110PS) shudders on speedy acceleration in 5th gear and usually around 100 KPH. Used a petrol engine cleaner like Cataclean but made no difference. Assume that there is no solution found and that we just have to grin and bear it. Only hope it never leaves me hung out to dry when overtaking.
 
#60 ·
Greetings from Bulgaria, fellow Cactus owners. I bought a 2016 Cactus with 110 PureTech engine and so far I absolutely love the car (coming from an old C4 Coupe). Sadly, it also has this shuddering/loss of power/engine misfire issue when accelerating fast.

I still have about 2.5 years of warranty so I'll be leaving the car in the local dealer's repair shop soon; however, reading this topic, I'm afraid technicians here wouldn't really know how to fix this issue :/ Fuel/oil in my country is notoriously bad, that's a real problem for some delicate French engines...

Anyway, I was doing some tests recently and here's what I found (may be applicable to your 110 PureTech cars too?):

- Turning OFF the stop/start system (ECO mode) seems to reduce the times this loss of power occurs significantly - but it still happens.
- The loss of power can happen in any gear, the only thing in common seems to be a more aggressive push on the throttle.
- I can hear a metallic rattling most of the times this happens, and on some occasions it may happen twice when accelerating in 5th gear.

Can anyone check if driving with ECO mode off actually helps? I know it's not really even a "workaround", but that may still be a clue. I'll update you after I get my car from the dealer in the near future and what they think about the issue.
 
#61 ·
The 'metallic rattling' suggests pinking, which means either the plugs are faulty (happens a lot with modern engines) or the timing is out?
 
#62 ·
srperry said:
The 'metallic rattling' suggests pinking, which means either the plugs are faulty (happens a lot with modern engines) or the timing is out?
Also can be attributed to the fuel having too low an octane rating than is required for the high internal pressure in the cylinders, particularly relevant for engines having turbo boost. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_knocking
 
#63 ·
Just wondered if the recent recall re the timing belt would have anything to do with the stutter/loss of power that sometimes occurs under sharp acceleration? Seems it only occurs in the turbo equipped models. I looked at my timing belt yesterday after booking in for service and recall and saw that the edges are frayed. Anyone else got his??? Mine is a 2016 110 with 38k on it.


 
#65 ·
Just wondered if the recent recall re the timing belt would have anything to do with the stutter/loss of power that sometimes occurs under sharp acceleration? Seems it only occurs in the turbo equipped models. I looked at my timing belt yesterday after booking in for service and recall and saw that the edges are frayed. Anyone else got his??? Mine is a 2016 110 with 38k on it.


we had our cambelt replaced and engine overhauled and still get the loss of power. The workshop cannot find the problem. It's been back multiple times.
 
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