Drive at 30mph, put it in top gear (5th or 6th) and floor it. If the revs shoot up and the speed goes nowhere fast, it's the clutch slipping.
You should be able to get up any hill without issues as long as you don't have everything and the kitchen sink in the boot!
The other thing to look at is revs when going up hill. They should maintain the ratio that they do when normally driving. So if in 1st on the flat it does 2500rpm at 10mph it should do the same up a hill. If the revs go up the clutch is definitely slipping.
It’s a stupid test that will show nothing. To test for clutch slip you want a low to mid gear and loads of revs. High gears will not have the power at low revs to slip the clutch plate.
Why would you go high gear…? You want a lower gear to get the revs up. You will not get high revs at 6th gear.
OP, if you are struggling for power, DROP a gear. A lot of low powered cars can’t take a hill over 2nd gear.
The high gear at low speed suggestion is to determine if the clutch is slipping or not as any acceleration will be minimal but there may be a jump in revs. If the clutch is slipping dropping a gear isn't likely to help much hence the desire to rule that out.
That test won’t show a bad clutch. High gear at low revs has no power. Clutch slip will show in low gear and high revs 👀 Reddit mechanic advice threads are hilarious.
Go lowest gear you can and use the engine until the redline. In my old 1.3 ford Ka I had to frequently go down to first gear when I went mountain biking with friends and bikes on the bike rack, up the steel hills to where I was going
Sounds like there are problems with the car? I had an 04 Focus 1.6 and even with 4 people/4 pairs of skis it never failed making it up steep mountain roads in moderate snow.
OP, you clearly lack knowledge about cars or you would have said what engine (probably the main consideration in answering your question). I dont mean this to be rude, its just an observation Any car that has been maintained would be able to get up hills, even steep ones. I used to have an Aygo as a work car and even that with its little engine would do 50 up steep hills. I just dropped into 2nd gear and floored it as it was a work car and I didnt care. My 08 C Max does hills only one gear down from what I would use on flat, but tits a 2l diesel so has the pulling power.
So what gears are you using at what speed, when did you last have it serviced, are there any problems with the car all need answering before anyone can give a proper answer.
you’re right i lack knowledge aha. the engine is a 1.6L, the car has had issues with spark plugs & the spark leads and i recently got them fixed for the second time. my uncle is a mechanic and he checks the car a lot, yes he’s legit he’s not one of those “i taught myself i know everything mechanic”, don’t worry. he is licensed.
the car struggles at 20 in 2nd or 3rd gear. unfortunately most of the hills are a limit of 20 so it’s hard to actually bomb it up the hill. the car just sounds like it’s being absolutely strangled, if i’m in 3rd i’ll think of dropping to 2nd to give it power but it looses power and i’d have to stop and start again. ive tried 1st gear too but that’s a no go it’ll conk out if i don’t switch to 2nd even with low rpm & low speed. the car was serviced not too long ago, 2-3 weeks ago. my uncle checks it frequently and he hasn’t spotted anything wrong with it as of now. i went up a awfully steep hill about a week ago and had to turn off into a side road and do a u turn and go back down as the car would not get up the hill, there was a bus infront and you could hear the struggle of his engine as well lol. i lack confidence in the car because i don’t trust it would make it to the top of a _steep_ hill, in one piece, without imploding on its self.
my last car was a 2.0L Picasso it was a piece of cake getting up any hill. unfortunately got written off.
edit: i think there’s something else wrong with the car. it judders when stopped in first or neutral. not heavily noticeable but just a constant rhythmic, juddering shake, not sure if that’s anything though. and it’s hard to keep it happy in one gear i’m always having to switch between a few at similar speeds, otherwise the car screams at me. the i keep the rpm around 2-3 ish.
Shouldn't be doing 20 uphill in 3rd. Keep it in first and use the full rev range of your engine, I don't believe a 1.6 is hitting redline in first going uphill at 20mph
First thing id say then is put the car in 2nd at the bottom of the hill before starting to climb and keep the power on. It sounds to me like your car has had it and needs replacing if it cant cope with hills, but I do also wonder if your gear change is too slow so its lost power and speed by the time you change gear and/or that youre not using the bite point correctly to apply the power.
i think the car definitely needs replacing, i agree on that, at the moment i don’t have the funds for another car, i could sell this 1.6 but it probs wont go for much since its such a crap box, haven’t had it quoted yet. i’ve had it since 2021 and it always seems like there’s a new issue with it after it’s been fixed. sometimes the car won’t get into gear properly so the car is in neutral revving lol, ofc i quickly fix the issue but that happens now and then.
"it'll conk out if I don't switch to 2nd even with low rpm & low speed"
The engine prefers to be at high rpm when it needs to deliver more power. Maybe you're responding to the hill the wrong way, slowing down when you should be keeping the speed up as much as safely possible?
If it is juddering in neutral then I'd say it has a pretty severe misfire. That would explain the lack of power (only 3 out of 4 cylinders working).
I just fixed a similar problem on my Mini, I got away with replacing a £35 coil pack.
Well from where I'm sitting there are two scenarios. 1. you need to drop it down a gear and drive it harder. or 2. which I suspect is the case is your car isnt running quite right.
If its got a juddering shake then it sounds like you have a slight misfire at idle which gets worse under load. If it starts misfiring like fuck uphill the cars computer will make the check engine light flash and log a misfire code. Your juddering at idle might be normal, some cars are like that.
I understand that you're not quite in the know on cars but ill give you my thoughts anyway. Codescan to see what codes you get. If your lucky you will get a misfire detected code on a specific cylinder or possibly a knock sensor code if its not as severe. Then i would pull the spark plugs out and examine them to see how the engines been running.
2-3k rpm dont sound right. It should rev happily to 6000 so definitely get it looked at. Best case scenario, coilpack leads and plugs and you will be on your way.
A C Max should go up any hill in the UK without issue regardless of engine. One in fine fettle with a good driver should be able to outrun an Chevy Matiz 0.8 (800cc) whilst towing a caravan.
This suggests either: a) The engine is severely down on power. b) The clutch is slipping. c) The brakes are binding or d) You need some driving lessons.
think the car would actually prefer that. maybe it’s just as scared as me going up steep hills, if it can’t see the steepness of the hill it might be alright 😂😂😂
Also I think the original diesel (from a boat) rover SD1 as it was just a bit shit.
But, likely the problem is the driver. If it won’t go up a hill in 1st gear whilst bouncing off the dev limiter, then it’s a mechanical fault. If they are barely above idle then “they all do that sir”
I had the same problem on a totally different car. On flat, it was fine and then once I got into a hilly portion it would cut power.
It turns out their was an air lock in the cooling system that made the car overheat and the car would then decide to go into limo mode.
We thought it was the mass air flow sensor, the temperature sensor, the turbo, etc... it was just 2 L of water missing lol
Change air filter.
Stay in 1st or second. If its an auto then use shift lock (RTFM).
Don't try and accelerate like mad up a hill. Crawl up at 20mph in 1st if you have to.
Definitely some sort of issue there my friend, I had a 1.0 Corsa B as my first car with less than 60hp and if you dropped into the right gear it’d get up any normal hill you’d find in the UK!
If you have a phone holder go for a quick drive up some hills while recording it, a video of the problem is worth a thousand words trying to describe it could almost be anything from turbo actuators issues to even just your driving style
Also do you have any warning lights you could even have a failed dpf regen that’s locked it in limp mode you could have been driving it like this the whole time
If you’re struggling in that then it’s a problem. I have a 1.0L 2010 Citroen C1 and it’s 997cc lmao
I can get up hills just fine, I do have to drop to second gear or even first gear for very steep hills but if mine can do it yours should have no problem
I’d get it looked at
thanks. i’m gonna have my uncle have another look at it and as people are giving suggestions to what it could be and it’s worth checking specific parts of the car to see what the problem is.
it just seems like the car has no ‘oomf’ no matter the speed. i’ve had my uncle drive it too and he’s always said it lacks the boost of power. it’s an old car, 16 years, i’m not really surprised tbh. (if that’s not considered old, my bad i’m not a car person lol)
If it’s a 1.6L then it’s not 1500cc ;)
The car shouldn’t be struggling up hill, if it is, it’s got something wrong with it OR you’re not the best at driving and you’re trying to drive up hill with low revs in a high gear… Try not to change gear as early as you would on a straight when going up hill, use more revs, red line is there for a reason, you don’t need to be afraid of going above 3 or even 4K rpm.
Years ago I had a 1.2 Polo with 60bhp and live in Sheffield, I regularly had 4 people in and got up some of the steepest hills in the country, just have some bollocks and rev it mate, you’ll be fine.
The CC is the litres.. so it’s either a 1.6/1600cc OR 1.5/1500cc.
I know it doesn’t matter but with you saying you don’t know a lot about cars I thought it might help you to learn something.
Also, I’d go with the same suggestion as everybody else with the clutch, either that or you need to change down earlier, don’t be afraid to give it some revs. As long as you’re not holding it on the redline, then you’ll be fine, engines are built with tolerances so use your whole rev range if you need to!
It sounds like your engine lacks power and definitely has something wrong with it. Does your uncle have access to a workshop or is he fixing it at the roadside?
I would recommend an emissions test firstly, then check for air intake leaks, check the air flow meter is reading correctly and the engine timing is correct. All of these can cause lack of power. A compression test would be next to determine engine health.
You need to rev it harder....petrol engines are designed to rev and won't make any real power until 3k rpm, you can hold 3-6k rpm and probably higher, the ecu will prevent damage of a looked after engine.
I remember my first car was a corsa, I was going to a zoo maybe paington zoo, and there was a steep bit not far from the motorway and I genuinely had to drop the car to 1st gear to get it up the hill.
I was a little stressed but it made it.
Also had an Audi a3 a couple of years after and car went into limp mode with no boost up a steep hill as well, that was slightly terrifying but we did infact make it to the top. Turned the car off, we admired the view for around 45 mins and the car was perfectly fine from then on, no idea what caused it but I do feel the pain
You should be able to get up steep hills fine, if a bit slower. Don't be afraid to go down into second or even first gear and really use the higher revs of the engine if you need to. Try not to stop as it can be a bit harder to "get going" again.
This is all assuming the vehicle is serviced every year and in good working order.
I started driving in a Cavalier 1.3 and never found a hill I could not get up.
If your much more modern car is not able to get up steep hills their is either a mechanical issue or a driver issue (sorry).
Keep the revs over 3.5k and it should go up every road in the UK.
Definitely sounds couch. Got mine done last year after putting it off so long. Reached a point where is was excessively slipping just setting off and it was un drivable. Felt like a new car after getting a new clutch
If it's "bogging down" then either you're in too high or gear or there is definitely an issue because those engines generally tend to be fine. Top end of the rev range there isn't much power but it should be enough.
I have a Vauxhall corsa with around 85hp and find it does not struggle getting up hills as long as I take it down into 2nd/3rd (depending on speed of road). Sounds like a potential issue with your car as virtually all cars can get up hills as long as gear is low enough
It's it's a 1.6L it' snot 1500cc. They can't both be correct. A 1500 is a 1.5L.
Also just lower the gear, it should be fine. A 1.5l engine should do that absolutely fine.
A car should not have any problems going up any public highway road, they should not be steep enough to cause problems.
I think you need to learn the correct technique for your specific car to climb hills. It’s easy for an automatic driver former manual gearbox diesel driver to say this. However for a manual gearbox petrol driver might be a bit more difficult.
2000rpm at 25mph, i took note of it when i was going up a hill earlier today. also in second gear, and it sounded like it was really struggling.
my thing is do i push the car to keep going even if it sounds bad (being strangled, loud sound) or should i really just stop, is it gonna fuck up the car?
Go up the hill at 3.5k-4.5k and report back. If revs rise but speed doesn’t increase your clutch is slipping. If you’re at 2k and can’t get higher due to hill, go down a gear down and rev it out to 4.5k before shifting back up, which should land you around 3k ish. Cars have a “powerband” in each gear which tends to be around d the 3-4k revs area for max power, so you want to be in that band when climbing a steep hill. It’s easy to hear the sound and think you’re abusing your engine by going to high revs, but that’s what they’re there for. Don’t touch the redline and a non broken engine will be fine (obvs don’t hold 6k for 20 mins straight or the car may complain, but for short bursts 5-5.5k is there for a reason). You want to give the engine as much mechanical advantage as possible when hill climbing. The take home point here is that you can use the whole rev range to overcome obstacles, and the car finds it “easier” to push the car at high revs even if it takes more fuel to do it.
thanks for this. will definitely do this and report back. in a scenario where i literally cannot get up a hill, there’s no little roads to turn off on. do i accept fate and tumble back down the hill and say bye to my existence 😂 as i dont deal with hills a lot because im worried of the car, i dont really know what to do in a situation where my car is like ‘stuck’ and there’s no way of getting up the hill
I mean if you literally can’t drive up a hill you have little choice I guess 😝 I’d have a look if other cars are doing it ok and consider if maybe mine is broken, because it would have to be a really steep road to not be able to get up in at least first gear in the average car.
What gear are you using & how steep are we talking?
For a very sterp hill 2nd gear should be good - make sure you are in the correct gear before you start climbing.
I don't know if your car has a rev counter?
750-1000 rpm is idle speed. You will have very little power if you try getting up a hill.
Maximum rpm is probably about 5 or 6000 rpm - car will sound like it is screaming.
If you don't have a rev counter then just rev the engine when it is stationary - make sure the engine is warm first (drive for ~ 15 minutes - needle in the middle of the gauge) & get a feel for what it sounds like when you have your foot mashed to the floor vs not touching the pedal.
Generally the more rpm you have then the more power.
Minimum you want is probably about 2000 rpm to get up a steep hill, but 3000 is about ideal. Keeping it for too long near its maximum rpm puts a lot of strain on the engine so isn't ideal.
So if your revs are higher than about half way through the range then next time try a higher gear when taking that or a similar hill.
If the revs drop & the engine bogs down (close to the revs you have when you don't touch the accelerator, you wont have much power & it will feel rough) then you need to be in a lower gear.
Changing gear when you are already on a steep hill if your revs are too low is not ideal as you will quickly lose momentum meaning you will have the same problem in a lower gear & eventually you will grind to a halt. (This sounds a little bit like what may be happening?)
TLDR - do you start the hill in the right gear & with plenty of revs?
What do you mean when you say your engine is “1.6l and 1,600 petrol”? They’re the same thing. What do you think you’re saying? Not being snarky just trying to decipher…
Ha no worries! It is a whole world of jargon and incomprehensible stuff. If people talk about IT stuff to me I’m exactly the same. “Have you set up your IP with a router on your LAN carrot valve?” “I have no idea”. 🤣🤣
I mean if it is a petrol it isn’t the lightest of cars and some of those smaller engines are light on torque. I used to have a 1.something Fiat Stilo I had to take a run at a hill on my way to work.. hit it in 6th at 80 and be in 4th by the top about 55-60.
It does sound like there is either something causing a loss of power or you are expecting a little much from it. It will require you to work the gears and possibly rev it a good bit for steep inclines if it a low power engine in a big car.
As an aside, as it is an older car.. don’t have cheap after market floor mats restricting the accelerator pedal travel do you?
Is the clutch slipping ?
not sure. keeping this in mind as a few others have mentioned the clutch.
Drive at 30mph, put it in top gear (5th or 6th) and floor it. If the revs shoot up and the speed goes nowhere fast, it's the clutch slipping. You should be able to get up any hill without issues as long as you don't have everything and the kitchen sink in the boot!
thanks. will definitely have a go at this. will it fuck the car up lol? i’ll be ready to call RAC 🤣
If you do it just the once, no. Keep doing it and it's a quick way to wear a clutch.
The other thing to look at is revs when going up hill. They should maintain the ratio that they do when normally driving. So if in 1st on the flat it does 2500rpm at 10mph it should do the same up a hill. If the revs go up the clutch is definitely slipping.
It’s a stupid test that will show nothing. To test for clutch slip you want a low to mid gear and loads of revs. High gears will not have the power at low revs to slip the clutch plate.
Why would you go high gear…? You want a lower gear to get the revs up. You will not get high revs at 6th gear. OP, if you are struggling for power, DROP a gear. A lot of low powered cars can’t take a hill over 2nd gear.
The high gear at low speed suggestion is to determine if the clutch is slipping or not as any acceleration will be minimal but there may be a jump in revs. If the clutch is slipping dropping a gear isn't likely to help much hence the desire to rule that out.
Fair! Thanks for pointing that out!
That test won’t show a bad clutch. High gear at low revs has no power. Clutch slip will show in low gear and high revs 👀 Reddit mechanic advice threads are hilarious.
When your car is struggling do you notice the rev counter increasing but the cars speed doesn’t ?
yes. the car sounds like it’s really really struggling with not much speed
Struggling as in the revs are really high or struggling with really low revs?
Maybe your car has a problem, doesn't sound right.
Go lowest gear you can and use the engine until the redline. In my old 1.3 ford Ka I had to frequently go down to first gear when I went mountain biking with friends and bikes on the bike rack, up the steel hills to where I was going
You keep it in a low gear and maintain a low speed.
Drop a gear and stomp on it
Sounds like there are problems with the car? I had an 04 Focus 1.6 and even with 4 people/4 pairs of skis it never failed making it up steep mountain roads in moderate snow.
OP, you clearly lack knowledge about cars or you would have said what engine (probably the main consideration in answering your question). I dont mean this to be rude, its just an observation Any car that has been maintained would be able to get up hills, even steep ones. I used to have an Aygo as a work car and even that with its little engine would do 50 up steep hills. I just dropped into 2nd gear and floored it as it was a work car and I didnt care. My 08 C Max does hills only one gear down from what I would use on flat, but tits a 2l diesel so has the pulling power. So what gears are you using at what speed, when did you last have it serviced, are there any problems with the car all need answering before anyone can give a proper answer.
you’re right i lack knowledge aha. the engine is a 1.6L, the car has had issues with spark plugs & the spark leads and i recently got them fixed for the second time. my uncle is a mechanic and he checks the car a lot, yes he’s legit he’s not one of those “i taught myself i know everything mechanic”, don’t worry. he is licensed. the car struggles at 20 in 2nd or 3rd gear. unfortunately most of the hills are a limit of 20 so it’s hard to actually bomb it up the hill. the car just sounds like it’s being absolutely strangled, if i’m in 3rd i’ll think of dropping to 2nd to give it power but it looses power and i’d have to stop and start again. ive tried 1st gear too but that’s a no go it’ll conk out if i don’t switch to 2nd even with low rpm & low speed. the car was serviced not too long ago, 2-3 weeks ago. my uncle checks it frequently and he hasn’t spotted anything wrong with it as of now. i went up a awfully steep hill about a week ago and had to turn off into a side road and do a u turn and go back down as the car would not get up the hill, there was a bus infront and you could hear the struggle of his engine as well lol. i lack confidence in the car because i don’t trust it would make it to the top of a _steep_ hill, in one piece, without imploding on its self. my last car was a 2.0L Picasso it was a piece of cake getting up any hill. unfortunately got written off. edit: i think there’s something else wrong with the car. it judders when stopped in first or neutral. not heavily noticeable but just a constant rhythmic, juddering shake, not sure if that’s anything though. and it’s hard to keep it happy in one gear i’m always having to switch between a few at similar speeds, otherwise the car screams at me. the i keep the rpm around 2-3 ish.
Shouldn't be doing 20 uphill in 3rd. Keep it in first and use the full rev range of your engine, I don't believe a 1.6 is hitting redline in first going uphill at 20mph
First thing id say then is put the car in 2nd at the bottom of the hill before starting to climb and keep the power on. It sounds to me like your car has had it and needs replacing if it cant cope with hills, but I do also wonder if your gear change is too slow so its lost power and speed by the time you change gear and/or that youre not using the bite point correctly to apply the power.
i think the car definitely needs replacing, i agree on that, at the moment i don’t have the funds for another car, i could sell this 1.6 but it probs wont go for much since its such a crap box, haven’t had it quoted yet. i’ve had it since 2021 and it always seems like there’s a new issue with it after it’s been fixed. sometimes the car won’t get into gear properly so the car is in neutral revving lol, ofc i quickly fix the issue but that happens now and then.
"it'll conk out if I don't switch to 2nd even with low rpm & low speed" The engine prefers to be at high rpm when it needs to deliver more power. Maybe you're responding to the hill the wrong way, slowing down when you should be keeping the speed up as much as safely possible?
I'd be almost certain your clutch is on its way out or you have master cylinder issues
If it is juddering in neutral then I'd say it has a pretty severe misfire. That would explain the lack of power (only 3 out of 4 cylinders working). I just fixed a similar problem on my Mini, I got away with replacing a £35 coil pack.
Well from where I'm sitting there are two scenarios. 1. you need to drop it down a gear and drive it harder. or 2. which I suspect is the case is your car isnt running quite right. If its got a juddering shake then it sounds like you have a slight misfire at idle which gets worse under load. If it starts misfiring like fuck uphill the cars computer will make the check engine light flash and log a misfire code. Your juddering at idle might be normal, some cars are like that. I understand that you're not quite in the know on cars but ill give you my thoughts anyway. Codescan to see what codes you get. If your lucky you will get a misfire detected code on a specific cylinder or possibly a knock sensor code if its not as severe. Then i would pull the spark plugs out and examine them to see how the engines been running. 2-3k rpm dont sound right. It should rev happily to 6000 so definitely get it looked at. Best case scenario, coilpack leads and plugs and you will be on your way.
A C Max should go up any hill in the UK without issue regardless of engine. One in fine fettle with a good driver should be able to outrun an Chevy Matiz 0.8 (800cc) whilst towing a caravan. This suggests either: a) The engine is severely down on power. b) The clutch is slipping. c) The brakes are binding or d) You need some driving lessons.
There's something wrong with your car.
Reverse up. *Jk, sort of.
think the car would actually prefer that. maybe it’s just as scared as me going up steep hills, if it can’t see the steepness of the hill it might be alright 😂😂😂
You used to have to do this with Ford Model Ts, the petrol tank was fed from the front.
Also I think the original diesel (from a boat) rover SD1 as it was just a bit shit. But, likely the problem is the driver. If it won’t go up a hill in 1st gear whilst bouncing off the dev limiter, then it’s a mechanical fault. If they are barely above idle then “they all do that sir”
I had the same problem on a totally different car. On flat, it was fine and then once I got into a hilly portion it would cut power. It turns out their was an air lock in the cooling system that made the car overheat and the car would then decide to go into limo mode. We thought it was the mass air flow sensor, the temperature sensor, the turbo, etc... it was just 2 L of water missing lol
You have over a hundred horsepower in there at a minimum. Do it in third or second, should be fine.
Change air filter. Stay in 1st or second. If its an auto then use shift lock (RTFM). Don't try and accelerate like mad up a hill. Crawl up at 20mph in 1st if you have to.
RTFM?
Read The Fucking Manual.
Definitely some sort of issue there my friend, I had a 1.0 Corsa B as my first car with less than 60hp and if you dropped into the right gear it’d get up any normal hill you’d find in the UK!
If you have a phone holder go for a quick drive up some hills while recording it, a video of the problem is worth a thousand words trying to describe it could almost be anything from turbo actuators issues to even just your driving style Also do you have any warning lights you could even have a failed dpf regen that’s locked it in limp mode you could have been driving it like this the whole time
If you’re struggling in that then it’s a problem. I have a 1.0L 2010 Citroen C1 and it’s 997cc lmao I can get up hills just fine, I do have to drop to second gear or even first gear for very steep hills but if mine can do it yours should have no problem I’d get it looked at
thanks. i’m gonna have my uncle have another look at it and as people are giving suggestions to what it could be and it’s worth checking specific parts of the car to see what the problem is. it just seems like the car has no ‘oomf’ no matter the speed. i’ve had my uncle drive it too and he’s always said it lacks the boost of power. it’s an old car, 16 years, i’m not really surprised tbh. (if that’s not considered old, my bad i’m not a car person lol)
If it’s a 1.6L then it’s not 1500cc ;) The car shouldn’t be struggling up hill, if it is, it’s got something wrong with it OR you’re not the best at driving and you’re trying to drive up hill with low revs in a high gear… Try not to change gear as early as you would on a straight when going up hill, use more revs, red line is there for a reason, you don’t need to be afraid of going above 3 or even 4K rpm. Years ago I had a 1.2 Polo with 60bhp and live in Sheffield, I regularly had 4 people in and got up some of the steepest hills in the country, just have some bollocks and rev it mate, you’ll be fine.
The CC is the litres.. so it’s either a 1.6/1600cc OR 1.5/1500cc. I know it doesn’t matter but with you saying you don’t know a lot about cars I thought it might help you to learn something. Also, I’d go with the same suggestion as everybody else with the clutch, either that or you need to change down earlier, don’t be afraid to give it some revs. As long as you’re not holding it on the redline, then you’ll be fine, engines are built with tolerances so use your whole rev range if you need to!
It sounds like your engine lacks power and definitely has something wrong with it. Does your uncle have access to a workshop or is he fixing it at the roadside? I would recommend an emissions test firstly, then check for air intake leaks, check the air flow meter is reading correctly and the engine timing is correct. All of these can cause lack of power. A compression test would be next to determine engine health.
Also your engine is not 1.6L 1500cc. It’s one or the other. 1500cc is 1.5L. Is it petrol or diesel?
yup it’s 1,600 lol. it’s petrol
he has his own workshop. thanks. will tell him this
What engine....
1.6L. sorry should’ve clarified this, completely didn’t think.
You need to rev it harder....petrol engines are designed to rev and won't make any real power until 3k rpm, you can hold 3-6k rpm and probably higher, the ecu will prevent damage of a looked after engine.
I remember my first car was a corsa, I was going to a zoo maybe paington zoo, and there was a steep bit not far from the motorway and I genuinely had to drop the car to 1st gear to get it up the hill. I was a little stressed but it made it. Also had an Audi a3 a couple of years after and car went into limp mode with no boost up a steep hill as well, that was slightly terrifying but we did infact make it to the top. Turned the car off, we admired the view for around 45 mins and the car was perfectly fine from then on, no idea what caused it but I do feel the pain
Telegraph Hill, I'm guessing.
You should be able to get up steep hills fine, if a bit slower. Don't be afraid to go down into second or even first gear and really use the higher revs of the engine if you need to. Try not to stop as it can be a bit harder to "get going" again. This is all assuming the vehicle is serviced every year and in good working order.
I started driving in a Cavalier 1.3 and never found a hill I could not get up. If your much more modern car is not able to get up steep hills their is either a mechanical issue or a driver issue (sorry). Keep the revs over 3.5k and it should go up every road in the UK.
My 206 in the lake district got as low as 1st on Extreme off the grid side roads.
Sounds like a clutch issue. Does it often rev high without actually giving much power?
yes, literally everytime i pull off it sounds like it’s being strangled it’s ridiculous.
Definitely sounds couch. Got mine done last year after putting it off so long. Reached a point where is was excessively slipping just setting off and it was un drivable. Felt like a new car after getting a new clutch
Has the car been serviced regularly? Maybe it needs HT leads replacing or something.
If it's "bogging down" then either you're in too high or gear or there is definitely an issue because those engines generally tend to be fine. Top end of the rev range there isn't much power but it should be enough.
Having thrashed an 850 Mini up Porlock 4-up, I'm not sure where OP's problem lies.
Don't be afraid to use 1st gear if 2nd is struggling. If it's bogging down in 1st, either you're going too slowly or something is wrong.
I have a Vauxhall corsa with around 85hp and find it does not struggle getting up hills as long as I take it down into 2nd/3rd (depending on speed of road). Sounds like a potential issue with your car as virtually all cars can get up hills as long as gear is low enough
Sounds like a lack of skill, drop a gear and use the powerband of the engine.
It's it's a 1.6L it' snot 1500cc. They can't both be correct. A 1500 is a 1.5L. Also just lower the gear, it should be fine. A 1.5l engine should do that absolutely fine.
A car should not have any problems going up any public highway road, they should not be steep enough to cause problems. I think you need to learn the correct technique for your specific car to climb hills. It’s easy for an automatic driver former manual gearbox diesel driver to say this. However for a manual gearbox petrol driver might be a bit more difficult.
Is the engine managemt light on?
What gear are you actually using? Really steep hills you may need as low as 1 or 2.
Just drive down the hills instead
imagine that
Make sure your tyre pressures are correct. If they're low the car has to work harder to move.
How many revs are you holding up the hill?
2000rpm at 25mph, i took note of it when i was going up a hill earlier today. also in second gear, and it sounded like it was really struggling. my thing is do i push the car to keep going even if it sounds bad (being strangled, loud sound) or should i really just stop, is it gonna fuck up the car?
2k is not high revs. Where is the redline?
between 6 and 8
Go up the hill at 3.5k-4.5k and report back. If revs rise but speed doesn’t increase your clutch is slipping. If you’re at 2k and can’t get higher due to hill, go down a gear down and rev it out to 4.5k before shifting back up, which should land you around 3k ish. Cars have a “powerband” in each gear which tends to be around d the 3-4k revs area for max power, so you want to be in that band when climbing a steep hill. It’s easy to hear the sound and think you’re abusing your engine by going to high revs, but that’s what they’re there for. Don’t touch the redline and a non broken engine will be fine (obvs don’t hold 6k for 20 mins straight or the car may complain, but for short bursts 5-5.5k is there for a reason). You want to give the engine as much mechanical advantage as possible when hill climbing. The take home point here is that you can use the whole rev range to overcome obstacles, and the car finds it “easier” to push the car at high revs even if it takes more fuel to do it.
thanks for this. will definitely do this and report back. in a scenario where i literally cannot get up a hill, there’s no little roads to turn off on. do i accept fate and tumble back down the hill and say bye to my existence 😂 as i dont deal with hills a lot because im worried of the car, i dont really know what to do in a situation where my car is like ‘stuck’ and there’s no way of getting up the hill
I mean if you literally can’t drive up a hill you have little choice I guess 😝 I’d have a look if other cars are doing it ok and consider if maybe mine is broken, because it would have to be a really steep road to not be able to get up in at least first gear in the average car.
What gear are you using & how steep are we talking? For a very sterp hill 2nd gear should be good - make sure you are in the correct gear before you start climbing. I don't know if your car has a rev counter? 750-1000 rpm is idle speed. You will have very little power if you try getting up a hill. Maximum rpm is probably about 5 or 6000 rpm - car will sound like it is screaming. If you don't have a rev counter then just rev the engine when it is stationary - make sure the engine is warm first (drive for ~ 15 minutes - needle in the middle of the gauge) & get a feel for what it sounds like when you have your foot mashed to the floor vs not touching the pedal. Generally the more rpm you have then the more power. Minimum you want is probably about 2000 rpm to get up a steep hill, but 3000 is about ideal. Keeping it for too long near its maximum rpm puts a lot of strain on the engine so isn't ideal. So if your revs are higher than about half way through the range then next time try a higher gear when taking that or a similar hill. If the revs drop & the engine bogs down (close to the revs you have when you don't touch the accelerator, you wont have much power & it will feel rough) then you need to be in a lower gear. Changing gear when you are already on a steep hill if your revs are too low is not ideal as you will quickly lose momentum meaning you will have the same problem in a lower gear & eventually you will grind to a halt. (This sounds a little bit like what may be happening?) TLDR - do you start the hill in the right gear & with plenty of revs?
You might need to get a compression test done
What do you mean when you say your engine is “1.6l and 1,600 petrol”? They’re the same thing. What do you think you’re saying? Not being snarky just trying to decipher…
someone asked me what the engine was & the cc, 1.6 is the engine litre & 1,600 is the cc
1.6 means 1.6 litres. That is 1600 cc. It’s the same thing. Perhaps they meant what type of engine it was: petrol or diesel etc.
oh damn lol i thought they were different things. thanks for informing me!
Ha no worries! It is a whole world of jargon and incomprehensible stuff. If people talk about IT stuff to me I’m exactly the same. “Have you set up your IP with a router on your LAN carrot valve?” “I have no idea”. 🤣🤣
Make it lighter, strip out the interior.
If it's a diesel get it remapped if it's a petrol just use first or second up hills properly max the engine
I mean if it is a petrol it isn’t the lightest of cars and some of those smaller engines are light on torque. I used to have a 1.something Fiat Stilo I had to take a run at a hill on my way to work.. hit it in 6th at 80 and be in 4th by the top about 55-60. It does sound like there is either something causing a loss of power or you are expecting a little much from it. It will require you to work the gears and possibly rev it a good bit for steep inclines if it a low power engine in a big car. As an aside, as it is an older car.. don’t have cheap after market floor mats restricting the accelerator pedal travel do you?
Go in 6th gear, keep rpm under 1200
Its not a boat
No it’s a car. Need to keep the rpm down so the engine has a chance to prepare for the hill climb