Problem with R Reg Polo Hesitating in Low Gears- Please Help

[Katharine0]

I drove my Polo after a week away and immeditaely found that it was not working properly. In low gears it revs high but doesn't move very fast and it really struggles going up hills- again it is reving high in the low gears but not going very fast. It sort of hesitates and then jogs as it gets up speed. I nearly stalled at a roundabout (which was NOT my bad driving!) just because it started losing power and as i pulled away it was really sluggish and hesitant. I have tried changing the spark plugs and the distributor but neither have helped! Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks so much.

[geeforty]

Is the air filter clean and dry?  Does it idle OK or is it lumpy.  Engine code / size?  Has the ECU been checked for fault codes on a diagnostic machine?

[Katharine0]

Thank you for replying. The air filter is fine- it has just been replaced. It is slightly lumpy when idling. The engine is 1 litre and there is a code on it: WW02 030103019D. Is this the code?!! The ECU hasn't been checked no. I am trying not to take it to a garage in an attempt to save the pennies! Someone else said it could be the EPC electronik pressure control? Does this make sense and do you know where that is on the car? Thank you so much for your help.

[geeforty]

Do the brake lights work properly - a faulty brake pedal switch can cause the EPC light to come on, as will a duff throttle body amongst other things - hence the need to diagnose the ecu.  if you have a windows laptop, you can buy 'compatable' vag-com cables from ebay for a few quid and use the shareware version of vag-com 4.09 to check and clear the codes.

Engine code letter is usually on the cam belt cover, the sticker inside the boot and inside the service book - yours is probably AER

[Katharine0]

Thanks so much for your help. In the end i took it to a garage and they fixed it. It turned out to need new spark plug leads!