Power loss and age

[vtgrrrs]

I've heard people say that as cars get older they tend to lose power. Why is this and can it be prevented by servicing properly etc?

 

[ROSS18]

With diesle engines they make more power a 50.000 miles apparently then drop off again

 

[RichRSi]

Brand new engines are tight and require bedding in and loosening up a bit before they reach their full potential, apparently the way it's been run in has an effect on the performance of the engine too over it's lifespan.
The compression is effected during the life of the engine by wear in the cylinder bore as the piston rings wear they reduce it. The engine also can get coked up inside with carbon, some carbon helps it run better, like on the inside of the exhaust, excessive build-up restricts performance slighly.

 

[Fletcher]

Well my mk2 172 is now on 87,000 miles, and is quicker then ever, i do have it serviced every 6,000 miles though.

 

[vtgrrrs]

So can regular servicing with good quality oils etc help reduce this or will this not matter. Obviously it'll make things last longer but will it retain power?

 

[RichRSi]

Well my mk2 172 is now on 87,000 miles, and is quicker then ever, i do have it serviced every 6,000 miles though.

My clio is on 87k too and seems to go better now than when I first got it, my gf's car is on 45k we bought it on 22k and that is miles better too, but both are well serviced, not used for lots of short trips and warmed through. The engine wear (mostly) happens in the first few miles and during cold weather.

Because most CS'ers know the service intervals and even worry about putting the right oil in so our cars will have been reasonably well looked after imo and probably go better than one owned by a Dorris who uses it to pop to the local shop 1 mile away for a pint of milk every day and only repairs / services the car when it goes wrong.

 

[RichRSi]

So can regular servicing with good quality oils etc help reduce this or will this not matter. Obviously it'll make things last longer but will it retain power?

Regular oil changes are important because your oil lubricates and in part helps cool your engine. Friction caused by tiny deposits of metal inside your engine will act like an abrasive and cause more wear, this is unavoidable but regular oil changes help flush out deposits and replace the lubricating propeties of the old oil.
Wear will always happen though or engines would last an infinate period and that clearly does not happen, oil changes and sensible use of the car just slow the process.

 

[Russ_16v]

mines now coming up to 116k and gets warmed up,cooled down,serviced and thrashed regullarly (just how a 172 should be) and mines still running lovely,and after racing a ph2 172 two days go and pulling past him it still shows they can last if looked after

 

[zack40]

once mine got past 60k it seemed to go better

 

[MarkCup]

On this graph, the 2 lines were run 13 months and 24,000 miles apart, at 70k and 94k.

The red curve was the latter.

There's no power loss if serviced properly (ignore the torque/fuelling lines, they're not comparable)...