The Myth of Engine Power Loss

There is a common myth among petrol heads that engines will lose one brake horsepower per year as they age and wear down. This idea suggests that engines naturally decline in performance over time, and that there's little to be done about it. However, this notion has been thoroughly debunked by many car enthusiasts and mechanics who have attempted to prove its validity through experimentation and testing.

In a recent experiment, the author decided to put their 1995 Volkswagen Corrado VR6 to the test, measuring its horsepower output after a thorough inspection and cleaning. To the surprise of everyone involved, the engine's original horsepower rating was only slightly higher than what it actually produced. This meant that the Corrado had lost nearly one full brake horsepower since its initial manufacturing, which seems to contradict the myth.

The author decided to investigate this phenomenon further by trying various techniques to restore power to the engine. They started with cleaning the fuel system, using a five-pound bottle of fuel additive as per the manufacturer's instructions. After running the car for a week to allow the new substance to take effect, they measured its horsepower output on a rolling road. The results were remarkable - the Corrado produced six extra horsepower thanks to the cleaner engine.

To further analyze the impact of this simple cleaning procedure, the author repeated the measurement process with and without a "red X" treatment that cleans out gunk from fuel lines and pumps. Again, the cleaner output was evident, demonstrating that even the most basic maintenance could make a significant difference in an engine's performance. The key takeaway here is that there are many ways to restore power to an old engine, even if it may not regain its original specifications.

Regular Maintenance: New Air Filter and Oil Change

When performing routine maintenance on their vehicle, some owners might overlook the importance of cleaning the air filter. This component is designed to prevent dust from entering the engine, but over time, it can become clogged with debris like leaves. This is likely the case for the author's Corrado, which was filled with leaf litter that probably impeded airflow and limited its power.

To boost their car's performance, the author opted for an oil change along with a fresh new air filter. The former replaced tiny particles of metal that accumulated within the engine over time, increasing friction and causing a loss in horsepower. While it may seem like a minor difference compared to other components, this routine maintenance was sufficient to add two more horsepower units to the Corrado's output.

Electrical Improvements: Spark Plug Upgrade

The last step in the author's attempt to restore their car's lost horsepower involved modifying its ignition system by upgrading spark plugs and their leads. This procedure cost around $200, but it promised to boost engine power back to its original specifications. The results of this investment were staggering - the Corrado now produced nearly 188 horsepower units, a gain of eleven relative to its previous output.

Before starting the test with clean air filters and oil changes, however, the author did notice that some throttle hesitation existed between three and four thousand RPMs. This issue disappeared immediately following the spark plug upgrade, as if it had been resolved by simply improving ignition efficiency.

Conclusion

The experiment conducted on the Corrado demonstrates that an engine can indeed lose power over time due to natural wear and tear. Cleaning the fuel system made a notable difference in its performance, restoring horsepower units through efficient operation of critical components like injectors. The role of regular maintenance, including new air filters and oil changes, was also significant in improving the car's output.

Furthermore, investing in electrical upgrades like spark plug replacements can have an even greater impact on engine power, as it enables a more precise ignition process that improves combustion efficiency and reduces friction within critical components.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhen engines get older their parts begin to wear and that causes a drop in power there's even a myth amongst petrol heads that engines will lose one brake horsepower per year today I'm testing this myth and investigating whether it's possible to restore any less power my guinea pig is his 1995 Volkswagen Corrado vr6 VW claimed it had 190 brake horsepower when new last week we put this well-maintained machine on a rolling road which revealed it's got just 177 brake horsepower and that's not quite one brake horsepower your loss but it is a lot less than a manufacturer promised we're new so we're gonna find out if we can turn this back to its original health nurse fetch me a defibrillator I'm going to try a variety of power restoring techniques after testing each we'll see what effect they've had on the engines power step one is to clean the fuel system there are several potions on the market which claim to restore power by clearing out the gunk that builds up in the fuel line's pumps and injectors we've used a five pound bottle of fuel additive as per the instructions and run the car for a week to give it time to work okay let's get the Corrado on the rolling road the equipment sensors will detect even my new changes in horsepower by measuring the forces sent through the wheels to make sure we get an accurate result we'll do each test eight times and take the highest figure so has the fuel additive made any difference right let's have a look at the results then the red number is after the red X treatment green is before and as you can see that's a big increase that's best part six horsepower what's happening is inside all the fuel lines and then particularly injectors they get clogged up with dirty deposits and this red X would have cleaned that out making everything work more efficiently back to almost like how it was designed to but it's important to remember you can't just keep putting more and more of that stuff in because once it's clean it's clean so then we've got to look for other ways to try and recover some of the Lost power but that is a great result next some changes that will be routinely carried out during a regular service starting with a new air filter it's designed to stop dust getting into the engine but if it's clogged up it could be impeding air flow and limiting power typical of all the cars our Corrado is full of leaves which probably isn't helping now an oil change and a replacement of the oil filter as an engine operates microscopic pieces of metal wear away and get contained within the oil now these tiny particles increase the internal friction of the engine and the results are loss in power so an oil change in a new filter should benefit the engine it not cost around 45 quid plus labour if you're not doing it yourself but will it help call back any more of that loss of power to ensure that our results are accurate the system will cleverly compensate for any changes in air temperature between tests that might affect the engines performance right you're not looking you're not looking I am well that's not bad look two horsepower in oil oil filter and air filter now certainly what for horsepower and a bit off what it was when it was new come on more work my final route to restoring power is to help the engine's ignition by the place in the spark plugs and their leaves I'll be maximizing the engines ability to ignite its flue this is expensive at seventy three quid for six plugs and 163 quid for six leads but we're to help boost our power back to the level it was at when the car was new mega results let's go right the way back to the beginning standard car 177 horsepower what you'd kind of expect next one is with the red X 183 quite a big jump then the purple one here 185 that's oil oil fit filters and air filters and then the last change with all of them plus spark plugs and plug leads 188 horsepower over 11 difference that's what five percent and only well less than two shy of what it originally came with when it was new I would have thought that's a great day's work when driving the car before carrying out the work I noticed some throttle hesitation between three and four thousand revs so after our fettling can I feel any difference actually you can't that's definitely more grunt throttles much sharper gone is the hole that was in the Rev band the power delivery baton mid range actually not gone completely but is much better we spent three hundred quid get in the Corrado back to virtually its original power but if you're on a budget we'd recommend using the fuel additive which in our test just a fiver was by far the most cost effective treatment that's a great result well well done now that's in the workshop you youwhen engines get older their parts begin to wear and that causes a drop in power there's even a myth amongst petrol heads that engines will lose one brake horsepower per year today I'm testing this myth and investigating whether it's possible to restore any less power my guinea pig is his 1995 Volkswagen Corrado vr6 VW claimed it had 190 brake horsepower when new last week we put this well-maintained machine on a rolling road which revealed it's got just 177 brake horsepower and that's not quite one brake horsepower your loss but it is a lot less than a manufacturer promised we're new so we're gonna find out if we can turn this back to its original health nurse fetch me a defibrillator I'm going to try a variety of power restoring techniques after testing each we'll see what effect they've had on the engines power step one is to clean the fuel system there are several potions on the market which claim to restore power by clearing out the gunk that builds up in the fuel line's pumps and injectors we've used a five pound bottle of fuel additive as per the instructions and run the car for a week to give it time to work okay let's get the Corrado on the rolling road the equipment sensors will detect even my new changes in horsepower by measuring the forces sent through the wheels to make sure we get an accurate result we'll do each test eight times and take the highest figure so has the fuel additive made any difference right let's have a look at the results then the red number is after the red X treatment green is before and as you can see that's a big increase that's best part six horsepower what's happening is inside all the fuel lines and then particularly injectors they get clogged up with dirty deposits and this red X would have cleaned that out making everything work more efficiently back to almost like how it was designed to but it's important to remember you can't just keep putting more and more of that stuff in because once it's clean it's clean so then we've got to look for other ways to try and recover some of the Lost power but that is a great result next some changes that will be routinely carried out during a regular service starting with a new air filter it's designed to stop dust getting into the engine but if it's clogged up it could be impeding air flow and limiting power typical of all the cars our Corrado is full of leaves which probably isn't helping now an oil change and a replacement of the oil filter as an engine operates microscopic pieces of metal wear away and get contained within the oil now these tiny particles increase the internal friction of the engine and the results are loss in power so an oil change in a new filter should benefit the engine it not cost around 45 quid plus labour if you're not doing it yourself but will it help call back any more of that loss of power to ensure that our results are accurate the system will cleverly compensate for any changes in air temperature between tests that might affect the engines performance right you're not looking you're not looking I am well that's not bad look two horsepower in oil oil filter and air filter now certainly what for horsepower and a bit off what it was when it was new come on more work my final route to restoring power is to help the engine's ignition by the place in the spark plugs and their leaves I'll be maximizing the engines ability to ignite its flue this is expensive at seventy three quid for six plugs and 163 quid for six leads but we're to help boost our power back to the level it was at when the car was new mega results let's go right the way back to the beginning standard car 177 horsepower what you'd kind of expect next one is with the red X 183 quite a big jump then the purple one here 185 that's oil oil fit filters and air filters and then the last change with all of them plus spark plugs and plug leads 188 horsepower over 11 difference that's what five percent and only well less than two shy of what it originally came with when it was new I would have thought that's a great day's work when driving the car before carrying out the work I noticed some throttle hesitation between three and four thousand revs so after our fettling can I feel any difference actually you can't that's definitely more grunt throttles much sharper gone is the hole that was in the Rev band the power delivery baton mid range actually not gone completely but is much better we spent three hundred quid get in the Corrado back to virtually its original power but if you're on a budget we'd recommend using the fuel additive which in our test just a fiver was by far the most cost effective treatment that's a great result well well done now that's in the workshop you you\n"