Topic: #$%@in MARK 1!!! (Read 1034 times)

mike618 · « **on:** April 10, 2006, 06:58:15 AM »

I am guessing this is a fuel problem, as it is all I ever have in this car...
Driving down union this am...
The car is doing fine...
It loses power and starts to stutter It will not make over 40 mph in 3rd floored...
I hit the corner of Union and Austin bluffs heading east and it evens out...
power returns... Till Acad and Austin Bluffs, then it starts again...
It lasts less time...On to barnes right infront of DHS It acts up again and runs crappy for the length of DHS, I pull into the parking lot... It's fine...
When I park, it starts searching for an idle...
now...
1. I have replaced the fuel relay on this car...
It was cracked and would heat up, expand and short out...
2. I have replaced both fuel pumps...
the outer one twice... It seems the inner (tank one) was not working well enough and caused the outer one to overwork itself and burn out..
3. I have done cap, rotor, spark plugs and wires...
4. Jimmy and I just replaced the cold start injector..
5. I have replaced the fuel filter..
6. I have run injector cleaner.
7. I have replaced the CIS box over the air cleaner...
All of these things have been done in the past three years, this is a commuter car that I drive to and from work, and very occasionally on a nice weekend. If I put 3,000 on it a year, I'd be suprised...
I do drive it pretty fast... I ususally shift at 4,500 rpm or higher..
my experience with vws has been you have to drive them or they get pissy...Sugges tions? I can't have this thing crap out on the way to work..
m

charliej814 · « **Reply #1 on:** April 10, 2006, 09:31:17 AM »

depending on year and engine it could be the crank sensor/cam sensor catylatic comverter or just bad gas just a thought

The Asshole · « **Reply #2 on:** April 10, 2006, 09:32:48 AM »

oh heysues,

it could be a simple loose wire on the fuel pump. you just did the fuel pumps about a year ago. so i cant see them as going bad so soon essp. w/ how oftern you drive the thing...

damn im sorry, mike.

let me know if you need any help.

mike618 · « **Reply #3 on:** April 10, 2006, 09:51:23 AM »

1989 cabrio wolfsburg... 1.8 liter

The behavior suggests possibly a loose wire?
I am not sure, I really suck at diagnosing this kinda stuff..
Jimmy looks like you and I might be doing laps around the block soon...
I am hoping it's just bad fuel... but the intermittent nature of the problem suggests it might not be... It literally sounds like the car is and then is not combusting...l ike it shuts off and on really fast...
Power falls off and comes back... then it will run fine, then crap...

mk1fanatic · « **Reply #4 on:** April 10, 2006, 10:04:48 AM »

If you're lucky it's just a loose wire. Otherwise, you may have to replace one of the two fuel pumps the MK1 has. If it's the one inside the fuel tank, you could be looking at alot of $$$. That's the most expensive thing, as far as I know, to fix on a MK1. This happened in my 83GTI, and it was much like you described, power was intermittent and it would randomly die when you turned corners or stopped suddenly. I waqs told that this was when the fuel inside the tank would "slosh" back into the pump, giving you full power once agiain. FYI I had to replace this pump twice as well due to the same problem with the two pumps. I hate the fuel pumps on that car---if you didn't buy a new one it could just be a crappy pump.

DutchVDub · « **Reply #5 on:** April 10, 2006, 10:14:22 AM »

my rabbit did that too once, I was almost out of gas.

mike618 · « **Reply #6 on:** April 10, 2006, 10:19:06 AM »

half a tank of gas in there, and I had import auto replace both pumps one and a half years ago... brand new pumps are in there.

Scott · « **Reply #7 on:** April 10, 2006, 10:39:12 AM »

It may be a vacum leak... check your boots for tears and check ALL vacum lines. Try spraying some carb cleaner over the engine bay while running... if the idle goes up when you spary a particular area look there for a leak.

It could also be that the timing changed... perhaps the distributor slipped? That is not very likely, but it is a good place to start. Do you have a tming light?

Also, check your plugs to see if they are black and coated with heavy carbon.

SBestS · « **Reply #8 on:** April 10, 2006, 01:27:37 PM »

I am having the exact same problem with my car. I looked through the Bentley manual and it sounds like the fuel pump that is inside the tank. I checked my plugs and they are coated in carbon. What does the carbon on the plugs suggest?

Ironzey · « **Reply #9 on:** April 10, 2006, 01:36:12 PM »

Quote from: "mk1fanatic"

If you're lucky it's just a loose wire. Otherwise, you may have to replace one of the two fuel pumps the MK1 has. If it's the one inside the fuel tank, you could be looking at alot of $$$. That's the most expensive thing, as far as I know, to fix on a MK1. This happened in my 83GTI, and it was much like you described, power was intermittent and it would randomly die when you turned corners or stopped suddenly. I waqs told that this was when the fuel inside the tank would "slosh" back into the pump, giving you full power once agiain. FYI I had to replace this pump twice as well due to the same problem with the two pumps. I hate the fuel pumps on that car---if you didn't buy a new one it could just be a crappy pump.

In '83 they had a problem with a fuel pick up. Either right or left hand turns would starve the in tanke pump. This problem was fixed in '84 and newer cars. This sounds electrical, coil wire maybe? How does your ground look? Grounds can cause all kinds of weird problems.

mike618 · « **Reply #10 on:** April 10, 2006, 01:50:42 PM »

I am ruling out a fuel pump problem because I cannot hear the pump... In the last 3 instances the pump was loud as hell before it crapped out...
I talked to my friend who works for import now and again, he was suggesting secondary electrical.. I am going to go home, hopefully...an d then while it is idling wiggle wires to see if I can find a loose one....
After that I will check plugs and then we have a tester here for the distributor.. This is an intermittent problem, and the act of turning hard fixing the problem temporarily, leads me to believe it might be a loose wire...
any other ideas?

mike618 · « **Reply #11 on:** April 10, 2006, 05:38:49 PM »

I drove it home, no problems...
bad gas? we'll see tomorrow

fitzlaughlyn · « **Reply #12 on:** April 10, 2006, 07:50:33 PM »

Going with Scott on this one, check the vacuum lines.

I'd check and replace your vacuum lines. I had the exact same thing happen going up North Powers and once on post. Had to stop the car, pop the hood, pull the lines off and spit seal them until I replace them all.

When my cat went out there was a noticable hissing sound at 3k+ rpm, not to mention lack of power.

If there's a tiny vacuum leak it can cause issues. Buy a couple of meters of vacuum line and replace them all. It takess 20min and it's easy. Also helped my idle I went from 1200 down to 1050.

mike618 · « **Reply #13 on:** April 10, 2006, 08:44:50 PM »

If it were a vacuum line it would be a consistent drop in power right?
When I had a busted one on my b5 it always ran like shit... When I inspected the car, there was nothing I could see loose or busted...the boot from the throttle body to the air cleaner was tight and really clean...All wires appeared to be in place, I wiggled some stuff while it was idling and got no response... the coil wires appreared to be good was well. We will see what happens in the am..

The Asshole · « **Reply #14 on:** April 10, 2006, 08:48:47 PM »

when was your fuel filter replaced? if not lately then swap it out.... might have some crap stuck in it? that is partially clogging a line...

just an idea. let me know how it does in the morning.

mike618 · « **Reply #15 on:** April 10, 2006, 08:52:28 PM »

Fuel filter replaced 1.5 years ago...I have about 4,000 miles on it..
m

fitzlaughlyn · « **Reply #16 on:** April 10, 2006, 09:02:59 PM »

If your vacuum lines have a constant leak it may act as you describe. But if the leak isn't bad all of the time, but just fucks with you every once in while

Cheaper and easier than a fuel line/pump.

mike618 · « **Reply #17 on:** April 11, 2006, 06:48:24 AM »

ok, this am...slight stutters, not lasting near as long as yesterday, or a sever... after the car warmed up and oddly enough in almost the exact same places as yesterday..The stutters were under hard acceleration, floored car... and lasted maybe 5 to ten seconds..
no fuel pump noise....
am I burnin through some bad gas?

mike618 · « **Reply #18 on:** April 14, 2006, 07:53:11 AM »

I have a bentley, I just need to get my hands on the diagnostic equip...
Jimmy and I are gonna mess with it this afternoon...
I am gonna pull the injectors and check them to see if they are clogged or what..

mike618 · « **Reply #19 on:** April 15, 2006, 06:58:36 AM »

using new plugs, new coil should be in today...IT does smell kinda rich in the garage...
mixture must be off too.

sad_rocc · « **Reply #20 on:** April 16, 2006, 10:57:15 AM »

All you need is a Bently and a Dwell meter for adjusting mixture. The book says what it's supposed to read I believe, or you can go find Timbo's Tech Note on it. Try unplugging the 02 sensor and seeing if the car goes super-rich or does nothing. If it does nothing different, there's (part of maybe) your problem. Here's what I'd do: test the O2, get new plugs, run a can of Seafoam through the gas (to clean the injectors), set mixture with dwell meter. I bet that after all that stuff, at least one of them will solve your problem. I'd hollow out the cat too, just for shits and giggles, but I don't think thats your problem, although it can become a problem from running too rich.

mike618 · « **Reply #21 on:** April 17, 2006, 07:11:05 AM »

I replaced the coil and plugs...
plugs were black as shit with carbon..
no sign of arching in the distributor...
it does smell rich in the garage
but not outside...
Jimmy stuck his nose in the exhaust...*don't ever do that
HE said he could not smell gas...
driving into work in the am ... It is cooler out when this happens, but the car is warmed up.. I allow it to warm up in the driveway then drive from wahsatch and fontanero over to t-gap, fillmore to union...north on union... right after that next light, it acts up...
same problem at the EXACT same spots in the road...
I feel I am going to have to start borrowing some gauges..
to test the mixture etc...
the problem is that this is so intermittent.. .getting it to replicate is tough...
I tried to get the water temp sensor and they did not have one, I will run to vw this week..
also, I am at the bottom 1/4 of my gas, I will run injector cleaner and
put in new fuel in the hopes it's just bad gas..

LOS · « **Reply #22 on:** April 17, 2006, 07:15:07 AM »

check your ignition too

mike618 · « **Reply #23 on:** April 17, 2006, 02:18:33 PM »

I had my friend brad drive the car, he works at import and he works at our school as the auto shop teacher..
It replicated the problem numerous times for him..
The consensus is... it is either the halifax? sp?
coil messing up the ground...
he says that they can be going out on and off again like mine...
or the auctual control module...
the atari looking thing...
He noticed a slight whiff of black smoke every time the car stutters..
Now I need to get to A1 to get a distributor and see what happens..

Jesus · « **Reply #24 on:** April 17, 2006, 03:37:46 PM »

halifax what?

Do you mean the hall sensor in the distributor?

mike618 · « **Reply #25 on:** April 17, 2006, 03:47:18 PM »

that would be it :oops:
I was having a hard time hearing him outside in the wind...

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Author Topic: #$%@in MARK 1!!! (Read 1034 times)

mike618

charliej814

mike618

mk1fanatic

mike618

SBestS

mike618

mike618

mike618

mike618

mike618

mike618

mike618

mike618

mike618

mike618