What could cause the engine to stop after about 20 mins of driving then after about 5 minutes start up and then continue to cut out every 100 metres, wait 5 mins then 100 metres and so on?? I have got a new fuel pump (previous one only a few months old) and filter. Checked the carb (chinese version of a Solex but with all the jets etc changed to ones from an old Solex I had). To me it felt like fuel not getting through but I have a new coil now, points are opening fine and starting from cold couldn't be better. A new battery has been fitted and the wiring checked from the key right through to the coil and down to the pump. Surely it couldn't be the switch itself as that's the 2nd one in about 2 years and why would that cause stopping and starting? The only thing I haven't changed is probably the cheapest and that's the condenser but everything I've read doesn't include these symptoms. When I initially put the new battery in it ran fine for about 2 weeks then out of the blue this sh*t started up again. Please help as I want to drive without waiting for something to happen 馃槵 If nothing else it's very embarrassing sitting at the side of the road waiting for it to start 馃槧
bushed 路
have you cleaned all the filters and emptied the fuel tank??
my ute had prob like this and found the carbie to manifold nut was loose (back one)
then if its a ute the fuel filter has to be lower than tank level
make sure esp in hot wthr all the connections are air and fuel tight!!
ancientbugger 路
New filter and the tank was emptied. Not a trace of dirt was seen. To me it definitely felt like it was a fuel blockage but I'm at a deadend!!
ragged 路
Is the fuel tank vented? Dave
silver 路
ragged wrote:Is the fuel tank vented? Dave
x2
ancientbugger 路
The tank because it's for the FI has the fuel condenser (?) system and the charcoal canister but what you're suggesting was one of the first things I thought of and disconnected the pipes so it just vented inside the boot but it was no different. The gauze filter in the tank is still intact and in pretty good nick so nothing is blocking it. I've tried everything I can think of so far, I've even tried running a cable direct from the battery to the fuel pump (not recommended!) just to see if that bypassed a problem and the same cable direct to the coil but both times exactly the same symptoms. Maybe dumping this Solex lookalike could be the way to go as I've tried/replaced everything else!!!
viiking 路
Do you have a blocked steel fuel line?
Have run a new steel line near the rear heater boxes or somewhere where there is excessive heat like under the pan?
Does it run from cold every time and the stop?
Basically a blockage in the fuel delivery or excessive heat vapourising the fuel.
psimitar 路
Best to start by stripping the carb down and giving it a good clean out with carb cleaner including all the galleries and removing the jets to clean them properly.
Then flush the fuel line through with some kind of fluid like carb cleaner or at least with compressed air.
Check the inside of the tank doesn't have loads of sediment in it and clean if necessary.
Lastly, check the fuel tank cap and depending on year of manufacture it can either be soaked in Kerosene overnight to unclog the horsehair in the cap or on later model a small additional vent hole can be drill in the top of the cap.
If you clean the entire thing thru then that will rule out the fuel system and leave you with an ignition fault.
Cutting out so often could be the coil overheating cos even though it's new don't mena it's good quality these days.
hulbyw 路
And I would definitely have the tank venting outside the boot, not inside
Cheers......Wayne
Lucky Phil 路
viiking wrote:Do you have a blocked steel fuel line?
x2. I have had this happen.
Water sits in the steel line and causes rust bubbles that chokes off the flow. A flake of rust flicks up and closes off the flow, engine stops.
Pressures equalise, flake falls away, and flow resumes.
I found it by putting a vacuum gauge between the steel line and the fuel pump.
When the engine stopped, it was holding a low pressure (slight vacuum) for a few minutes, and then went up to 0psig.
Fitted a new steel line, and it was fine.
ancientbugger 路
I've blown the fuel line through already, I may try using the return fuel pipe if possible as that's now sitting redundant (it was fi).I think everything else suggested here I've already done, the coil which wasn't very old I replaced just in case,the same goes for the battery and electronic fuel pump so if nothing else I do have spares! I will remove the tank (again!) and try carb cleaner through the pipes then if it still plays up the last thing will be to rebuild an old Solex.
bevoracing 路
I had one once with a faulty Tacho. Intermittent cutting out etc. Disconnected the Taco from the negative side of the coil, fixed.
Lots of things can heat up, fail, cool down, come back. Coil, condenser, fuel pumps, injection components.
Try a squirt of fuel down the air cleaner, if it starts it鈥檚 not ignition related.
Good luck
Tony
ACE76 路
Once had a intermittently sticking fuel pump pushrod (where it goes through the plastic block I suppose). It would run normally when cold, but stall sometimes, only when engine was quite hot, in slow traffic. At higher speeds all seemed OK! -- it seemed to be due to the heat building up on top of engine/around the pump. It always took a while to restart when holding up the traffic; the seemed to run noramlly for a while again -- does sound similar to your first post.... i.e.
The symptoms are similar to fuel vapour lock, but take longer to start and then come and go quicker.
Also condenser (you suspected but haven't changed) CAN give funny/intermittent symptoms, eg. start & run normally for a while, THEN play up (eg after 20 min warm-up). Can check by shorting OPEN points with a screwdriver -- with ign. on. There should be only ever be a TINY spark.
ancientbugger 路
Well I've got the tank out and that is as clean as a whistle (though I found an unknown key that I could just about see wedged under a baffle in the tank, and it's not one of mine.......wierd). Blown all the pipes through including the return pipe for the fi. even though I don't even use it😕. I'll put all that back in tomorrow then I'll strip the carb. Btw I have a couple of old 34 solexes that I'm considering rebuilding but before I do is there any chemicals that I could leave them soaking in first I.e. thinners or metho?
Bizarre 路
You could gravity feed into the stationary idling car
That way you could eliminate the fuel lines?
vinsueball 路
Bit out of left field but have you checked the ignition switch wiring harness. The symptoms your describing are nearly blow by blow for me when my wiring harness collapsed. We all went looking for fuel issues as you're describing but found it was electrical.
ancientbugger 路
If you read the initial post that was something I was concerned about (at least the ignition switch itself). If after all the possible fuel blockages are eliminated then it will be onto the wiring which is something I'm not looking forward to.-
psimitar 路
I soaked my carb in kerosene overnight. Worked pretty well but after recently trying to find a bulk tin of carb cleaner I've been told a 50/50 mix of xylene and acetone is great at removing carbon deposits so should easily eat fuel tarnish too. 馃檪
hulbyw 路
I used xylene and acetone when doing some fibreglass work recently so should be easy enough to obtain from your local fibreglasser. Although I would hope it doesn't eat the carb body as well!
Cheers.........Wayne
ancientbugger 路
Cheers guys. The tank is all back in and the carb has been pulled apart and put back together so I'll replace the condenser and run through the wiring today,still haven't found anything obviously wrong yet though. I'll strip those other carbs anyway so they're ready to go should I need them.
vinsueball 路
Hey ancientbugger,
Hope you get this sorted. Really frustrating. What I was suggesting with my post earlier is that I don't think that just because you've replaced a couple of ignition wiring harnesses over the last 2 years or so that you should discount that possibilty again. I've just recently had a run of having to replace 3 of them in just over 9 months. The replacement units obviously aren't the same quality as the original !!!馃槵
I'm not as skilled as you guys and each time it costs me for an autoelectrician to do the work !!!
Good luck with it.
ancientbugger 路
Well I replaced the condenser and fitted a rebuilt 34pict carb and so far it has run fine, still drive along waiting for something to happen though. Thanks for the input guys.
ancientbugger 路
After running fine I just had to try the other carb and again no problems at all so after all that stress it looks like it was the cheapest part, the condenser! This was after extensive searching on Google 're possible problems/faults caused by dodgy condenser and this kind of cutting out just didn't come up and in my experience when they start playing up the engine coughs and darts or just won't start at all whereas this was running nicely then suddenly stopped. I do have some contactless ignition around but used points for if and when I need to check for a spark. Oh well she's happy now so once again thanks for input.
viiking 路
Good to hear!
Its amazing that sometimes just tackle the simple thing first.
I once had a similar issue with a car. Changed the spark plugs, no good. Changed the points, no good. Changed the leads, no good, changed the coil, no good. Changed the condenser, no good. Tried everything..... frustrating ..piece of s**t, ba*t*rd, bug#er... threw spanners at it and everything.
Cause? On the first attempt of fitting new plugs, one of the four was faulty but I never thought to question it.
Learnt from that and now am much older and wiser 馃憤
ancientbugger 路
Like me, for near on 30 years of driving never had a coil play up then had two in a week go up the sh*t. The condenser was pretty new but I did try googling it very early in the piece but as I said the symptoms I had never came up so I discounted it. Oh well you live and learn. I sometimes think that I should have kept a diary right from the start of VW ownership jotting down each problem as it occurred and how it was sorted as I've forgotten it all by the time it recovers.
ancientbugger 路
Can you believe this has started again but this time I changed the condenser first of all but the car still cut out! Checking out the wiring now before going out to buy a new condenser. btw two different contactless ignition systems tried but neither worked? Odd
ancientbugger 路
Has no-one else had this problem or is it that I have dodgy wiring? I'm double checking everything that I had previously i.e. fuel lines,pump,carburettor but nothing has presented itself as being wrong. As the car was converted to RHD some years ago I've been looking at the wiring behind the speedo and there are several wires that go nowhere but tagged things like 'No.3' or come to a plug that fits to nothing but as far as I know they have always been the same way. I just want to drive the thing without the fear of the juddering halt!
ACE76 路
Is it just cutting out - or hesitating, mis-firing and/or backfiring? Does it come and go as you drive, or cut out entirely and require a wait?
Did you check the fuel pump Pushrod for sticking?
ancientbugger 路
Electric fuel pump and yes that's running as when the car cutout I took the top of the carb off to check the fuel level and it was OK. Today though I did find that on turning it over the power to the coil turned off. Now this obviously is not the case normally as it usually starts straight away but it does suggest to me that the whole problem could be dodgy wiring.
Hi.
It sounds like the problem I had, I purchased a new distributor and coil and leads kit and when fitted I went for a short drive 10 klms on the return trip it was a jerking drive home.
At home I just let it idle for a while and then it would just die I tried this a for 5 -6 times and it would do the same thing every time, die.
I went through all the tests and decided to put my old coil back on and it went fine, after a test drive no further problems, all good.
I contacted the seller (Rod) and the coil was replaced (CB) it has run fine ever since.
It was just a faulty coil.
Hope it helps
Darryl
ancientbugger 路
I can believe that, what is it with quality these days (I sound like a right old git!) my first VW was only 2 years old when I got it in 74, my dad bought it new and the battery was still going strong in 88 when I emigrated and had never been on charge and that was with generators not alternators, now you're lucky to get two years from one! I had never had a dodgy coil until about 10 years back now I've had about 6 as for condensors I've lost count but at least they're cheap. China has a lot to answer for.
ACE76 路
If the power TO the coil cuts out (sometimes) when turning over (or running), the contacts in the ignition switch (behind the key/barrel) are faulty.
ancientbugger 路
Just checked the switch wiring and all is OK, the switch btw is also pretty new and I also have a spare! Methinks it's time to get yet another condenser and if all is still f*cking up then coil will be the last thing to replace.
ACE76 路
The condenser needs to "match" to the coil (and other components).
[And the coil to ITS circuit/supply... eg. You can't use a coil designed for a resistor in the primary circuit, in a car which doesn't have the (correct value) resistor -- or vice-versa.] The coil may be overloaded, or the condenser fail (probably more likely than the coil -- but coils can play up too).
Repeated condenser (capacitor) failure may suggest something is wrong or mis-matched. We are going through a similar hunt-down of regularly failing capacitors at the moment, where everything seems correct (points , coil, HT leads, resistor etc.) but the condensers (slowly!) fail approx. 12 monthly (very rarely driven car) -- I'm now starting to suspect a bad batch of Bosch capacitors GB530 made in somewhere called, what was it? oh, "Germany", wherever that is.
bevoracing 路
I've seen a faulty tacho give an intermittent cut out. If you have one try disconnecting the trigger wire from the points side of the coil and see how you go. Goog luck. Tony.
ancientbugger 路
No tacho 馃檨 I have done everything I can think of other than removing the fuel tank to clean it out but I feel it's a dodgy condenser even though I have just replaced it, cheap chinese product probably. If it were fuel starvation (pump cutting out/blocked filter /blocked jets) I would expect the engine stuttering,revving up before stopping but this is just nothing.Silence. Leave it for 10-15 minutes and it starts up again, goes for a while then stops again,very frustrating.
ACE76 路
Failing Condensor often plays up when warm or hot. But Works when cold. Check WHEN Playing Up as decribed before ("big" spark at points, or just pull lead off + side of coil, if points closed).
ancientbugger 路
It was the condenser last time so new one was bought and fitted but that one now looks like it could be dodgy (see previous remark re - crap chinese made!) New one ordered.
ancientbugger 路
Well my apologies to the Chinese, it now seems that because I converted it to carb from FI I kept the fuel tank evaporative condensing system in place complete with the carbon canister etc, I removed the fuel pump (I have a couple of spares) but when I disconnected the pipe from the tank to the pump with the intention of draining the tank to check that out hardly any fuel came out, then in the boot to remove the tank I just pulled off one of the pipes (there's 5 other than the filler pipe!) I heard the hiss and then fuel running out over the floor! Somebody did mention this somewhere but I always think I know better 馃檨 Now I know where my son gets it.
Bone 路
Hey Barry hows that son of yours EJ22 going? Maybe its time for a EJ22 in your manx so you too can have reliability, power and good fuel economy! Lol.
ancientbugger 路
The manx is going fine with the type 4 engine 馃檪 Mick went through Ringtail yesterday giving the Baja a run out and didn't break anything. The convertible had been going fine until this episode reared its ugly head again but I seem to find new and surprising ways to stop VWs. Mick told me your Baja was up on the hoist again.
Bone 路
PPPPFFFTTT. The day I bought a hoist was the day I stopped crawling under cars like a mutt! I use it for every thing! My Baja doesn't stop Barry, Its Subi powered! LOL