otto@whuxle.UUCP (George V.E. Otto) (06/11/84)
I have been having a problem with my Rabbit that the mechanics I have taken it to seem unable to correct. I hope that someone else in this group will be able to identify the cause of the problem and perhaps point me in the direction of a simple solution. First, the car: I have a 1977 Rabbit that uses *regular leaded* gas. It may be that the problem is due to an early design that has been corrected on later models of the Rabbit. Additionally, I believe that this model was one of the first to be manufactured in the USA instead of Germany. Second, the problem: when the engine has been running for a while on particularly *hot* summer days (temperature > 90 degrees) the engine begins to miss and then die completely. Attempts to restart the car lead nowhere; the starting motor simply turns the engine over. If I wait around 10 minutes, I can start the car and drive for about 5 minutes when the motor dies again. Again waiting 10 minutes allows me to get the motor started. If I try to start the motor at about the 5 minute mark, it starts somewhat, and then immediately dies. The thought that first comes to mind is vapor lock. But the mechanics I mention this to say they haven't heard of a vapor lock problem with the Rabbit. One friend suggested yesterday (so I haven't had a chance to try it) that if I were to use either *unleaded* or *premium* gas that the problem would go away, since these gases have ingredients that fight vapor lock. Another friend suggested that rerouting the gas-feed hoses leading to the injectors might correct the problem. I noticed that the gas-feed hoses *do* lead behind the motor right above the manifold, an area that seems to build up heat quickly and be out of the way of the fan's circulating area. If anyone else has experienced this problem I would appreciate hearing about it, particulary if there was a fix that corrected it. Thanks for your help, George Otto AT&T Bell Labs, Whippany ------------------------
prophet@umcp-cs.UUCP (06/11/84)
<>
The next time your Rabbit stalls in hot weather, pull over and remove the
gas tank cap. Then try to start the car again. If this solves the problem,
then you need to fix your gas-tank ventilation system. I have seen this
happen a few times....
Dennis
--
Call-Me: Dennis Gibbs, Univ. of Md. Comp. Sci. Center.
UUCP: {seismo,allegra,brl-bmd}!umcp-cs!prophet
CSNet: prophet@umcp-cs
ARPA: prophet.umcp-cs@CSNet-Relayjeh@ritcv.UUCP (Jim Heliotis) (06/11/84)
It is my understanding that Rabbits were not made in the US until 1979 or 1980.
Anyway, this thing exactly happened to me when I was in Kansas on a cross-
country trip. I think the higher elevations made the problem worse.
There happened to be a VW dealer less than 10 miles away (can you believe that
for luck?), so I hobbled into town, and brought it to them in the morning.
They said the fuel pump had almost no pressure, and needed to be replaced.
They did so (~$130, if I remember), and I had no trouble for the rest of my
trip -- not in the Rockies, not in Phoenix. However, the pump still buzzes
once in a while......
heading towards 130 Kmiles,
Jim Heliotis
{allegra,seismo}!rochester!ritcv!jeh
rocksvax!ritcv!jeh
ritcv!jeh@Rochesterpdt@mhuxv.UUCP (tyma) (06/12/84)
I had a somewhat similar problem with my '78 Rabbit (fuel-injected, made in Deutschland) in that it would run like a top in cold weather but refused to start when the engine was warm. The starter and ignition were A-OK, turning the engine over at my request; but it wouldn't start. If by some quirk of fate I managed to get the engine going, it had little power to offer and nearly died when idling. The problem was traced to a valve in the fuel injection's control-pressure regulation system. Once the leetle part ($29) was replaced, I had no further trouble. I would recommend that you have your mechanic check the fuel pressure throughout the system, working from the fuel pump. My problem was easy to find: the aforesaid valve didn't hold any pressure, so no fuel made it to the engine--it just got pumped back to the tank!
mikey@trsvax.UUCP (06/13/84)
#R:whuxle:-44100:trsvax:55200067:000:235 trsvax!mikey Jun 13 09:55:00 1984 As long as someone mentioned the rabbit being delayed being made in the US, I remember that they had a UAW strike just as or immediately after the VW plant opened in PA. The strikers slogan? "No Money, No Bunny!" mikey at trsvax