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85 cabriolet suspected fuel problem
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elwood73
New User
Sep 28, 2005, 4:59 PM
Post #1 of 4
(2263 views)
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85 cabriolet suspected fuel problem
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Here's the story:
In may I purchased an 85 volkswagen cabriolet. It had been sitting for about 3 months but ran fine (supposedly) before I purchased it. At $800 how could I go wrong? Well it wouldnt start, I suspected the fuel pump and had it replaced with a used one. It ran fine after that... for a week or so. Then I noticed it would stumble upon accelerating after shifting. This got progressively worse. The mechanic I took it to filtered the gas because it apprently had some junk in it and changed the fuel filter. Fine, she runs OK for another week or so and it starts happening again. It worsened quicker this time and eventually it would stumble all the time, jerking back and forth and stalling. So I take it back to the mechanic, he filters the gas again (apparently the gas is still full of gunk) and changes the pump in the tank itself. OK, it runs ok for another week or 2 and it starts happening again. I take it back, still junk in the tank so I have the tank completely redone and the fuel injectors changed. I picked it up today and barely made it home. It's stumbling again upona cceleration after shifting and like always I suspect it will get worse to the point of jerking back and forth all the time. Where do I go from here? (Besides a different mechanic) Essentially my whole fuel system has been redone. The distributor and plug wires are quite new so I don't suspect that.
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Sep 29, 2005, 5:33 AM
Post #2 of 4
(2259 views)
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Re: 85 cabriolet suspected fuel problem
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Bet the car sat a lot longer than three months or did at some time. Fuel can go bad. Actually the fuel is pretty stabil - the additives are not. There are some strong solvents out there that have helped me with fuel problems. I've seen the junk in old gas - in a gas can - it looked like little red BBs of jelly. That will screw things up.
The fuel filter can only hold so much junk. A fuel pressure test at engine, solvents and another fuel filter would be my next approach.
How did this mechanic so called "filter the fuel"?
I've had great luck with a solvent that breaks up gummy stuff in gas called "SeaFoam" and I've only seen that one at NAPA. Another with a good reputation is a product by Chevron in a black bottle - the exact name escapes me.
I hope this wasn't foul play like someone putting junk in your tank! Expect to replace your fuel filter again and hopefully after a few tanks of new fuel this will go away. The filter should be protecting your injectors. T
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elwood73
New User
Sep 29, 2005, 2:08 PM
Post #3 of 4
(2251 views)
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Re: 85 cabriolet suspected fuel problem
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Hi, thanks for the reply. The last thing I had done to the car was to have the tank removed and completely redone inside... removing the rust and partucles and what not. The dirty gas that was in the engine at the time was not put back in. I put fresh gas in it right after picking it up so I suspect there is another problem here. Another interesting aspect of this story is that my car runs just fine for about 15-20 minutes after I pick it up from the mechanic, I can short shift from first to second and just nail the gas and it responds right away. However, after a few minutes, the trouble begins.
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Sep 29, 2005, 4:44 PM
Post #4 of 4
(2249 views)
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Re: 85 cabriolet suspected fuel problem
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Hi,
If rust was found inside the gas tank it's junk and needs to go. I don't think you could win that battle. -- without a new tank. Just my opinion. Even so you will need a fuel filter - perhaps more than once as said.
Hey - you once said you wern't sure of the mechanics. Just have to say that if I worked on a car in all good faith as always that if what I did fixed it - I would consider it done in most cases. If I wasn't sure I'd be talking to you about it.
Sorry this crap has happened to you. If you think a new mechanic is the answer go for it. There's only so much you can do with a keyboard. Let us and the world know how you make out as we like to know and others will read this world wide, T
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