Running Problem... Help Please

I have a 1985 Scirocco Wolfsberg edition... I know this thread is for Rabbit's but it has the same 8V engine in it. I know more people see this thread than the scirocco threads, so I am looking for any help I can get at this point.

I have had a problem with the way that it has been running for years now. We bought the car from the internet a long time ago, about 3 years I guess. It was not running. An external fuel pump was bought for the rear, because the previous one was frozen. Upon installation it came to life but has not been the same as it once was in the past.

My dad put the pump on and had it running good for a few minutes I guess. It began to run rough. It was flooding out and would only really smooth out at full throttle or somewhere close to that. It was flooding out and fouling out plugs, and would not run correctly for anything. After messing with it and trying different parts for a year or so it sat for a long time. It has been sitting for about 2 years and I just worked on it again today. I put a good fuel distributer out of a junk yard on it, I replaced the plugs, I replaced the injectors, I replaced the cold start valve at the end of the Intake... I replaced the box on the side of the engine that has the fuel lines going into it. I replaced the in tank filter before when we were working on it. we have tried many different distributers.. I even replaced the throttle body today with another one. I have checked the timing belt and even replaced it. Its symptoms after replacing all those parts are as follows... Oh it has fresh gas in it too... Or at least 95 percent fresh gas...

After it was warmed up...

It will not idle. Full throttle has to be applied to even start it to begin with. as long as I keep the rpm's over about 2 grand it does okay. Driving it does okay as long as I keep the pedal pushed some.. but if it does go to an idle it instantly quits. If I un plug the cold start valve at the end of the intake it will idle, but then it wont take gas. It is running better now than it has in the past... but it still is not right. It has so many other new parts on it, that I would hate to get rid of it right now. The paint was fresh when we got it... new radiator... just so many to get frustrated now and watch go away because I can't seem to get it running good enough to drive normally.

Any information anyone could give into something that I havent changed yet would be helpful to hear about. Im running out of parts to change out and see if they work or not.

Thanks...

check the warm up regulator. worked for my Rattit, but shops will charge a fortune, I bought mine for $85, and the shop wanted $578.

I bought this 84 rabbit ([4 dr] hatch), two years ago, and it has been on blocks more than it has been running, so I feel for you, Murphy. It's a 1.7 fuel injection engine. The first thing I did was have vw check mine, to find that the gastank strainer had disentegrated--it was made of plastic, which, after over twenty years of contact with gasoline, had crumbled, clogging up the entire fuel system. I've done over $975 worth of work to it, not counting the $150 they charged me at vw. New tank, plenty of new fuel lines, new injectors, etc...The first thing I would check, if I were you, is to check and see if the return-line is clogged. The differential pressure (the control pressure minus the residual pressure) needs to be constant. If the return line is clogged, that could be giving you too much fuel pressure. You may be able to disconnect the return-line, connect an air-hose, blow air into it (definitely relieve the pressure first!!!), and see if air can be heard bubbling up through the gas in the tank. Just have someone take the gas cap off (that will not relieve the residual pressure, though--make sure you relieve the pressure from the system, first), and put their ear near it. Next I would go through the slow, but very telling process of checking the control, and differential pressure with the (special) fuel pressure gauge needed. Good wuck!

I fixed the problem.... I traded it for a Chevy....