Help - fuel starvation (I think ) !!

[Pam712]

My MK 11 Golf auto has developed an annoying and dangerous habit of spluttering, bunnyhopping and eventually cutting out if asked to do anything more than a gentle stroll around town - hence it hates hills and motorways and will splutter and grind to a halt in the most inconvenient places. Usually if I pull over and leave it for a few seconds it will be OK, and I can carry on (up to the next hill ) where it will proceed to do it again. Sometimes it stalls completely, most times if I can pull over in time and leave the engine running it will be ok in a few seconds. Having nearly had my rear end removed by an extremely large truck today after it refused to go up a mild incline, I am tempted to either move to Holland or send the car to the great scrapyard in the sky Can anyone please tell me what is causing this and what I can do about it. I was told Golfs were prone to the neck of the filler cap disintegrating and falling into the tank - mine seems pretty much in tact and there seems to be no debris in the tank. Apart from this the car runs fine - any ideas would be much appreciated!

[dubchick182]

I had a similar problem with my GTI awhile back and I changed the fuel filter and problem solved. Dont know if thats your problem but its worth checkin out, I'm sure it needs changed anyway and theyre not expensive. Good luck.

[mechy1barry]

without knowing the year of your golf,it makes it difficult to help, more info if poss. to narrow things down.

[wombat253]

Not sure if this is useful but i have the same problem with my golf, the symptoms you describe. Around town the car never misses a beat. On the Hwy car looses power and sometimes stalls, if you pull over and let the car idle or start it again then no problem.

Mine is Mk2 Golf with electronic ignition. I have rebiult carburettor, replaced fuel filter, checked fuel pump and fuel/fuel return system. I am up to pulling my distributor apart to lubricate it and check it. Also coil & spark plug leads.

Next check is fuel tank breather and tank level sender/sensor to check for blocks.

Mechanical pump seems OK but inline fuel filter before it sometimes seems a little empty. Still manages to pull fuel through OK.

This is a difficult problem, if you keep me up to date then I will write back in when I find out what is going on.

Merry Xmas

[stefgolf]

Hi ive got 2 golfs, one '84 and a '90. i have exactly the same problems with both of them. in the summer they are fine, but in winter they turn lethal as you prob know. im not sure if its the water /damp that effects them or if its because i start to use heaters washers headlamps all the time. the last time i drove the 84, was just after getting a new battery fitted, it was fine for three hundred miles,so maybe its as simple as that or the alterantor doesnt work properly. what i dont want to do is to spend hundreds of dolars changing it all bit by bit , so please if you do find out please mail me!!! good luck, stef

[JAH69]

Have Had The Same Problem With My Golf 16v Mk2.it Initially Started When I Damaged The Petrol Tank And Broke The Lift Pump.dont Know What It Is Yet But Will Tell All When I Do.good To Know Im Not The Only One!!!

[sallyann]

hi i have a mk2 golf and for months i had all the problems you all describe the engine was stripped and had new parts such as plugs,filters,ht leads,dizzy cap and rotor arm,rockerbox and head gaskit,inlet and outlet manifold gaskits and had the head skimmed,overall the problem turned out to be the head gaskit and i'm sure that all yours are the same so while your all stripping try doing your head as i am sure your problems will be solved i paid roughly £300 to have it done but it was money well spent as everything is ok now hope this helps.

[MrTibbs]

My Car: Golf Driver 1.6 1989 MkII Petrol Carburettor

I've had similar problems to those described. I first noticed this on a very wet day, driving on the motorway(highway), when it felt like there was some kind of block in delivering the fuel when engaging the accelerator(throttle). The car actually stalled at one point and I had to wait a couple of minutes in the hard shoulder before it would start again - a bit scary when all around you are doing 70mph plus...

One mechanic told me it was a carburettor problem and recommended either a new carb or a Weber conversion replacement, although I'm not so sure...the same thing has ocurred twice since. He also said he couldn't be 100% sure...hmmm....

The problem is highly inconsistent, unfortunately....any ideas would be appreciated.

[stefgolf]

well now kids, i posted an earlier reply and now i think , ive cracked it!!
ive changed dizzy all ht leads re adjusted mixture and idle, but still have same problem. so anyway , the problem i believe is the temp and humidity of the air intake. there are 2 ways for the air to get into the carb, one from the normal pipe from near the headlamp and the other from the exhaust manifold(this is on my 1990 driver, but not on my 84 cl, ( why did they change it?????). there is some kind of bi-metal gate where it shuts when the temp is high enough to only use ambient air).
Now, the cars stall in the rain and the cold, why? because the air is wet and very cold and this clogs the filter and freezes the carb. this is why after sitting idle for a minute your back in business. the ice melts because of the engine heat, and the air is warmer because your not moving. you drive again for a while and the same thing happens ad nauseum. whose golf does this in the middle of summer? (apart from people who live in wales). so how to fix it, if you have two air intake pipes as mentioned before check the thermostat( i couldnt be bothered)
i just sealed up with a plastic spray can lid , the air intake that comes from near the headlamp. so now the air can only come in from the manifold( which means its dry and warm). my car has now done 200 miles only but it hasnt stalled once and hasnt spluttered at all and its been very cold and raining, and ive been hammering it. if you dont have a pipe coming from the manifold then your going to have to construct one. a guy i know welded a box onto the manifold and put his air pipe in through there. if this doesnt make sense to anyone e mail me and ill try to explain better. oh and blocking the pipe seems to make no difference to the running temp of the engine driving at speed and at idle..

if my golf dies again ill tell you guys and you can curse me, but if you fix yours tell me!!!! good luck
stef

[BadgerFunk]

I have a mkII (90) 1.6 driver, which finds it hugely entertaining to lose all power after being on the motorway for more than 30 minutes (the worse the weather, the sooner it dies).

This has been annoying me all winter, so now I'm off to try what you suggest! One thing worrying me though - doesn't the restriction of air cause a serious loss of power?

Guess I'll find out soon...

Cheers - if it works i'll build a shrine to you