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Chevy432
Samba Member
Joined: February 04, 2015
Posts: 22
Location: Canada
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 Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 4:26 pm Post subject: 1980 Rabbit POWER LOSS |
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Im having a rather odd problem with my rabbit. When i start out in first gear the engine begins to sputter as i accelerate. And this doesn't just happen in first gear it happens in every gear including 4th. Sometimes it clears up, but then it comes back and the steering wheel starts to vibrate from it. Im thinking possibly something to do with my fuel lines and the fuel getting caught up somewhere and it not flowing smoothly but i have absolutly no idea at all. Any advice would be appreciated because i need to drive it to university every day!!
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12846
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 5:10 pm Post subject: Re: 1980 Rabbit POWER LOSS |
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Is it diesel or gas? If gas, is it fuel injected ot carbeurated? If gas, what condition are the spark plugs, wires, cap & rotor in? If new, make sure they are Bosch parts. VWs run like poop on champion, autolite & the rest of the non-factory parts, even platinum plugs have a tendency to foul.
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Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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Chevy432
Samba Member
Joined: February 04, 2015
Posts: 22
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 6:56 pm Post subject: Re: 1980 Rabbit POWER LOSS |
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| It's gas and fuel injected, I'll checkout the spark plugs. I recently changed out my fuel accumulator so that also could be the problem. |
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kamzcab86
Samba Moderator
Joined: July 26, 2008
Posts: 7915
Location: Arizona
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| Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2015 12:02 pm Post subject: Re: 1980 Rabbit POWER LOSS |
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| TDCTDI wrote: |
| If new, make sure they are Bosch parts. VWs run like poop on champion, autolite & the rest of the non-factory parts, even platinum plugs have a tendency to foul. |
Bosch makes crap plugs... use NGK; their plugs are far superior to any other.
Is this a CIS-basic (no O2 sensor) or CIS-lambda (has O2 sensor) Rabbit?
_________________
~Kamz 
1986 Cabriolet: www.Cabby-Info.com
 1990 Vanagon Westfalia: Old Blue's Blog
2016 Golf GTI S
"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." - 孔子 |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12846
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2015 12:32 pm Post subject: Re: 1980 Rabbit POWER LOSS |
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All of the newer VWs use NGK but the mk1 cars alway ran best with just the cheap copper Bosch plugs, until the NGKs were widely available. MK1 still dislike autolite, champion & the like. Also make sure that the distributor cap & rotor are the orange-ish Bosch only. Pepboys sold grey obey that worked for about 150 miles & autozone sold black ones that were better but only good for 1500. Someone makes an orange copy but it pretty subpar too.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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ps2375
Samba Member
Joined: April 24, 2014
Posts: 2471
Location: Meridian,ID
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| Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2015 7:02 pm Post subject: Re: 1980 Rabbit POWER LOSS |
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| How old are your points? |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12846
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 6:55 am Post subject: Re: 1980 Rabbit POWER LOSS |
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| ps2375 wrote: |
| How old are your points? |
Fuel injected rabbits had electronic ignition, in the US anyway.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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ps2375
Samba Member
Joined: April 24, 2014
Posts: 2471
Location: Meridian,ID
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| Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 8:55 am Post subject: Re: 1980 Rabbit POWER LOSS |
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| TDCTDI wrote: |
| ps2375 wrote: |
| How old are your points? |
Fuel injected rabbits had electronic ignition, in the US anyway. |
Not true, my 1980 Rabbit had points and CIS. |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12846
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 11:23 am Post subject: Re: 1980 Rabbit POWER LOSS |
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Interesting, I've never seen one. Check for that too.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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ps2375
Samba Member
Joined: April 24, 2014
Posts: 2471
Location: Meridian,ID
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| Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 11:48 am Post subject: Re: 1980 Rabbit POWER LOSS |
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| TDCTDI wrote: |
| Interesting, I've never seen one. |
I think most were fuel injected from the beginning, but there were some that had no CAT's, some had carb's and around 1980 transistorized ign came on some and was mostly standard in 1981. |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12846
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2015 11:34 am Post subject: Re: 1980 Rabbit POWER LOSS |
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| ps2375 wrote: |
| TDCTDI wrote: |
| Interesting, I've never seen one. |
I think most were fuel injected from the beginning, but there were some that had no CAT's, some had carb's and around 1980 transistorized ign came on some and was mostly standard in 1981. |
Definitely a good idea to see if your car has points, if it does, it's a rarity & have probably been overlooked by most that have ever worked on it.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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helowrench
Samba Member
Joined: August 27, 2003
Posts: 567
Location: dallas texas
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| Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2015 11:32 am Post subject: Re: 1980 Rabbit POWER LOSS |
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Start by changing the fuel filter.
if it idles fine, but shudders under load, it is usually indicative of a clooged filter.
NOTE: the filter is designed to stop water from travelling through it, and the potential to damage the FI system, so 1 tank of water contaminated fuel is all it takes sometimes.
Secondly, check for smooth advance on the distributor. a hanging flyweight in the advance mechanism can cause all sorts of headaches.
Rob
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Current VWs:
70 bug vert for wifey
73Thing bucket o rust
73 914 1.7
12 Passat 2.5 Highway cruiser |
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bvolks
Samba Member
Joined: April 26, 2004
Posts: 845
Location: New Brunswick, Canada
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| Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2015 3:22 pm Post subject: Re: 1980 Rabbit POWER LOSS |
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| ps2375 wrote: |
| TDCTDI wrote: |
| ps2375 wrote: |
| How old are your points? |
Fuel injected rabbits had electronic ignition, in the US anyway. |
Not true, my 1980 Rabbit had points and CIS. |
Mine also.
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756,000 km)
1971 Doublecab project
1995 Golf CL
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vwoldbug
Samba Member
Joined: January 28, 2009
Posts: 1214
Location: Ohio
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| Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2016 2:29 pm Post subject: Re: 1980 Rabbit POWER LOSS |
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| Have you changed the fuel filter and tune up parts lately . Also the distributor shafts wore out . Try to get the fuel pressure checked . Put a dwell meter on it and see how much the dwell changes . 49 state cars had points and cat converters & California cars had hall generators in distributors and cat converters . There were a few late July 49 sate cars that had hall generators. There were also a few hundred Chicago area Rabbits that had solex one barrel carbs that got good fuel mileage |
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