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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. _________________ 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 _________________ 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. _________________ 1985 Diesel Jetta Coupe (temporarily retired at
756,000 km)
1971 Doublecab project
1995 Golf CL
1974 Beetle
1978 Westfalia |
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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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