Hello.
This happened suddenly, stopped briefly, then started again:
Engine starts but idles (barely) extremely rough. Give it a little throttle and it runs terribly rough, with backfires, until rpms are coaxed above 2800 or so, then it runs smooth.
Ambient temp is 100F and humid, but engine is cold. Yesterday, when the problem started (and briefly stopped, then resumed), engine was at operating temp.
Any ideas?
Thanks, nf
Skipped timing belt? Check timing of the ignition.
SFC
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Thanks for the suggestion. I will check, but given the way it briefly ran OK, then went bad again, this seems unlikely. I was wondering if some failing EFI component could cause this. On the other hand, there is some noise from the timing belt area, so maybe the tensioner pulley bearing is going bad.
nf
81s weren't EFI. Or not really EFI, anyway. There are some electric bits, of course, but it's got a lot of mechanical bits.
I'd check the timing for sure. I never had the tensioner bearing failure actually cause a jumped belt, but it's easy enough to check TDC punch marks everywhere.
But before you go mucking about too much, look for broken or loose vacuum hoses on the timing advance. I had this happen to me. Those plastic hoses get old and crack. If the timing advance fails, you can usually get the car to start, but it barely runs as you increase engine speed. It's easy enough to look, but the broken hoses are next to impossible to see if you're not looking for them. Since the hoses are so brittle when old, they're easy to break, too, while changing oil or whatever, so you have the sudden onset of strange timing-based problems without any reason.
Andrew "old and brittle like me" Sullivan Tranna
You might also check the two big rubber boots on the air/fuel mixture setup for cracks. I had a nasty crack on one of those on my Rabbit. After I put on a "new" one, the car ran much better. Also, make sure to tighten up the strap clamps on those. If they're loose, the boots can blow right off when you start the car.
Max> On Fri, 21 Jul 2006 16:54:19 GMT, in rec.autos.makers.vw.watercooled
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