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Complete Power Loss While Driving For ~Hour

This is sort of long, but if any one is good at diagnostic via nntp I'd vey much appreciate it. Tonight was the second time I've had massive power loss while driving, and it's really starting to worry me. First off my car is a 1991 Jetta GL. The issue only comes up while driving long distances. The first time I was 90 minutes into a 2 hour trip, tonight I was about 90 minutes into a 3 hour trip, both mainly at 55 mph on state roads. My car runs fine as I'm cruising along. It starts out small at first. A slight slow down. Tonight it was slight enough that it could have even been the high wind. Then it gets more and more severe. First bucking then a complete power loss through 1/2 the RPM band. I'll be at 3K and with out moving the gas it'll drop to the point where I have to clutch. At first clutching works, I give it more gas it'll pull itself back up to speed and i'll re-engage. But that doesn't last long. Eventually I'll have to pull off to the side of the road and "give it a few." I'll rev it up a few times and get going again. Sometimes for longer than others. This finally got to a point where I decided that I had enough and that I needed a break. So I pulled over and turned it off. Went in, went to the bathroom. Came back out and restarted it. It idles fine so I can't ever tell if that's the problem. But when I went to start driving the hesitation was still there. So I pushed the pedal to the floor until it finally spun up to the red line, I did this twice or so and then had no problems for a good 20 or 30 minutes. Then it started again. This time I was in the middle of nowhere, so I just pulled over, put the blinkers on and gave it the redline treatment again. It seemed to work. Now I finally make it to the highway (un avoidable, I wish I could have taken backroads). On the on ramp I'm not doing so well, I can't pass 3k rpm with out it issuing. So I pull over and just sit at red line for a few seconds and I'm back and doing fine. This time I start to have problems on the highway so rather than pull over and red line it, I think maybe the italian tune up may be the way to go. So I drop it down to 3rd and just start cruising. It seems to accept it at first and then it just falls off fast and then stalls completely. I pull over and give it some time (Enough time for me to stop swearing at it). It starts up fine, and idles like nothing is wrong (like always). I eventually make it to where I'm going.

Reply to
Jedediah A Frey
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DUDE!!

Next time take videos with sound and hook us up. Jerry Springer is getting boring...

Reply to
Peter Parker

My golf 96 is exactly the same at the moment :) same happened to my fiesta as well, I will blame it on running the gas tank too low too much. I'm getting the fuel filter changed, if that doesn't work going to have the fuel system flushed. But going to try and flush the engine today by taking the sparks out and turning the engine whipe away all the grime. i would advise you don't rev too high as this will damage the engine, just turn the car off for a while and get the filter changed and maybe flush the fuel system.

Reply to
Joe

< Mindless blather chopped out>

Things to check: -Stored engine trouble codes (Have a technician do this, based on the results check the folllowing:) -Ignition coil -Spark plug wires, -Spark plugs -Fuel pump, -O2 sensor -MAF sensor -Coolant temperature sensor -Blue Book prices to reference when you put the "For Sale" sign on it.

Reply to
Bob F.

Flushed the engine and carb to no avail apart from massive smoke clouds and a head ache from the smoke :) kept a fire extinghser by my side just in case with all the fuel going everywhere.

Reply to
Joe

What other symptoms are associated with the rough idle? Smoke? I wouldn't suspect the cat. if it's that new. Was the O2 sensor replaced at the same time? Any loud buzzing from the rear passenger side (bad transfer pump)? Perform a small tune-up: plugs, cap, rotor, air filters. As per usual, clean all the grounds and move them from the driverside of the cam cover to the side of the intake manifold and run a ground wire from the -ve battery terminal to the same point.

Next time it happens, disconnect the O2 sensor and see if that helps. If not, recoonect it and bridge the connector at the throttle switches (connector is at the throttle body near firewall) with a paperclip.

Do Digifart ECU's store codes?

I've never seen a MAF sensor go on an A2, has anyone?

Blue sender is ~$10 at the dealer.

It's a '91. It has at least 10 more years of life.

Reply to
Darryl

No smoke. No Buzzing so I wouldn't think it's the fuel pump.

Disconnecting O2, coolant didn't work.

I'm redoing my exhaust gaskets (since I didn't do it right this summer) and also doing my valve stem seals. I noticed that the plugs look like absolute shit. I can't even compare them to anything in the Haynes.. I also noticed fuel in cylinder 1 and 4. enought that the plug was soaked and I could visibly see in and see standing fluid.

Reply to
Jedediah A Frey

Well, nobody has suggested "Hall Sender" yet, so I'll throw that out there. Does your tach jump all over the place when it starts bucking?

My '87 Golf had very similar behavior, although the distributor is somewhat different. Check out the Bentley for test procedures. If I remember right, hook a test light from the positive side of the battery to the middle terminal on the connector on the side of the distributor. The book says to ground out the coil wire while doing this test so that the engine won't run. I did it with the engine running and it didn't seem to hurt anything. Have someone crank the engine, and the light should flash very regularly. Of course, you have to wait until it's acting up to do this test or it won't show anything. Or put a different distributor in and see if it helps.

Jason

Reply to
Jason Faas

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