The problem I am having is this. If I am going up a hill, I live in NH, the van has a hard time staying above 25. I have changed the fuel pump, filter and plugs. I have also checked the air flow meter and it looks ok. It is an
130 sounds good. Is it running smoothly? I had a lot of problems with an 88 Cabbie which I eventually traced to bad plug wires. Was really odd, ran find some times, had problems other times.
Given good compression, in rank order I would check (with no reference to previous suggestions, so please forgive any repetitions):
a) Fuel Pressure - invest in or borrow a gauge for the purpose. They are invaluable diagnostic tools. NOTE: A FI pressure gauge is a serious bit of equipment, not the typical vacuum/pressure gauge of carburetor days. This gets you a good filter and clear supply and return lines when complete. b) Spark plugs, wires, distributor, cap, rotor and so forth. Leaky wires, carbon-tracks on the distributor cap poor connections, cracked connections, wrong gap, worn electrode(s) and so forth. c) Coil - Nice blue spark? Is the problem heat-related? Many VW coils had heat-failure problems. d) Check injectors. And run a few cans of Techron through the system on general principles anyway. e) Timing advance. Not sure how this is managed on that model, but it may take a timing light to verify.
My bet is fuel or spark related. Were I to place odds they would go as follows:
Fuel Related (clogged line or injector(s): 50% Spark/ignition related (wires, connectors, distribution): 25% Coil: 10% Injectors (if vehicle generally properly maintained): 10% All others: 5%
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