Club 80-90 Forums

Our engine's recently developed a worrying fault; starts immediately, ticks over nice and smooth and drives perfectly for some time but after a while (30 miles or so) starts to kangaroo before losing power and cutting out. Last time out it restarted ok got a couple of hundred yards and cut out again, left it a few minutes restarted ok and made it 3 miles home with no further trouble.

I thought it might be a fuel delivery problem but reading the wiki and some other posts I'm starting to think it might be oil pressure? The oil pressure light hasn't come on while driving (only on start up as it should) and there's been no buzzer (no idea if it's still connected though as it's a recon engine).

Do these symptoms sound like oil pressure? Any thoughts welcome before I call the garage.

Many thanks

Wes

Have you checked the fuel filter. If it has muck in it that can cause these symptoms - that happened to me once. On another occasion, I also had the same symptoms caused by a hairline crack on the top of the distributor rotor arm. Both easily remedied problems.

Actually sounds like an ign problem, amplifier/hall sensor

In other half's splittie with similar sounding problem there was a wiring issue, where things expanded when warm and a dodgy wiring connection became more tenuous. Can't be more specific but might be worth thinking about if the other suggestions don't find the cause.

It could be heat-related. ie fuel delivery keeps up until engine is warm and then possibly fuel pump pushrod starts to bind in bakelite housing, reducing delivery to almost nothing, or even HT leads break down when engine is hot. Had both in my lifetime.

Ralf85 wrote:Have you checked the fuel filter.

Chocciemuffin wrote:In other half's splittie with similar sounding problem there was a wiring issue, where things expanded when warm and a dodgy wiring connection became more tenuous.

I'll have a look at the filter and wiring at the weekend, been planning to renew the engine and gearbox earth straps anyway so I'll have a good look over everything while there.

bigherb wrote:Actually sounds like an ign problem, amplifier/hall sensor

Is there a simple way to test this or is it a case of replace it and if the problems persists then it was something else?

Thanks for your suggestions I'll let you know what I find

Born Too Late wrote:

Ralf85 wrote:Have you checked the fuel filter.

Chocciemuffin wrote:In other half's splittie with similar sounding problem there was a wiring issue, where things expanded when warm and a dodgy wiring connection became more tenuous.

I'll have a look at the filter and wiring at the weekend, been planning to renew the engine and gearbox earth straps anyway so I'll have a good look over everything while there.

bigherb wrote:Actually sounds like an ign problem, amplifier/hall sensor

Is there a simple way to test this or is it a case of replace it and if the problems persists then it was something else?

Thanks for your suggestions I'll let you know what I find

When it stalls check for spark immediately.

CovKid wrote:It could be heat-related. ie fuel delivery keeps up until engine is warm and then possibly fuel pump pushrod starts to bind in bakelite housing, reducing delivery to almost nothing,

It's a 2.1 injection.

Ziggy Starbus-1988 Autosleeper high top 2.1 injection

Is there a simple way to test this or is it a case of replace it and if the problems persists then it was something else?

The ignition amplifiers either work or they don't. In my experience they run for ages then you go to restart the van and BAM ... nothing spark-wise. An essential spare to carry in the glovebox. (easy to pick up if you have a scrap yard local ... all the VW petrols of the same era use the same one ... Polo, Golf, Jetta, Scirocco.)

Ian

I hope it doesn't come to this but:
I had a similar problem with my 2.1 WBX yonks ago and everything tested seemed OK even including injector pulses. I had changed virtually the whole ignition system and was getting desperate when Aiden - bet he doesn't remember now - lent me an ECU which fixed it and which he kindly sold to me.

The difference in my case was that the fault cleared after an hour or so and then recurred almost immediately but cleared overnight after a vehicle recovery and then would recur anywhere between 4 and 58 miles later requiring another recovery. In all I was recovered 12 times fortunately by my mate who I have to say was becoming a bit p - No - tired of it by this time.
Hope it turns out to be something simple.
CS

I haven't got tot the bottom of this yet but over the winter I've ruled a few things out; replaced the HT leads as the resistance was way off, ignition amplifier is ok but realised I don't have an idle stabiliser, fuel delivery is good. The last time it happened I got the AA out who reckoned it was to do with the spark as suggested below by Bigherb.

So, I'm in the middle of replacing the Hall sensor using Brickwerk's kit but I'm having a bit of trouble getting the unit to line up with the holes where the screws go. It slides down the shaft easily most of the way but I really had to force it the last few mm. By that point the shaft wouldn't turn freely, as if the base plate wasn't level and was interfering.

I thought I might file a bit of the outside edge of the base plate so it sits level, that wouldn't damage it, would it?

Cheers

Wes

Be aware that these Bosch ECUs have a couple of capacators and some big transistors on the circuit boards, after 30 years these will start to break down/short out and cause intermittent faults.

Sent from my S60 using Tapatalk

Well I think it's safe to say it was the Hall sender. 80 trouble-free miles after replacing it and not a hint of any misfiring/cutting out. Thanks to everyone who suggested possible solutions based on my shoddy description and thanks to Brickwerks for some outstanding customer service.

Wes