[T3] Started after seven years, now what?

[Jacob Adam Schroeder]

Thanks Jim,

I have the afternoon for the most part off of work, so I was able to run
some of these tests.

If the "fuel pump relay" you are referring to is the one under the dash, I
measured a little over 10 volts on pin 87 (red wire) when the engine was
running.  This, of course, was when the engine was running poorly.  If I
pressed on the gas a bit, and got the RPMs up, the voltage would increase
to over 12 volts (13.6 I think I saw).

As for the voltage at the battery, this is what I got: ~ 12.2 volts when
idling (poorly), when I gave it some gas, it would get up to about 13.8
volts.

As for water in the fuel gas, this is not an issue because I drained the
fuel tank, changed the lines, and emptied anything left in the metal lines
through the body.

The fuel pump was replaced "recently" (before it was parked) and maybe has
1 year of use on it (again, before being parked for 7).

Jacob



On Mon, Aug 27, 2012 at 2:42 PM, Jim Adney <jadney at vwtype3.org> wrote:

> Jacob,
>
> To the list below, add one more test
>
> Check the system voltage at medium rpm and with the battery charged
> up. It should be above 13.5 V at the battery. Ideal is 14.1-14.4. It
> will be ~1/2 V higher measured at the generator, or ~1/2 V lower at
> the fuse box.
>
> The kinds of things that might go bad just sitting around would be
> the voltage regulator, the fuel pump, or water in the gas tank.
>
> Jim
>
> On 27 Aug 2012 at 14:20, Jacob Adam Schroeder wrote:
>
> > Hi Jim,
> >
> > I will try taking those measurements this afternoon and report back on my
> > findings.  In the meantime, my year is 1972 and yes, FI.  It used to run
> > fine 7 years ago, so I think it will be a matter of finding what has
> > decided to bite the dust in the intervening 7 years of sitting in a
> > garage/barn.  Or, finding something that was causing only minor problems
> > before and that has now gotten worse.
> >
> > Jacob
> >
> > On Mon, Aug 27, 2012 at 12:58 PM, Jim Adney <jadney at vwtype3.org> wrote:
> >
> > > On 27 Aug 2012 at 7:30, Jacob Adam Schroeder wrote:
> > >
> > > > The car still starts up (first crank, usually), but it is a
> challenge to
> > > > keep it idling. It sounds like it is running on all 4, with the
> > > occasional
> > > > miss and the engine eventually slows down until it dies.  I can give
> it
> > > > some gas, which works to warm it up.  If I give it just a little
> gas, it
> > > > usually stalls out and dies.  If I floor it and keep the gas at
> > > > mid-throttle, it revs nicely and idles just fine at that high RPM (no
> > > > misses).
> > > >
> > > > After warming it up, I've had it idle for a minute or so, whereby I
> shut
> > > it
> > > > down myself.  I have got this to only occur once or twice.
> > >
> > > Remind us of the year, please.
> > >
> > > I'm assuming FI.
> > >
> > > A few things to check:
> > >
> > > 1) Connect a voltmeter between ground and the red wire that comes out
> > > of the "firewall" and plugs into the fuel pump relay. It should have
> > > no voltage on it when the engine is stopped, and should have 12-14 V
> > > any time the engine is running. If you see that voltage drift down,
> > > below 12 V, while the engine is running, you may have found your
> > > problem.
> > >
> > > 2) Get a pressure gauge good for 30 or 50 psi. Connect it to the fuel
> > > pressure test port on the engine, and watch it while the engine is
> > > running. It should show a constant 28-30 psi any time the engine is
> > > running.
> > >
> > > 3) With the engine running, gently push on the injector connectors,
> > > up or down. Can you make the engine run better by doing this?
> > >
> > > 4) Pump some gas out of the test port, into a glass container, and
> > > let it settle. Is there water in there?
> > >
> > > 5) If nothing else seems to help, consider sending the distributor to
> > > me to be rebuilt. This may not help, but there are several things in
> > > there that can go wrong, so knowing this part is good removes one
> > > more variable from the problem. This costs $50, plus shipping and any
> > > major parts, if necessary (usually not needed.)
>
> --
> *******************************
> Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
> Madison, Wisconsin, USA
> *******************************
>
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