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OT - b3 16v passat issues





-----Original Message-----
From: scirocco-l-bounces@scirocco.org
[mailto:scirocco-l-bounces@scirocco.org]On Behalf Of Allyn
Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2004 8:51 PM
To: scirocco list
Subject: OT - b3 16v passat issues

Fellow listers,

(this is one of those cathy type emails - beware. issues at bottom of email
for those willing to lend a tech assist)

    so i drag the whole family down to kings bay, GA today to check out /
put an offer on a house. i also dragged dave winchell (red 16v) down with
me. its easy, as he lives riding in the rieger. after a 3 hour drive, we
arrive and check out the house. dave goes into 'appraiser mode' and gives
the place a thorough once-over as i show the house to the wife. we all head
over to the agents office to write up the offer. sandei decides to go
straight home - the 3 kids are tired, and they are all in her passat.

    shortly after paperwork is signed and me and dave hit the highway,
sandei calls - the passat is acting 'stuttery', but holding speed. we're
about an hour behind her. i coax the rieger into light-speed to close the
gap. 10 minutes later, sandei calls again - from the side of the road.
great... 10 more minutes pass - called again - she is back on the road. says
she is going to a gas station to add 10 gallons and some additive (in case
of possible bad gas). 10 minutes later - another call - on side of road
again. the cycle repeats a few times. turns out the passat only runs for
about 10 minutes at a time then dies off.

    dave and i pick up some nylon rope (couldnt find tow straps anywhere),
and eventually catch up with sandei - now on the side of the road for good.
i give her a quick brief on what to do while being towed 10 feet behind a
scirocco at 60 MPH, tie the cars up, and off we go. after a few phone calls
to calm the wife down (she initially looked like she was in labor, i swear),
we get a good pace and go the remaining 100 miles or so to get back home.

ok, now for the issues, as interpreted/translated from the wife:
- throughout all of this - engine temp was normal
- bucked very slightly intermittently. hitting gas harder only resulted in
engine choking out completely.
- 30 minutes later, bucking got worse, eventually had to pull over.
- once pulled over, turning off ignition was followed by a few seconds of
diesel action.
- wait 10 minutes, start 'er up, purrs like kitten, drives fine (even under
hard acceleration).
- ~10 minutes into driving, bucking cycle repeats, along with the diesel
action on shutdown.
- went slightly further between bucking events - with heat blasting.

my initial guesses:
- i suspect its bucking due to fuel being way too rich for some reason
- likely an electrical issue, as the car drives fine once its cooled down a
bit. it appears to be an 'on/off' type of problem.

issues i expect while troubleshooting tomorrow:
- i may not be able to get the engine hot enough from merely idling to
recreate the problem - as the problem was happening while going highway
speeds. (i really done want to be that mechanic guy hanging under the
truck - you know - in those commercials)

anyhow, please shed any past experiences / advice. i'm totally sucking for
ideas at this point, and i need to have any possible info that might help me
get this thing reliable again. its the family car. its gotta be reliable ya
know :)

well... reliable until i can get a TDI to throw in there.

thx in advance
Al

Allyn Malventano, ETC(SS), USN
87 Rieger Scirocco GTO 2.0 16v (daily driver, 200k, rocco #6)
86 Kamei Twin 16V Turbo Scirocco GTX (30% complete, rocco #7)
86.5 Occo 16v Trailer (rocco #8)
90 Passat GL 16V (the wifes POS daily, 200k)



By the time that I attempt this reply, you mave have already found an
answer, but...  I had a similar experience with my old GTI, which was caused
by two problems...  One, the thermo switch was bad (for the FI), and the
computer itself was full of water...  It did very much the same thing, but
it did not take 10 minutes, more like five...  I doubt that is your problem,
but maybe...

HTH

David