About Rick O. Expertise Classic, aircooled (rear engine) 1949-1979 VW's, specializing in electrical problems, fuel injection, and Type 181 "The Thing".
NOTE: I have limited experience on water-cooled VWs (Rabbit, Golf, Jetta, etc...) but I am glad to help to the extent of my knowledge, due to the fact there are currently no other experts registered for these models.
Experience 15 years of aircooled VW ownership and maintenance.
Publications Wikipedia, VW Beetle
Education/Credentials Retired US military Electronics Tech/Master Training Specialist, Civilian Computer engineer.
Question QUESTION: my bus starts fine but will not stay running. if the gas pressure is only 25-30psi is that sufficient to run a fuel injection engine?
ANSWER: John,
This pressure is in the ball park. I would look for other problems. I would need a little more info to diagnose.
- Rick
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: i have replaced plugs,points,condensor,distrib. cap,wires,double relay checks out,cold start checks out,egr checks out,chop sticks work the air flow fine,timing is good,valves are adjusted correctly. the van starts but will not let me accelerate or run at idle after 10 seconds then it dies.
Answer John,
I double checked my bus manual, the pressure should be 35PSI, and a bit higher under load (the pressure regulator vacuum port controls this). So I have to correct my last post and would say 25-30 is too low. Here are things to check:
- Fuel tank vent clog; if the tank becomes a vacuum, this will restrict flow.
- In-tank fuel filter clog
- Main (external) fuel filter clog
- In-tank fuel pickup hose cracked near top; sucking in air
- Faulty pressure regulator
- Kinked fuel line or incorrect size (too small) fuel line.
- Less than 12VDC at the pump.
- Faulty pump
Another possibility is you have a "false air" problem, which means there is a leak somewhere in the air induction system. This will cause bad idle and stalls too. Look for loose/cracked hoses everywhere. Spray starter fluid around any suspected areas while at idle; if the RPM increases while spraying you may have found the location of the problem.
