81 Rabbit IP Problem

[Fatmobile]

Glad to hear you found the problem.
Clear fuel lines are a great help when trying to find fuel line restrictions or a leaky mainshaft seal.

The similar thing will happen if you put a regular banjo bolt in the output of the pump, except there will be air in the line going into the pump as well.

[uzzo2]

Glad to hear you found the problem.
Clear fuel lines are a great help when trying to find fuel line restrictions or a leaky mainshaft seal.

The similar thing will happen if you put a regular banjo bolt in the output of the pump, except there will be air in the line going into the pump as well.

Sure was a load off my mind. I have one more question though. I never used the cold start on my golf. As a matter of fact, I got aggravated with it being in my way one time putting glow plugs in and cut it. Even this past winter when it got down into the teens, i didn't use it. I may have had to go through the motions of letting the plugs warm up 2 or 3 times. It never needed it, but this rabbit seems to be a different story. We're probably 90 degrees or more down here right now. You almost have to use the cold start on this rabbit to get it to idle until it warms up. I'm just wondering if that's the injectors needing to be rebuilt?

[82vdub]

You could probably advance the timing a bit to try to compensate for this. I suspec that it's a little retarded in timing.

[uzzo2]

You could probably advance the timing a bit to try to compensate for this. I suspec that it's a little retarded in timing.

Sure is a lot of white smoke though until it gets warmed up. It didn't want to idle this morning until it warmed up. Almost like it had a skip, but once it warms up it's fine.

[82vdub]

White smoke is poor combustion, which could be from retarded timing.

[Quantum-man]

Could even be too advanced.
Could be otherwise satisfactory timing, but sticky injectors that perform badly when cold and improve when hot.
Pop test them after an overnight rest, and you might catch the rogue one[s]...

[damac]

It only gets into the teens where my cars reside and I haven't met an engine yet that didn't like the cold start lever pulled for start and warmup. Sure they will start and run, and are always noisy, but it sure seems smoother with it pulled. And if you have a pump with the idle advance, mine like that when its very cold out to get rid of the shakes with the idle set to spec.

[uzzo2]

I probably need to just retime it since I moved it around trying to get it right. What do you guys time yours at? The bentley book says for 81-82, .86 mm. Then they have an improved performance setting which is .98mm. I think I shot for .90mm to be in the middle but I moved it all around trying to get the thing running right. So I have no idea what it's actually set at.

[Fatmobile]

Poor idle until it warms up and white smoke are both signs of retarded timing.
I don't set mine for any certain number,.. just set it so it runs the best. Set then test.
Make a mark and move the pump a pencil line at a time until you are too advanced,.. then move it back.

[uzzo2]

Poor idle until it warms up and white smoke are both signs of retarded timing.
I don't set mine for any certain number,.. just set it so it runs the best. Set then test.
Make a mark and move the pump a pencil line at a time until you are too advanced,.. then move it back.

That's what I wound up doing Fat. I reset it like the book said and swapped injectors. The saga continues because I couldn't get the heat shields out to change them. So I cleaned them up as best I could in the head and stuck the injectors in anyway. It ran terrible, even after warming up. So I brought it back and did exactly what you said. Started advancing until it sounded right. I had to leave and was gone for several hours. I just got back and fired it up cold without the cold start. It stumbled a little bit with a little white smoke. But once it warmed up a bit, it ran fine.

[82vdub]

You can further advance the timing until the engine sounds like marbles dancing on a plate, then back off just a bit. That's about it for timing it. I time mine by ear, and have never put the gauge in to see what it reads. Every time I timed it by the dial, it ran so pour that I just skip the dial. Don't forget to loosen the ends of your hard injector lines to relax them after you rotate the IP, or the lines (especially #2) may break.

[uzzo2]

You can further advance the timing until the engine sounds like marbles dancing on a plate, then back off just a bit. That's about it for timing it. I time mine by ear, and have never put the gauge in to see what it reads. Every time I timed it by the dial, it ran so pour that I just skip the dial. Don't forget to loosen the ends of your hard injector lines to relax them after you rotate the IP, or the lines (especially #2) may break.

It's actually running MUCH better now 82. I kept advancing it a little at the time until I heard it run good and smooth and I just locked it down right there. I guess the next question is what to do about the stuck heat shields for the injectors. I've never had that happen before today. I put my heavy duty o-ring pick in the center of all of them. I tried turning the engine over with the injectors out thinking the compression might break them loose. No dice my friend, them suckers are in there. Surely there must be a trick to it O wise ones.

[bscutt]

my trick for stuck heat shields is to thread in a 5/16 sheet metal screw and spraying a little pB blaster around the edges. Then try rotating the screw and/or pulling on it and rocking with vice grips on the screw head. If it doesn't work right away spray a tiny bit more PB and let it sit a little longer then try again. Have had some that were pretty tough to get out but that trick always worked eventually

[uzzo2]

my trick for stuck heat shields is to thread in a 5/16 sheet metal screw and spraying a little pB blaster around the edges. Then try rotating the screw and/or pulling on it and rocking with vice grips on the screw head. If it doesn't work right away spray a tiny bit more PB and let it sit a little longer then try again. Have had some that were pretty tough to get out but that trick always worked eventually

Thanks again Bob! I actually thought about something similar. Threading a screw down in the center of the hole and using a slide hammer.But I don't have a slide hammer so I just left them in there. It's running better now than when I bought it. So I dare not touch it again for the time being. I did spray some PB blaster on each one and got a heavy duty O-ring pick to get in the center and pull. On number 4, I went around the edges of it with a pair of needle nose pliers tapping on it. It wouldn't budge.

[82vdub]

You do need to go and replace the heat shields. They are a one time use (although some here have reshaped them to reuse more than once) and help seal the injector cavity from the combustion chamber.