TD; Vanagon losing power - but not all power

[floyders]

OK. First Post. So glad I found this place.

I have a 85 vanagon with a 85 TD jetta engine in it. I just did a big long trip from MT to AZ and back again (I love this rig!) getting about 31 mpg.

Anyhow, 2 things

1. WHen I'm accelerating and not giving it much gas but just enough to keep it going constant speed, esp in 2nd and 3rd gear, there is a pulsating jerky thing that goes on. If I press on the gas a more, the problem seems to go away.

2. I will be accelerating fine and strong until the rpm's reach a certain point (my tach doesn't work , but in 3rd, say, the power will drop at around 41mph) it's as if the turbo stopped working. I can still accelerate but, I have to floor it and my top-end is less.

notes:

It appears as though there could be a small fuel leak in the fuel return hoses set-up between the cylinders (the small sections of arched fuel hose)

Thanks for any insight

[Stoker]

Well this sounds a lot like my IDI with the pump loose on one end (the pivot on the left side of the car just below the four injector fittings on the pump) Anywho I aparently didn't tighten it, and it loosened and eventually fell out. Originally the problem showed up as a uneven change in power at low RPM, on every start, in the first two gears, or at low throttle inputs. Later it started happening at various RPM, and eventually started occilating violently, at random RPM at cruze, for no apearent reason. The only way to stop it was to floor it. Now I see the pump was pivoting on the front plate, and messes with either the govener, or the advance mech. Any flyball govener arangement would not like violent shaking. Nothing else was loose. Have a look, suprised the hell outa me. Pump showd its' vibrations at high revs just bliping the throttle not moving, with no problems aparent at idle.

Regards
CB&Stoker

[libbybapa]

What turbo setup do you have? What rpm is the power lowering?

Andrew

[Stoker]

Unfortunatly this setup is still NA for now . The power on mine would not really be low, exept when it was bucking so bad, that you would either have to floor it, or lift, The power was pretty steady at full throttle, with only a hint of bucking. (this is with the bolt missing completly) With the bolt just loose, it would just have very uneven power delevery from a stop, with sudden smoke when the govener/advance would cut loose.
OTOH the turbo may make it act differently, but the slight bucking sounds too close.

Just an possibility... probably could be almost anything fuel related, including most commonly air in the fuel line after the filter. Any bubbles?

Regards
CB&Stoker

[Fatmobile]

My golf used to surge and had a slight bucking at a certain RPM... until I did the governor mod.
Hard to explian, it requires you to pull the top off your injection pump and replace a spring with a washer.
How's the smoke (color, density) during your power loss?

[floyders]

Thanks for all your input.

Had the return fuel lines replaced , new fuel filter, air filter replaced and what not. Still doing it's thing though. The turbo winds and boosts well to a certain point and the "drops out". You can hear the whine and then it lessens greatly adn the only way to get it wound up again is to floor it. But now there are greater issues. My starter is shot and I found two bolts missing from my tranny case and oil leaking from the trasmission. I was driving back from OR when i pulled over for some gas. When i tried to turn over the car she wouldn't go. 1st time this ever has happened. I wait a little while and then try again and it turns over. I drive the rest of the way back to MT and stop for some food in town. WHen I try to turn it over it just grinds and spins freely. I looked under the engine and saw oil leaking from the tranny case and two bolts missing from the tranny.