First Car!! 1982 VW Rabbit Convertible!!!!

[j.concepcion54321]

Got to drive it!!! Well kind of.... I got it started and while my brother kept it alive with starting fluid I put in gear and pulled out of my drive way, then back in. The clutch felt good and now I know my transmission isn't bad.

 

[Poboy kartman]

Alright! Road trip! All you need is a chair strapped to the front bumper and a case of starting fluid!

 

[exenos]

Just as a suggestion, try some gas in a squirt bottle. Its better for the engine than ether.

 

[OzFab]

...Or locate the hose that goes to the fuel rail & connect it to a small remote tank; that should tell you if the injectors are working or not

 

[J_Walker]

We're talking about power?

LSX454R engine should get ya that power...you might have to move your seat onto the roof tho. I don't think its gonna fit in that engine bay...

 

[Poboy kartman]

...Or locate the hose that goes to the fuel rail & connect it to a small remote tank; that should tell you if the injectors are working or not

Well first just taking off that line and turning the key on will tell if the fuel pump is working. Then he'll need to plug it or route it to a 5 gallon bucket before he tries the remote tank. However- if he gets no gas- it wouldn't be a bad idea to do the injector test anyway- then it would be narrowed down to a fuel pump issue only.

 

[OzFab]

Hence the suggestion...

 

[j.concepcion54321]

Thanks for the idea Fabroman, how can i find the one that goes to the injectors? what will it look like? Also wouldnt that bypass the whole throttle system so i wouldnt really be able to give it gas would i?

The man who i found as a mentor has his shop literally right across the street for me. It would be roughly a 2.5-3 minute drive if that. I was hoping that if i could get it running with a remote tank (like directly to the injectors as suggested??) hopefully i could drive it over to him and that way i can leave it in the shop and get it up on a lift to work on the fuel pump, also maybe get a good look for anything that has to be done underneath it.

exenos- thanks ill try doing that from now on. Besides, these bottles of starting fluid are getting expensive at almost 4 bucks a pop!!

J_walker- i could throw my ktm 125 engine in it and itd probably make more power if i put that engine on it the front end would literally just detach from the rest of the car and id be left sitting there looking like

 

[OzFab]

how can i find the one that goes to the injectors? what will it look like?

I'm no expert on VWs but the easiest way is to locate the injectors & trace back from there; I could be wrong but, they appear to be across the back side of the head, the ones with the braided lined coming off...

Looking back through you pics I can see another small problem (not sure if you noticed or not), your fuel filter is missing...

Becuase all the connections are fittings, you may have trouble connecting a remote tank, you need to find somewhere in the maze that can be connected easily or find an appropriate fitting in a junk yard

Also wouldnt that bypass the whole throttle system so i wouldnt really be able to give it gas would i?

Maybe you should do some research on how fuel injection systems work:

As you press the accelerator pedal, the throttle butterfly opens, causing a rush of air that is picked up by the Mass Air Flow or MAF sensor. It then registers in the ECU which tells the injectors to pump fuel into the engine.

In short, in an EFI engine, the fuel never goes anywhere near the throttle body...

Well, that's the case with multipoint EFI anyway, throttle body injection is a bit different...

The man who i found as a mentor has his shop literally right across the street for me. It would be roughly a 2.5-3 minute drive if that.

WOW! You must have really wide streets around your way...

I was hoping that if i could get it running with a remote tank (like directly to the injectors as suggested??) hopefully i could drive it over to him

Maybe; the biggest problem will be keeping fuel pressure up to the fuel rail; the best way to do that with a remote tank is to elevate it...

 

[j.concepcion54321]

I'm no expert on VWs but the easiest way is to locate the injectors & trace back from there; I could be wrong but, they appear to be across the back side of the head, the ones with the braided lined coming off...

Looking back through you pics I can see another small problem (not sure if you noticed or not), your fuel filter is missing...

Becuase all the connections are fittings, you may have trouble connecting a remote tank, you need to find somewhere in the maze that can be connected easily or find an appropriate fitting in a junk yard



Maybe you should do some research on how fuel injection systems work:

As you press the accelerator pedal, the throttle butterfly opens, causing a rush of air that is picked up by the Mass Air Flow or MAF sensor. It then registers in the ECU which tells the injectors to pump fuel into the engine.

In short, in an EFI engine, the fuel never goes anywhere near the throttle body...

Well, that's the case with multipoint EFI anyway, throttle body injection is a bit different...



WOW! You must have really wide streets around your way...



Maybe; the biggest problem will be keeping fuel pressure up to the fuel rail; the best way to do that with a remote tank is to elevate it...

thanks for the info..

...Ok so hes not right across the street from me, but hes a few streets over.

As far as how the fuel injection works, that makes a ton of sense now that i think about it. That also deserves a on my part.

I would have to go in and take a look some more, i currently have strep throat so getting outside in the cold isnt too likely any time soon. Especially with more snow headed our way tomorrow morning.

As far as the fuel filter goes, i have it but not the banjo bolts that connect it -___- I was gonna replace it, but after realizing that it's still in good shape i may leave it as is as soon as i get the replacement bolts. IM thinking my local auto parts store should have them?

 

[Poboy kartman]

OK- Here comes the best advice you're going to get all day. ....

If you have a 1/2 price bookstore near you- go look for a a Hayne's or Chilton manual that covers your car. It will be worth 10 times what you pay for it. It will cover everything from maintenance schedules to engine rebuilding including tolerances and torque specs. You can sit down and read through not only what the problems may be- but have a complete walk-through with pictures and step by step instructions on almost any repairs. Wiring diagrams and fuse diagrams to help with your electrical issues. And mainly- also give you a general idea how everything works on any car. So you can see what you are getting into before you start any repair.

So if 1/2 price doesn't have your make and model surf the web for one. Look at your local auto supply. In short- beg, borrow or steal one. At full price $20 ish it is still worth 5 times that.....

IMHO- Owning a car without one is just plain insane........

 

[OzFab]

You know what, he's right; that's no only the best advice you've got today, that's the best advice you've got in this whole thread (well, maybe the remote tank idea would be an exception...)

 

[Poboy kartman]

You know what, he's right; that's no only the best advice you've got today, that's the best advice you've got in this whole thread (well, maybe the remote tank idea would be an exception...)

You might be right my friend- I haven't seen that advice inany Chilton or Hayne's manuals and it's a heckova good idea.

 

[j.concepcion54321]

Oh you mean this bad boy????

Came with the car

Only things is, some of the info ive seen in it so far hasnt been adding up to whats on my car, so im a little weary.

 

[Poboy kartman]

Oh you mean this bad boy????

Came with the car

Only things is, some of the info ive seen in it so far hasnt been adding up to whats on my car, so im a little weary.

Why would that make you tired?

I guess some things are going to be different on yours since those are based on American cars but most of the stuff in there should apply. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out what does and doesn't.

 

[fowler]

Unfortunately a remote tank won't work as gravity fed

Un like a card when u fill the bowl and Venturi sucks the fuel in

Efi is pressureized fuel to the Injectors then once the ecu sends our an order it opens the injector and the already pressureized fuel will flow in

Wothout the fuel pump it won't work

Trace the whole fuel system from tank forward

There should be a line running from the sender unit in the tank to a filter maybe
Some cars have in tank filters
Then running to a fuel pump
Then to the injectors
And maybe one running back to tank

Once u are sure the system is all intact remove the pressure line off the pump
turn the key on to ign
U if the pump is electric then it should start pumping out fuel
It may be dry do just make sure it's at least running
If the pump is pto driven then the engine must be turning over to make it pump

Once your sure the pump is working then connect it all back up

Crack a line going to the injectors and ensure the fuel is getting there

If it stil won't start then the injectors may not be opening

Don't put a multi meter on the injector
Im not sure about petrols but deisel injectors run a few hundred to 30 thousand bolts to open them

If u can
Get a solidoid tester and put that near the injector while u crank

The tester is like a pen
U put it close but not on an electro mag source and it lights up each time the thing activates

 

[OzFab]

I thought you might say that...

What about the fact that it has more of a fuel block than a rail? TBH, I've never seen a system like this, I learned on BMW K-jet & L-jet systems & am familiar with throttle body systems but, not this one; does it still need full pressure or does the block create its own pressure?

 

[exenos]

How about trying to create some vacuum in the manifold? Blocking off part of the intake would do that.

 

[itsid]

the german books of that kind come with a testing routine.
that's always easy to follow.
On some cars it's as easy as "detach the hose A and see if it squirts gas"
on others it's as complicated as "detach fuel injector B and see if it squirts gas"

moving your way back to the fuel pump,
which -if it's anything like the one on earlier models of a Golf I- is easy to test, you can feel if it's running by just touching it..
if it is, remove outgoing hose, and see it spoiling the environment

The manifold isn't critical AFAIK, if there's something wrong there it's the fuel lines that are blocked and need to be replaced.

The only time I see the injection system fail myself it was the injector nozzle that had to be changed, but that doesn't mean anything (just my lack of experience with that car )

'sid

I think a friend of mine still has his german repair manual for the golf mkI cabrio
"Jetzt helfe ich mir selbst".. if he does, I'll borrow it and see what I'll find.

 

[fowler]

I thought you might say that...

What about the fact that it has more of a fuel block than a rail? TBH, I've never seen a system like this, I learned on BMW K-jet & L-jet systems & am familiar with throttle body systems but, not this one; does it still need full pressure or does the block create its own pressure?

The fuel pump created the flow the injectors create the pressure based on the definition that pressure is a restriction to flow

But without the pump u have no flow

That only injection system that actually pumps the fuel in its self is 3 deisel types
Where the pump fills it and the cam pumps it in

All require a pump
Most require a high pressure pump