Starting problems - fuel pump? What next?
Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 12:18 am
I've got me a 710K that doesn't want to start anymore. Starting was originally fairly quick + crisp, and I'd noticed was starting to take longer and longer to prime, especially after left to sit for more than a couple days. No surprise there, especially since I generally am forced to park it somewhat facing uphill.
But after leaving it for about two weeks, it no longer started at all. So I've dug deep into the engine for the first time ever. I checked the fuel filter, which is pretty new and pretty clean, and the spark plugs all look pretty good. I pulled off the manifold and poured in some carb cleaner, then tried pouring gasoline directly into the carb. It DOES try to start after that.
So, I went ahead and ordered a VW replacement fuel pump. For $30 it seems like I might as well replace it, since I know nothing about what shape the old one is in and it seemed like a likely culprit. I replaced that tonight, with a couple potential issues: the one I got is a somewhat different style than the one that was in there. It looks like this:
Whereas the old one has the two line ports side-by-side and facing forward. But I figured it's here and I might as well give it a shot. Since the lines now have to run to the rear, rather than the front, I took the opportunity to shorten the line from the filter by bypassing the Y to the heater altogether... I remember reading that the heater itself is sometimes a problem and probably ought to be gotten rid of regardless. So it's out of the loop now.
And, well... it almost sorta works? It still wouldn't start initially, even after a good 30 seconds of cranking. So I once again gave the carb a little shot of juice, and that combined with a little gas was actually enough to get it into an idle... but a pretty rough one that died a few times. In addition to belching smoke out of both carbs at one point and backfiring super sharply on two other occasions, which is fun. That's when I decided to stop before the neighbors come looking for me.
So... where am I at now? I've still got the air filter and the manifold off... do I just need to get those back on and give it some time? Is that pump just not gonna cut it? Or is there something still fouled up I need to be hunting for?
When replying, remember to respond as if speaking to a particularly slow child with basically zero automotive experience. Slightly helpfully the only other car I've ever worked on was a 1968 Karmann Ghia, but I'm still essentially an idiot.
But after leaving it for about two weeks, it no longer started at all. So I've dug deep into the engine for the first time ever. I checked the fuel filter, which is pretty new and pretty clean, and the spark plugs all look pretty good. I pulled off the manifold and poured in some carb cleaner, then tried pouring gasoline directly into the carb. It DOES try to start after that.
So, I went ahead and ordered a VW replacement fuel pump. For $30 it seems like I might as well replace it, since I know nothing about what shape the old one is in and it seemed like a likely culprit. I replaced that tonight, with a couple potential issues: the one I got is a somewhat different style than the one that was in there. It looks like this:
Whereas the old one has the two line ports side-by-side and facing forward. But I figured it's here and I might as well give it a shot. Since the lines now have to run to the rear, rather than the front, I took the opportunity to shorten the line from the filter by bypassing the Y to the heater altogether... I remember reading that the heater itself is sometimes a problem and probably ought to be gotten rid of regardless. So it's out of the loop now.
And, well... it almost sorta works? It still wouldn't start initially, even after a good 30 seconds of cranking. So I once again gave the carb a little shot of juice, and that combined with a little gas was actually enough to get it into an idle... but a pretty rough one that died a few times. In addition to belching smoke out of both carbs at one point and backfiring super sharply on two other occasions, which is fun. That's when I decided to stop before the neighbors come looking for me.
So... where am I at now? I've still got the air filter and the manifold off... do I just need to get those back on and give it some time? Is that pump just not gonna cut it? Or is there something still fouled up I need to be hunting for?
When replying, remember to respond as if speaking to a particularly slow child with basically zero automotive experience. Slightly helpfully the only other car I've ever worked on was a 1968 Karmann Ghia, but I'm still essentially an idiot.