1.8 GL Clutch depression cuts engine out

[macmillions]

Hello there,
This is my 1st post on here and have read a few other posts which seem similar to mine... But was wondering if any1 can help?

I own a 1986 Golf mkII GL 1.8 8v and it struggles to start in the cold unless revved at 3k rpm for about 30 secs. Even then the revs drop very low and the car can often stall when pulling away. There is a strong smell of unburnt fuel even after a long journey. I read in previous posts that similar situations to mine have often been caused by the carb. Could this be the problem? If so, any idea how much it costs to replace?
I have already changed: Spark plugs, HT leads, distributer cap, air filter and adjusted the idling speed.

More recently the car has begun cutting out completely when depressing the clutch. This happens frequently when approaching roundabouts, junctions etc. Revs just drop to nothing and engine stalls. When this happens oil and battery light flash. Car restarts no problem so long as revs are kept up.

Could this be linked?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
:confused:

[Crasher]

The carb on your car is the Pierburg 2E3 and they are utterly useless when they get old. The problem with them is they are a very complex carb; really VW should have gone single point injection rather than this method. The usual solution is to fit a Weber direct replacement carb (only on cars with manual transmission) and this SHOULD cure all your problems. The 2E3 can be repaired (your problem sounds like a faulty choke unit) but you need someone who knows these carbs inside out and the repairs can easily cost more than a Weber costs fitted.

[macmillions]

Brilliant, thanks very much for your advise,
As u may have saved me a hefty garage bill!
How much would you expect a Weber carb to cost and fit?

[Crasher]

You need kit 2267092000 so start by visiting this site http://www.webcon.co.uk

[macmillions]

Contacted my mate who knows carbs inside out, and has said he will take mine out and fully refurbish it cos it happened to his car previuosly and this cured the problem.

Trouble is... he cant take the car until next month, so for the short term I've spoken to a few workmates and they have suggested putting some Redex in the car to clean out the carb...

I've not heard of this stuff, but after hearing the different stories from my workmates and the clouds of black smoke produced when they have used it, it doesn't sound safe.

Can anyone enlighten me on whether its worth me putting some in for a short term fix? Or am i gonna knacker my beloved motor by using this stuff? :confused:

[16v mad]

iv used this stuff before and my car is running still,it supposed to just clean all the unwanted particals ie traces of oil and carbon from the fuel system hence the smoke but it should only smoke initially not all the time and always use on a full tank of petrol and you will be ok,the 2e3 carbs are difficult to maintain usually the choke pull off unuit that fails but i think crasher has given you the best advice and ill second that webber are a much better carb

[Crasher]

I would offer a slight caveat to the Weber being a better carb as in some ways it isn’t. It is a much dirtier carb emissions wise, can be rather snappy in its throttle response and is even more prone to icing than the 2E2 but it is much more reliable and easier to work with. Repairing a dead 2E2 is a not a sensible proposition (especially from a professional point of view where labour is being charged) as the parts required to properly refurbish one are very expensive, even when sourced directly from Pierburg rather than from VAG. If it needed a rebuild set, a choke unit, choke pull down unit, wax stat, part throttle heater and enrichment valve then those parts alone would cost more than a Weber. I know the 2E2 inside out, back to front and upside down and the only time I will rebuild one is on a car with automatic transmission as I think the Weber is not suited to this application.

[macmillions]

Right then...
To be honest, im not fussed about causing a little extra global warming with a Weber carb, as my next door neighbour has a 1984 Lotus Esprit, which I imagine eclipses what extra dirt that would be produced by a Weber!

As for throttle response, the Golf is a bit snappy anyway when cold (I assume caused by the cruddy 2E2). It's almost like turbo lag! I put my foot on the gas and nothing happens 4 about 2 secs, then 'WHOOSH' it flies! So I probably wouldn't notice the difference.

I'm gonna have a new cambelt fitted by my mate and at the same time get him 2 check the carb, cos he reckons it may just be a timing issue after he heard it running... could it possibly be this?

I know I seem to be dragging my feet but i'm just sceptical about spending what will probably be over £200 on a new Weber when the car only cost £380! Just wanna ensure its nothing else before changing the carb. :confused:

[Crasher]

By snappy I meant rather too sudden, it takes time to learn to drive it smoothly again but a small tweak to the throttle spring tension bracket does improve it.

I think the kit is nearly £300 alone but be careful not to paint yourself into a corner with the 2E2, it is easy to spend a hundred pounds or more on a hunch that you are onto the fault and suddenly find you were wrong, then find the fault and discover you will have spent £300 lashing up the 2E2.

Yes, it is possible that it is a timing issue, the GU engine has a rather unusual timing specification of 18 degrees BTDC at 750rpm WITH the vacuum advance connected. HOWEVER, this can catch you out if the vacuum advance is punctured as you will the never set the timing correctly. Replacing the vacuum advance will cost you £162 for a Ducellier distributor or £21 for a Bosch and the Ducellier distributors are very prone the vac unit failure. The Ducellier distributors have a black cap and Bosch are brown.