running problems

[vdubwill]

hey guys

i have a 1984 1.9 DG engine (petrol)

its been playing up for a while, but only occasionally

when driving along it will suddenly lose power and really struggle along while doing small backfires

i have to pump the peddle to get it to get going

when i stop, it cuts out, and when i start it back up it will sometimes run fine again until the next time.

when it 1st happened i replace the coil, then the plugs and leads, replaced wire connections connecting the the ignition system i.e to coil etc

each time i change something it would run ok for a while then happen again.

replaced the cap and rotar, after this it ran really nice, sounded really smooth

then happened again, put another dizzy on from the same type of engine as had seen orange swarf in the cap (looked like the rotar had hit the cap and dizzy shaft had a wobble to it)

ran ok with the new dizzy for a while, then has just started playing up again.

inside the cap the metal bits look very burnt along with the rotar arm, is this normal for a nearly new cap and arm???

any help or ideas please as this is driving me insane

thanks guys

will

[VWCamperfan]

Pumping the pedal allows a small amount of extra fuel into the carb and engine so by what you are saying I would suspect this is a fuel related problem, not electrical.
Have you replaced the fuel filter recently?

[vdubwill]

the fuel filters look in good condition and are about a year old now.

started runing odd when they were only a few months old + it can run fine for about a month before it plays up again.

will change them and see if there is improvement and check the fuel system over.

thankyou

[VWCamperfan]

How many filters have you got?!!! Really there should only be one which is located just outside the fuel tank (although I use two but one of them is completly non restrictive!).
The build up on the pegs inside the distributor cap can be common but check the polarity of the low voltage (12 volt) connections on the coil, just to make sure they are the right way round. It will still work with them reverse connected but can cause problems such as build up on the high tension side.
Another thing to check is for water in the petrol. Not to uncommon with these vehicles as the filler pipe is just behind the front wheel and can be prone to water contamination.
There may also be a small filter just inside the carb where the fuel line conects. Not too sure of this though but I know something has been mentioned of this in previous posts... Just hope it's for this carb!
Check and clean all connections related to the ignition system in the engine compartment. An electrical cleaning spray will work wonders here!

Out of ideas for now...