Engine Cutting out - Looking for advice and mechanic in SE7

[Casperthecamper]

Hello,

I am a new member on the forum and relatively new to the VW scene.. we bought a 1988 VW T25 tin top in April 2015 and have loved every minute of owning it.

We've had a lot of work done in this time; mechanical, bodywork and interior. We do what we can ourselves (interior) and we've had a lot done by people who actually know what they are doing! (bodywork, mechanics)

I am looking for an experienced classic VW mechanic in South East London but also some advice from the people on this forum.

Casper (our camper..) has had an issue for a while now where it cuts out. This is usually when you aren't putting fuel through the engine (i.e. approaching a roundabout or in stop/start traffic). We had this issue some time ago and installed a hand pump on the fuel line before the engine. Recently we have used this pump when it cuts out and then the camper starts again and off we go.. it's not ideal but it keeps us going. It can happen every few miles (if in bad traffic) or it can happen every 50/60/470/80 miles. More recently it has become a more regular occurrence (every few minutes, barely covering any miles)

At the weekend, it cut out and wouldn't start again (in Wales). A good friend had a look at it for us and installed a new fuel pump. We got the camper working and we set off back home from Wales. Although, before long the issue was back and we had to give up on the journey and call the breakdown guys to be recovered home. Advice I've ben given from this good friend:

1. I'd like to have the carb looked at. Unlikely it needs changing but will need stripping, cleaning and adjusting. We need someone who knows what they are doing with these engines to do this (far beyond my basic skills).
2. I'd like to have the fuel lines checked and all connections replaced. Fuel filter son fuel lines to be replaced. (fuel lines were new last year)
3.ECU? I'd like this looking at and repairing/replacing.

Is the above sensible? Has anyone had similar experiences? I'd appreciate any advice you can offer.

Add to this.. we had the gearbox reconditioned last year and at the weekend it has started making the loudest noises in 1st gear. so this also needs looking at too.

We need a decent mechanic to have a good look at this engine and help us solve our problems. We have a great summer planned and need Casper working again.

Thanks,
Ryan

[paperhouselad]

Hi ryan welcome to the club, there will be loads of advice forthcoming on this forum but need to know what engine you are running? Also there is the wiki links on the site to help you , good luck.

[kevtherev]

Engine idle speed stall when warm is a weak mixture due to two reasons.
Blocked idle jet
Air leak on the inlet side

Remove carb as per Haynes (20 mins)
Separate carb body halves (20 mins)

Clean out the float bowl and jets. (20 mins)
Perform a choke pull down test for air leak on the unit. (5mins)
Check second vacuum throttle has no leak either (5mins)
Use your mouth to suck on their respective hoses.
If you can keep sucking then it's shagged.
Make sure the vacuum lines are on tight and do not leak.
T25 does not have ECU, it's. Just a spark control unit.
Not repairable rarely fail.
Change the fuel filter yearly, and the oil every 3500 miles or 6 months.
VW has been making its owners into mechanics for 60 years, it's not hard to learn how to do things and you'll be less reliant on others.
That's why tho forum exists to help you learn, with pictures if necessary.
.

You own an enthusiasts vehicle, be enthusiastic about all aspects.
Google Aidan Talbot re gearbox, or drop him a pm on here, he's our very own cog guru.

Welcome in chap

[DoubleOSeven]

Welcome to the forum. Although experience varies between members, the folks here 'will' fix your van. Sometimes you'll feel in the eye of the storm when these issues occur, but be patient and these folk will resolve everything. We love pictures. Be cool, little steps. Most gave up on outsourcing - and got their own spanners


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[j_robi]

Hi Ryan

Good post, think it covers all the symptoms.

Engine: 1.9 DG

Fingers crossed you can find someone that can have a look at the carb etc (or get friendly with the spanners). There are some great guys on this forum. Casper will live again!

[Nathanb]

Hi Ryan - unfortunately I don't have details of a mechanic in SE London to be able to help you out, but I was suffering from a similar issue and can tell you what I did and what seemed to have worked in the end.

I have a Petrol 1.9 DG Water Cooled.

Van started to suffer from similar issues, it would usually start up fine from cold then after some use it would often just cut out once the revs dropped low, such as pulling up at lights etc. A number of times I drove it back home by dropping the clutch, keeping up the revs, changing gears - burnt a sh*t load of petrol!

Anyhow from reading a number of posts on here I decided to have the Pierburg carb refurbished by VW Bromyard. Had my local garage remove the carb, they sent it off, then 3 weeks later a fully refurbished carb was delivered back to the garage and I had them re-fit it. Not cheap (about £350) but Bromyard does a great job, highly recommend.

Van then seemed to work fine for a few weeks with a shiny new carb, but then annoyingly it cut out again. As you can imagine I was gutted as I'd spent all that money but the problem, although to a lesser extent, was still there.

I then read a few more posts on this subject and one thing that kept being mentioned was that air leaks in the fuel system can cause this type of issue (as stated by kevtherev) so I completed a full visual inspection of all the rubbers attached to the carb. I then noticed that the 'air intake breather hose' was a little loose on its fixing and there were what seemed like oil deposits where the hose joins the top part (plastic) of the carb. Anyhow the good news is that after taking the breather hose off, giving it a good clean down along with where it fits onto the carb, pushing it back on NICE AND TIGHT then also doing the same with all the other rubbers, touch wood my engine stalling hasn't happened since which has been about 6 months now.

I'm not suggesting that it's going to solve all your issues, but it's worth trying before splashing out on a carb refurb. Anyhow thought I'd just share my issue as at the time, especially after paying out for the carb refurb, I thought that I was never going to solve it.

All the best and keep us posted on your progress. This forum has been of great help to me and has given me the confidence to expand my mechanical knowledge and confidence.