Carb icing? Mk2 Golf 1.6
Discussion
My mk2 1.6 Golf seems to be suffering from carb icing - After about 10 or 15 minutes itll gradually lose power. I stop and all i can see odd underbonnet is a little steam rising from atop the inlet manifold, near the base of the carb, well away from any coolant hoses.
Itll then start and run fine for another 15 minutes, when it repeats. Never had this problem except in the current cold weather
Does this sound like carb icing to you? or some other malady?
Itll then start and run fine for another 15 minutes, when it repeats. Never had this problem except in the current cold weather
Does this sound like carb icing to you? or some other malady?
If its the standard Pierburg carb it is a scarily complicated beastie, so you may be better looking for a specialist.
There is at the very least a wax thermostat, a temperature controlled flap in the intake and an electrical heater underneath to go wrong.
Worth a poke round to see if any wires are loose or pipes split but the irritation factor stacks up pretty soon so try and find someone who knows what they are doing!
AdrianR
p.s. I had a Fiat that did something like this, only less regularly, for years. Only when I broke the car up did I find out it was due to crud from plating coming off the inside of the float bowl and occasionally blocking the intake jets.
There is at the very least a wax thermostat, a temperature controlled flap in the intake and an electrical heater underneath to go wrong.
Worth a poke round to see if any wires are loose or pipes split but the irritation factor stacks up pretty soon so try and find someone who knows what they are doing!
AdrianR
p.s. I had a Fiat that did something like this, only less regularly, for years. Only when I broke the car up did I find out it was due to crud from plating coming off the inside of the float bowl and occasionally blocking the intake jets.
Edited by adrianr on Friday 9th February 17:43
Winter bodge - use a screwdriver or something to wedge open the flap in the airbox and replace the pipe to the exhaust manifold if it's manky.
MK2s came with when new a piece of plastic that clipped behind the grille behind the OS headlight and the grille badge - this was to stop blasts of icy cold air getting to the intake. Grab one from a scrappy or fabricate an alternative.
MK2s came with when new a piece of plastic that clipped behind the grille behind the OS headlight and the grille badge - this was to stop blasts of icy cold air getting to the intake. Grab one from a scrappy or fabricate an alternative.
Bumpage and an update
I found that the hose from the exhaust manifold area to the air intake was split so I replaced it and also cleaned out the air intake of years of accumulated skank (and oil - looks like it was nastily overfilled at some point in its history). I also cleaned out the accessible areas of the carb but unfortunately its still exhibiting the same problem
Whilst doing this i noticed the jubilee clips holding the fuel filter on are completely rusted to bits so cant have been touched in a while so ill replace that too.
Cant believe it might need specialist attention! argh, i got a simple golf to get away from being at specialists mercy
Anyway, any more ideas on what might be causing the car to gradually lose power and cut out only to restart and run perfectly after a 60 second break? I cant seem to find a set of conditions that exagaratte the problem - ive done 120 mile trips on motorway and rural a roads where its only needed to stop twice, yet my 12 mile regular commute (regular a-road with small amount of town driving) requires it to have a break on the way
I found that the hose from the exhaust manifold area to the air intake was split so I replaced it and also cleaned out the air intake of years of accumulated skank (and oil - looks like it was nastily overfilled at some point in its history). I also cleaned out the accessible areas of the carb but unfortunately its still exhibiting the same problem
Whilst doing this i noticed the jubilee clips holding the fuel filter on are completely rusted to bits so cant have been touched in a while so ill replace that too. Cant believe it might need specialist attention! argh, i got a simple golf to get away from being at specialists mercy
Anyway, any more ideas on what might be causing the car to gradually lose power and cut out only to restart and run perfectly after a 60 second break? I cant seem to find a set of conditions that exagaratte the problem - ive done 120 mile trips on motorway and rural a roads where its only needed to stop twice, yet my 12 mile regular commute (regular a-road with small amount of town driving) requires it to have a break on the way
It does sound rather like fuel starvation, but just to confirm that I suggest you stick a strobe on it and show that you're still getting a healthy spark when the problem occurs. Then check the fuel pressure on the supply to the carb to see whether the problem is affecting the pump or the carb.
I had a 1.8 carbed Scirocco that suffered from similar symptoms. Used to ice-up the carb after 20 mins or so on cold days. FWIW it also suffered from cr@p in the fuel tank which would occasionally block the lines before the clear plastic fuel filter. The symptoms were similar to carb icing, a gradual reduction in power, hesitation etc. A good hand-held suction pump used to clear them through if I was stuck
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