Scirocco Register

Posting this for a friend who's at the end of his tether regarding a late plate GT2 which all he wants to do is love and drive but is proving an unreliable money-sucking nightmare.

The problem arises when speeds in excess of 30-40mph are reached, whether by gentle acceleration or by planting your foot. All of a sudden she'll feel really lumpy and lose all power and will usually cut out all together. Occasionally she'll restart by lifting the clutch in the appropriate gear when rolling along at whatever speed she's stopped running at but even if that happens she still lurches and judders. Mostly however its just a case of throwing on the hazards, coasting to a stop, giving her a minute and then trying her again. Its like the fuel stops being delivered altogether and the accelerator pedal becomes entirely unresponsive.

She warms up and idles fine (if a touch high) and pottering around town she feels mostly fine, its just when you break out of 30/40mph zones that the problems start.

Its been a problem since he bought the car a couple of months ago. In efforts to resolve it, he's completed the following:

Oil and filter change,
Spark plug change,
Distributor cap and dizzy arm change,
All vacuum hoses changed,
Fuel filter change,
Fuel filler neck change,
Air filter change,
Pistons have been treated to remove built-up carbon deposits,
and most importantly a brand spanking new webber carb professionally installed and set up.

and STILL she runs like a pig.

Understandably he's rapidly losing faith and is on the verge of cutting his (substantial) losses, throwing in the towel and selling her off either as a problem child or simply for parts. But in a last ditch attempt to save her, he's asked me to ask you for your advice. As the owner of a MK2 GTX which has been the most reliable car I've ever owned, I really want him to enjoy driving what should be a fabulous piece of motoring heritage and fast appreciating classic so I really hope there's a scirocco yoda out there to come to his rescue.

A couple of things worthy of note...despite all the parts mentioned above, neither the HT leads or ignition coil have been replaced. There is also a sizeable crack in the return pipe running from the top of the rocker head cover to the air box.

Apart from my feeble amateur diagnosis that centres around too much fuel/not enough, too much air/not enough or 'something' electrical, I'm now completely stumped.

Please help.

Is it speed-related or revs-related? I ask because over 30-40mph is likely 3rd or 4th gear, but do the same problems arise at lower speeds if driven in a lower gear?

It seems to be speed related. Going up through the rev range in 1st and second doesn't appear to give any problems. Likewise, sitting in neutral and blipping or bouncing the throttle causes the revs to rise and fall smoothly.

Could be a fuel pump issue, these are quite cheap (£30 ish) or if it is still fitted, the swirl pot?

Is the carb flange split? With the engine running rock the air box and listen for a vacuum noise and engine tone change. I think that will be the issue.

Could be a fuel pump issue, these are quite cheap (£30 ish) or if it is still fitted, the swirl pot?

Agree with Ian.

I had the same problem...the filler neck was rotten, so fitted new one. The tank inlet flange was corroded, so fitted new tank & hose. Thought this would solve the issue but it cut out again...finally traced to intermittent fuel pump problem. Fitted new pump, swirl pot & fuel lines to be sure. Problem solved

It sounds very like the problem I had with mine when I first bought it many years ago. Have you pulled the fuel gauge sender out and checked the pickup is clear? Mine was mostly blocked so at speed the pump couldn't suck enough fuel through. Once I'd cleared that and cleaned up the tank it ran fine for several years.

Thank you all for your responses and suggestions. The split carb flange had occurred to me as its something I've read can be the fault. I had assumed that if this was the case, then the mechanics who fitted the new webber would have spotted it...but maybe not. I'll try the rocking test next time I'm with the car.

As for the other suggestions, forgive me for sounding like a chimpanzee but where would I find the fuel gauge sender and how do I pull it out? Is this something a Haynes manual clutching moron like myself can do for him or does that need professional hands and eyes?

And finally the swirl pot - is this something I can take apart and clean? or is it better just to fit a new one? if so do they exist (german/swedish etc) or is it a case of calling a vw breakers yard?

Thanks again for all your help.

Fuel gauge sender is accessed by removing the rear seat bolster, you'll see a round cover which when removed gives access to the tank.

Here's some pics of the swirl pot posted by another member.

NIce one Marcus, thank you. We're having another look at her tomorrow. I'll let you know how we get on.

Be careful undoing the fuel sender cover. It's plastic & will have become brittle with age.

I wouldn't bother with a second hand fuel pump or swirl pot, they will also be over 20 years old and maybe in the same condition!
You could try GSF or ECP or do a search on tinterweb and see what comes up. There is a company in London called Volkspares that sell a lot of older parts.