My Mk 3 Golf is starving...

[ShandyDownsVW]

Any ideas to help with a problem that seems to be starving for fuel. My 1996 petrol 1.8 litre has lost power under load, around 3000 rpm. It doesn't misfire, so I replaced the fuel filter thinking that may be an easy fix. No difference, and the old filter wasn't choked at all when I cut it open. All the sparkplugs are showing up as the same OK, light brown and are clean. Three years ago I replaced the rubber flange under the fuel injection body, so it isn't that common rubber fatigue problem leaking in air.
Does anyone know if there is a primary filter screen in the fuel tank, and if so, how do you get to it in order to clean it out? Any other ideas what the problem could be? Fuel injectors? Blocked exhaust?

[Shteifen]

How exactly do you know its starved of fuel at a certain point mate?
Could it perhaps have a fault logged causing it to retard/advance ignition timing? I'd suggest getting faults checked at a dealership first. Any VW dealership should do it for free, if they dont then they are tight and you should try another one!

-steve

[Jmac]

Blocked Cat/Exhaust perhaps, its gotta exhaust the gas to run.
If you have anyone with Digi laser pointer thermometer point it at the cat and see if its getting excessively hot, good indication, even loosen the exhaust PRE cat and try it, it will be noisy but should be crisper when revved
Cheers
Jmac

[ShandyDownsVW]

thanks will try the idea of loosening the engine pipe pre-cat converter this weekend - then try the fault codes at VW.

[whiteVR6]

If its a 1.8 check the throttle body base gasket for air leaks .

This is what your engine bay looks like . You should be able to hear it if you put your hand on top of the black round part which has come from the air filter box on the left side and rock it back and forth with the engine running . It will make like a sucking noise if its broken

[h100vw]

Three years ago I replaced the rubber flange under the fuel injection body, so it isn't that common rubber fatigue problem leaking in air.

If its a 1.8 check the throttle body base gasket for air leaks .

Done it once already, do they fall apart after 3 years?? That would be sad.

Gavin

[whiteVR6]

Done it once already, do they fall apart after 3 years?? That would be sad.

Gavin

Doesnt say home many kms were done in 3 years

[ShandyDownsVW]

Thanks for the ideas - Otto (my Mk3) is now tearing up the hills again. Turns out the catalytic convertor was blocked and $451 later is now replaced. The throttle body was fine thanks White VR6, and the lambda sensor tested fine. The give away symptom for the guy at AVW in Adelaide was a rattling noise in the cat convertor - which was big tennis ball size chunks of the honeycomb material floating around and getting down into the tapered outlet to the exhaust pipe.