CIS Problems (slightly ot)

Dave951M · 02-26-2002, 06:37 PM

My son has acquired an 83 Scirocco that sat for a couple of years. It has CIS fuel injection and of course- won't start. (At least he refused a rice car, see other thread, yes- there is hope for the youth of America!)

Symptoms- seems to be "flooding"

Things checked out as ok thus far- fuel pump, fuel filter, cold start valve, cleaned out gas tank, fresh gas, fresh oil, new wires, plugs, distributor cap (now has good spark), cleaned electrical grounds and battery leads, cleaned congealed gas from airflow sensor.

We also found the valve in the fuel distributor that regulates the fuel to the injectors was stuck in the full "open" position. We opened up the distributor (there was gunk in nearly every part of it) and cleaned that out. The o-rings in the distributor could probably use replacing. VW says there is no "kit" nor can the rings be purchased separately. Can the ones from a CIS on the 911 be used if they can be had? What are we missing here to make the wee beastie run?

This car is a father/son project to revive it, and auto-x until he can get his own Porsche, just the insurance rates are prohibitive for his age group. He got a pile of parts with the car, namely a complete 16v 2.0l engine and trans, interior from the donor car, boxes full of other Scirocco related spares, and the car already has strut tower braces, urethane bushings, KYB shocks (I prefer Koni), Eibach springs, Nuespeed cam, adjustable cam sprocket, headers, and a truckload of other spares. The po auto-x'ed this car until he got a 4wd Galant, when he parked it and started racing motorcyles as well. Sorry for the long post, but we're rather frustrated with the holdup on getting his car revived and in the meantime, he tries every excuse to drive my Porsche.

tia

Dave

makaio · 02-26-2002, 06:44 PM

Dave,

I'm no CIS guru, but I pretty sure a Fuel distributor for a 911 will not work.

For a used one, try Rocky Mountain Motor Works, or Silver star Recycling. The both have and can get used VW parts, at good prices.

Good luck on the project!

Dave951M · 02-26-2002, 06:54 PM

What I was hoping for was that there might be some chance that Bosch used the same o-rings on the Porsche CIS distributor as on the VW ones. Like I said earlier, the VW dealer tells me that the o-rings aren't available separately. Since there are remanufactured CIS distributors for both Porsche and VW, somebody can get the o-rings somewhere. Question is from whom?

Dave

makaio · 02-26-2002, 07:23 PM

Dave,

Try Rocky Mountain. They are very helpfull, and knowledgable on VW's. I don't have their web address, but they advertise in all the VW mags.

sammyg2 · 02-27-2002, 07:19 AM

I don't know where you live, but here in So. Cal. we can snag a good used fuel distributor and many other CIS parts at the local pick a part self service auto dismantler for just a few bucks. Sounds like you have a good project on your hands.

i would suggest you obtain a fuel pressure test kit in order to troubleshoot the problems. basically a pressure gauge with the necessary hoses and fittings, and also instructions. JC Witney sells one, and i have seen them online for anywhere from $80 to $125.
Once the supply pressure and cold control pressure are in the correct range, then the obvious other fuel injection thing that could hold you back from starting would be a faulty injector or four. They are cheap (around $21 each) and should probably be replaced in your situation. If you had sludge or gunk in the distributor, them I would bet your injectors are junk also. If they are stuck open and leaking, that would do it, but I would suspect that they would not flow at all. That is also easy to check, pull the injectors, insert them into an apporpriate clear container (like a glass) and turn on the ignition. Then, move the air sensor plate to simulate air flowing, and watch the injectors. Follow all safety precautions when doing so to prevent the chance of unwanted combustion.