Yep, I gathered that from the OP.
The mechanic who worked on the van said some kind of flow device was bad.
Maybe he meant the fuel distributor, maybe he meant the differential
pressure regulator attached to the fuel distributor.
FWIW, there is also a diaphragm pressure regulator which controls system
pressure.
The OP is gonna talk to the mechanic that issued the original diagnosis to
get clarification and hopefully more details.

Regarding little things- this was an engine swap.  One simple loose or weak
ground wire could wreak havoc.

And yes, I would take EFI over CIS any day.
Standalone EFI systems have come down in price and have a huge knowledge
base on the web.
Or one could go with Digifant2, simple hookup with about 6 wires to splice.
Probably even easier to integrate considering all those extra fuel lines
with the CIS setup.

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Scott Daniel - Turbovans
Sent: Saturday, October 17, 2009 4:28 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Surging engine

there's misunderstanding going on in this situation it seems to me.
The fuel injection is CIS-E ......based on that it has a computer, and CIS
was on a lot of those jettas back then.

I just put " Bosch 0 438 101 005," into google, and see right off that it's
the Fuel Distributor.

those are expensive, and problematic, from what I gather.
whether that is 'the cause' if surging I couldn't say, not without much more
info.

I will say though.........I see SO MANY times when it's just 'little things'
......
details, adjustments, air leaks, lubricating stuck things .........etc. etc.
etc.
that are all adding up to cause an engine to not run right.

and I am not replacing parts that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars
getting vanagon engines to run right.
Actually, I see LOTS of parts that are replaced unnecessarily - I see that
going on a lot, it appears to me anyway.
I do think that CIS is more difficult to deal with, in general, than
Electronic Fuel Injection.
Scott
www.turbovans.com