My engine is a 1.8 87 US Jetta model also.
Not sure about electronics vs distributer, but will check. Even I can
recognize a distributor if its there.
I will keep your coil/points/distributer ideas in mind when I see the new
mechanic.
Thnx, Pat

-----Original Message-----
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans [mailto:scottdaniel@turbovans.com]
Sent: March 14, 2010 4:26 PM
To: Pat Sloan; vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Engine Interrupted. Any Ideas, Please?

Is it CIS type fuel injection ?
I believe in that year it is.
My 87 jetta  ( US model ) 1.8 16 valve engine has CIS-E fuel injection.

if your problem it is fuel injection related ....those are trickier to fix
sometimes.
I thnk a lot of techs avoid that system.
I havn't got mine running  in my vanagon yet, and  I may run it on Digifant
instead of CIS.

Check everywhere for air leaks ...
cracked air intake boot , vacuum hoses etc.

if it has points ignition instead of pure electronic ...
look into the points and the distrubutor itself carefully.
I had one...customer's van .
and it would just 'shut off' ...
that was a 1.8 8 vavle engine with CIS and a points distributor.
Watching it idle it would just 'shut off' , like someone turned off the key.

It occured to me that it could be a bad coil - and it was.
New coil fixed that one.
it also had slightly pitted points, and a bit much side shaft play in the
distributor shaft.

I would retro fit electrnoic igntion to any points distributor car always...
much stronger and better igntion, It can just 'wake up' a car that has
points for igntion -converting to electronic igntion.

Igntion switches of vanagons are always suspect- an underbuilt part that
gets many years service on it, and can cause weird problems.

Scott
www.turbovans.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Pat Sloan" <pmsloan@SHAW.CA>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2010 5:14 PM
Subject: Engine Interrupted. Any Ideas, Please?

> Hi all,
>
> The Otter is having digestive problems. We're talking 1982 Westy -
> originally diesel but now converted to 1987 1.8 L Jetta gas engine.
> Watercooled.
>
> As I'm driving it suddenly loses power and then recovers again and again.
> Sometimes it just loses power and doesn't recover until I stop and then
> start it again.
>
> Fuel lines, fuel pump and battery have been replaced. All seems good, but
> the problem persists.
>
> Now it turns out that my great vanagon repair guy (Ed @ the Bug Shop in
> Delta, BC) doesn't work on Jetta engines, so I will have to move on to
> someone else. Does anyone on the list have any ideas re:
>
> 1.      good and reasonable Jetta mechanics in the Vancouver area?
> 2.      what could be causing this? (BCAA guy suggested alternator but
> what
> do I know?)
>
> Thanks everyone. It's such a great resource to be able to call on so much
> experience in times of trouble.
>
> Hopefully, Pat
>
> (whowantstogetcampingsoon!)