1990 VW Fox Fuel/Engine Miss

Volkswagen Fox Fuel Pumps are located inside your gas tank; being as liquid gasoline is not combustible, this is the best position for installation. Your car's Volkswagen Fox Fuel Pump is an apparatus that operates to move fuel out of the tank to the motor. Your car's Volkswagen Fox Fuel Pump pressurizes the fuel system to move gas from the fuel tank to the engine.

For some reason your engine is becoming starved of fuel or air. You'll need to have the computer scanned and see what errors are being thrown. It sounds to me like you have a loose connection somewhere, possibly to your fuel pump. A scan should tell you where to start looking. A repair shop can do a scan, or some autoparts stores (like Autozone) will do a scan for free.

Could be one or both of two things.

1. The accelerator pump in the carb is clogged, the linkage is unhooked, or the diaphram in the pump is bad. It's cheap to replace and comes in the carb rebuild kit. This usually just causes hesitation when you step on the gas pedal. It doesn't usually cause the engine to stop running.

2. More likely is that the main jet in the carb is clogged. At idle, high vacuum under the closed throttle plate in the carb causes fuel to flow thru the idle jet. As the throttle plate opens (as you step on the pedal), the vacuum under the plate dissipates, stopping the flow of fuel thru the idle jet, and the vacuum ABOVE the throttle plate increases, which is supposed to then draw fuel from the carb bowl thru the main jet in the carb. If the main jet is clogged with dirt, then it can idle just fine and die as soon as you step on the pedal.

I would check the fuel filter, which is under the car, below the passenger side rear seat.

Here is the common cause of surges, stalls at stops, slow idle speed, erratic idle speed, rough idle and engine hesitation (and other problems), it is in most cases the idle speed control air-bypass valve and or throttle valve and upper intake, these area's get full of gunk and combustion residue over the miles and cause idle issues (stalls, low idle) like yours, Get a can of intake cleaner from any local parts store, not carb spray, intake cleaner, it is made by a company called CRC, remove the air intake hose to the engine, hold the idle high so the engine won't stall, then spray the can of cleaner into the intake while keeping the engine running, use at least 1/2 the can, shut down the engine and disconnect the battery for 5 minutes, then restart and complete a number of mixed driving cycles, town, freeway, stop and go etc., after a few days the problem will go away as the system will relearn to the clean intake.

do not attempt to take apart fuel dist bad news pull off fuel inlet line spray dist full of carb cleaner try agin let me know has car been setting hey vote for me okl

Does the car always hesitate during acceleration? If it ALWAYS struggles when it starts or ALWAYS hesitates on acceleration then I would say the issue is fuel delivery. If the problems are more intermittent and come-and-go then it could be an electrical issue.

I would start by changing the fuel filter. Changing plugs, wires, cap, and rotor are all good things to do as your budget will allow. I doubt you will have to change your injectors.

If you end up replacing any rubber fuel line, be sure to use the high-pressure stuff made for use on fuel injected cars.

I hope this helps! -Nick

You have to clean up the fuel pump, and see whether it does or not require replacement. Do also the same with the starter engine, and see if the carbons are in good state or not.

take your car for a tune up
if they are carburetor type motors you may need your carbie cleaned and a tune up
if you clean it your self with carbie cleaner it may increase in idle speed this is nothing to worries about it is a simple adjustment
with a carburetor type motor they tend to idle higher when their cold this is the automatic choke kicking in and normally it should happen till the car is a bit warmer and the accelerator has been depresses
although a car should idle at 800 rpm my paddok car dose when it is cold it idles at 1200rpm i like it this way as the car warms up quicker as i will not drive a car while it is cold
hope this helps
ricko

you went this far you may as well change your fuel pump relay