Volkswagen Repair: Volkswagon has lost power and engine dies frequently.. please help, rob brown, cold weather


Question
Dear Bernhard,

I found your email on the All Experts Website.  I desperately need your expertise.  For valentines day I am going to try and fix my girlfriends 1971 Karmen Ghia.  If you have a few minutes I would greatly appreciate hearing your expert opinion on the problem...  I'm a business major so I can offer you any type of business advice you may need as well to show my appreciation.  

Here's how my girlfriend explains what her car has been doing:

At first it would be running along fine for an hour or more and then just lose speed and die. If I sat for 1 min with the car off it would start back up and run fine. when it did this it didnt lose power but the car would not accelerate it would just sit and idle.  

So lately, it just died on the road. same kinda thing that had been going on for a few weeks except we thought it was just the cold weather making it worse because it was REALLY cold...
Now it dies frequently and won't start back up until much effort.

So currently it is running...but it doesnt have much power. i feel like its going to cut off in high second/ low third gear. i just have to give it lots of gas to pull through.

A couple years ago it did this slow acceleration thing and it was the plugs. fixed it right up and was fine.  But we don't think that's the case this time.  

Any suggestions?  Could it be the coil or something else related to the ignition system?

Thanks a million Bernhard... I truly appreciate it

Sincerely,
Rob Brown
804-365-7736


Answer
I was just going to say "fuel pump" and leave it at that but I think you wouldn't be that appreciative.So I'll explain...
 If it was the coil...dead right there forever.
 When you said it did the same a few years ago and it was the plugs it couldn'tve been exactly the same as the car would not idle smoothly if plugs were dying(kinda like the coil scenario except in quarters (1outta 4 cylinders)instead of all 4).
    You ain't getting air or fuel and seeing how you started off O.K. an air filter doesn't jam up with the snap of the fingers...its fuel delivery.
  Now, I could've said the carb(as people always blamed the carb even if it was a flat tire) but I'm going with fuel pump only because it happened to me in a 70 bug.  Lots of pressure, seemed like the fuel pumped out of the line, and fuel was going in from the tank...but in this case it is an internal check ball that is sticking.  No repair...go to the wreckers and get another pump.   There are many years that cross over.  The chances of hitting another one with the same problem is slight to nil.
  Nothing to do with the choke either if you are carburated(I don't know) my 73 SB was carburated.