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Thread: Misfire at idle and with small amounts of throttle

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2017
    Posts
    5

    Misfire at idle and with small amounts of throttle

    Hello all,

    I picked up my new Beat today from the shipping depot, a 1991 with about 55,000kms on it. Looks very tidy, but there's an immediate problem that the pre-purchase inspection I had done at the other end of the country never mentioned; a notable misfire at idle and with the throttle just barely pressed.

    I initially thought I was just bunny hopping like a learner driver, but I recalled the other (much more tired) Beat I drove closer to home was smooth as butter.

    The tacho shows the idle is uneven, the needle mostly sits a bit high at 1500RPM and momentarily dips down. It's very difficult to drive smoothly at a constant 50km/h (or 60 or 70 or 80) because the shudder/stumble kicks in just at that semi-coasting throttle position you naturally maintain.

    It pulls very cleanly with your foot down, all the way up the rev range. On overrun it does sound a little uneven though.

    From having a search around, it seems I should be looking in the following places:
    • Distributor (1991! No sign on drivers door of recall mark, if such a thing exists)
    • ECU caps
    • Maybe replace spark plugs?


    Any other suggestions? I did wonder about water in the fuel (as the previous owner kept it in a warm garage, only out on sunny days etc.—it's now spent three or four days on the backs of trucks and ferries and trains etc.). I filled up the half-a-tank that was there, and added a few capfuls of meths in there to boot to absorb any water.

    It does seem odd because apparently there was no hint of this before the car was transported.

    Any advice appreciated!

    EDIT: and I suppose I should add a couple of photos of the thing

    Last edited by Twcwt; 20-06-2017 at 11:15 AM.

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