Rattle at high RPM/full throttle?

[tberk@mindspring.com (T Berk)]

ian Butler wrote:
> 
> On Tue, 13 Aug 2002, Daun Yeagley wrote:
> 
> > Check to see if the heat shield on the downpipe is still
> > installed.  If so, that is a likely source of rattle - took
> > me a week or two to find it on a 16v I had awhile back.
> > Either tighten the bolt or remove altogether.
> 
> Oops.  Here's the other piece to my puzzle that, as is required in a list
> post, I forgot to include initially.  There's a significant drop in power
> when it starts rattling (knocking?).  And if I try to continue to accelerate
> when it's making the noise, it just gets worse.
> 
> I will check the heat shield, though, as it may be loose (noticed a little
> remaining exhaust rattle when I replaced the exhaust last week, and it
> didn't appear to be a broken cat.)
> 
> ian Butler / ian@hplx.net
> '88 Scirocco 16v, '87 Syncro GL
> 


It surely sounds like ping. What is your degrees of advance (on the
Distributor) set to? As in what's your timing like?

How about you run a good bottle of injector cleaner through on a 1/4
tank of gas? (don't run too hard until you thin it out with some more
fresh gas), that way you can 'clear it's throat', so to speak.

TBerk