[16v] low end torque (or the lack thereof)

[wrack@attbi.com (Antaki)]

Is your distributor leaking oil into the innards? Mine was when I got the
car. The timing was set wayyyyy advanced from the book settings, but if I
set it properly, it was a toss-up between my Rocco and Granny's tricycle. My
fuel mixture was pretty good, I experimented and found an optimal point.
Still so-so.

Eventually, I switched to a 2.0l 16V motor, 'cuz the 1.8 16V got to knokkin'
a rod.
This engine was installed and set up by a meticulous, knowledgeable pro, one
who I totally trust from other work he has done, and from conversations
about cars in general (Karmakanix in Berkeley). Still, doggy-poo at book
setting, and so-so at wayyyyyy too advanced.

Then... One day I read a post on this list about leaking distributors
causing my symptoms. I forked over the bux for a new one, set timing by the
book, and haven't looked back, except in the rearview for Da Man. Now she
has most excellent low-end torque, and it just gets better as it spins up.
Certainly the 2.0l makes better torque than the 1.8, but I attribute the new
distributor with making a huge difference in drivebility and power.
The oil gets into the Hall Sensor inside the dist., and ruins it's signal to
the brain. More so than Killer Ganja on a human brain, and you know how slow
we can get...

Roccin' Ron
'88 Scirocco 2.1l Waterboxer
'88 Vanagon 2.0l 16V
'02 Passat Wagon 1.8t Wife Pleaser

-Oh, wait, must be that darn Ganja, coulda sworn the 16V was in the 'Rocco
????
  I'll be back, gonna check. pfffft, mmmmm, was sure it was, uuhhh, hmmm
pffft.....

-----Original Message-----
From: scirocco-l-admin@scirocco.org
[mailto:scirocco-l-admin@scirocco.org]On Behalf Of Jason
Sent: Monday, August 12, 2002 3:21 PM
To: T. Reed; scirocco-l@scirocco.org
Subject: Re: [16v] low end torque (or the lack thereof)


At 04:38 AM 8/9/2002, T. Reed wrote:
>Well, guys... now that my A/C is fixed, my low end torque problem has
>become painfully obvious.

<snip>
Toby, I haven't been paying close attention to the list lately, so I
apologize in advance if I ask questions you have already answered.

First, being that your post is a few days old, have you made any progress?
Seconly, is the problem only present when you have the A/C on, or does the
A/C just make things slightly worse?  When you say that the car is "slow
off the line" without the A/C on, how slow?  The 1.8 is very sluggish under
2000rpm -- but it shouldn't be more than about 0.5s to rev it to 2k in
neutral.

My R134a A/C kills the power of my 2.0 -- not the way you describe, but it
feels positively dead.

Your car sounds like a timing issue.  The fact that 6' ignition advance
(i.e. stock advance) makes things worse points even more towards that.  Are
you absolutely sure your cams are timed right?  If so, try running a little
cam advance -- 4-6'.  That should help bring the torque curve down.

Jason







>I have to turn the A/C off at every stop. If I don't, 0-10 mph takes 6 or
>7 seconds (not an exaggeration -- the people behind me start riding my ass
>when the light has been green for that long and I'm barely rolling). The
>only alternative is to rev to 2 grand (still about 1.5 seconds) and drop
>clutch, which sometimes chirps the tires (lightly releasing the clutch
>just makes the rpms dip back down to idle and then rise slowly.)
>
>The car runs great/fine above 1500 rpm..
>
>Is this normal? It can't be.. for the longest time I've been assuming the
>16v engine just blows off-idle but now I'm think I have serious
>engine issues (but is it fuel or ignition? or mechanical?).
>
>Where should I start looking?
>
>Ignition timing is set to full advance (setting it at 6 degs just makes it
>worse)
>DPR current is set to 10 mA fluctuating +/- 1 mA
>Idle stabilizer is working
>Plugs, plug wires, bosch cap, rotor, hall sender all new
>O2 sensor within last year and a half
>Fuel filter changed
>Euro intake cam
>Crank<->Cam and Cam<->Cam timing dead on at last check
>Idle air bypass screw set mostly by experimentation because no adjustment
>   could yield a proper dwell meter reading
>Idle and full throttle switches test out okay
>3" sewer pipe running to stock opening in lower airbox
>k&n air filter, possibly with some crankcase breather oil soakage on it
>All vacuum hoses replaced
>Intake boot leak next to throttle body patched
>No exhaust leaks - new downpipe and new dynomax superturbo muffler
>
>
>Any ideas? Even without the A/C the car is slow off the line..
>
>I would appreciate any input!
>
>Thanks,
>
>-Toby
>
>
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