random hard start problem

[FabricSign@aol.com (FabricSign@aol.com)]

I have a late 84 Wolfsburg (with the small spare tire), 
and am having an intermittent stall and/or hard start
problem that's drivin' me to distortion...

Symptoms: 

Occasionally, after driving a short distance and turning 
the engine off, the car will not restart immediately -- it
turns over and "tries" to fire up but won't.  However if I sit 
there for 5 minutes and then crank it, it starts right up 
as if nothing was wrong & runs fine.

There is a smell when this happens, it reminds me of
carburetor "vapor lock smell".

And, *very* infrequently, the engine cuts out while driving,
also after a short distance (less than a mile) with the same 
result, i.e. I coast to a stop, try to start it, no go, vapor-lock 
smell, then after ~5 minutes of waiting it starts right up with 
no problem.

If anybody can help me diagnose this, I'd be grateful. Other
than this random problem, the engine runs fine for days at
a time.  I suspected a bad fuel accumulator at first, but that
doesn't explain why a 5 minute wait would make it go away?

Leo Miller
Atlanta GA
84 wolfsburg, stock