MK3 Golf GTI - Cutting out/Stalling when slowing to stop at junctions

[Jim0380]

Im not really to clued up about the inner workings of engines as you will no doubt tell by reading the following description, but basically i have a couple of problems with my 1996 golf gti.  When ever i slow to a near stop or do actually stop (ie at traffic lights) 95% of the time the revs drop out and engine cuts out with the battery and oil light coming on as if i have stalled.  The other 5% of the time the revs drop so low that its almost cutting out but just about manages to stay going. Also when i quickly accelerate it pulls back a bit, and all i can describe it as is it feels like air is somehow getting in the engine and reducing the performance as it feels like its not accelerating at 100% (hope that makes sense)..

The funny thing is I had exactly this issue before when i first brought the car and the mechanic i saw said the breather hose and vacuum pipe needed replacing as the vacuum hose had gaffer tape covering a split and the breather hose was also torn.  When these were replaced it sorted the problem with the cutting out totally and the revs stayed where they should but it didnt solve the slight pull and stutter when accelerating at speed.

I have checked the pipes that were replaced as i thought i must be the same things causing the problem as its so identicle but they seem to be connected with no splits or tears :-(

I appreciate any help and info on this before it goes back into a garage..

Cheers

[bornwina]

Have you checked to see if your throttle body is clean or not. Reason im asking is its quite common for them to gunge up over time and cause the symptoms you are describing.If it dirty then remove the thing and give it a right good blast with carb cleaner. You might also want to check the MAF is clean.On removal you will see two little wires,if they are dirty then give them a clean with electrical contact cleaner and let them dry naturally.

[topher]

usually it is the throttle body, but since you mention your oil light is flashing..

http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=2080.0

ECU relay (one of the most viewed threads on the forum!)

[boneybradley]

Click topher's link....
and the throttle body is worth cleaning even if thats not your issue as it will no doubt improve the driveability (time for carb cleaner and toothbrush  )

[LostBok]

okay - I had what sounds EXACTLY like this problem... I wasted months and months trying to clean out various things and in and out a few garages....

Turns out that it was this little rubber hose (vacuum hose??) circled in the picture below... the hose looked 100% fine and it actually sealed fine, but as the revs would drop, the hose would collapse on itself and choke the engine... you could see it happening a bit just when revving the car and then backing off, so if there's two of you, it shol dbe pretty easy to diagnose:



This would happen when the engine was hot / cold, the car was fine at idle and it was fairly difficult to replicate (to the point of stalling) by just revving and then backing off the accellerator, but seemed to happen a LOT whenever approaching junctions... as soon as you dipped the clutch, the revs would drop past the idle point and you'd have to "catch" them on the throttle to stop the car stalling.

So after 18 months of progressively more and more stalling, it turned out to be one TINY rubber hose that cost about £4!

[toilet shark]

I had some problems like ur describing changed the ignition coil nd my car runs smoother than a smoothie now. I got one for about £34 u will need torx bolts to change it though but a gd investment if it fixes ur car.  

[wingnut007]

I had exactly this problem. Follwing a post to this board I followed the advice of several people and got the throttle body cleaned using a carb and throttle body cleaner from German and Swedish cost approx £2.50.

Problem totally solved. Someone posted a guide on how to clean it under my post search for "AGG help" and you should find it. 

[Jim0380]

Firstly thanks everyone for all the info, been really helpful !!!

Lostbok -  the original problem was with that hose which was replaced, but i did check just to see and it didn't move at all when i put the throttle down and released it..

I did however change the number 30 relay, which so far on the drive home from the garage where i quickly fitted it has changed how my car feels and sounds.. the revs seem to hold but on occasion they did drop slightly but not to the point of stuttering and then cutting out.. im thinking that this may be resolved when the throttle body has a good clean out.. i am putting it in for a service this week or next and i will get the garage to do this, i will post the results when its done.

 :smiley:Cheers again everyone!!!

[oldngrey]

Hi,
I found that treating the petrol with injector cleaner helped with this. Rich

[Jim0380]

Just a heads up!!

The relay didnt solve the problem at all, it seemed to sort it for a time but it soon started cutting out again, worse then ever!!

I have just had a full service and I asked the mechanic to clean the throttle body after explaining the issue!!  He said that cleaning the throttle body only sorts that problem out 60% of the time as he already knew of it.

However..... after getting my car back i can confirm that having the throttle body cleaned has made it sound and feel like a different car!! with the revs holding steady as ever!!!! its been 24 hours and even the power has noticably increased, so im more than happy with my 'new' gti..

but what a pain in the arse problem it was!!