Have a 1992, 1.4CL Golf. Runs brilliantly apart from –

Going through a puddle, even slowly, and seems to be a left had side issue. The car will splutter and sometimes die. Leave it 10 mins, and it’s splutter back to life and then be fine. It’s OK driving along in the wet, only really when going through a puddle. The spluttering feels like it’s running rough, not all 4 cylinders firing.

This morning, very heavy dew on the car and it turned over fine, bit wouldn’t fire, apart from a a small cough when we turned it off. After 5 mins of gentle trying, it spluttered to life, idled roughly for 30 secs and then picked up and was perfect.

We have changed the distributor cap, the plugs, WD40 in all connectors, polished the earth mount, changed the HT leads for Halfords ones. Any other things to look at?

Thanks

Has it got a coil or a coil pack ?

The 1.4 has a coil, so i’d check that first but i suspect a voltage check will not show anything wrong with it, it’s more likely a breakdown of the insulation inside and around the HT lead socket. Failing that i’d perhaps check the vacuum lift pump diaphragm on the carb – it’s a small square thingy with a lever on the outside and make sure all the vacuum hoses are not perished.

On a dark night lift the bonnet, fill a spray type bottle with water and start the car, spray water all around the leads/coil etc and you may induce the splutter and see the resultant arc of ignition to earth. If you hear a “tic-tic-tic-tic-tic” faint noise then it’s an ignition fault to earth

Great – thanks somafunk, will try that. Have also be told that Halfords leads are not rated well?

Sounds like carburettor problems.

May need a clean / tune-up by an old school VW man.

If it’s a 1992 1.4CL then I assume that it’s a Mk3 Golf. As such, it won’t have a carburettor, but it will have a very basic fuel injection system.

The HT leads were replaced one at a time, I hope? It’s all too easy to get the firing order wrong if you remove at replace in one go.

From the symptoms, I’d guess that damp is getting in somewhere.

Air intake getting water in it somehow? My first guess would be as others have suggested though. Have you checked the earth strap, rather than just the mount?

Thanks all. We’ve checked the airbox and filter when it’s been through a puddle and it’s bone dry. HT leads, we were careful but no we didn’t do one by one, good tip.

Earth strap, where/what’s that and we’ll check.

remember when you polished the earth mount? It’s the thick cable attached to that.

Just checking in. My old VW has similar issues. Poor old thing has a meltdown after a good storm.

If you’ve replaced HT leads then replace the dizzy cap and rotor arm. I would think it is electrical so a case of process of elimination i’m afraid.