1985 Volkswagen Jetta Sputters and stalls at low speeds and

1985 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA
190,000 MILES • 4 CYL • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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WSTERNCO
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1985 Volkswagen Jetta. Starts fine (most of the time) and seems to idle okay. But as soon as you put it in gear and begin to accelerate, it acts like it's going to die.

As soon as it gets above 5 or 10 mph it runs fine. But anytime I slow or stop and then try to accelerate again, it loses all power and tries to die.

Ideas?
Sep 30, 2010 at 11:11 AM
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MERLIN2021
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Get a can of spray gumout, start the car and spray around, pay attention to vacuum lines and manifold, if the idle changes, you found a leak. You want the engine running and spray on the outside but do direct the stream onto the hoses, if it is a vacuum leak, the engine idle will change speed, then you have detected a leak, repair the vacuum leak and see how it runs!
Also do not spray hot exhaust manifolds or pipes, it can cause a fire!
When was your last tune up?
Oct 1, 2010 at 11:33 AM