I own a 1988 CABRIOLET, and having a few problems..Pics included.
 

Ok, so my girlfriend and I moved from Houston, Texas to Yuma, Arizona and needed a car and quick. I am not too good with the Volkswagens, but a friend of hers had it up for sale at $1000..Said it ran and everything..

So I go over to her friends house about 2 days ago and try and start it and it wouldn't start..I put some fuel in it and tried again, even tried to jump it with a truck, and nothing..First thoughts were no fuel and battery..Both were checked...

So I was told it needed a tune up, but the sparkplugs looked new and so did the wires, and it was getting power and you could tell it was trying to turn cause you can hear it trying and it was so close, so we gave up for the day and towed it back to my house..

Started to work on it today..Changed the oil, oil-filter, fuel filter and the air filter...

We tried to crank it after the oil and filter was changed and no luck..

Then we put the new fuel filter on and the air filter...

Then we find something out that we didn't want to...I am not sure what the part is called, so here is a picture.

Attachment 3704

Now the black box you see on the top of the battery with the four lines running from it...Yeah, well one of the lines started to heat up and smoke, and left a nice little burnt mark in it...So we get some water and throw it on there, then unplug the battery..And it stopped with no problem...First off, does anyone know what that black box is? Cause the people that owned the car lost the manuel and I can't find one on google!!!

This is were the line runs too....
Attachment 3705

I am thinking it's the fuel pump? I could be wrong...Any help would be great..Thanks guys or girls..

RE: I own a 1988 CABRIOLET, and having a few problems..Pics included.
 

A little too old for you guys??

RE: I own a 1988 CABRIOLET, and having a few problems..Pics included.
 

Hi,
The black box, as you call it is the fuel distributor, and the braided lines are carring fuel, under pressure, to the injectors. I don't understand what you mean when you say one of the lines got hot???
Earl, '85 Cabriolet

RE: I own a 1988 CABRIOLET, and having a few problems..Pics included.
 

i grew up on these
you might have a wire touching one of the fuel lines
or your engine ground is loose
check on the trans mount near the battery ther is a ground wire held on with a 13mm bolt sometimes people forget this when they pull the tranies out

RE: I own a 1988 CABRIOLET, and having a few problems..Pics included.
 

I too am having fuel problems. I hope all of the gurus will read my post. Mine is a simple problem I do believe, but I just can't find it. I did take one of my spare warm up regulators apart, but could see nothing in there that would allow the engine to start just by releasing the pressure on that one line.l Quite a mystery to me.

RE: I own a 1988 CABRIOLET, and having a few problems..Pics included.
 

Can you please clarify a little bit about where this wire is? Could that wire not being properly attached result in the braided fuel lines getting burn holes in them? Thank you.

Mark

RE: I own a 1988 CABRIOLET, and having a few problems..Pics included.
 

I had a few of mine develop burn holes in them also after sitting for a few years. The transmission was replaced and I am wondering if that ground line that Jim mentioned was hooked up. It's dark here right now so I am not going to look, but I would like to know exactly what I am looking for as I did not do the the transmission work. I traded carpentry work for it. He did my transmission r and r and I built a deck for him..