Hey, I have my Karmann Ghia with a 13b all ready to go... except for one little problem...

When I turn the key and engage the starter the engine fires right up, no problems. When I let the key back a disengage the starter the engine dies. I'm not sure what the problem is. I've tested everything on the Volkswagen side, ignition, starter, wiring and all.. it all checks out fine. I wired it exactly the same way that others who have done this conversion have.

The engine is a 86 13b n/a with a weber dcoe 45. I have a distributor and coils from a 1st gen and they seem to be working okay. My fuel pressure is at 8 psi and seems to be delivering the the fuel with no problems.

Like I said, the engine starts just fine and runs great as long as you have the key all the way turned, but dies moments after you let off on it. Help?

oh..and if this post appears in duplicates... sorry, but there seems to be some kind of server problem.

 

How is the fuel pump setup? Are you using the RX-7 components (wiring, relay, etc)? Does the pump have power in the on position? What about the coils. Are they get power with the key on?

 

I'm not sure what you mean by the fuel pump setup... it's set at 8 psi and is about a footaway from the carb. Yes, it does have power with both key positions.

The only rx7 wiring I have is the stuff that came with the distributor and coils and the piece that hooks into the alt. Other than that it is hooked up the same way as a volkswagen with a stock engine would be...except that one of the power lines is split for two coils instead of one. I even tried hot wiring the coils directly to the battery... but still had the same problem.

 

sounds to me like power is cutting out to one of the following when you move the key from the cranking position to the on position: coils, ignitors, or the fuel pump. If you had a 2nd person to test these things as you are cranking and then as you have the key in the on position, this would be a good place to start.

 

How would you check the coils and ignitors?

 

I was asking about the fuel pump setup because the stock RX-7s (after '84) run the fuel pump while cranking but then rely on a switch in the AFM (Air Flow Meter) to keep it running. If ypu were using the RX-7 wiring, this may explain why the engine would die when you let off the key. Since this isn't the case it must be something else. You can test the coils, igniters, and fuel pump as bkm mentioned. Use either a voltmeter or a test light to check for power (+ terminal on coil, black wires on the igniters, fuel pump +) while cranking and after you let off. This will let you know if you are loosing power to one or more of these when you release the key. Maybe something is up with the ignition switch.