new to forum

[XC8]

so heres the deal. just found this forum after cruising the tex. I'mthinking there might be some people a little closer to me that can help out in the crusade to get my new to me toy up and running. i just bought an 88 cabby i drove the car home but it didn't run very well. tried a couple of things to help it but to date the only thing i've accomplished is to make myself frustrated. the car actually runs worse now than when i bought it. in fact it's to the point where i fear driving it to a shop may damage it. i am very mechanicly inclined and there usually isn't much i won't tackle but this CIS system has got me a little baffled.
my question is this. is there anyone knowledgeable willing to come out to my house and help me diagnose and fix this car. I know this is kind of a bold request from a newbie, but i assure you all i'm a pretty good guy. i don't have the deepest pockets in the world but i certainly wouldn't mind compensating someone for thier time.

[OnelowcabriO]

welcome to the site

there are plenty MK1 people that will help ya

i personally dont know anything about CIS, for my rabbit is carbd

throw up some pics and discribe the problem your having to as much detail that you can and im sure we can figure it out

[turbosnow]

CIS is the debble but pretty simple, tell us waht the problem is and perhaps we can help. The most common cause on a CIS failure is a vacuum leak check the main boot and other large vacuum hoses for leaks.

[evolveVW]

CIS is evil!

[XC8]

well after much tinkering these are the things i've discovered.
the throttle valve adjustment was off ( corrected )
the warm up reg was plugged partially (cleaned that out)
timing was off (got it closer not sure its perfect but definately better)
thermo switch is ok
air accumulator is functional

i now have the car running again atleast and have taken it up and down the road a little bit it seems to heat up quick and then stall out. the air fuel mixture is probly not right as i do not have a dwell meter to check duty cycle. i dont know if this is causing the increased coolant temp but that is what i'm guessing. i'd could be a whole nuther issue all together. i tried to post more detailed info earlier but for some reason couldn't.

[B4passatglx]

I have a bosch fuel injection tech book that is very detailed on the CIS systems and troubleshooting the system. Your more than welcome to borrow the book. Let me know!

[XC8]

yeah that would be great. i grew up in bport and am real familar with your area. give me a call later and whe'll set somthing up.

andy 450-3227 cell

[BUNNYLOVE]

Welcome! Here is a cheap way to check you A/F ratio given you have a volt meter. You measure the voltage from your O2 sensor and convert it to your AF ratio. Its pretty accurate around the stoich 14.7 ratio but not otherwise.

http://www.picotech.com/auto/lambda_sensor.html

[XC8]

well i went and bougth a dwell meter and checked the duty cycle. its up around 60 deg. way lean. tried to richen it up with my 3mm allen and the wrench just spins around in the head of the adjuster bolt. everything involved in the air sensor plate region has a nasty "caremel" coating on it i tried to remove the fuel distributor so i could take the air sensor crap out and clean it up and inspect further but it seems to be stuck and i dont want to break something. i guess maybe i'll look for a complete assembly in better shape. anyone got any ideas or suggestions in the meantime?