Weird fuel issue

[curt93t/t]

So I took my daughter out in the 96TT on Saturday to an empty parking lot to teach her to drive a stick. We are driving around for about 30 minutes (total drive time about 45 minutes) and head over to a friend's house to pick up a metal detector. Turn the car off and it had an off smell, but chalked it off to only putting about 300 miles the past year. Get back in and the car doesn't want to start. It's turning over but nothing, but then it sputters to life and chokes out. It's almost acting like it's out of gas, so I call the wife and have her come over with some gas. I put some in and nothing, but figure I've fouled up the plugs now so leave the car there.

Come back the next day and try to crank and nothing, so I pull #1 and #5 and no fuel. I pull the line going to the fuel rail and turn it over and no gas coming out. I check the relays and feel them clicking, so they're good. I can't hear the fuel pump, so I run home and pull the unit from my 93TT (good having the same car) and I slave it in and it spins, so I know it's getting juice. I remove the nuts and pull the pump assembly up a little and have friend bump the starter and I hear the pump this time. I always thought you just turned the key to ign and the pump started, but you have to be cranking? Anyway, I ask her to hit it again and the car cranked right up and purred like a kitten.

Put it back together and drove it around for about 20 minutes and it started sputtering again and I had to push the accelerator down when slowing so the engine didn't die. At speed if I gave it more than a little bit of gas it bucked and sputtered. Took me about 10 minutes to get home and as I pulled into my drive it starting running normal again. What the heck?

[OhioSpyderman]

No expert here Curt (and HI )
But from your description it almost sounds like a failing fuel pump (easy fix) and maybe the possibility (since you're not driving it) of clogged or partially clogged injectors....

Also, does your Dad's car still have the original fuel pump relay? Might be that, that is going south....

It doesn't sound serious (to me, I'm sure it is to YOU), just requires some spot on troubleshooting....

Bob.

[curt93t/t]

Hey, been a long time. As you can tell I don't get on here that much. LOL I was thinking of replacing the fuel filter and upgrading to a bigger pump (in the event I decide to do something later down the road). Hadn't thought about the injector's since it was running fine then not, then fine not, and fine again. All of that had me thinking something before the injector's, but guess it wouldn't hurt to clean them out. Doesn't the relay only come into play when the car is starting? Thought the ECU sends signal to the relay and it energizes and sends signal when cranking. Regardless, pretty sure they aren't that expensive. The main thing I'm dreading is the fuel pump. I know when I go to remove the nut it isn't going to want to loosen up. Maybe if I use a full can of PB Blaster on it.

[OhioSpyderman]

DO NOT try to loosen the nut AT the fuel pump if you decide to replace it.
Jack the car up and break the fitting (kinda by the rear axle).
Then once you get the pump out (the line you just broke is NOT that long), put that "hat" in a vice a carefully take that end off...

PM me if you want help....

Bob.