Audi Flu

[Timothy C Salazar II <tsal2@juno.com>]

Hey All,

I've got something of a mystery going on in my 1985 4kq.  I know for a
fact that the thermo-time switch is on the fritz, making cold starting
something of a chore, but that's not the real problem, I think.  First my
car started coughing out a dirty black liquid that smelled like gas
through the tail pipe for about a week, then stopped.  Now it's doing
this stalling thing.  Actually, it's not stalling, but stuttering like
it's running out of gas.  The car does keep running, however.  It
normally does it at speed, but other than that it seems random.  The only
guess I have is there is a short at the fuel pump somewhere.  I come to
this conclusion when I listen to it before ignition.  Sometimes it buzzes
for a second or so, like normal.  Sometimes I hear a slight chime, (as in
the "door ajar" chime), while the pump continues to buzz on without
stopping.  And sometimes I don't hear any noise from the pump at all. 
Does this problem sound familiar to anyone?  Any ideas what's going on
here?  Thanks alot for the diagnosis!

Love, Like, or Just Plain Tolerate,

Timothy

`85 4kq
`82 & `86 CGT (R.I.P.)