8v timing issue.

[Sosl0w]

Have an 84 GTI with a timing issue i can't figure out. So I time the car perfectly. All marks and such line up, car starts up and idles perfectly. Put the car in gear and try to drive, it goes about 20 feet and then dies. Check the timing again and its completely off! Its like the timing changes as soon as the car has load under it. Not sure why its doing this. Any ideas?

[Fat Rabbit]

You don't indicate why you were messing with the timing to start with.

Maybe a missing or sheared woodruff key at the crankshaft, the intermediate shaft or the cam shaft. I have also seen an intermediate shaft with a broken keyway as well as timing belts missing teeth, gear teeth full of crud causing the timing belt to slip and idler pulleys with failed bearings causing an out of round rotation. There are a number of possibilities -- take your pick.

If you don't know when the timing belt was last changed you should consider installing a new timing belt and idler pulley. About $40 for parts on line. FR