will not start?

mk1 golf gti 1981 will not start when cold unless you pick up the silver plate  on the metering head and hold it open if you drop the plate it cuts out  what picks the plate up? help darren

The air coming into the engine through the airbox pushes the plate up, and the metering head adjusts the fuel delivery according to how high the plate is, which of course depends on how much air is coming into the car. It's all a very fine and clever balancing act.

If you're starting the engine in a situation where you can see the metal plate, then by my rekoning you've not got all the induction piping in place, so I would suggest putting all the induction pipework on the car, and see what happens.  Make sure all the clips are done up tightly so as to avoid air leaks and you should be away!!

Mike

have you checked the cold start injector on the side of the inlet manifold??