Help required please - 1.8 clipper auto with engine problems

Hi I have posted here before about my car but things are getting worse…  the car puffs out blue smoke which from what I have read on the forums indicates either the rings or the valve stem seals…  the car hates starting which we have guessed with our limited mechanical knowledge is the starter motor that needs replacing and the car has developed a new problem over the last week or two.  The revs are running very high on occasion (not all the time and usually after the car has been run for a while) and the engine sounds like it is racing, the rev counter only says the revs are at just over a thousand when driving but when you put her into park they jump up to 2500, putting it back in to drive lowers them again to about 1000 ish.  When I turn the ignition off in park the engine runs on, sometimes just the once but others, again when I have been travelling to work in her (only do about 30 miles a day max but with a lot of stopping and starting) as you turn the ignition off in park the engine runs on and on and on quite violently at times, this can go on for a good few minutes  Again I have searches the forums and have found some info about this maybe being the waxstat etc…  We are not mega talented when it comes to mechanics so it is going to be a garage job if we decide to keep her.  A friend who owns a garage suggested that it may be easier and cheaper to just replace the engine - what do you think?  And if we do replace do we have to replace with a like-for-like engine or will a different size or model, for example a gti one be ok?  Our other option which looked like the best one to me as I sat there being stared at by passers by as my poor little convertible grumbled away to herself for 4 minutes after I turned her off… is to scrap her or break her.  We are financially challenged so spending loads of money on her is not really an option, especially in one go, to be honest we bought a car which had a lot more problems that maybe an expert would have picked up for a price that the car probably wasn't worth, but we have her now and I hate to see veedubs go off the road, especially if they can be saved  Any advice is welcome, thanks for reading Alex

for the carb problems it may be coolant channel to the inlet is clogged, but have a read of the how to fix your 2e2 sticky guide at the top of this section. if thats too much for you see if you can get hold of a webber carb replacement, though make sure you get an automatic specific one as the manual one has different linkages.

you probably wont need to replace the engine, it may be the smoke is also down to your carb being poorly. they will smoke a lot when running rich, and that is one of the common issues you'll find with the 2e2 when it starts to go wrong.

dont give up my old 1.6 driver was running very badly when I bought it (same carb as yours) after a month or so of fiddling and extensive reading I eventually got my head roudn the carb and made it run as smooth as the day it left the factory. all of my experience and tips I learnt were poured out into my faq thread

Hi John, thanks for the advice  My hubby is having a go now so we I have got everything crossed that it solves the over run at least.  He is having trouble following the guide tho as my engine is a 2E not the 2e2 but he seems to be doing ok  Will post on the outcome later in the week, thanks again

After a whole day working on the car yesterday we still have all the same porblems.  I have sourced a scirocco engine locally which I am going to collect tomorrow but then we will have to wait a week as our mechanic friend is on holiday.  I am persevering    

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260824545853

souce of cheap webers, but email to see if he has any automartic ones in stock

i have an automatic webber avaliable, bought it for my manual and didnt realise they were jetted different and some other minor things so sourced a manual one.

I have original receipt for it and looked at year it was fitted an milegae on MOt's of the car i took it off, and it appears to have only done 20k ish miles

pm me if interested

Thanks

Rich