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Model specific boards => Golf mk2 => Topic started by: Skiing on 01 June 2009, 11:27
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Hi all,
Car died with my parents in it near Coventry last night - just lost all power. Managed to persuade the AA to relay parents home after several hours on hold but car now sadly sitting at home. :sad:
Symptoms are - car will start and idle roughly for about 30 seconds before cutting out - or alternatively, if you put your foot on the accelerator once started it will die straight away - am thinking that it is low fuel pressure? however the in-tank pump was done recently and the main tank pump primes before start up (however it is quite noisy - so perhaps on its way out?) Also would an ancient fuel filter cause this, as just bought the car and it looks really old...? Or perhaps it is something electrical around the throttle switch?
Any ideas would be great as to what to try first?
Thanks,
Henry
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Look at the simple things first or you will tangle yourself in knots. The fuel filter is an obvious start if it has not been changed in donkeys years. Make sure that sufficient fuel is getting through. (Have you run out of fuel lately?) But don't exclude your ignition. If all power suddenly went, then I would start with the ignition system first. A fuel filter problem will usually deteriorate gradually, not suddenly. Take a peak at your dizzy cap first and make sure that is up to speck.
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Sounds like a massive vac leak to me....... check for splits in the hose from the metering head to the throttle body and all interconnecting hoses, also it could be a failure of the overrun cut off valve under the back of the airbox, if that fails or the elec supply to it fails then it breaks the vacuum. The pipe connections under there are iffy at their best, vibration may have shaken them loose. If you're unsure about the cut off valve, disconnect it underneath where the pipe goes into the main hose and block off the hole into the main hose and see if the engine runs. The engine does not need this unit connected, it just stops overrun when the engine is hot.
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disconnect the plug from the main pump under the car, turn key 1 click. you should hear the in-tank pump prime, if not, thats why :)
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Thanks all, am going on a rescue mission this weekend to fix it - will change the fuel filter anyway and then go over the car to try and work out what it is - have a gsf nearby so can pick up the appropriate parts.. wish me luck! :cool:
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NB I replaced the intank pump recently - so if it doesnt work, I will check connections intank etc. but could it also be the fuel relay?
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possibly, if you dont hear the fuel pump prime then yea. was the in-tank pump replaced due to a noisy main and/or failed lift? could be the m ain pump was under strain for a while and its finally packed in. might also be a blocked fuel filter as said, though on mine it never cut out on me it just quit starting!
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I did the intank pump as the main pump is at times pretty noisy - so might well have died (however it still primes) - so is there a way of testing it?
(will do filter first and other stuff with pump as last resort (it's quite expensive...)
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only real way to test it is with a fuel pressure mtest kit, though if after you do the filter you see fuel at the metwering head (crack a injector line) but non actually out of the injectors then its quite likely a pump issue. way the aa man diagnosed fuel issue on mine was to spray a ton o easy start into the inlet, it ran for a bit on that but cut out when it was gone. luckily for me i just needed a filter!
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Thanks so much for all your help - will have a go this weekend and let you know how I get on!
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i think it could be your lift pump take it out to test it try a live and earth on it see what result you get also inspect it for any signs of damage if its been replcaced worth checking first
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Well, checked every vacuum connection and also replaced the coil and fuel filter. Still no go - car starts eventually just manages to run (badly) and the cuts - the rev counter also doesnt work now? So I gave in and called AA - they reckon its either the ignition amplifier (on top of the ECU) or the hall sender in the distributor... so its off on the back of a low loader to VW in Newark. :cry: Am covered for repairs on my AA membership, but wanted to drive it back down south on Sunday....
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Well, the golf has been in the VW garage now for a week and a half and they still cannot get it going. They have checked fuel pressure so thats not an issue and pretty much every electrical connection - does anyone have any other ideas about what it could be? will remind them to check every vacuum connection as well - also it has a 9a bottom end from a passat - does this mean anything electrical / timing wise could be different which is throwing them off - any ideas - my poor car is still dead and I miss it... :cry:
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fact rev counter isnt working suggests the hall sensor aye, though it could just be clocks need to be reset. did you try a different dizzy?
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Hello there.
I had a very similar problem, After three weeks at a local garage they couldn't get in started and gave up but insisted it was a fuel problem. They didn't have the fuel pressure test kit that RJ mentioned earlier, so of it went to a BOSCH specialist, tested it and it passed. Yet still wouldn't start.
In the end it turned out to be the old factory fitted alarm that i have never used since owning the car. The alarm was preventing the engine starting by randomly shuting off the ignition, or fuel or both. They took out the alarm, repaired some frail looking wires and connections to the E.C.U and HEY PRESTO! I cost a few Quid to fix, but that was due to labour. They also put in a Recon E.C.U at £100 because some of the voltages coming out of the old one were iffy.
Good luck.
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They will have tested the distributor I think - but will a problem with the hall sender eye not turn up like this?
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if they did check it properly then yeah it should, but this assumes the dealers actually know how to fix old cars now!
do you recall if you heard the main pump run on for a few seconds after the car cut out?
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Can't remember about the main pump (I changed the pump relay though) - I know it primed as it should do and the intank pump also buzzed etc (unplugged main pump to check in tank one) - Should the main pump cut out after the engine stops or at the same time - NB you can with a lot of cranking get it to start - it idles very low (with no rev counter) you can then slowly raise the revs if you are very light on the accelerator (but with it coughing and popping etc.) and then it just dies away whether you have your foot on the accelerator or not. If you tap accelerator when it starts then it just dies straight away.
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if the ignition cuts then the pump will run for a few seconds, just the same as priming on 1st click basically. If you dont hear the pump run on after engine dies this suggests a fuel pump problem, or a fault with the wiring to the pump.
still sounding like fuel delivery to me!
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If its not fuel related, my second guess would still be air leak. Has the head been compression tested? It could be a head gasket leak for example, as you don't always get the other HG symptoms at the same time. Then theres manifold gaskets, injector seals, idle screw o-ring, ruptured intake pipe etc. etc.
Have fun!