HELP NEEDED: Car wont start!

[16vmk3ash]

What happend: I was driving along and the engine started spluttering, to get it going again i would put the clutch in and press the acelerator a couple of times whilst the car was still moving and it would be back to normal. after about a hour of this constantly happening it cut out completely and came to a stop. I got it going again and got about 50meters down the road and it cut out again and it would not restart.

The symptons: engine turns over but will not fire up, ocassionally though it will attenmpt to fire but starts spluttering and continues briefly when i turn the ignition of. I have noticed a  smell of petrol also when its spluttering.

What i have done:
Replaced the ECU and Fuel Pump Relay
New Spark Plugs
New Impuse Crank Sensor
Checked for any loose wires
there is fuel in the car and i can hear the fuel pump pressurising

I rekon it is something electrical but what? any help would be apreciated!
Thanks

[monkeyalan]

. check the rotor arm and dizzy cap first. you can smell fuel cos it's flooding not burning.

[animaniac]

have you checked the coil!

theses are prone for just going out of the blue!

take the coild lead off the dissy hold close to the head and turn it over, if no spark make sure the lead is working and is on.... if you still have no spark repace coil!

my mate pulled up outside a vw garage went in to get some stuff he come out and the car wouldnt start, opened the bonnet to find that the coil had burned out and was smoking!

so this proves they can go at any time!

[16vmk3ash]

I will buy a distributer cap and rotor arm today see if that fixes the problem.

The coil! is that the square box fastend to the bulk head with a single ignition lead going into it? if so i have one of those somewhere in the garage.

[monkeyalan]

yep, thats the coil. I was gonna suggest that after the dizzy cap and rotor. Mine went 2 weeks after I got my car but it just went, no spluttering/restarting etc

[16vmk3ash]

right put a new distributor cap and rotor arm on tonight and still it wont start.

I have found the coil i bought a while ago of ebay, dont know if its for a 16v but will fit it tommorow and see what happens.

[16vmk3ash]

It was the coil! put it in before work and it fired up first attempt

[monkeyalan]

 

[animaniac]

  i was right 

My mates cars been off the road for some time and he went to start it and the battery was flat so he jumped it, so it could be mot'd.....

the steering was heavy and the power steering light was on, i thought that the hydraulic had failed, but a read in the manual said that it was either no hydrauic oil, or electrical system fault......

it turned out because his battery was naf the power steering wouldnt work even with the engine running because its electrohydraulic it need constant power from the battery....

just shows how much strain new cars put of the 100+ year old battery technology!