Author Topic: My mk3 golf aint starting, electrical fault.  (Read 1139 times)

Offline ian1987

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My mk3 golf aint starting, electrical fault.
« on: 29 June 2006, 00:15 »
I am new to this forum so sorry if this is the wrong place to post this.
my brothers mk3 golf had a weird problem soon after he bought it. it wouldnt start. it turned over but didnt start.
i check to see if it had a spark, it didnt. i check to see if it had a spark straight from the coil incase it was the distributer or rotor arm. it had nothing.

i didnt think of checking the voltage going to the coil and we just changed it.
still the 1.4 beast didnt rumble into life.

then my sisters boyfriend got his hands on it when i was out once and decided to wack 12 volts from the battery straight onto one of the wires going to the coil pack.
apparently it kinda started once but it didnt but it didnt fix it.

i was a bit confused. my dad then came round one weekend. he knows a thing or 2 about cars (he should as he built 2 of them).
he checked the voltage at the coil, found 12 volts and tried to start it.
it started. and it started every time since then untill last week.
the only other thing that was done on the car was the thermostat housing was changed which is under the distributer.
so something could of been knocked while changing it that somehow fixed the problem.

so last week. my brother got pissed off with the crappy battery terminals that was on his battery as they just wernt secure. so he bought some new ones and changed them.
now the car wont start again.
It still turns over fine, but wont fire. its getting petrol as u can smell it after cranking.

But he has also lost the lights on the dash.
things in the car still work like the blowers and the lights. it hasnt lost the ignition live as with out turning the key u only get side lights, but when u turn the key the dipped head lights come on.

i thought it sounded like a relay, but didnt want to go buying new ones untill someone else thought the same thing.


there are 3 wires going to the coil. i think its a black, green and brown.
does anyone know what the wires are? i though black was live, and brown earth.
is the earth to a coil switched? and this is was callaspes the field to produce the high voltage that goes to the distributor?

any thoughts would be appreciated. and if you can tell me things to test i'll do it asap and post up the results.

i really want to get it running for him so he can get out and have some fun in his first car. but he is just getting depressed about having a car that he has paid for but cant drive.

cheers in advance guys. maybe u can help me cheer my lil bro up!

Offline rubjonny

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Re: My mk3 golf aint starting, electrical fault.
« Reply #1 on: 30 June 2006, 14:59 »
There should be a braided earth cable from the coil bracket to the side of the block, make sure this is present and attached :)
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Offline filthy

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Re: My mk3 golf aint starting, electrical fault.
« Reply #2 on: 25 July 2006, 18:45 »
Could be the ECU relay ( its no. 30 on GTIs, don't know about other models). Easy way to test it is to take the relay out, and bridge the power terminals on the relay socket (terminal no. 30 and the one opposite)with a bit of wire. If the car starts, your relays knackered.....
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