CAR KEEPS DYING ON ME- LOSES ALL POWER THEN IT COMES BACK - DISTRIBUTOR? Help!

[ScottMk2Gti16v]

Right, IÂ’ve now had a new coil put in and itÂ’s not solved the problem. IÂ’ve already had a new distributor cap and rotary arm – mechanic now thinks it may be the distributor itself.  To save me buying one I may not need IÂ’ve got a chance to take one off a mk3 golf gti 16v – does anyone know if they are the same?   Failing that IÂ’ll have to buy one – rubjonny – can you get me a part number for a distributor for my mk2 16v 1991 so I can speak to the retards at my local VW and maybe order one.   Think IÂ’ll also try and get a 2nd hand one.

On a good note – it’s passed it’s MOT today with no problems, well apart from the engine cutting out when doing the emissions!!

Cheers guys.

[rubjonny]

Sorry an ABF one wont work, its not adjustible!
051 905 237  X - 79.47+VAT

I'd suggest replacing the hall sender, but check out the stupid VW prices:
052 998 065 - 99.47+VAT

So its cheaper to buy a complete dizzy inc hall sender, than it is to buy a hall sender on its own.  Riiiiiight.

Pull back the insulation boot on the hall sender plug, and look for damage to the wires & pins, and have you swapped a new ignition switch in yet?

[...joe]

* too fast for me rubberman!*

now i'm not that clued up on 16v's but from helping out mates etc it always seems to be the hall sender in the distributer that causes the problems. and vw are doing brand new ones for £100 exchange with your old one. i maybe way off here but its worked on various weird power loss problems.

[rubjonny]

yeah, but why bother when you can get a brand new dizzy for less than that, which includes the hall sender 

[Gambit]

if the hall sender is at fault then the rev guage bounces all over the place.

[...joe]

yeah, but why bother when you can get a brand new dizzy for less than that, which includes the hall sender

thats £100 for the whole distributer, i thought that was pretty good?!

[rubjonny]

The part number I posted above was for a new 16v distributor:
051 905 237  X - 79.47+VAT

I assumed you were talking about trade ins on the hall sender...

[monzablue16v]

Try taking the hall sender plug off from the top of the Dizzy and cleaning up the contacts that may save you £100 I'd also try the fuel pump relay as mentioned earlier. hth

[kakka]

I had the same problem with my mk2 16v! when ibought the car it had had a new fuel pump, and i was lucky enough to have a spare car sitting in the garden in good mechanical order! I changed all parts you could think of to do with ignition and so on, fuel regulator, but the car still cut out when warmed up without any notice once across a duel carrige way with vehicles approaching in rush hour traffic, felt really embarassed to have to push a mint mk2 away, but i was lucky no one had crashed into the mk2! And on the way to inters the car was fine until we had to wait to pay and get in no sooner had we gone through and you had a bit of a run to park up and she died again! Any way in the end when i changed the fuel lift pump in the fuel tank problem solved!! Some one did mention this before, any she doesn't miss a beat now!!!!

[takethefifth]

sounds very much like a dodgy ignition switch to me

Before you go spending more money have you checked the ignition switch?  I think it can be said Mr Jonny is more often right than wrong!