hall sender/dizzy/connector/wiring/ something's not right!!!

[Mew]

I'm having serious issues trying to get my car started, and then when it does start itnormally cuts out at a really inconvenient place!

I've had the aa out and the guy said it was the hall sender, so i got a 2nd hand dizzy today that supposedly works fine and put it in. The car wouldn't fire up at first and i was only getting one spark from the coil when i turn the ignition on and that was all. Wiggled some wires on the coil and hall sender connector on the dizzy and tried again and it fired up. Drove round for a couple of minutes and it was fine. Then when i tried to start it about half hour later the same was happening again.

From that i'm assuming there is a loose connection somewhere, and i guess its at the hall sender connector block. Only thing is i can't work out how to take it apart! Could it be something else though?

I gather that it can only be in one of these areas:

[ScottMk2Gti16v]

Sounds like a similar problem to what I had... check out my recent thread at http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=51146.0  I changed the coil first and the engine was still cutting out, then secondly the amplifier - seemed to help it sit idling for a while but it still cut out. Last thing I changed was the distributor and it's been running perfect ever since.

[rubjonny]

pull back the rubber boot on the hall sender plug, sounds like you've got a damaged wire!

[Mew]

Yeah done that, all seems fine to me!

I think i'm either gonna cry or beat the sh!t out of the car and see what that does   

[Mew]

Tried doing some voltage tests but my battery has died now. Can't do anything until my housemate with a car gets back at 4.

Seriously hacked off with this car now.

[rubjonny]

take off the plastic rain trays and check the wiring from the TCI unit.  In the past a black wire was chopped for an allarm/immobiliser I assume, then later on some bodger owner removed the alarm and twisted the ends of the wire together & wrapped tape round it 

[Mew]

Ahhh, this fecking car! I got a jump start and it works.

Gave all the wiring i could get to a check and it seems fine, no loose connections in the blocks or cuts anywhere. I just get the feeling its going to cut out again in a really inconvenient place seeing as i haven't actually found what was/is causing it.

[rubjonny]

I'd remove & clean up all your battery/starter/alternator wires with sandpaper till they're nice & shiny next, as well as the earths to the side of the head & the braided cable between the coil bracket & head.

Check your battery & alternator too, as it really shouldnt have run out of charge while you were fiddling

[Mew]

To be honest my battery has seen better days! The voltage regulator went 2 weeks ago so the battery was getting 18v for about an hours worth of driving. Then with the car cutting out recently i've been turning the engine over a lot to see if it starts again, which it hasn't! Oh, and i think it's too small, well it's smaller than the battery in my Dad's mk2 anyway.

Anywho, here's hoping it will last a trip from Oxford to Doncaster then back down to Portsmouth next week!

[rubjonny]

I wouldnt trust it, get yrself down to halfords, their batteries are quality.
Edit: Have you tried a new ignition switch yet?