Re: Troublesome stalling problem (theinfamous)

Nothing at all, huh?
My newest theory is a bad MAF. Could this cause my problem?
At this point I am just guessing. I am pretty sure it's not a fuel pump or spark related issue though, so that's a start.

 

Re: Troublesome stalling problem (theinfamous)

Sound like a fuel pump issue I had on a MK1.

How many miles on the fuel filter?

 

Sound like a fuel pump issue I had on a MK1.

How many miles on the fuel filter?

It's almost certainly the fuel pump when you've got a 2.0 that dies suddenly and then only restarts later when it's cooled down. Have you actually checked the fuel pressure? Fuel pressure regulator? What's the fuel pressure like at the rail when it won't start?

Best,

 

Re: Troublesome stalling problem (WtErKeWlEdUbbEr)

Quote, originally posted by WtErKeWlEdUbbEr »

Sound like a fuel pump issue I had on a MK1. How many miles on the fuel filter?

Honestly not that many. I put a new one on probably about a year and a half ago.
Also, my a/f ratio light show gauge shows the mixture cycling more lean than I am used to sometimes.
I forgot to mention after the car quits and I try to start it again it will just crank and crank and crank and sometimes it'll try to start but quit right away again.
The battery voltage is good and the starter cranks strong.


Modified by theinfamous at 2:36 PM 11-28-2009

 

Re: Troublesome stalling problem (theinfamous)

Any other ideas people??
can a bad maf do things like this??

 

Coworker/friend of mine is having similar issues with her '94 ABA. I just recently replaced a massive slew of parts under the hood, including the various coolant and oil sensors, oxygen sensor, and fuel filter. Also cleaned all the grounds, replaced the corroded as crap positive battery cable, and made dead certain it's been properly timed.
It's still doing it.
Occasionally it with flat refuse to start, too.
Latest theory is that it's possible an aging, failing ECU relay. Would explain why it never throws a CEL after cutting out.
When combined with the stumbling issue it occasionally runs into, I'm replacing the coil and the ECU relay, we'll see how that works.


Modified by turbinepowered at 3:50 PM 12-1-2009

 

i had a problem like this on on my 16v, turned out to be the fuel pump, after replacing every sensor on the car.. check your fuel pressure, Good luck

 

Re: (elOCHO203)

I am going to continue posting in this thread until I get this issue fixed to help others that may encounter similar problems in the future.
Monday I replaced the oil cooler, ignition switch, and engine RPM sensor (that one down by the oil filter). I did these things because I had the tools out for the oil cooler replacement and had the parts from before.
I had it out on the interstate, around town and at all speeds, making sure things were kosher before today. However, on the way to get my tags renewed today (wed) the thing quit again. This time, things were a bit different though. Now, it bogs down and sputters a lot before quitting, as opposed to before when it would just shut down as if I turned off the key.
The A/F gauge in my car reads consistently lean when the car bogs down, and no matter how far I push down the gas, the car quits. If I'm lucky though it'll sputter and jerk and continue running.
It is all very strange because it wasn't doing any of the bogging or sputtering before.
My recent theories on what this is are:
-Fuel pump or relay
-MAF (seems unlikely at this point)
Now, if a relay will cause this I would much rather replace that than aquire the equipment to test fuel pressure from the pump.
And how can I test if its just the relay or if it is a bad pump?
Oh and the REALLY irritating thing that's happening now is that it doesn't quit until I am away from home. It'll idle as long as I let it it seems.


Modified by theinfamous at 5:47 PM 3-31-2010

 

Re: (theinfamous)

Modified by theinfamous at 5:47 PM 3-31-2010[/I]

That would lead me to believe your fuel pump is is getting warmer than it should and is failing when you drive for a distance. And it is not starting back up until the pump cools back down. I would suggest getting a fuelo pressure gauge hooked to the fuel rail, and monitoring the pressure while you drive. I am willing to bet you a case of your favorite beer that you'll see the pressure die off right before your car starts to sputter and die.

 

Re: (98gl2.0)

Quote, originally posted by 98gl2.0 »

That would lead me to believe your fuel pump is is getting warmer than it should and is failing when you drive for a distance. And it is not starting back up until the pump cools back down. I would suggest getting a fuelo pressure gauge hooked to the fuel rail, and monitoring the pressure while you drive. I am willing to bet you a case of your favorite beer that you'll see the pressure die off right before your car starts to sputter and die.

MOTHER **** **** ASS. That's what I thought.
A new fuel pump= $200. DAMN DAMN DAMN.
Still don't think its the $9 relay?

 

Re: (theinfamous)

my 96 Jetta Gl had similar problems recently, replaced fuel filter, fuel pump relay, ignition switch, coil...problem all along was the fuel pump

it was not putting out enough pressure...

 

Re: (rubenl)

Picture as bait:

MORE SOB STORIES
I was faced with a difficult decision regarding the fuel pump. I went to both parts stores in town (NAPA and Car Quest) and neither of them had a fuel pressure tester, and I just assumed their prices on fuel pumps were ridiculous so I didn't even ask. So I had two choices:
1. Wait 5 days for the pressure tester to get here and maybe find out it was the fuel pump all along and waste $20-$40 and 5 days that I didn't need to, in addition to waiting for the fuel pump to get here.
2. Order the fuel pump because that's probably what's causing the problem and risk wasting $100 if its not the pump.
I replaced the fuel pump and it was clearly not the pump. Somebody owes me a case of New Belgium mighty arrow.
The car is still stalling out. It'll run for about ten minutes until it warms up, then it'll buck and stall. It seems like a vac leak but it only happens when the car is warm (and if its sitting in the sun it won't start)

Please help. I need to get the car running reliably asap, and taking it to a mechanic that might not be able to diagnose the problem much better than I is going to be the very last resort, being there aren't a whole lot of VW-knowledgeable shops around here, and I'm trying to save money, which isn't working out so well for me right now.

So my list of things to do now is:
-Check and reset the timing just for "fun" to see if this is contributing
-Pull the plugs and look at them/replace
-Check the fuel pressure reglator
-Check the fuel pump relay
-Look for a vac leak somewhere
-Examine the air filter
-Figure out if its a clogged cat thats causing this???

Modified by theinfamous at 2:06 PM 4-15-2010


Modified by theinfamous at 2:18 PM 4-15-2010

 

Re: (theinfamous)

ECU

 

Re: (zwogti)

Quote, originally posted by zwogti »

ECU

I thought about this. I don't like the idea. If it turns out to be the case I might just part out the ****in thing.
I'm putting in a new relay for the fuel pump tomorrow. We'll see if that does the trick. If it doesn't, the pile of garbage is going to a mechanic so I can finally figure out what the hell is wrong.

 

Quote, originally posted by zwogti »

ECU

I thought about this. I don't like the idea. If it turns out to be the case I might just part out the ****in thing.
I'm putting in a new relay for the fuel pump tomorrow. We'll see if that does the trick. If it doesn't, the pile of garbage is going to a mechanic so I can finally figure out what the hell is wrong.

I'm going to vote for the Engine Electronics Relay, it goes bad without busting the fuse, and can function intermittent. Plus this is like the same set of problems I read about when I was chasing down gremlins, and it makes the car appear as if it has a bad ECU or fuel pump.

Relay 30/32 or 109 in position 3, it's like $35 or less. and with "test" working, but still be bad.

Or the converter. but that wouldn't neccessarily cause no start.

 

Re: (theinfamous)

bump it up for new ideas...
The fuel pump relay didn't fix anything.

Modified by theinfamous at 2:10 PM 4-19-2010
Here's an update for those of you searching:
I took it to a local mechanic who I trust. He said that it was probably a broken speed sensor causing my problems. He messed with the harness and straightened it out a little and it cleared up the problems it was having. Apparently both the VSS and the Engine RPM sensor share the same circuit, so if the VSS goes bad, it can cause a stalling problem. Hopefully this helps some people out and also hopefully it fixes my stupid rust bucket of a car.


Modified by theinfamous at 2:41 PM 4-23-2010

 

Re: (theinfamous)

I have another update. I know this thread involves a lot of reading, but hopefully it leads to some answers.
This "magician mechanic" that I took the car to amazed me. The car ran fine for a while. All they did was straighten out the speed sensor wiring harness and remove a temporary ground wire that I had tapped in.
Since the speed sensor is probably bad, I left it unplugged to see if it would run fine without it. It did for a while, but then it quit again last night at the grocery store. It is really really odd because it is even less consistent in its symptoms now.
I want to know if anybody thinks this speed sensor thing is whats causing the issue. It seems as if there were an "internal short" in the speed sensor, it would only shut down when the sensor is plugged in.

 

Re: (theinfamous)

speed sensor - as in crank sensor?
Absolutely could be an issue.
Once they heat up - the resistance goes too high - and they can't send a signal to the ECU.

 

Re: (theinfamous)

You must be confused.
The engine will not start without the speed sensor/crankshaft sensor connected.
The speed sensor/crank sensor connects to the wiring harness on the same bracket as the knock sensor connector. Maybe what you disconnected is the knock sensor?
The camshaft sensor (located inside of the distibutor) can be unplugged and the engine will still start/run. Have you confused it with the crankshaft sensor?
By the way, replacing the ECU is no big deal. Disconnect the battery, remove the right side raintray from under the hood, remove a bolt, and unplug the ECU. They don;t cost that much either. Not much more than a waterpump, if that much.


Modified by germancarnut51 at 8:45 AM 4-30-2010

 

Re: (germancarnut51)

Quote, originally posted by germancarnut51 »

You must be confused. By the way, replacing the ECU is no big deal. Disconnect the battery, remove the right side raintray from under the hood, remove a bolt, and unplug the ECU. They don;t cost that much either. Not much more than a waterpump, if that much. Modified by germancarnut51 at 8:45 AM 4-30-2010

I'm not confused. I know the difference between the VSS and the engine rpm sensor. I replaced the engine rpm sensor, and the car worked fine for about two days.
Also, I'm not at all scared about replacing anything. I'd replace the whole damn motor if it was cheap enough and fixed the problem. I just want to be sure I found the issue before I go throwing more money at this pile.
The mechanic I took it to thought it was the vss because its showing a code, which it has been doing for probably the last two years. (speedo works intermittently, probably because of a faulty cluster, since I have replaced the vss in the past) His theory was that they share a common circuit, and if the VSS goes bad, it affects the engine rpm sensor. Plus since they ****ed with the harness, it has worked a lot better.
I don't know where to get an ecu besides a junkyard. Dealer? My normal parts places don't have them listed online, and the sites I can find for refurbs don't have prices listed.
And thanks for the replies fellas. I appreciate the help.

 

Okay, I know this thread sucks. I am going to re-iterate my problem in hopes that someone comes up with a new idea.

The problem:
Car stalls whenever it feels like it. If its cold, it starts and runs for an unpredictable amount of time. Sometimes it doesn't start when its warm.

Parts I've replaced:

Coolant temp sensor and flange
Ignition switch
Engine RPM sensor
Fuel pump relay
Fuel pump
Spark plugs (they were old anyway. Shot in the dark)

I took it to a mechanic and he said it was the speed sensor, since both the speed sensor and the RPM sensor apparently share a circuit somehow, and if there's a short in the speed sensor, itll geek out the rpm sensor. (true or not true?)

When the car wouldn't start at the mechanic's, he said that there was a no-spark situation for a little bit, but apparently they weren't able to completely diagnose it because the stupid car started up again right away and ran for them for a few consecutive test drives.

help? please? anybody?

 

Can you please tell me where the engine speed sensor is? what you keep referring ot aas the engine rpm sensor? I can't seem to locate it on my '02 Golf. The manual has a picture, but I don't see it

 

God this thread sucks!

I'm bumping it up though....

Where do I go next, since I'm back to square 1?

I gotta wait a bit for some money to come in. Going without a steady income for a month sucks when you've got student loans to pay off.

 

hi mate. My car has exactly the same issues as you. won't start sometimes when its warm. Starts first time every time when its cold and runs fine but then will cut out going 0 / 15/ 40 mph. I've had mine VAG-COM and its throwing up a Engine Speed Sensor fault which I am going to have to replace ( £99 from the stealers) Haven't quite got the money at the moment but I should sort it next week. Did you say you replaced this part and still have the same issues? I know the wiring to my knock sensors which are next to the speed sensor wires are corroded as anything so might be worth replacing the wiring loom as well .

I'll update when I replace my ESS.

By the way VW call it an impulse sender.
My car's a 1999 20v 1.8 mk4 non turbo.

 

troublesome stalling issue lol, when is a stalling issue NOT troublesome?



did you check your crankshaft position sensor?

 

Aren't the crankshaft position sensor and the engine speed sensor the same thing ?

 

Yes. The one that confuses people is the vehicle speed sensor, which sends the signal to the speedometer.

And yes, I did replace the engine rpm sensor and still have the problem. However, my car is throwing a code for the VEHICLE speed sensor.

Right now I'm thinking that the coil is either not getting power (ecu issue) or it is broken.