gti mk3 problem Hi all , I'm very new to forums. I have had my gti mk3 for months and have just started having a problem, the engine has cut out twice both times at low speed , lose power steering and brakes. starts again with no problem, any ideas of whats happening? thanks
twice now my mk3 has cut out luckily at low speed as I lose power steering and brakes. which is scary going round a corner and narrowly missing a lamp post. has anyone any idea why this is happening. thanks
What are the symptoms ? Does it just cut out straight away ? Like someone turning off a switch ? Or does is judder and then die ?
Check to see if your battery terminals are tight enough. They could be loose and may be popping off when hitting bumps ect. Does it turn back on afterwards ? Could be a loose earth wire to.
Ok I will check that. Yeah i can start it up after no problem and then its fine. its been really cold the last few days. de icing weather and both times its happened its been within 5 mins of being started up. once its warmed up doesnt seem to happen
Is this an 8v engine ? If so check the hall sender wiring going to the distributor. It's the plug which plugs into the distributor. Could be damp or loose ?
It's normal for the brakes and steering to get very heavy if the engine cuts out. It could be a problem with the idle control circuit. Is it an 8v or 16v GTI, and what year is it?
Hi mine has done this a couple of times as i come to a junction put the clutch down revs drop and it dies i run vagcom and got lambda sensor fault code so un pluged it cleaned the plug pluged back in works fine now also i disconnected the battery for about ten mins to reset the throttle body sensor after cleaning it
1st thing to do is clean the throttle body till its spotless, its critical on the later mk3s that this is clean becasue it has an internal stepper motor to control the idle. if its all cruddy the ecu struggles to compensate. i would also look at the crank sensor, check the wiring is ok. if its still the original then it'll mosdt likely want changing! its located right down the bottom of the engien under the oil filter housing/front engine mount near the gearbox. around 50 from gsf ideally get the fault codes scanned, this may give you a clue whats up though it wont always have the answer
Come to think of it, my brothers Mk3 died like this before. This was down to the crank sensor bolt coming very loose. Worth a look
Hi gtigirlracer, Just to follow on from Rubjonny's advice. I had the same car as you with exactly the same symptoms. Definitely clean out the throttle body, and i would also clean out any of the breather pipes that connect to the throttle body as these will also be full of crud. Should drive much better after this.. If you're still experiencing engine running problems after this look at the crank sensor, it may not appear broken in any way at first, but the sheathing on cable has a knack stripping itself from the cable, exposing it. This caused all sorts out strange running issues with mine ( revs hanging between gear changes etc ) until it was replaced. Good luck with it all..
