I bought a P reg Mk3 in January that had only done 74k, FSH, completely standard apart from tints (now removed) and a different grille. Apart from the left tyres wearing uneven which the lad said was because he went round roundabouts pretty hard, the only other issues were the front brakes worn pretty low and rear discs wearing uneven. But in the last month or so i started having a couple issues. Car starts perfect every time, but most recently it starts up, then continues to make a sound like its still trying to start, happens for a couple seconds then goes. A friend of mine says it sounds like the starter motor is sticking, could it be anything else?? This has happened maybe a dozen or so times now. Driving along and i slow down to traffic lights (i dont bang it through the gears or anything), then just as i come to a stop, the engine just switches off, no juddering, no warning, just gone, battery and oil light etc comes on. But then it starts up again fine. It has also on a few occassions dropped the revs very suddenly as im driving along but manages to pick it back up again, as if it was about to cut out but cos i was moving, it picked back up. But twice now it has actually cut out completely as i was moving along, scary s**t on a roundabout!! I've had two friends of mine try using code readers of different sorts to find a fault code for this but the ECU is not communicating at all. First friend said the cutting out could be down to something behind my ignition barrel although i didn't understand what it was he was referring too, the second has suggested a knock sensor as he had a very similar problem with his 16v. HELP!!!!!
Hi mate, the cutting out sounds a bit like maybe the ECU relay is playing up. Its number 30 above the fuse box and about 12 from the dealers, a cheap place to start looking anyway. The starter motor fault sounds like a dirty starter shaft, remove the starter and clean the shaft that the cog is on so it moves up and down it freely as when they are dirty the cog catches the flywheel for a few seconds after starting and makes a noise, i had this problem on the wifes audi a2. Steve
Thanks hun, going VW after work today to pick one up, needed to go for a couple other bits anyway. Fitting it tomorrow along with new front engine mount so fingers crossed it fixes it, if not, at least its something else ticked off the list! Bloody thing cut out on my again this morning, was just sat at traffic lights! Will let you know how i get on but if this fixes it, could this also be the problem causing the ECU to not communicate with code readers??
I've only just got round to sorting the ecu relay out since my gearbox decided to eat itself I bought ECU relay (30) from VW and ive just come to fit it, and cannot find a relay no. 30 on my car . I looked in the Haynes and it says ECU relay is no. 18, no. 30 is not used??? WTF, please help me out, seriously confuddled now lol
Ignore me i sorted it, the relay i needed to take out didnt have a number on the front, it was on the inside, fingers crossed it sorts the stalling issue out
next step if not is to take the rubber pipe off from the airbox to the throttle, and give the throttle and flap a damn good clean out
Well i swapped the relay over, car is still cutting out, im thinking perhaps the idle control valve as the revs just drop suddenly as im sitting at lights or coming off the accelerator?? Can this be cleaned??
The problem is i've had two friends try to use different code readers etc on my car and the ecu is not communicating with them so im presuming vag.com wont either
its worth a try, if not you need to get it fixed as unfortunaly if it is the tb causing the problem i dont think there is any way to re-align it without vag-com. plus if you get vag-com on there you can check all the readings from the ecu sensors, it'll really help you track down the casue of the issue. might be worth looking to see if there is a local clubgti meet in your area, and see if any kindly souls would have a looky at it for you? I thought there was a vag-com section but I cant find it now!
Okay, i think i know someone who has vag.com, or at least had it, will check with him, if not i'll try getting to the nearest meet someone and introduce myself Thanks for the advice John
this is how to do the alignment: http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/cars/throttlebody.html first you want to check the codes, clear them then drive the car to see what comes back. then you can go into the measuring blocks to check the ecu temp reading, outside temp, throttle angle when you play with the throttle pedal and other usefull things. if all of those look ok then try the throttle alignment. need to make sure the throttle is spotless before you do the alignment though hopefully the guy with vag-com will understand what I'm on about above
Lol sounds like a lot of removing and reinstalling, i've had enough of working on this car already! haha
What is the condition of the rubber pipe going from the breather on top of the rocker cover to the air intake pipe? I've had a few issues with these being split and causing stalling issues as it allows unmetered air into the throttle body.
I've already replaced that pipe. Bit of an update, Just over a week ago the car decide to cut out on me and refused to start and stay running, couldnt keep the revs up, i tried several times but it would only start twice and immediately die again. I left it off for about 20 mins and tried again and it started up and ran fine, managed to get it home without an issue. Went round a friends who also has the same car and took it for a spin, he decided it was very sluggish and was not doing anywhere near the MPG his does, got back to his again and the same issue, refusing to start up again until it cooled a little. So that night i took the ECU out, checked the dizzy cap n rotor arm, both worn badly, and a HT lead was knackered too. So i replaced those and the plugs. It seems to run a lot lot better now, more responsive and MPG better too. But twice now as i've been driving along, the revs have dipped and was trying to cut out again. I can hear a clicking in the dash where the relays are, could it be fuel relay?? Whilst i was at my friends, he tried his Vag.com, it wouldnt communicate with it, and one of his friends bought his SnapOn reader over too, same thing.
if it happens again feel the relays till you find the one that is clicking, then replace it. if it was me I'd just replace the ecu relay toi start with, they're cheap enough. did the led on the vag-com plug light up when you plugged it in?
Hi Jon, ECU relay already replaced, didnt make a difference :/ No i dont remember the LED lighting up, since ive replaced the leads n plugs, cap n rotor arm etc it doesnt seem to be doing it quite as often, hasnt done it in a few days oddly. My mate thinks there is maybe a loose connection behind the dash somewhere, i'm taking it over to his tomorrow as im sticking coilovers on it, if he gets a chance he is gonna have a look.
check the fuse for the ciggy lighter #22, if led doesn't light up it means the vag-com port has lost its 12v feed, or the earth. vag-com gets 12v from ciggy lighter, if thats ok check the brown wire from the back of the socket is earthed and the red/white wire gets permanent live
okay have checked the fuses, all are ok, the ciggy lighter LED doesnt light up and the lighter doesnt work either but oddly i can charge my phone from it! I'll look at the wiring tomorrow if poss, was late home today, car broke down again, it doesnt like the heat yet it says its not overheating! fedup.com
I'm convinced this is something to do with the heat, it doesnt seem to play up when the weather is cooler, it stuttered again this morning on my way to work (prayed it didnt stop again) but just managed it. However, the water temp reads around 90, oil temp around 83 max, but as i stopped at work i left the car running and had a look at the fans and they werent on. Could this be the issue? Is it overheating and causing it to cut out?
