Mechanically minded people please take pity!

[bonniethomas06]

Hi All,

I am really sorry to ask this on this forum. I know it really isn't very 'ish (I didn't have the cheek to post it in the alternative transport forum!) but I could do with picking the brains of any mechanically minded people.

Our car is being a real pain and we can't afford to send it to the garage twice in one month!

It is intermittently cutting out - we could be doing 75 on the motorway, or standing still in traffic, it doesn't seem to make a difference. Suddenly and without any warning at all, the engine cuts out. The oil light and the battery light both come on. It is possible to re-start the car while going along by turning the key - although not always the first time, and it seems to be taking longer to start as the problem goes on. When it stops when the car is stationary, it has to be pushed to get it to start again (most of the time).

It is really intermittant - we have gone weeks without it happening, then sometimes it happens twice in one day, then it is weeks again...all which makes it very expensive to fix, as there is nothing obviously wrong with it. We took it to a local mechanic who replaced the ignition coil, leads and distributor cap (plugs were fine), the battery is new. We assume then that it isn't an ignition issue.

So does anyone have any other ideas? We checked the air filter this morning, which is fine. Might it be a fuel pump problem? Should have said it is a VW Golf and is an R reg. And it is purple!

I would be really grateful for any suggestions of what might be wrong - and whether we can fix it ourselves with a rudimentary degree of mechanical knowledge and a Haines manual!?

I hate cars - would much rather get the train but sadly (and inexplicably!) this is twice the cost of driving

Thanks in advance for any hints.

Bonnie

[JulieSherris]

Bonnie, I just read your post to hubby who said....

"If she'd bought a red one, it wouldn't be happening"

"Is it fuel injection, has it got a carburettor?"

"Is your mechanic trustworthy? Did he really change everything that he said?"

"Is it worth you joining the AA?"
I must add here that we had a cracked distributor cap when I broke down in the UK - and I was on the motorway on the way back to the ferry. Andy was at home in Ireland & joined the AA with one of their deals online - we called them & they came out - £5.70 later & it was fixed! I think the joining deal was £50 for the year, which was also cheaper than a tow off the motorway & rescheduling ferry tickets etc!!

[bonniethomas06]

Hi Julie,
Thanks... in answer to your hubby's questions:

1. Damn, I knew purple was a no go, but it went with the dress I was wearing that day!

2. It has a carburettor we think - it is a GTI if that means anything?

3. I do trust the mechanic - our family have been using him for years and the parts do appear to have been changed.

4. We are a member of the AA - but so far it has been pointless calling them out, as the car usually restarts minutes or seconds after stopping, so by the time they arrive we would have nothing to show them!

I hate cars!

[JulieSherris]

Bonnie, does the 'I' in GTI not mean that it's an injection?
Anywhos... I shall relay the answers to him when he gets back from the village :)

[Stonehead]

R-reg would make it a MkIII Golf GTi. If it's the 8v, it's a fairly common problem and often caused by the hall sensor relay failing. It has a large "30" written on it—Haines manual will give the location. If that doesn't cure it, then you're looking at the coil, the lambda sensor, the engine crank sensor or a split fuel pipe. Also, gunge builds up around the throttle butterfly valve, which has quite small tolerances. Remove the hardpipe from the throttle box, spray carb cleaner on the gunge, then wipe/scrape it off. (Or remove the air filter, start the engine and spray carb cleaner into the air intake, then give the car a bit of throttle. You'll almost certainly get clouds of gunge come out the exhaust.)

(I used to work for various car magazines and that's the advice on MkIII Golfs for a piece from now defunct Car Choice magazine.)

[bonniethomas06]

Wow! Thanks guys, that is more help in 3 hours than I received in 24 from our mechanic and trawling the internet for hours

At least now we can have a bash at fixing it ourselves, before going to the garage. I always worry about saying 'I am not sure what is wrong with it can you have a look' as it seems akin to saying 'here is my wallet, please - take as much as you like, it's yours' (apologies to the honest mechanics out there).

Thanks again

Bonnie

[JulieSherris]

Bonnie, altho hubby isn't a car mechanic, he's nodded at all the above..... and he also sympathises with you regarding the garage/wallet problem!

A few years back, we had to have a new piece on our exhaust - took it to Kw*kf*t... where they didn't have the exact part, so they 'made do'... cut the lambda sensor off, bodged the job & didn't say a word!
Needless to say, there were a few choice words the following day when he took the car back

[KathyLauren]

If the cut-out is sudden, as you describe it, then I would suspect an electrical problem rather than a fuel problem. Check distributor cap, coil, the thick wire between the coil and the distributor cap, the thin wire that runs to the coil. Those are the cheap things it could be.

In the old days, you'd also check the points. Nowadays, cars don't have points, they have fancy electronic doodads, so check them. Once you get into the electronics, the price starts to go up.

It could still be a fuel problem, but usually the engine gives a few coughs before it dies if it's a fuel problem. First thing to check in the fuel system would be the fuel pump. Then check injectors.

[bonniethomas06]

Thanks Keith - the electrics seem to be fine though, that is what we got the mechanic to check and my dad thinks they are fine. If we can't see a problem with the fuel system when we look on Saturday (it is dark in the evenings when we get home these days ) then I think we will have to take it to the proper garage and get them to check it out on their computer thingy.

Julie that sounds awful! (albeit I haven't a clue what a Lambda sensor is!). I bet you were cross!

[Archanejil]

My other half is a car geek... he's asking a few extra questions...

He wants to know what series it is -- Mark 3 or 4 and which engine -- 1.8, 2L, 8 valve, 16 valve or turbo (or flavours thereof). Should be on the top of the engine or in the V5 document, apparently... or in insurance details.

Top of his list is a knackered condenser for the ignition system (if it has one) or a broken earthstrap to the engine. He reckons the first is more likely though and that it's most likely an electrical fault of some description. His logic for this is that it's starting as long as the engine is rotating, which means that fuel is being provided at this point. Another musing was that he was wondering if the battery getting a charge -- i.e. is the alternator working? (unlikely, but...).

He does mention that the condenser is quite small and easy to miss. Found under the bonnet, directly under driver's side, in the right hand corner, just below the wipers, sat over something called an ECU (Engine Control Unit).

/shrug

Good luck, m'dear!

[bonniethomas06]

Hi,

It is a mark 3, 2L (I know that is really bad but he bought it before I met him honest!) 16 valve.

Thanks very much for the tip, I will get him to check the condenser on Saturday, along with the other stuff.

[Archanejil]

Cool -- er, that's pretty much what he was suggesting for and it means the things that he suggested were wrong should be found in the places he said. Good luck with it!

[bonniethomas06]

Hi Guys

Just thought I would let you know what it was...incase some other schmuck finds themselves with the same problem.

After we spent £300 on it with 2 separate garages, had the fuel and electrics checked, was assured it was fixed (hall sensor was replaced) we drove it out of the garage and on to the M32, and it broke down AGAIN.

My boyf then spoke to a non-mechanically trained assistant in a brokers yard, who suggested changing the ECU relay, a little box which fits into the fuse box and cost £10.

Boyf did this in five minutes, and it hasn't broken down since!!

Frankly, I am too pleased to pe pissed off!

[MuddyWitch]

Glad you're sorted

MW