Relay issues

[karbondioksid]

Hey, and a thank you to all the kind users of this forum!

I am experiencing some difficulties with my 93. Golf 1.4 CL, and I find all the symptoms mentioned in the thread Intermittent Engine Cut-out. (The car wont start and when it does, it only lasts for a short period of time)

I have struggled with the car for some time now, and I have replaced the following; Ignition coil, plug-cables and several solding points. At the moment I am focusing on the relays and fuses, but I cant seem to find any useful information on the placing of these.

Yesterday I found a rusty relay, with the number 1 written on it. I am not able to find the purpose of this. It is the only relay not mounted on the main relay panel (hanging from a loose wire with a socket on it).

Could someone help me find some information regarding this relay, and possibly some of the others? 99 for instance?

Im giving this baby a final go, before i send her to the junk-yard.

[golf96]

Hi the 99 relay is intermittent wiper, so you can time how long a gap on the wipers.:D

[karbondioksid]

The #1 relay, what is it for - anyone knows?

[ini]

If you have replaced the coil and HT leads, you could try checking the distributor, it could have debris inside it, or tracking on dizzy cap.

Also check the fuel cutoff, ignition amp? (if present), and any immobiliser system.

Is the problem electrical (violent bucking, sharp cutout)

or fuel (much more gentle cutout)

[karbondioksid]

Thanks!

I'm experiencing a very sharp cut out, when the piece of crap i running, that is. At the moment it wont start at all, but it usually will when resting for some time (could be days, weeks and even months).

I talked to the past owner of the car, and he claims to have changed both the distributor and cap.

It looks like if the coil recieves its proper charge, even when refusing to start. This car really freaks me out!

[ini]

Have you tried the ignition switch?

This can cause similar 'cutting out' problems on Golf's.

Does the whole car die, or just the engine?

[karbondioksid]

Hey, and thanks very much...

Worked on the car today, trying to get it safely home. It got a bit expencive, since the car itself found it appropiate to stop at a pay-per-hour parking place. I finally got the car to start, just by wiping off the inside of the distributor cap and using a screwdriver to gently scratch off the surfaces of the "pins" inside.

I have invested in a new distributor cap, but i cant really say if this solved the problem, as the car starts and run at the moment.

The igniton switch has been checked by the local mechanic, but no problems found.

The cut off seems to be limited to the engine only.

Could these problems be connected to a worn igniton key, as a friend of mine proposed?

[Crasher]

These are prone to distributor hall sender failure; see the thread about Golf 3 wiring diagrams. By taking the cap off, you let cool air to the hall sender so it comes back to life.

[karbondioksid]

Hey, and thanks once again!

Checked some of the things on my list today, and found several suspicious matters.

- I first replaced fuse #18, as i found some corrotion.
- I un-capped the distributor and found a faulty lead.
- I noticed that even though the car is running at the moment, it will, from time to time, run unsteady. Its really struggling to keep the engine running, and it does 9 out of 10 times.

I had a somewhat similar problem with the car earlier, but then it turned out to be a faulty solder. This only solved the problem temporarily.

Uploaded two pictures; One of the faulty lead under the distributor and one of my solder-"fix".

http://thomas.6stjerner.com/soldering.jpg

On top of the radiator tube you will see a bad fix of some solderings.

http://thomas.6stjerner.com/distributor_faulty_lead.jpg
You will see that the plug is actually cracked and some naked leads smile right at you...

[Crasher]

Yep, hall sender failure. Either replace it with a new one or replace the dizzy.

[karbondioksid]

Thank you so much! I actually think I love you guys - this is as close I have ever been to solve out this problem car. What would you recomend - changing the whole dizzy or just the camsensor?

Is the fuel pump relay supposed to warm up? Yikes.

BTW; I bought myself a OBD-cable from eBay today. Its time to figure out this piece of crap. :D

[Crasher]

Now don't get all moist we me just yet, it isn't fixed and you probably aren’t my type either what with being a bloke and all that :yikes:

I would STRONGLY recommend a new exchange VW distributor from the dealer as it is quick to fit and has a 2 year guarantee. Looking closer at the picture, I can see the distributor has been moved a long way off where it has spent most of its life, why is this?