Non Starting 1.6 Golf Cabriolet - Please help...

**matthewhaskins** · 24-03-2012,04:37 PM

Non Starting 1.6 Golf Cabriolet - Please help...

I have a 2000 X 1.6 16v AFT engine Golf Cabriolet that will not start.

It was running very roughly about 3 weeks ago, I replaced the spark plugs and leads which cured the rough running, it has been running nicely.

Last Friday I went to start the engine but it would not start. By that I mean the starter motor engages and turns the engine over but it doesn't fire.

I took the spark plugs out again and found that they were all quite wet (petrol) so I cleaned them up, left them out for an hour or so and then refitted them.

I also confirmed that fuel was getting to the engine by pulling the fuel hose from the rail and turning the ignition on - filled a glass with petrol very quickly!

I then tried again to start it and still got nothing for about 5 minutes of turning the engine over on the starter motor (on and off in short blasts with and without the throttle peddle depressed).

Eventually it fired up with the throttle depressed but would not idle without stalling so I held the revs at about 2,000 rpm for a minute or 2, it then held an idle speed of about 850 rpm for 2 minutes before cutting out completely - it now won't start at all again.

The battery is fine as the starter motor still turns, I have a spark and fuel.

I'm thinking it could be a fault in the distributor as it has been mentioned as a common fault, would I be wasting my money buying one to try it?

P.S. Forgot to mention that when you first turn the ignition on the dash displays a code that looks like ln02 - what does this mean?

**matthewhaskins** · 25-03-2012,06:37 PM

OK, so now I know the In02 is a service light so no need to worry about that, just been out again and checked the basics and it seems I no longer get a spark at all from the spark plugs, guess it must be either the coil or the distributor - how can I test either of these? P.S. checked the earth connection and this is good.

**Crasher** · 25-03-2012,09:49 PM

The distributor hall sender has no influence on spark delivery, that is from a signal delivered by the ECU. The coils on those engines are very prone to failure. DO NOT buy a cheap and nasty white box coil, I have lost count of the number of these I have had to replace. Beru is a good brand, from GSF.

**matthewhaskins** · 25-03-2012,10:05 PM

Thank you, I'll try to purchase something and report back on success

**matthewhaskins** · 26-03-2012,09:13 PM

Hi Crasher, just a quick update, I've removed the distributor and coil module to post them to a company that claims they can test the parts and repair whichever one has failed - they will then send back to me.

I'll update once I've received them....

**Crasher** · 26-03-2012,11:09 PM

*** you do that for? I just told you the dizzy internals have no effect on the engines running, up until 5000RPM that is, you can unplug the dizzy and the engine will keep running! The only thing the dizzy does it rotate and send the spark north, south, east or west! You did not need to ponce around like this, just fit a new Beru coil from GSF fro £44.34 including VAT!

**matthewhaskins** · 05-04-2012,10:56 AM

Hi Crasher, I wish I had listened to you on this one as you were clearly right, I sent the distributor and the coil modules to be tested, it turns out the coil has an intermittent problem so I have replaced the coil module and the car now starts and runs but a little lumpy.
I think one of two things has now happened 1. I have put the leads back on in the wrong order - I have assumed that the cylinders are 1,2,3,4 looking at it from the front and that it fires 1,3,4,2 and the rotor arm travels clockwise or that I have messed up the timing when removing the distributor, I did clearly mark it to make sure I put it back in the same place...
Can anyone confirm I have the correct firing order?
Thanks

**Crasher** · 05-04-2012,01:31 PM

The cylinder furthest away from the box is number 1 and yes the firing order is 1, 3, 4, 2 with the dizzy rotating clockwise as you look down on it. Cylinder 1 on the dizzy is indicated by a notch in the bodies top edge that corresponds to a cap fitting. The position of the dizzy does not affect the timing but it will affect the firing if too far out. Set the engine at TDC number 1

and put the dizzy in with the centre of the rotor arm pointing to the notch.

There should be alignment pins in the dizzy to go either side of the bolt.

**matthewhaskins** · 05-04-2012,04:39 PM

Thank you again Crasher, I put a new cap and rotor arm on it and set the distributor using the guidelines above and it now seems to run well, not sure how the cold start is which is where it was being problematic this morning - I guess I won't know until tomorrow but it seems to have cured it.
I assume the ECU sets the specific timing then and will "learn" how to make the car run most efficiently as it goes...
Thanks

**matthewhaskins** · 05-04-2012,04:52 PM

Just noticed, the fuel gauge doesn't appear to read correctly - i.e. the instrument pack suggests I have just over half a tank of fuel and I've just filled it up completely - I think this caught my girlfriend out before the starting issues as it was reading not empty but had run out of fuel. Is it common for the sender in the tank to fail or is it the instrument pack?