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95 Cabrio won't start, no spark, no fuel pump

My 95 VW Cabrio (2.0l ABA engine, 90k miles) died a few blocks after starting it, yesterday. Since then, engine will crank but won't start.

When it died, the fuel level was pretty low, and the fuel gage is a bit flaky so I thought maybe I had run it dry. (Which would be a first for me.) But I put a couple gallons in, and it still didn't start.

Voltmeter shows 0V to ground on the fuel pump fuse, and I don't hear anything from the fuel pump when I turn the key. When I pull the fuel pump relay, I measure 12V on one coil terminal, but open circuit to ground on the other terminal. So the computer is apparently not even trying to turn on the pump?

I tried to check whether I was getting spark, by removing the wire from plug #1 and sticking a screwdriver into the end of the wire, having my wife crank the engine, and seeing if I could draw a spark from the screwdriver to ground. I didn't see any spark, but maybe I wasn't doing it right.

Possibly useful hint: it had problems in the past with the distributor rotor position sensor, and as a result I replaced the entire distributor a few thousand miles ago. Cabling to the distributor seems fine.

I have tools and a good understanding of electricity, and I have replaced parts on cars before, but I am definitely not a skilled car mechanic.

Can anyone suggest some helpful ideas, or next steps in troubleshooting?

Thanks!

Reply to
Walter Harley
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Cambelt?

BTW, be VERY CAREFUL with trying to check the spark like that. In fact I wouldn't do it! I was amazed how strong the spark is on this car. I could hear it arcing from a bad plug wire on a running car. Sounded sorta like a valve tapping!

Mark '95 Jetta GLS

Reply to
Mark Randol

Ignition switch? You should have +12v on #15.

SFC

"Walter Harley" schreef in bericht news: snipped-for-privacy@speakeasy.net...

Reply to
SFC

How about the coil? Are you getting any spark at all to/from the distributor itself?

Reply to
wkearney99

fuel injection i presume? have you checked the fuel pump relay is ok?

cambelt is also worth checking..

Reply to
Nathan Lucas

Answers to questions so far:

  1. Probably not ignition switch, I think. Accessories come on and engine cranks.
  2. Fuel pump relay might be bad, but AIUI even if it were good it still wouldn't come on because the coil is apparently not getting closed to ground.
  3. I'll take a look at the cam belt today.
Reply to
Walter Harley

And the winner is... cam belt! It snapped.

How easy/hard is this for a newbie to fix? (Experience indicator: I do

*not* have a timing light, nor would I know how to use one.)
Reply to
Walter Harley

If you or a family member are the original owner, it may still be under the 10yr/100kmi power train warranty. Mine was several years ago at

60kmi. For a '95, it's getting REAL CLOSE on the time. Check today!

Otherwise, the hardest part was waiting for the tow truck to show ;)

Mark '95 Jetta GLS

Reply to
Mark Randol

Not even close... I'm at least the third, more likely the fourth.

It takes a long while for a convertible to make its way up to the Pacific Northwest. They all seem to start their lives down south. Dealers up here don't even bother ordering convertibles, I think. (Which is a shame, because when it's sunny, you REALLY want all you can get!)

Reply to
Walter Harley

Followup: the reason the cam belt snapped was that the tensioner pulley froze.

The cam belt itself had been replaced only 30k or so ago, but I'm sure they didn't replace the pulley at that time.

The repair was $415 (parts and labor, friend of a friend); towing (first to home, then to the garage) was about $160. The parting words of the mechanic were "by the way, your water pump is making some noise and should probably be replaced..."

Curiously, at approximately the same time that the cam belt broke (and before either the tow truck guy or the mechanic had touched it) something in the transmission linkage also seems to have broken - I'm guessing the spring at the base of the shift lever - and there's now a couple of inches of free movement in the shifter no matter what gear it's in. So plenty more repair work ahead.

Reply to
Walter Harley

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