VR6 Engine Stalls, then won't restart for an hour?

Did you do the Bentley tests for ign. spark & etc.? I handled a 97 VR6 engine that would not start and it was the crank sensor @ >$200 =OUCH! I disconnected the crank sensor and used a distributor to simulate the function of the sensor. The spark came out of one of the spark plug wires I was testing but it was very very weak. I attributed that to not cranking over the engine while spinning the distributor with my hand. After the new crank sensor the spark was strong and that engine has been running strong since. ;-) The old sensor had some metal particles on it's tip. Maybe if you remove yours and clean the tip, things may function properly again.

It does sound like a "heat" problem. Maybe the ign. coil pack is failing, or your ign switch is??? Ign switch could cause your problem AFAIK. I had to repair mine, 91 Passat, since the springs inside had lost tension due to heat.

Aren't there tests that can be performed by cooling off suspected overheating components? Battery connections are OK right? Grounding wires/cables to the engine are fine? Fuses in good shape? Check any wiring at the engine for breaks too!

later, dave (One out of many daves)

I'm guessing it has something to do with the crank sensor--someone on VW Vortex also suggested that it's possibly a fuel delivery problem--that the computer will not allow spark if there's not sufficient fuel pressure. This seemed far fetched to me.

Hey $200 is small change compared to the alternatives--like a fuel pump--or a whole new car.

Someone called Car Talk a couple weeks ago with exactly the same symptoms (though a different car) and their best guest was that it was the coil pack; that the heat from the engine was causing it to not work and when the car had sat for a an hour, it would cool down enough to work again.

dv

I just hate guessing wrong! $$$$ lol