85 Jetta dies again

Jan 09, 2005 4 Replies

Some time back, I posted when my 85 1.8L Auto Jetta quit in the middle of an intersection. I took the advice of the list and taped up the Hall Sensor connector, cleaned the contacts, and reconnected it. I did this on spec, since the car had miraculously healed itself before I got around to working on it (about two hours after I got it towed home).



It died again yesterday, and started up today just fine. There's no warning - it just quits and won't start. It cranks over fine (until the battery runs down), but won't fire. I think I've sealed up the Hall Sensor cable pretty good. I can't keep it dead long enough to get it where I can work on it, just long enough that I have to go tow my wife home when she's stranded - by the time we get it home, cope with the disasters that being stranded cause, and get around to working on the car, it's all better.



This, of course, means I can't tell if it's fuel or spark that's killing the thing.



So, any ideas?


Take test equipment and test it when (or if) it dies again. I have seen a bad main fuel pump plug that was not making good contact with the terminals causing a similar problem. Then towing the vehicle around, bouncing it I guess, and it would start again like nothing was wrong.

later, dave (One out of many Daves)

When it is dead on the side of the road, pull a spark plug wire off of a plug. Have your wife turn over the engine while you look for spark. Got spark?

The one thing that is common to be intermittently bad, and I've had this problem, is a faulty fuel pump relay. The contacts will make contact when they feel like it and get progressively worse. The symptoms will be the same as yours.

My gti had 2 fuel pumps...be sure to check the tank pump and the pump underneath the passenger seat if applicable

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