98 US Jetta no start

i have been asked to look at a 98 jetta.

the owner was changing the stereo and half way through realized the car wouldn't start any more.

i believe the anti-theft has been triggered, but i know little about the system.

the car has a manual transmission. it will crank over but has no spark or fuel injector pulse.

the stereo is out of the dash and completely dis connected, the original stereo is not available and the steering column has had the wheel and covers removed for access to the wiring, the door chime (musical?) did work, but no longer does. if the connector at the back of the key switch is wiggled to just the right place, a musical chime plays while the engine is being cranked over.

the alarm button on the ignition key has no effect that i can see and if it used to lock the drivers side door an LED next to the lock knob will blink.

i realize this may be information that has been gone over a million times, but several search key words haven;t given me any useful clues other than it may be related to the alarm button on the key not having an effect.

any help is greatly appreciated.

The anti-theft system wouldn't affect the spark or injector pulse, it only disables the starter. I'm going to assume it's a 2.0. You might want to begin with a chck of the Hall (cam position) sensor in the distributor. Turn on the ignition & you shaould have 12V between the outer two pins of the distributor connector harness. If so, plug it back in & backprobe the center wire with an LED test light connected to battery positive. The light should flash when the engine is cranked. The cars are also known for failing ignition switches (electrical part).

Boschman...thanks, i was hoping this would attract your attention.

uhh stupid me..2.8 vr6..no distributor

that means cranks and cam sensors.

Hall (three wire, center signal) for the for the crank and permanent magnet pulser (two wire, referenced voltage) for the cam?


another compliant is loss of power to the radio, sounds like the ignition switch if it's a pattern failure item?

Ignition switches are a common failure item. They might have knocked something loose under the dash though. Perhaps mixed up the relays or blew a fuse? ECM power supply is in position #3, top row of main panel third from left. Can you scan it for codes?

Boschman...

nope can't scan it...but i can see some one leaving the key in the ignition lock and knocking the snot out of it with an elbow a few dozen times during the stereo install...and if the key is wiggled around a few interesting things happen...

i've kinda been pushed off the job anyway but i'll keep an eye on it to see if just a switch brings it back.

If you wiggle the key & strange things happens then definitely suspect the ignition switch.