97 Jetta won't start

On Friday car wouldn't start, sprayed plugs, wire, and cap. The car then started and ran kinda crappy, but ran and started fine all day. Weather was really wet and nasty, figured that's what the problem was.

The car sat all day Saturday.

On Sunday, the car wouldn't start. Sprayed it, still nothing. It did cough a couple times while trying.

Sunday-Tuesday, replaced battery, coil, plugs, cap, and rotor. It's getting pleanty of gas (I can smell it), but now it won't even cough at me.

Please help me, I'm desperate!

Pull a plug wire & hold near ground while cranking, does it spark? Spraying water on a defective coil decreases likelyhood of starting & would make it run worse.

Yep, it sparks. Still nothing. The guys are going to check and see if the timing sliped today if the snow ever lets up.

They told me they sprayed it with ether and it backfired a couple times.

Find a simple fuel pressure gauge, the test port is on the end of the fuel rail. It has a small bolt in the end of it, take it out & slip the gauge hose over the end. While cranking the pressure should get to about 90 psi.

It took a while to locate a fuel pressure gauge, but I'm still nowhere. There is no test port or bolt that we can find. I'm lost and out of ideas.

There was a spark before but now it's not getting past the distributor. We've got power in but not out.

Sorry, you have to tee the gauge in line at the fuel rail supply hose. If spark goes in but not out, then it's either the cap or rotor.

I have a 1998 jetta gl and if the temp outside is -15C or lower I have to walk. the car will simply not start at low temps. I was thinking of putting in a block heater. its a 2L engine.That might help.

Cap and rotor are both new, the local (hr & 1/2 drive away) VW place says they have replaced a lot of distributors lately they suggest I try it. When I asked if they had any in their salvage yard they laughed at me.

It wasn't really cold when it first (not)started. I've considered a block heater, mostly because I feel sorry for it having to stay outside.

If the Hall sensor in the distributor were bad there would be no spark from the coil at all. If the coil wire sparks, but it doesn't come back out of the cap to the plug wires then it's acring to ground inside at the cap or rotor.

I've given up and turned my car over to the proffesionals. Hope they have better luck.

wires...wires...wires...get new ones $100.00

New wires were just put on 10,000 miles ago, they shouldn't need to be changed. The guys at the shop are telling me it's the e-something (the brain). It costs a lot but they are trying to get me a used one.

Used ones available at http://www.car-part.com Make sure you get a proper part number match. It's listed under engine computer.

Thanks boschmann. I think that's where I found my tranny but had lost the site.

Well, the computer was put in and now they say the crank sensor is fried.

VW actually calls it the engine speed sensor, they can be difficult to diagnose. Hopefully you can take back the ECM.

Hopefully they can also un-order the speed sensor they ordered, they told my dad it was $150 and I looked online and found it for $48. I'm close to being very rude with some people.

VW prices definitely vary by who's selling them.

Autozone says the crankshaft position sensor is what he's after and it's $73 plus mechanic mark-up. I can't find anything under that name at any of my usual sites. I'm begining to think it's a conspiracy to part me from my tax refund.

That is a generic, not too accurate name for the part. VW calls it the engine speed sensor.

Ecu

The car is out of the shop and won't ever be going back there. Because he was a family friend he only charged me $550. Now the car runs worse than before, the check engine light and the airbag light are on and I had to go to the dealership to get the radio out of safe mode. When I get more money, I'll take it somewhere that will actually fix it right.