1988 Jetta no spark

[Jetta-sin]

1988 Jetta, 1.8 gas digifant system, new block self-installed with old head year and a half ago

I'm new to this forum and at the same time must say kinda embarrassed 'cause this is the first problem I've ever had with my Jetta I couldn't solve myself. Last Friday I came home parked the car came back out five minutes later and it wouldn't start, just turned over...wouldn't fire...nothing. Friday night I thought, I am not gonna get into this now. Checked it the next day and immediately found a no spark condition, so I tried another coil I had...to no avail. Now out with the manual, did all the electrical section checks in the Haynes manual and everything checks out but I still have no spark!!! Hooked a spark plug up directly to the coil and lo and behold there is spark.

Any help is much appreciated, if I get this car going again I'll change my user name to Jetta-son!

[calired67]

have the ignition control module checked? That is most likely were the problem is.

[boschmann]

If you have a spark at the coil wire but not at the spark plug wires then its a problem at the distributor cap or rotor. I once had a rotor that was intermittently arcing internally to the shaft that drove me crazy.

[Jetta-sin]

Originally Posted by boschmann

If you have a spark at the coil wire but not at the spark plug wires then its a problem at the distributor cap or rotor. I once had a rotor that was intermittently arcing internally to the shaft that drove me crazy.

I would like to thank you for your speedy reply. I am glad your diagnosis agrees with mine and some other experts I have talked to. This very same thing happened to a VW in Nova Scotia so they swapped a rotor from another Jetta that was running nearby. No change. After weeks of frustrations finally someone dedided to put a brand new rotor in and it immediately fired up. Oddly enough the Jetta they took the rotor from suffered the same malfunction at the exact same time, it also refused to run after they replaced the rotor they took from it. When both were outfitted with new rotors it solved the prob in both of them.

Unfortunately my car is in a very inaccessible place, so, so far I have only been able to try to start it with a battery pack that is always dead after a few cranks. aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrghhhh. I have the new distributor and rotor installed but have to wait till tomorrow to see if it worked. Damned cars! So far I've missed three days work and have a few new gray hairs as a result.

I sure hope this resolves the prob as I need the car for my job. Bites fingernails!