# problem with recently turbo'd 2.0 8v



## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

UPDATED ON PAGE 2



hello all,


ive been waiting for about a month and a half now for my car to get the big T, and finally got it back today. needless to say i was excited. 

went for a drive, car stalled out a few times when pushing the clutch in to come to a stop. but other than that, the car ran fine (as far as i know). 

stopped at a BK to eat, and called the shop that did the work for an explanation for the stalling out. its a stg 2 kinetics kit. the explanation i got was it was either because the battery was unplugged for so long and all the work was done (ie a lot of changes) or that because the psi was set low (6 lbs) and because i have a 268/270 cam, the software was interfering with the cam because it shouldnt be there. (ie a cam is not needed for low boost applications). to remedy this, i was supposed to get a boost controlled and bump it up to 9 or 10 lbs, and then the cam would become effective. ive also heard that the 42 # injectors that come with the stg 2 kit are way to big for that low of psi. is this true?

started driving the car again and the stalling out seemed to become less frequent. got to a highway, and was driving spirited (not like a complete douche, just seeing what kinda power it had top end) and all of the sudden the car died. pulled over to the side of the road and tried starting it, but to no avail. the car cranked but didnt turn over. 

so, essentially...any suggestions? or thoughts? i tried a bunch of things...looking for loose connections, checking vac lines, unplugged and then plugged in the ECU, unhooked the battery, ever unplugged the connection between the coil and the distributor but nothing seemed to work. 

im relatively new to boost and any thoughts or help would be awesome! thanks guys :beer:


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## GTijoejoe (Oct 6, 2001)

My first question (although not really important) is who's shop did you have do this install?
Sounds like they gave you a lot of answers to your questions to get you to go away, not because that was the real answer.

Stage II software for #42 injectors is more than you would need for 6-10psi...but that doesn't mean that your car is going to have issues, the software is still tuned for that injector.

Stalling from your cam.... not going to be the issue, many ppl runs cames with their software.

Stalling issues can be from the type of bypass valve you are using to OEM sensors having issues like your MAF, also vac lines? any leaks?

Also check leaks from couplers of all that piping......


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

im using a forge 007 DV for this..im not sure if thats what you mean by bypass valve...?


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## Yareka (Mar 5, 2002)

Dont drive the car anymore
You need to have the shop pay to have the car towed back and tell them to let you know when the car is actually done. When a shop is hired to do the work, they must give you back a drivable car and any issues should have been mentioned to you before you picked it up...did they really not drive the car after they installed the kit? Dont be a d1ck but hold them accountable for what they were paid for.

Them telling you the cam or your set psi have anything to do with the stalling of the car is BS. If they arent competent enough to diag after working on a car, they shouldnt be doing this kind of work. Like mentioned above you probably have a maf/dv issue or a major vacuum leak but you shouldnt be doing the homework here


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

thanks for the response yareka...

yeah i already left a msg for them to get back to me tomorrow morning. ive talked to a couple people (including a few shop owners whom i went to HS with) and they think its a tune issue. like the cars not getting fuel, or enough fuel for some reason. it cranks, but just doesnt turn over. 

thanks for the kind words guys!


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## chasem407 (Feb 19, 2008)

you are having the same problems as me... i JUST finished my turbo build today, started it up and had a rough idle that would die after a minute of idling. Then took it for a drive and it still stalled out a couple times when i was in neutral.

im in the same ship and would like to know how to fix it


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## TIGninja (Mar 21, 2010)

before you take these cars out to "test" them you need to verify what the car is actually doing on the dyno by someone who knows whats going on.

Now if I was to guess on your problem you have a boost tube that came off. Fix it and start the car and drive it imediatly to a dyno facility.


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## Salrocco (May 29, 2006)

You have the diverter valve re routed back into the system right? I know when i ran my DV open id have stalling issues.. Does sound like vacuum issues though.. What software is it that comes with the stg 2 kit? I ran c2 #30 software and never had any issues with them what so ever.


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

as far as i can tell, the dv stuff is all good, there isnt any tubing off or anything. as far as the software i know its C2 but according to kinetics site, 42 # injectors come with the stg 2 kit, so im guessing its the 42# software?


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## Salrocco (May 29, 2006)

yeah you should be okay.. Idk though it deff sounds like something has a vacum leak.. Do you have a front mount? Id check the piping around the intercooler all of the clamps.. The vacuum line by the break booster to the intake manifold. All common spots for vacuum leaks.


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

yeah i do have a front mount. they said it was a real pita to get it in and fitted because of my euro bumpers so that may be an issue. but that would cause the car not to start at all?


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## 2pt. slo (Jan 4, 2004)

is the dv routed to the atmosphere or back into the intake after the maf? if its not rerouted that is why you are having stalling issues. As far as the car not starting again. make sure you check all your grounds are clean and tight and that the coilpack ground is clean and tight.


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

iirc from when i looked at it yesterday it was indeed rerouted into the intake. ill have to look over the engine again today to check for loose crap. ugh haha


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## chasem407 (Feb 19, 2008)

Lo5to4pathy7 said:


> iirc from when i looked at it yesterday it was indeed rerouted into the intake. ill have to look over the engine again today to check for loose crap. ugh haha


doing the same today...let me know what you figure out


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

checked all the boost tubes, all seem to be on pretty snug...ive checked it 3 times now, but i may have missed something. 

also found something interesting: a freakin' wrench that obviously wasnt mine (i have craftsman tools, this was snap-on) just sitting in the bay beneath the intake kinda near the timing belt. awesome. 

car still chugs like it wants to start it just wont turn over. called the shop and they said it wouldnt be the tune, as its 'just a chip you throw in, if it starts, it works, if not then theres a problem with the tune.'

the only thing i can think of is if the car isnt getting fuel...anyone know how i would check for that?


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## danz44 (May 14, 2010)

you could pull the fuel rail and see if the injectors squirt. you could smell the exhaust for fuel

you could pull the return line from the fuel rail and see if fuel comes out.




easiest would be just have someone crank the car and smell the tail pipe for fuel.

you got spark?


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## chasem407 (Feb 19, 2008)

not trying to thread jack, but if there is a somewhat strong smell of gas in the exhaust, does that mean the car is running too rich?


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

just checked a few more things tonight:

-swapped coils with a buddy of mine that also has a 2.0, still didnt start
-pulled the fuel pump relay and swapped them, still didnt work
-he also has a VAGcom and tried hooking that up but for some reason it wouldnt allow him to get into the ECU? anyone ever had this prob?
-tried pulling a damn fuel line to try to crank it with it off to see if fuel came out but the damn fuel line wouldnt come off so thats another one for tomorrow. 

any ideas? a couple people either think im not getting fuel or the ECU is fried. ugh


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## Salrocco (May 29, 2006)

Lo5to4pathy7 said:


> just checked a few more things tonight:
> 
> -swapped coils with a buddy of mine that also has a 2.0, still didnt start
> -pulled the fuel pump relay and swapped them, still didnt work
> ...


May sound stupid.. but is it hard to crank? or is it cranking normal but just not turning over? If its hard to crank just try jump starting it the alternator could of went bad or the battery is just dead.


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

haha at this point im open to any suggestions and nothing is stupid :thumbup:

nah, it cranks pretty easily. it doesnt crank slow or anything like the battery is dying etc etc. so i still have no idea! haha


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## 69bug (Aug 10, 2002)

not trying to jack this thread either...

i have a kinetic stage 2 also. if i'm in boost and push the clutch in the car dies. is this what you are originally talking about in your OP? are you running a boost controller? i'm not running a boost controller just the tial WG. i recently found out i have the vac line from the turbo compressor nipple down to the WG attached to the wrong port. i have it attached to the upper port and it should be on the lower one. the upper one is used when you have a boost controller from what i've read on here. 

to answer about if your getting enough fuel get an inline fuel pressure guage from 034. here's a link

http://www.034motorsport.com/fuel-i...-pressure-gauge-wnipple-connection-p-597.html

if you don't think you're getting enough fuel try running a walbro 255 inline fuel pump.

as some of the people on here i too am running rich at idle. when you get into the boost range it will not run rich. i read that it loses 1psi per psi of boost. this keeps the engine from running lean in boost. that is a bad thing. to really find out how your car is running, put it on a dyno.

i also had a vac line leak that made my engine idle rough. there is a really good thread on here about vacuum line leaks. there is a link on the thread for a plastic cap with a gauge and a tire needle to pressurize the system without the motor running. it's what i used to find my vac leaks.


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

nah i dont believe in im boost the majority of the time when i push the clutch in to stop. the shop told me i should be hitting boost around 3k-3200 rpms so the majority of the time im under that cruising. 

just took some advice of a couple friends, cranked the car a couple times and then pulled some spark plugs, one of either side of the engine. the first one on the right wasnt even remotely wet (as i was told they would be if the car was getting fuel) and the one all the way to the left was similar, not even wet. 

then i tried to test for spark by pulling a plug, sticking it in its subsequent wire, and cranking. i tried the left one first, didnt see much, tried the right one next - i think i saw a small little spark. i could be wrong. i know for sure though, that the plugs were not wet at all. 

anyone have any thoughts?


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## Yareka (Mar 5, 2002)

Whats the shops response to this? The car stalled out on the way home from the shop and it hasnt run since, thus its on them.


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

umm pretty much told me that i (yes ME) need to figure out if im not getting fuel or spark or both before theyll even think about coming to get it, due to the fact that im now 2 hrs away at school. (the car made it to about 30 miles away from school, whereas my house was 60 miles the other direction so i didnt have a choice as to where to tow it) they think it was something completely random that went so therefore it was something 'they might not have even done'. i think ive handled this in a fairly mature manner because im not screaming and threatening but im getting to that point now. when you go through the trouble to hand a shop a crap ton (yes, it was A LOT) of money in CASH (so they can avoid paying tax on the transaction) youd think theyd put a little effort into keeping you as a customer. im not to the point where im going to name names yet, but like i said, if i keep getting the same crap i just may. i guess its hard to understand that some of us have ONE car, and in order to get a work or school people may need that ONE car, and would like it fixed asap regardless of whos error it was. 

sorry, /rant for the time being.:banghead:


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## Yareka (Mar 5, 2002)

You have all the right in the world to be pissed. You need to stay at them, and keep talking to someone higher up until you talk to the guy paying the bills. Remind them that you have issues with the car after they worked on it and just because it did run for an hour doesnt let them off the hook. Sometimes going public with the name of the shop gets them motivated real quick to get started. Possibly find a buddy with AAA to get the car back there, but make damn sure you dont drive the car too far away from the shop again without it being perfect, which is what you paid for

The fact that your ecu wont communicate with vag is a bad sign that the ecu may be shot, but that could also be because of the k-line from an aftermarket stereo or shoddy wiring. Not sure how your immobilizer works but I'd try switching ecus with someone to see if it will atleast turn over. You said you changed out the relay, did you check the fuel pump fuse....does it prime when you open the door?


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## danz44 (May 14, 2010)

testing for spark is very easy. (disclaimer, you can electrocute yourself doing this if u are holding onto a ground and you dont put the lead close enough to a ground... lol.. it tickles dont worry)


pull off a spark plug wire.

stick a steel rod in the spark plug end of your spark plug wire, or even a low gauge wire, hold the rod/low gauge wire near a ground, and get someone to crank the car.. (ie the block, or cylinder head, etc...).

turn the motor over, and you should clearly see a spark jump from the wire/rod/screw driver to the ground.

if you are alone, you can run a wire into the cabin from the spark plug wire and hold it very close to the ignition switch or one of the bolts holding the seat down, etc... any good ground will work.




rule that out first. if u got spark, look into the fuel system. another easy way to test the fuel system is to pull a spark plug. if u are not getting combustion, the plug should be wet and smell like gasoline. you could even just pull a spark plug and keep tuning the motor over and have a friend watch for fuel vapor shooting out the open spark plug hole.


good luck


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

thanks for the input guys, i appreciate the help

yareka, i literally just got done swapping ECUs with a buddy. i even swapped the chip over into his ECU. put it in the car, cranked...and nothing no turning over. took the chip out, replaced it with his, put it back in his car, his car fired right up. so im ruling that the ECU isnt the problem. 

i tried the checking for fuel deal by pulling a spark plug after cranking the car a couple times. the plugs (one on the right side of the engine and one on the left) were bone dry both times. im not sure if that means i AM getting combustion? 

i tried a similar test for the spark, pulled a plug and stuck it in its wire, and cranked the car. ive come to realize i made a mistake by not putting it close to a ground lol. ill have to try that instead.


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## TIGninja (Mar 21, 2010)

I realize that your upset because you spent alot of money on your car but you need to figure out what the problem is before you can blame the shop that did the install.Chances are very good that it has nothing to do with anything they did.


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

a little bit of an update for those of you interested:

took the inline fuel line off the fuel rail and had someone crank the car. literally nothing came out. not a drop (well actually a little came out when i first took the line off, but thats it). 

and, i checked the fuel pump fuse, and swapped the relay, both of which did nothing. (the fuse looked in tact). 

which leads me to believe the fuel pump took a dump. either that or the fuel filter is clogged, but even then wouldnt something come out?

regardless, im getting a used pump shortly and plan to swap the fuel filter with it.


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## danz44 (May 14, 2010)

can you hear the fuel pump?

good to know u arent getting fuel... now time to figure out why


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

nah, ive had a couple people including myself go back by the fuel pump door in the hatch and listen while i put the key in and turned it. no one has heard anything. so, im hoping thats what it is :thumbup:

one of my buddies said that maybe the fuel pump was on its last leg before the turbo, and then when i got into boost occasionally it wouldnt get enough fuel and stall out. and then when i got onto the highway and got into boost for an extended period in 5th gear, the pump finally crapped out, hence the complete shut off of the car. 

it adds up, but as we all know, sometimes its not the obvious crap that breaks. ugh lol


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## Yareka (Mar 5, 2002)

Yareka said:


> did you check the fuel pump fuse?


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

yes yareka i did check the fuel pump fuse and it was intact lol

pulled the fuel pump out today, got a deal on a used one (8 bucks haha) so hopefully thatll be here and in by the weekend


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## GTijoejoe (Oct 6, 2001)

Lo5to4pathy7 said:


> yes yareka i did check the fuel pump fuse and it was intact lol
> 
> pulled the fuel pump out today, got a deal on a used one (8 bucks haha) so hopefully thatll be here and in by the weekend


Hope everything goes well...

FYI: if you want to know if your FP is getting power, pull the harness off the pump and use a volt meter between the largest wires (on the harness, there is only two big ones) and ground to your seatbelt bolt while cranking..... 98's have a prime duration but I know atleast 96's need to crank to turn the pump on.

It does sound like a fuel pump, if you take your return line off, alot of fuel will come out when you car is running ... trust me.


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## Salsa GTI (Aug 29, 2000)

GTijoejoe said:


> Hope everything goes well...
> 
> FYI: if you want to know if your FP is getting power, pull the harness off the pump and use a volt meter between the largest wires (on the harness, there is only two big ones) and ground to your seatbelt bolt while cranking..... 98's have a prime duration but I know atleast 96's need to crank to turn the pump on.
> 
> It does sound like a fuel pump, if you take your return line off, alot of fuel will come out when you car is running ... trust me.


Correct
pull that line off even after a few days and fuel will spray out under pressure
and cranking with the hose off will dump fuel all over the place

Check for 1 v at the plug....if you have it your pump is dead
had that happen at h0 4 years ago....ran like ass on the dyno...barly made it home...next day..nothing.....dead in the water.....replaced it with a used MK3 VR pump....that was good for 320whp using 85# injectors


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

when i took the pump out, a small amt of fuel came out of the sending line i believe it was. nothing came out of the other one (return). 

a buddy of mine picked up a used mk3 pump for me for 8 bucks so i hope that will be here monday (although he didnt empty it enough i dont think when he took it off and sent me a pic of the excess gas leaking into the packaging, so i dont think usps will take kindly to that lol) 

if the "new" pump isnt the answer im out of ideas lol


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

ok so heres the big update:

got the "new" pump today. went outside, installed the pump, turned the key, didnt hear anything. tried to start the car...just cranked and cranked. 

took the old pump, took my jumper cables, and connected it to my battery. pump immediately turned on in the street. so, my thought was that the pump wasnt getting power. 

got a voltmeter, checked the fuel pump harness, and got a reading of 0.56. clearly not even close to the 12 or so it should be. followed the power wire (red and yellow) through the side of the car, checking the power every few feet, and still got the same reading of about 0.5. 

got up to the fuse box, and checked the fuel pump power wire between the ECU and the fuse box (i think) and got the usual 11.9 or so volts. sweet. 

so, i took a piece of wire, and jumped the fuel pump fuse to the windshield wiper fuse. turned the key to on, and wooo the pump audibly turned on. checked the fuel lines to the fuel rail and they were vibrating. then tried to start the car, and the damn thing wouldnt start. just cranked and cranked.

tried checking spark again, pulled a plug out, stuck it in its wire, and stuck it next to the battery ground on the transmission. had someone crank the car, and i didnt see a spark or hear a pop or anything. so im thinking im not getting spark now?

i swapped coils with a friend of mine a few days ago before i got the fuel pump running, car obviously didnt start cuz there was no fuel. maybe its the coil now cuz im not sure im getting spark? 

someone mentioned that my fuse box my be effed. im not sure how that would work because the windshield wiper jump worked...all my lights work, the radio works, wipers work, etc. 

i also pulled the distributor cap off and cranked and the rotor WAS spinning. 

so...anyone have any suggestions? coil maybe?


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## MinnMP (Dec 2, 2009)

My firends VRT had a problem where it wouldnt start and took it to shop and got nothing and it sounds like he had the same situation. One of his friends came over and found the problem right away. Ill ask him and see what he did. Maybe it will work for you Ive been working on my 2.0t for the past month so I feel your pain


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## Salsa GTI (Aug 29, 2000)

check for power and ground at the coil.....if it has that try a different coil


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## vdubbugman53 (Nov 7, 2006)

use that meeter to check that fuse. or just replace it anyway

im a tad late here but let me make sure i have this

you did try to start it with known 12v to the pump and it did not start?

you did have spark a day or 2 ago and now you dont? i always ground the threads of the plug when i look for spark...may try that

so you have power to the fuse but not to the pump?




put a known good coil in....jump the pump and see what she does.

its odd that a few of you had a car that would not idle....wonder who is doin software now that jeff is not around


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

im actually not sure if i had spark when i checked before, i didnt do a couple things right. 

i didnt put the plug near a ground. and, i did do it during the daylight so it may have been hard to see. however, i did the same thing last night (pulled a plug, stuck it in its wire, and then cranked when next to a ground, first the engine block and then next to the battery ground on the transmission) and both times i saw nothing even with it being pitch black out. no crackle or pop either.

i did pull the distributor cap off and the rotor was spinning. i have a buddy coming to swap coils later today. i swapped coils with someone last week but at that point the fuel pump was not working so i think there is more than one problem. however, these two are very weird. is it possible somethings wrong with the fuse box?


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

and yes, i know the pump is now running because i jumped it and i can actually hear it working and pumping fuel to the engine and it still wont start.


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## Autoboost-tech (Dec 27, 2009)

does your tach move when cranking? your fuel pump wont work if there is no tach signal, should work only when key on for a few seconds, your distributor may be the only problem, or power to! it or signal to it! if you have no spark or tach signal the ecm wont energize the fuel pump relay that may be why the fuel pumps not working when cranking and hooked up normally, find out why there's no spark first! and the fuel pump should work after you have spark!

PS: did you try your buddies ecm with his stock chip in it? it was a little confusing if you had tried running your engine without the c2 chip, which could be defective or damaged and causing all this, could have got a static shock and messed everything up inside!


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

no, the tach doesnt move when i crank the car. it stays put. the mph needle flutters slightly (and i stress slightly) occasionally. hmm...

no, i didnt try the ecu WITHOUT the chip. i took my buddies ecu, took his stock chip out, and put the C2 one in. and then put his ecu in my car. still didnt start, nor did the fuel pump get power it seemed. however, when i took my chip out, put his ecu back in his car, his car started right up. so im not sure what to think.

i see what youre saying about the fuel pump not getting power. however, when i put the key in, turned it, and checked the fuel pump harness (which at this point the pump i would think should be getting power to prime?) it read 0.5 v.

the fuse to the pump, as well as the relay, are intact as far as i know. upon visual inspection of the fuse, it has no breaks. and the relay, when plugged in, clicks when the key is turned to accessory, which leads me to believe that is working as well. 

if the distributor WASNT getting power, wouldnt that mean the rotor wouldnt spin? because i took the cap off yesterday while cranking and the rotor was spinning just fine.


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## vdubbugman53 (Nov 7, 2006)

> no, i didnt try the ecu WITHOUT the chip. i took my buddies ecu, took his stock chip out, and put the C2 one in. and then put his ecu in my car. still didnt start, nor did the fuel pump get power it seemed. however, when i took my chip out, put his ecu back in his car, his car started right up. so im not sure what to think.


you need to use his ECU with his Stock chip in it and try it when you do something like that



> i see what youre saying about the fuel pump not getting power. however, when i put the key in, turned it, and checked the fuel pump harness (which at this point the pump i would think should be getting power to prime?) it read 0.5 v. the fuse to the pump, as well as the relay, are intact as far as i know. upon visual inspection of the fuse, it has no breaks. and the relay, when plugged in, clicks when the key is turned to accessory, which leads me to believe that is working as well.


if you get power to the fuse i think your relay is fine especally if it clicks




> if the distributor WASNT getting power, wouldnt that mean the rotor wouldnt spin? because i took the cap off yesterday while cranking and the rotor was spinning just fine.


the rotor spins off a gear in the motor so if the motor spins the rotor spins


narrow one thing at a time.....find spark....if you cant get spark then get spark and go from there....i have no idea about the tac signal thing as stated above so do your research a little there


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

just checked power to the distributor, and its def getting the required power. however, pulse im not sure. i had the key turned on when i stuck my test light in and i think i blew the bulb in it cuz now it wont turn on. damnit. lol


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## vdubbugman53 (Nov 7, 2006)

is this car a OBD1?

would really help if more people would put their car info in their profile


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

yeah sorry about that haha 

nah its obd2


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## vdubbugman53 (Nov 7, 2006)

Lo5to4pathy7 said:


> yeah sorry about that haha
> 
> nah its obd2


there are no codes?


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

my buddy tried to scan the car with a VAGcom and it wouldnt let him scan the ECU for some reason. im not sure why.

any reasoning?


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## vdubbugman53 (Nov 7, 2006)

Lo5to4pathy7 said:


> my buddy tried to scan the car with a VAGcom and it wouldnt let him scan the ECU for some reason. im not sure why.
> 
> any reasoning?



well i did have this issue once time in my MK4 and it was that the clutch position sensor was sticking and thought the clutch depressed....it was weird....something to check....with the clutch engaged and the car in neutral....will the car try to start....it shouldnt


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## danz44 (May 14, 2010)

dont put a spark plug in the spark plug wire, just put a screw driver in it, and rest the shaft of the screw driver near a ground and crank it.

it will spark if you are getting spark for sure.


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

vdubbugman, 

i will try the neutral with clutch in thing, but im almost positive it tries to start regardless of whether its in gear or in neutral. ill check just in case though


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## vdubbugman53 (Nov 7, 2006)

Lo5to4pathy7 said:


> vdubbugman,
> 
> i will try the neutral with clutch in thing, but im almost positive it tries to start regardless of whether its in gear or in neutral. ill check just in case though



if the clutch pedal is out the car should not start since it is OBD2.....to start the car you should always have to put the clutch peddle in


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

yeah i knew about that.

my old coupe used to start with the pedal out. this one doesnt. 

just a little bit of an update:

checked power to the distributor, its getting power (checked with voltmeter)

wanted to check the pulse with a test light, got a cheap one from autozone, and i think i might have blown it cuz i had the key on when i stuck it in. so, not sure about the pulse.

took the coil off and checked power in the harness with the key on, coil is getting power, but once again, not sure about the pulse. 

any thoughts?


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## nextproject (Nov 18, 2007)

If you stick a spark plug IN the wire and use that method to test for spark, you need to lay the plug directly on a ground location like the intake or a metal bracket, then look for the small spark kernel jumping the gap on the plug itself.

You need to check and see if your ecu has good power and ground. If your ecu doesnt have power, it wont power up, and it wont do much of anything.

You have ruled out the fuel pump being the problem, but as far as i can see thats about it. For some reason the pump isnt being commanded on. Really you gotta look at why in hell the vagcom isnt communicating with the ECU.

I believe all of your issues lie in that area. Get some wiring diagrams, i think the ignition coil gets power any time the key is on, its the ground that is supplied through the ecu.

Check spark and make sure that your grounds are tight, also make sure your ecu has proper power and ground.


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

GOOD update tonight people:

had a friend with a 2.0 jetta (also obd2 and also a 97 which makes things easy) come over to swap some parts, namely the coil and the ECU. 

the shop that did the turbo work actually called me this morning and we discussed a few culprits. so i started testing a few things. 

first, i tested the power to the distributor. it was indeed receiving the power necessary. i bought a test light to check the pulse on it, but i believe i blew the light for some reason upon sticking it into the hole (no pun intended, it was cheap). so, i wasnt sure about that. 

then i tested for power to the coil. it was also getting the power require of near 12 volts (with the key on). however, could not test pulse on this one either.

later in the day my friend showed up. we tried one thing at a time, and then both, so heres the list of results i got: (B) refers to parts that are my friend's

(B)'s coil + my ecu = no start just crank

(B)'s coil + (B)'s ECU (with stock chip) = car started, but shut off in a second BIG IMPROVEMENT

(B)'s coil + (B)'s ECU + jumping the fuel pump = start, and RAN, but pretty crappy. that was given

my coil + (B)'s ECU = turn over but shut off

my coil + (B)'s ECU + jump fuel pump = turn over but shut off.

so, it is thus my conclusion then, that either my ECU is toast, or the chip in it is toast. and the coil maaayyy be on its way out. 

anyone get the same conclusion perhaps?


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## GTijoejoe (Oct 6, 2001)

FYI: To check if you are getting ign. pulses at the plugs, you can get an inline spark indicator at your local autoparts store..... usually you can even borrow them from Advanced Auto, they have all kinds of things to help diagnois issues.... that coupled with a fuel pressure tester (also at Advanced) will help you understand if the rail is getting fuel, and the plugs are getting spark.


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

little bit of an update:

figured out the chip was pretty much the problem for the time being. called up C2 and then sent out the old chip, and they sent me a new one immediately upon receiving it. so props to them for excellent service :thumbup:

installed the new chip, turned the key, and the car started! but ran like absolute crap. turned it off and started it about 4 times, and the 5th time, i said screw it and let it run. after about 2 mins of crappy running, it suddenly straightened out, the idle pegged right where it should be, and i left it run for a few more mins before taking it for a short spin around the block.

car ran fine, when i put the car into neutral to come to a stop and the tach would drop a little below idle, but catch and would go right back up. i can deal with that. 

however, drove it a little further, and the car started to act up again, with the tach slowly dropping to low rpms and almost dying. i had to give it gas to keep it running for that instant.

got it back to the parking spot, backed it in, decided to let it run for a while. ran fine for a few mins, then randomly shut off again after the rpms dropped.

called C2 for suggestions, they said VAG it to scan the ECU. they think maybe an injector isnt opening properly or somethin of that nature...basically something stupid. any other thoughts?


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## masterqaz (Oct 5, 2007)

tps? vac leak?


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## Lo5to4pathy7 (Mar 3, 2008)

im thinkin it may be the TPS, cuz i looked over the vac lines and didnt see anything suspicious...

the problem seemed to get less and less over the night, i cruised around for a good 1 to 2 hrs and it stalled out on me twice. 

wheres this TPS at?


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## masterqaz (Oct 5, 2007)

throttle position sensor. been a while since i had my 2.0 but its on the throttle body believe its got 3 wires going to it. usually easyier to replace the tb as a whole, improperly porting tb's can mess with the tps signal as it wont be correct (ive had that problem, bought a car with a ported tb. guy cut the ramps right out of it)

not to sure but i know on the vrs they need some time to readapt when the computer has lost power for some time. think this is true with all the obd2's


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## Daskoupe (Oct 9, 2006)

being obd2 its the actual the throttle body(tps is contained in it)

Try cleaning the two ramps inside the throttle body.(That gives the idle issue)

that should fix the low idle


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## masterqaz (Oct 5, 2007)

Daskoupe said:


> being obd2 its the actual the throttle body(tps is contained in it)


thats what i figured


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