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Hey guys I have a 92 volkswagen golf and I’m not getting spark. I have new spark plugs, new ignition coil, and a new battery. I checked my distributor cap which wasn’t damp or damaged. My rotor looks fine and is turning. Also when I turn the key before trying to crank it I sometimes hear a click sound. Also my fuel pump takes a moment to prime and the pump and filter are both new. I have checked all of my grounds and everything is good there. Could this be my ecu? My car is at a year where I can’t hook it up to diagnostics. Any information would be very helpful. Thank you.
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see if this helps.
http://tech.bentleypublishers.com/thread.jspa?threadID=39613
I wish I saw this earlier, I dont get onto forums much anymore with work.
Anyways, this is one of two problems common with age and that engine managment. You need to first test the ignition control mod on top of the ECU is getting 12v and grounding. On a mk2 VW they last forever because they get a lot of cool air over them but they can fail.
The more likley issue is the hall effect. You will need a low amp draw or LED test light. Dot use an old school one or you will back feed too many amps through some delicate circuit boards.
Disconnect the wire harness from the distributor body. Use a multi meter, you should have close to 12v on the 2 outer pins of the connector. If not suspect your ignition mod, Ecu or a fault in wiring. I you have 12v its probably the hall effect.
Re connect the socket and peel back the rubber boot so you can back probe the wires going into the connector. Disconnect the centre distributor wire and move it some wear close to the block so it can ground. Back probe the centre wire of the 3 pin connector going to the side of the distributor body and connect the other end of the LED test light to battery positive. As you crank the car with the key your test light should flicker. If nothing happens the Hall Effect is toast.
When they die its usually one and done. Meaning, one day your car died on you, and that was it, never started up again. In some cases, and I’ve experienced this it runs fine and dandy untill it gets hot, the heat messes with something in the sensor and it cuts out. Let it sit 20 min, and it starts again.
The big downfall here is you need to replace the entire distributor body with hall effect sensor in it. Witch means carefully doing it so you don’t ruin the timing. If you are not confident you can install a new distributor perfectly and not have to re time it you should take it in to a VW dork who know how to properly work on Digifant 2 cars. Just trust me on this. Hopefully my explanation makes sense.
What JS said. To add a little more diagnostic info: If the hall sender in the distributor is bad, the ECU will also not run the fuel pump during cranking. It will still run it for the 2 seconds and stop when you switch the ignition on, but won’t run it when the engine starts cranking. That sensor is the only way the ECU knows if the engine is turning. If that sensor cant tell the ECU the engine is turning, no fuel or spark is triggered.
Also, I once had a major ECU/electrical problem with that exact kind of car. It turned out to need a new battery ground strap. It looked old and corroded but I thought it was fine because it was connected almost fully, but it was not good enough. It not only resolved the ECU frying problem I was having, but the engine ran way smoother afterward as well.
A bad engine ground on that car causes so many issues its not even funny. I had one come loose once and the issues I delt with to just get the car home were incredible. If I had just taken the time to check the ground life would have resumed as normal.
One good tip with diagnosing “while you drive” digifant issues: If the engine cuts out while you drive and the tach reads 0 its always always ignition.
Been up country working for the week, I left my 91 Jetta at home. I miss her.
Do you guys know where all the grounds should be I have checked some but I’m not sure if I can find them all.
The real one is a the battery ground cable. It’s a braided copper wire with the battery terminal built into it. It has a eyelet that secures to the body with a stud and nut on the battery tray. It then goes over to one of the transmission bellhousing bolts to ground the engine and ends there.
Then there is a second spot on the driver’s rear corner of the valve cover where there should be a small metal plate with a stud on it that is held on by a valve cover nut. There are a couple small ground wires that attach to that.
And that’s all the grounds? I really appreciate the help you guys are awesome. I’m pretty sure its the hall sensor on the distributor I’m just going to get a new distributor. The only thing I’m worried about is knocking it out of ignition timing.
That’s all the grounds that are associated with the engine. There are several others at various points inside the car as well to ground, for instance, the tail lights to the body back there near them instead of running a wire to ground it in the engine bay.
When you remove the distributor cap, there is a notch in the rim on the housing that is used for timing. The housing rotates infinitely to adjust timing, and the other end of the shaft the rotor goes on is where it engages the intermediate shaft to be turned by the timing belt. Before you take the distributor out, turn the engine so the rotor points exactly at the notch in the housing. Then make a mark on the block somehow to mark exactly where that notch lines up. It’ll be ponting somewhere between cylinders 3 and 4. Just make sure you index the new one the exact same way and it should be fine.
Does anyone know what this cable goes to its hanging by my transmission. I’ve added a picture below.
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