Well, Ron wins the prize. This is exactly what it turned out to be. The car was simply flooded. I pulled all the plugs and the fuel pump fuse, turned the engine over some and let it sit for a while. Reassembled and it fired right up instantly, just like usual.
Someone else (Desmond) mentioned that he had a similar problem when one of his injectors was leaking. I think this might be what's happening to me. The #3 plug seemed very wet. I haven't tested it yet to see if it leaks after pulling it and test spraying and then turning the ignition off, but I think it might be leaking and keeping the cylinder wet. Do I need to replace the injector or is there any way to fix a leaking one? Is it possible to replace just one injector? Should I go ahead and do all four if this is what's wrong, or are they pretty expensive? Thanks, Brian '89 GLi On Thu, Jan 06, 2000 at 10:43:54PM -0600, Ron & Maryanne Darner wrote: > Have you pulled out a sparkplug or two? (I can't tell whether the "grounded > to the block" plug was just removed, or a spare). I'd look for wetness, > indicating a flooded engine. Best bet, if so, is to pull all four plugs, > remove the fuel pump fuse, and crank to clear the cylinders, then > reassemble plugs, re-install fuse, and try again. Otherwise, if you have > fuel and spark, timing is the question mark. I assume you're getting > "normal" cranking speed, so you have compression. Now, you said the timing > was set to 6 degrees (before TDC, I assume). If this was recently done, is > it possible that something has slipped or broken in the distributor drive? > Ron > ---------- > > From: brd <[email protected]> > > To: A2_16v <[email protected]> > > Subject: Re: 89 GLi cold start problem > > Date: Thursday, January 06, 2000 10:07 PM > > > > Well, as a followup, I did 2 tests which both proved inconclusive. > > > > 1.) I grounded a sparkplug to the block and cranked. Lots of blue > > spark, so ignition seems to be working. > > > > 2.) I pulled the cold start injector and cranked the engine. Plenty > > of gas shot out. Seems there is fuel and fuel pressure. > > > > Does this give anyone any leads? I'd like to get this fixed this > weekend. > > > > Thanks, > > Brian > > > > > > On Thu, Jan 06, 2000 at 09:14:17AM -0600, bigfoot wrote: > > > Well, I'm sitting here unable to go to work because I can't get my GLi > > > to start. It usually starts instantly when cold, on the first crank > > > (hot starts can require 2 or 3 attempts sometimes, if that's related). > > > Today on the first crank it caught and fired for a millisecond or two, > > > then died. After that, it will crank, but never sounds like it's > > > combusting. I tried this for 5 or 10 mins then let it sit for 20 and > > > still nothing, then again for another 30 and still nothing. > > > > > > My wife had this happen to her a few weeks ago when trying to drive the > > > car. We just took the other car and the Jetta started fine the next > > > day. > > > > > > In a nutshell, I think it may be the differential pressure regulator. > > > Has anyone seen one go bad? Does this sound like what happened then? > I > > > hope it's not it because they're supposed to be expensive, right? > > > > > > Any other possibilities? The car has a new distributor and plug wires, > > > is set to 6 degrees, and has a new fuel xfer pump. > > > > > > Here's what the Bentley says in the troubleshooting CIS-E section and > > > why I think the above: > > > > > > -Cold start or thermo-time switch faulty. Don't think it's this > because > > > the car doesn't fire and then run rough, it just doesn't start > > > > > > -Fuel Pump not running. I can hear the fuel pump whine when I turn the > > > key to on. I checked the fuse is okay and pulled the fuel pump relay > > > and put it back in. > > > > > > -Air Flow sensor plate rest position incorrect. Hmm. Maybe, but I'm > > > not certain this could be it. > > > > > > -Poor ignition ground. I cleaned and put a new connector on my ground > > > wire this summer, and it looks okay. > > > > > > -Coolant temperature sensor faulty or wire to sensor broken. Possibly. > > > > > > -Fuel Pressure incorrect. This is the one I'm betting on, as cranking > > > it now sounds just like when you're out of gas or have the fuel pump > > > fuse pulled. Bently says to Check differential pressure regulator, > > > system pressure, and differential pressure. > > > > > > I'm not sure I can check the two pressures myself, but if I get some > > > alligator clips for my multimeter, I can test the amperage of the diff > > > press reg myself. > > > > > > Of course, this would happen while I've got the valve cover off my > > > motorcycle, so I have to sit here and wait for my wife to come back > from > > > work and pick me up. > > > > > > Thanks in advance, > > > Brian > > > -- > > > The 21st century begins on January 1, 2001. > > _____________ > > List Sponsor: http://www.netsville.com > > To remove yourself from this list, send mail to [email protected] > with 'unsubscribe a2_16v' in the body of your message > > See us on the web at http://www.a2-16v.com > > Visit the 16V Homepage at http://www.gti16v.org _____________ List Sponsor: http://www.netsville.com To remove yourself from this list, send mail to [email protected] with 'unsubscribe a2_16v' in the body of your message See us on the web at http://www.a2-16v.com Visit the 16V Homepage at http://www.gti16v.org
