car cutting out...

[Dubcrazy]

heya all


im a vw nut for many many year and although im a air cooled fella i have owned a number of water pumpers over the years, as long as it's a vw im pretty much happy....

My reason for wondering on over here is my daughters first car, a 2000 polo 1.4. We brought it for her as she really wanted a vw and high on her list of must haves were A/C, remote c/l and other such mod-cons.

Its a great little car but its developed a issue that i am having problems tracking down.. The car starts and runs perfect for about 15 minutes then the dash goes off with all instruments cutting out then the car just cuts out.. if you leave it half hour(ish) it will start run perfect again for about 15 minutes then do the same thing. My mechanic has put his scan tool on the car and it says its a communication error but it doesn't say what not that he can work out any hows.....

Im quite proficient around cars and there workings but the electrical side is most definitely my weakest area, it has been suggested it mite be the power supply relay (30)?

im just trying to get as much information as possible before i start ordering stuff, getting vw parts where i live (C-Qld) is a nightmare and most are shipped up so i cant just trial and error..

thank you for any insight you mite be able to give me..

steff....

[wai]

Sounds like a sensor is failing once it gets hot. The error might not be logged if it completely shuts down. It may be a case of having to trace things the old fashioned way and not rely on the system to tell you what's causing it.

[Dubcrazy]

i thought that at first but why would a sensor cause the dash to cut out?

[Jmac]

No it wouldnt mate, 2000 would be the 6n2, like the one im doing the turbo upgrade on . . First thing i would be checking the integrity of the all the fuses and strips in the fusebox aboive the battery, it losing a main or possible even an earth. For it to take out the dash too is unusual. One other thing i would be tempted to do is disconnect the connector off the ign switch and hot wire it or even use a donor without physically installing it, make sense? it could be giving up when it heats up seen that before and yes it has ign feed to the clocks. Hot wiring it just remember to take the starter wire off when it starts of course. That would be a really quick way to rule that out. dont wirry about immob as you will still have your key in the ign barrel and turned like normal. Let me know how ye go. I got a few bits for them and have access to another if i dont have it.
Cheers
Jmac

[Dubcrazy]

thanks jmac,

ill have the car home this weekend from the mechanincs and il;l give it a try... ill let you know how i go..

steff...

[Dubcrazy]

just got home from the mechanics and he said the scan tool is showing a communication error between the dash and ecu..

he also said he spoke with some fella named dan from the sunshine/goldcoast? thats right up on the diagnostic's and he said that there is a box(relay like in action) thats down the bottom of the steering column that acts a a splitter for the power.. when the ignition is turned on it goes to this box and it feeds power to everywhere else?? i have no idea what it is but someone mite?

i will hopefully have the car back home tomorrow so i can start trying to work out where the issue is...

thanks for any input

steff....

[Dubcrazy]

ok i have the car back home and i cleaned the flues block thats over the battery, the ends of the fuses were a little corroded so i cleaned and sprayed the contacts with the electrical cleaners... car started and i left it sit running.. at 12 minutes the fuel gauge dropped out and the carstopped, but it started straight away which it normally doesn't do and ran fine for 25 minutes. i left it for a shirt while (picked kids up from school) and when i returned to it i started it and drove it home, about 4 k's.. didn't miss a beat .

so i wonder if it mite be connected some how to the fuel gauge?

sorry if i keep posting dribble but i just want u's all to have as much info as possible so that we mite get to the problem as i want my daughter to be safe and able to get to her destinations with out breaking down in the middle of no where....

thanks

steff...

[wai]

Just a thought. Have you checked the breather for the fuel tank? It could be that the fuel pump cannot suck against the vacuum being created if the fuel tank breather is bot working correctly.

You can check this by seeing how long it runs with varying amounts of fuel in the tank. The lower the amount of fuel, the longer it will run. Also, if you have the fuel cap off, it should have no problems, however you do not want to drive around with the cap off. If it stops and you get an inrush of air when you open the cap, the breather is probably the culprit.

Just a thought.

[sports racer]

Have you fixed it?

[Dubcrazy]

not sure, i cleaned the fuse box over the battery last weekend and it ran well and didn't cut out, im plaining to fire it up tomorrow and just run it with out driving and see how it goes... it was cutting out before whether it was being driven or just sitting there


steff

[Jmac]

not sure, i cleaned the fuse box over the battery last weekend and it ran well and didn't cut out, im plaining to fire it up tomorrow and just run it with out driving and see how it goes... it was cutting out before whether it was being driven or just sitting there


steff
Have you tried the ign switch idea as extensively mentioned?
Cheers
Jmac

[Dubcrazy]

no not yet mate as it seems to be sorted ... i started the car today and it ran for 1hour 15 minutes with out missing a beat sitting on the driveway


i'll take it for a drive next weekend and see if its still good.... it didn't seem to matter before if it was just ticking over or being driven it would cut out... i honestly don't know if its just coincidence that cleaning the fuses seems to have fixed it or not, i wouldn't have thought for a second that would have any effect on the dash...

i think i will look at the ignition anyway as that would make a lot more sense and its certainly not going to hurt but not just yet ..

on a slightly different tack i am in need of the electric window switch's as i'm a twit and while i was fixing a issue witht he drivers window shut the door and broke them as they were just hanging while the door trim was off .. so if u knows anyone who would have some, and the switch for the mirrors as the daughters broken that off and we cant adjust them anymore (ok we can by hand but u know what i mean)..

cheers

steff

[Jmac]

no not yet mate as it seems to be sorted ... i started the car today and it ran for 1hour 15 minutes with out missing a beat sitting on the driveway


i'll take it for a drive next weekend and see if its still good.... it didn't seem to matter before if it was just ticking over or being driven it would cut out... i honestly don't know if its just coincidence that cleaning the fuses seems to have fixed it or not, i wouldn't have thought for a second that would have any effect on the dash...

i think i will look at the ignition anyway as that would make a lot more sense and its certainly not going to hurt but not just yet ..

on a slightly different tack i am in need of the electric window switch's as i'm a twit and while i was fixing a issue witht he drivers window shut the door and broke them as they were just hanging while the door trim was off .. so if u knows anyone who would have some, and the switch for the mirrors as the daughters broken that off and we cant adjust them anymore (ok we can by hand but u know what i mean)..

cheers

steff
Actually mate if you cleaned the ones in the engine bay that can make a difference, resistance can cause dramas. Even if the fuses look ok they can make and break right on the leg of the fuse where it can be hard to see, I normally just swap them out as new one will have thicker prongs if that makes sense thus reducing resistance.
Cheers
Jmac

[The One]

Actually mate if you cleaned the ones in the engine bay that can make a difference, resistance can cause dramas. Even if the fuses look ok they can make and break right on the leg of the fuse where it can be hard to see, I normally just swap them out as new one will have thicker prongs if that makes sense thus reducing resistance.
Cheers
Jmac

Yep and for peace of mind I'd just be changing them all out anyways, with the cheap cheap price of fuse kits available I don't know why you wouldnt...

[pontiff]

not sure if they are they are the same or not as the 6n1's, but the ignition switches are not uncommon. I bought 2 the other day from the UK and got change from $20 I think so cant hurt to have one on hand for these sort of things, just like for the 6n1's i have spare fuel pumps, throttle bodies, electric window clips and a myriad of other things that are common :)

[Jmac]

not sure if they are they are the same or not as the 6n1's, but the ignition switches are not uncommon. I bought 2 the other day from the UK and got change from $20 I think so cant hurt to have one on hand for these sort of things, just like for the 6n1's i have spare fuel pumps, throttle bodies, electric window clips and a myriad of other things that are common :)

Same switch , fits tons in the range, if it has an external cut ign key itll likely have the same switch, Mk1 on
Cheers
Jmac

[Dubcrazy]

just to keep you updated, i took the car out on sunday and it ran like a dream, over 85k's and over a hour and a half driving and it was perfect! took it out a few times over the last couple of days and no dramas at all...

thank you for all the input and help it has been great. A problem that could have cost me a fortune and kept my daughters car off the road for some time has been sorted quite quickly and affectively so once again thank you all for you advice....

steff.........

[sports racer]

Leave your money on the fridge.








And if any of you young'uns don't recognise the phrase or it's context shame on you.