QuestionMy 1990 VW Golf shuts off whenever it feels like it. It has 275,000+ km. I just bought it used about a month ago and have phoned the previous owner to ask what work has been done. Or if she had any problems. She said maybe two months before it did that once, she replaced the alternator and never happened again. (But who knows?)
I will be driving along at about 95km and then the gas pedal won't work. The RPMs immediately drop to zero. Once I've slowed down to fifty the battery/oil lights come on as if I have just flick the key to the on position. I still have power breaks and power steering and the breaks toughen up when I'm down to about 10km/hr. I have taken it to five mechanics. If it sits for awhile it will run. Sometimes it only has to sit for fifteen minutes, sometimes seven hours. But regardless, the mechanics will work on it, charge me money, give it back and it will die again.
I have replaced: the alternator, battery, coil, ignition switch, starter, starter relay, and a few wires have been replaced, oh and another piece that hooks up the plug to the computer.
The back fuel pump sounds fine and the first mechanic who specializes in VW says it shouldn't be replaced.
My next options for replacements are: the distributor, the ECU? (computer) the fuel pump in the tank or the fuel filter. But four of the mechanics have assured me that it can't be fuel. That when it was stopped my spark was doing something odd. When I flicked the key on it was sparking early. When I cranked it, it wouldn't spark.
The only thing that makes me believe it could be the fuel is that it happens when I have a full tank of gas. I remember because at least the last two times I've broken down I've thought "UGH and I JUST GOT A FULL TANK OF GAS!"
But then again it's hit or miss because it's broken down nine times in the last two weeks. And if a fuel pump stops working, won't it quit for good after nine times?
Yesterday when it broke down, after it started immediately again and was kind of bucking on the way into town. Sounded like it was trying to die. (I was doing 90km/hr)
Any information you could give me would be awesome. I can't keep playing this guessing game. One mechanic actually said it could be a bad ground wire and then it will keep doing this forever and we will never find it. Talk about making a girl wanna cry.
AnswerHi Krystal;
I hate to be evasive, but I'm trying to diagnose a car without touching, and after some "experts" have done their best to fix after having the car to use for diagnosis. However, I wonder if could be just the ignition switch itself? The switch has to distribute a lot of power to the car, and it eventually develops a loose connection that when distributing lots of power gets HOT(!!!) and its' resistance increases to the point where it can't do it anymore. If you can, just remove the plastic cover around the ignition switch, and inspect it(the switch that is, the electrical portion on the left side as you look at it from the drivers seat). If there are discolored wires, ie. not copper colored...like pink, or dark then the ignition switch sounds like the thing to go after next. This may fix the problem for a while, but it also may return if there are excessive loads on the switch, as old as your car is, with that many miles, it may just be the tip of the iceberg.
