Oh what a day!...........

[Jib]

Ive had a terrible day!

8:30am:
Driving down a local road taking it steady due to terrential rain and the car cuts out with all the warning lights flashing. Roelich and another friend come along to see what the problem is:

11:00am:

Decide that the only option is to call out the RAC. They tow me to a local garage where diagnostics is run and it comes up with a fault on the Crankshaft Position Sensor. Replace sensor which cost £35 brand new and it didn't make a difference and the car wouldn't start. Left the mechanic scratching his head for a while and 1 hour later, he tried the car and it miraculously started! Payed the garage and drove home in very VERY bad rain.

7:30pm

Guess what happened next??:

Yes it had broken again! Same problem as before, car cut out with the warning lights flashing. I think the problem is the electrics getting damp due to the rain.

The car had been in the garage for a fair few hours out of the rain in the afternoon so im thinking that it gave the electrics time to dry out so that it woud start again. But as soon as i took it out in the rain and through a few puddles, it flooded the electrics again.

Car is currently sat outside my house after calling out the RAC yet again to tow me home. Hopefully getting an electrician out tomorrow to look at it.

Has anyone else had issues like this?

Also, the drip try which covers the ecu is missing but a polythene bag is protecting it. Im thinking about getting a new drip tray from the breakers and seeing if that works maybe.

 

[Brummy]

yep. Ive had that happen to me one saturday, talked the wife in to leaving the '4' at home, took the '2' down to MIL's instead.. only for it to 'die' on a nasty bend with another car right up the rear of me.. luckily we managed to to 'bump' start it, my car DEFFO doesnt like the rain

 

[Brummy]

*even had a problem with it today, had to spray the engine bay in wd40, to get the bugger going, and then when I got home, it wouldnt lock on the keyfob/central locking.. had to lock it oldskool stylee with the key

 

[Jib]

What did you have to spray in wd40? anything specific?

 

[superleon1]

Not sure if this is relevant mate, but I had similar problems a while back - my Leon conked out and wouldn't restart after a car wash....turned out my ECU hadn't been sealed correctly after the MUPPET that did my remap ripped my ECU apart to chip it because he couldn't get a reading through the OBD port....very costly....hope your ECU doesn't become corroded with the water thats gotten in...

 

[Brummy]

What did you have to spray in wd40? anything specific?

always a good tip to check you haven't any moisture in the dizzy.. but I normally spray the starter motor, and where the HT leads go into the dizzy..

 

[Roelích]

Gutted for you mate, I really am. On a lighter note, that first picture of our cars with the bonnets up looks immense.

Almost makes it all worth it... For me, obviously not for you as your car is broken

 

[surcalation]

I too was gonna comment on the good pictures!

Jib needs a strut brace tho

 

[Jib]

Finally sorted the car out! The drip tray had snapped off where the ecu is located and water was getting on it and shorting the ignition line. Took out the ecu, cleaned it up, sealed with grease and covered it up with a cut-up rubber floor mat. It now works a treat!!

 

[Roelích]

Glad it's sorted dude

 

[Hayz]

My old car used to do this.. I was getting wet on the dizzy cap and the top box thing where the main lead goes to from the centre of the dizzy cap.

Replaced the lot - didn't do much but just leave it a bit and it dries out.. We sprayed Chain wax on it.. did the job for a while.

x

 

[Tom B]

Glad you got it sorted, my old MK2 had the same problem and had to have a new ECU!

My best mates old MK3 Golf always broke down due to water in the dizzy cap, he put a bag round it like they did on older cars and it never broke down again! I'd recommend doing this as well, just to be safe.

 

[KERMITCUPRA]

I would put money on whats your problem is as the the same thing happened to me. It took 4 garages (vw specicalist) and 2 months to cure.
Yep its the crank sensor. You have to get a genuine one £160.00 worth to cure the problem. Its something to do with magnet in the cheap ones is not strong enough to pick up the crank. Get somebody to plug it into the old VAG dinostic machine. Best of luck.........

 

[Jib]

Yeah ive had the cranksensor replaced. It cost my £35 + VAT. My mechanic said that the sensor probably didn't need doing, it was just throwing up the fault because the water was shorting the ecu. Time will tell though.

 

[crezz]

hey jib, been doing loads of searching and came across your thread, is yours still ok? mine isint so good and sounds like fred dibenah's traction engine!

not good

 

[Jib]

Its fine now mate. I was alittle worred about it leading up to the winter period but everything seems fine. The rubber cover over the ecu seemed to do the trick.

Sorry to hear yours isn't running right!

 

[crezz]

mine is alot better now thanks mate, one of the leads had totally snapped inside. sorted that so is running sweet again