MK3 GOLF HELP!!!!!

kennygg76

Hi All,
I have a 1997 MK3 golf 1.4, in the last few months it has developed a problem. It starts fine and drives fine, but if I go for a short drive (to shops) it will not start straight away, I will have to keep trying to start it for ages and then eventually it will splutter to life and take about 30 seconds before it runs smoothly, there is a very rich smell of petrol from the fumes. also for the first 5 minutes of driving the revs are very irregular sometimes going up to 2000rpm, after 5 mins or so the revs will settle at just under 1000rpm and the car will run fine.
I have serviced it recently and changed the fuel filter. At the moment I cant afford to take it to a garage so if anyone has an idea what the problem might be I would appreciate it greatly.
Thanks
Ken

Wheelnut

Sounds like the engine is flooding (too much fuel) and you need to find the cause of that. It could be the coolant temperature sensor (CTS) but it might also be something else. Have you checked that the fuel filter is not leaking?

kennygg76

I have replaced the fuel filter and that helped for a bit, then it went back to the starting problem. its not leaking that I can see. I have also checked the fuel pump and that is working fine, after that I dont know. Is the CTS difficult to replace and is it expensive?
Thanks

Mar4ix

crankshaft sensor. nearly 99,999999% sure. suggest you do diagnostics on car, at the end, itll be cheaper than change sensors randomly.

George Dalton

I would say the coolant temp sensor is a likely cause as Wheelnut says. They are available spurious for very small money (around €10-15) but if I were you I would get a genuine VW one (around €30) as the spurious ones aren't the greatest quality. The sensor is on the black plastic housing on the gearbox end of the cylinder head, it has a 4 wire plug on it and should have a black plastic top with a yellow ring around it.

Before buying a new sensor I would suggest that you get a diagnostic scan done and also, if you haven't done this already, remove the throttle body and give it a good clean with carb cleaner, then have it reset by somebody with the correct diagnostic equipment as well. You would be amazed at the difference this can make to how these engines run.

kennygg76

Can any garage do a diagnostic or will i have to take it to a vw garage?

George Dalton

Most garages should have the equipment to do the diagnostic scan and throttle body reset. I know a guy in Waterford who can do it for you. PM me if you want his details.

Mar4ix

kennygg76 wrote: »

Can any garage do a diagnostic or will i have to take it to a vw garage?

let us know whats wrong with it was.

kennygg76

Problem solved
I got a diagnostic done and the problem was the temp control sender unit.
I changed it myself and the car is running sweet.
Its amazing that such a small sensor caused such big problems.
Thanks all for the help and advice.


Another question
I need to change the starter, could I do this myself??
Gonna buy a reconditioned one.
I am competent with servicing, brakes and coolant sensor lol.
I dont have access to a lift but have axle stands.


More help appreciated.

George Dalton

It is possible for a competent DIYer but they aren't the easiest starter to replace. The thing that makes them more difficult than other cars is that the bolts that hold the starter in place also hold the front engine mount. So to remove the starter you need to support the engine and gearbox and undo the engine mount. It can also be quite tricky to get the bolts to line up with the engine mount bracket when bolting on the replacement starter. So all in all it may be better giving this one to a garage to do if you can find someone to do it for you cheaply.