1999 not starting

819 Views 3 Replies 2 Participants Last post by dragonfiesta, Aug 3, 2015

dragonfiesta

Discussion Starter · Jul 28, 2015

so my beetles radiator had been leaking for a while. it had a hole in the driver side of the radiator near the battery, and the pipe near the alternator leaked as well I dont know the name of that part but its not hose. It had a check engine light with a code about the gas cap the water level and a misfire on 1 and 3 so I had them clear it and drove off with no more engine lights.

then one day going to work it the lights flickered then a 1/4 mile later it sputtered and died.

I towed it home a few days later and the battery had died. I recharge it and check for spark, it gets spark so I check the fuel pump, it shoots gas all over, I check the fuel filter its so rusty you can crush it by hand. I change the fuel filter. still no start so I change the spark plugs still no start.

all of this happened over the last month and the battery slowly dies over the course of a week or so.

I have no idea what to check next. I would say it was the head gasket but there was no smoke when it died and no water in the oil.

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Jeff2

· #2 · Jul 29, 2015

To start with, I'd scan it for codes again to see what pops up.

So, did you have the shop replace the radiator and the other leaky parts? It's possible coolant got onto the alternator and caused it to fail. A failed alternator can cause the battery to lose its charge. Also, a failed alternator could make the car fail to start if it is draining power rather than providing power. I'd pull the alternator and have it tested.

You did say you have misfires. Did the shop address that issue? For starters, a good coil pack, plugs, and wires are needed to get the engine to run.

Other than that, an engine needs air, fuel, and spark to run. It sounds like you're reasonably sure that it's got fuel, so I'd pursue the lack of spark theories above.

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dragonfiesta

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jul 29, 2015

I know coolant got onto the alternator. the only shop I took it too said they would not work on it. So its been me working on it on my own. I don’t have a code reader of my own so I cannot pull the codes with out towing it some where. and I never experienced the misfires so they must have happened before I bought it.

what multimeter readings should I look for on the alternator? all the info I can find online for alternator readings the car needs to be running. Or do I ahve to pull it and take it somewhere?

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dragonfiesta

Discussion Starter · #4 · Aug 3, 2015

Update

I dug into the car and sanded the L1 ground I cannot get to the L2 ground without an extender which I do not have. I charged the battery up and tried to start it. it CRANKS and does not FIRE WTF!!!!

so, I hit the key and slowly push down on the gas, and it sounds like it cranks faster with the pedal 1/2 to 3/4 of the way to the floor. like its about to sputter, and the car starts to shake...

so how bad is this? will the L2 ground getting sanded free of anything fix it? or should I suck it up and tow it to a shop?

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