Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Asked on April 29, 2021
I have a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta, which recently (at 110,000 miles) has developed an intermittent no-start condition. The engine will turn over — seems the starter is working, but can’t start the engine (similar to the situation when the ignition wires are bad). The ignition wires,plugs and ignition pack were all replaced several months ago.
I’ve made 3 attempts to fix it, but no lasting solution has been found. Per my mechanic a diagnostic scoping did reveal a code for an intermittent short and a faulty oxygen sensor. The oxygen sensor was replaced, but the no-start reappeared in a couple weeks. The fuel pump was changed. Again the problem reappeared in a couple weeks. Then a substandard positive battery connection was corrected, but the problem reappeared in a couple weeks.
My mechanic said it could be some relays. What would you suggest trying next, as this is getting very expensive for me?
I was wondering if the fault could be in the computer, by natural wear or design.
The problem with intermittent problems is they are intermittent :) What that means is unless the technician can catch the problem when it's actually happening everything they check is going to check good. So in order to help you find the problem I am going to need you to get some starting fluid from your local store and keep it in the car. The next time it does it, spray a little bit of starting fluid in the intake while you have someone crank the car. If the car starts you have a fuel problem, if not we have eliminated the fuel system. Next see if you have spark while starting the car. Post your answer to this as a comment and we can go from there.
Answered by Move More Comments Link To Top on April 29, 2021
Upon my mechanics later suggestion, he replaced the fuel pump relay. That appears to have resolved the issue as the car has started reliably for the last five months. I feel quite confident that that was the problem all along. The engine's analysis codes contributed greatly to the confusion, as they were somewhat misleading stating that the engine had 6 or so intermittent shorts to ground. Possibly this was triggered by the faulty relay. Anyways, thanks for the answer & suggestions provided in the above answer. I did not try starting fluid as the owner's manual advised against this. It took almost 11 months to get to the bottom of this problem, so I am relieved I did not give up or sell the car.
Answered by Erik on April 29, 2021
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