04/7/15
What a day.
After breakfast i went out to the Golf, disconnected battery and started a timer for 30 mins. Stuffed around during this time, cleaned some pine needles off the car and cleared a blocked drain in the engine bay (fecking pine trees). Eventually the timer buzzed in my pocket, so i reconnected the battery, and did some further testing.
The car has suddenly remembered it has a LH side, and all electrics are now working. HURRAH! As i suspected the indicators are now flashing again when the car is locked and unlocked, and all the doors, windows and mirrors do what they should.
In my excitement i decided to take the car for a drive for some shopping. Drives there mint, showed some cars who was boss on the passing lanes, awesome. I park up, return some things i didnt need, and move the car to another carpark for some further shopping.
Now, before i continue, lets look back at yesterday. I took the car to work, no LH side of car and all. At lunch time i decided i wanted to go out and get some feed. Jump in the golf, turn the key and the barstewards doesnt start. just cranks over and over and over, no signs of it trying to fire. Oh stuff this. I jump out, in the rain, pop the hood and do some generic "trust me, im a mechanic" poking and prodding under the hood. Jump back in, and she fires up first turn of the engine (like usual).
Did some reading online, couple of reports of vapor lock in the fuel system causing hard starts when warm. thought it was a bit odd because the car had been sitting for 5 hours, so hardly warm, but accepted it. car started and drove home after work fine.
Now, back to this afternoon. I finish buying my awesome stuff (ie: nothing), and go to start the car. It does it again, just cranks over and over. FML. Jump out, be a mechanic again, still wont start. Figure if its heat related, doing more shopping and leaving the car there would A: do me some good, i need a walk B: let the car cool down and it might start, if it feels like it.
Shopped for a bit, came back to the car, still wont start. By this time its been a couple of hours, im pretty pissed off and the better half is getting a bit worried. I reassure her but once again showing im a mechanic under the hood. Still doesnt start, she is losing confidence in my mechanical (and magical) abilities.
Its getting cold and dark, so i call defeat and ring roadside rescue. They checked a low car suitable flatbed was available, and booked it. Unfortunately it was on a job, so would be a while off. in the mean time i decided to do some more digging.
Obviously it was fuel or spark that was missing. I always have my OBD2 bluetooth scanner in the car, because its fun watching things on my phone screen whilst driving. I did a quick check, if the fuel pump wasnt working, the fuel rail pressure would be poo. Sure enough, when i checked the fuel pressure in the rail it shot up as soon as the engine was cranked. Fuel ruled out, the low pressure pump is feeding the high pressure pump and the pressure was quickly increased to almost 1000psi.
So, its spark then. Its coil on plug, so it would be pretty unexpected for all 4 coils to fail in one go. Wait, what about the japanese ignition booster boxes? Turned the ignition on, and popped the hood. sure enough, the lights on the boxes were not lit. Wiggled and jiggled the wiring going to the boxes, and the light came on. Turned the key and the car fired into life. barstewards.
Drove around the block a bit, and the car was running fine. Decided to YOLO it, so rang roadside rescue and told them to cancel the truck as i was going to limp the car home (and not pay the $80 towing fee).
Got home ok, no issues at all. DSG is even operating a little better with the battery reset, and its learning my driving style. Rev matching on downshift is a bit better than it was too.
So all in all, the car is now in the garage, didnt need a tow, and ill be ripping all the useless dodgy japanese electronic boxes out from under the hood.
Didnt need this in the end, but made me feel like a mad hardparker driving home with it in
And these are the things ill be pulling out
As well as my box of Raizins
