CEL FLASHING, CAR STUTTERING, SULFUR SMELL - HELP!!
12-26-2009, 11:03 AM
#1
CEL FLASHING, CAR STUTTERING, SULFUR SMELL - HELP!!
As the title states, I'm on my way home from work just now and I drive all hwy...everything was fine for the first 25 miles or so, go to accelerate onto the Interstate at normal acceleration (as you all know I have a '01 2.7T APR 93 chipped), and as I hit about 30-45 mph my car started to sputter, RPM's wouldn't shift down, and CEL came on - first steady, then started flashing. As I hit 50-55mph (cars were behind me, I couldn't stop just yet), the CEL went off, car regained itself and everything felt fine. Pulled off the next exit and when I started to accel again from the stop sign, it started to sputter again (entire car shaking!). I got to a safe place to pull over and shut off the car. Restarted the car fine but idle was rough - sputtering still. CEL started flashing again and by the time I parked it in my driveway (I was only 1 mile from home so I drove her home since CEL went back off), I could smell a sulfur/very bad stench coming into the cabin. Please help, guys! Anybody experience this before or have ANY ideas? Oh god, I'm not really financially stable right now for any big repairs being that it is the day after Christmas lol
12-26-2009, 11:10 AM
#2
Just to add after searching "sputtering" and reading a couple threads, my spark plugs are brand new - < 8k miles on them and they are the Pulstar's. My fuel filter I JUST changed < 1k miles ago. Coil packs are up in the air of if they have ever been changed by the previous owner. I have never replaced them but after closely inspecting them when I changed the plugs - they looked fine.
12-26-2009, 06:30 PM
#4
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Check in this order
I have had a similar problem over the last year. This is what fixed it for me
1) Check Ignition Control Module (also called Power Stage Unit I think) There are two of them at sit on top of the Air box (one for each bank of cylinders). This the most likely diagnosis
2) Exhaust Gas Temperature sensors- you will need Vag-Com to pull codes for this
3) Coolant temp sensor- Malfunction makes the car run overly rich.
Good luck and let me know how it turns out
Raj
1) Check Ignition Control Module (also called Power Stage Unit I think) There are two of them at sit on top of the Air box (one for each bank of cylinders). This the most likely diagnosis
2) Exhaust Gas Temperature sensors- you will need Vag-Com to pull codes for this
3) Coolant temp sensor- Malfunction makes the car run overly rich.
Good luck and let me know how it turns out
Raj
12-26-2009, 08:59 PM
#7
AudiWorld Senior Member
Did you think about it?
The previous owner of my Golf had a TDI Jetta PD with a bad miss. He replaced the catalytic converter, both fuel pumps, and the injector he thought was the problem. He lived with it for a while, and later, the battery tested bad. He replaced it, and the miss went away. Voltage was too low for electrical components to work properly, including the injectors.
My golf ran fine, right up until just before the battery died. Started weak, did the dead battery click before it started, and the glow plug light flashed and check engine light stayed on until I cycled the ignition. Ran fine, but the ALH TDI's tend to, unless something is really wrong.
12V electrical components often need 12 volts to work reliably. That includes motors, solenoids, valves, injectors, sensors, gauges, computers, and even LEDs. If you haven't verified that the battery is good, that's like not looking at the gas gauge when the car stopped running and won't start.
The previous owner of my Golf had a TDI Jetta PD with a bad miss. He replaced the catalytic converter, both fuel pumps, and the injector he thought was the problem. He lived with it for a while, and later, the battery tested bad. He replaced it, and the miss went away. Voltage was too low for electrical components to work properly, including the injectors.
My golf ran fine, right up until just before the battery died. Started weak, did the dead battery click before it started, and the glow plug light flashed and check engine light stayed on until I cycled the ignition. Ran fine, but the ALH TDI's tend to, unless something is really wrong.
12V electrical components often need 12 volts to work reliably. That includes motors, solenoids, valves, injectors, sensors, gauges, computers, and even LEDs. If you haven't verified that the battery is good, that's like not looking at the gas gauge when the car stopped running and won't start.
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12-26-2009, 09:03 PM
#8
AudiWorld Senior Member
Oh, and the sulfur smell - the battery is full of sulfuric acid, right? The one in my Golf was, at least until it boiled over all over the transaxle, and the smell made me sick. If the smell was from the cabin, it's very possible it boiled over into the cowl where the A6 battery sits, and spilled or gassed out into the passenger compartment.
12-26-2009, 09:46 PM
#9
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Did you think about it?
The previous owner of my Golf had a TDI Jetta PD with a bad miss. He replaced the catalytic converter, both fuel pumps, and the injector he thought was the problem. He lived with it for a while, and later, the battery tested bad. He replaced it, and the miss went away. Voltage was too low for electrical components to work properly, including the injectors.
My golf ran fine, right up until just before the battery died. Started weak, did the dead battery click before it started, and the glow plug light flashed and check engine light stayed on until I cycled the ignition. Ran fine, but the ALH TDI's tend to, unless something is really wrong.
12V electrical components often need 12 volts to work reliably. That includes motors, solenoids, valves, injectors, sensors, gauges, computers, and even LEDs. If you haven't verified that the battery is good, that's like not looking at the gas gauge when the car stopped running and won't start.
The previous owner of my Golf had a TDI Jetta PD with a bad miss. He replaced the catalytic converter, both fuel pumps, and the injector he thought was the problem. He lived with it for a while, and later, the battery tested bad. He replaced it, and the miss went away. Voltage was too low for electrical components to work properly, including the injectors.
My golf ran fine, right up until just before the battery died. Started weak, did the dead battery click before it started, and the glow plug light flashed and check engine light stayed on until I cycled the ignition. Ran fine, but the ALH TDI's tend to, unless something is really wrong.
12V electrical components often need 12 volts to work reliably. That includes motors, solenoids, valves, injectors, sensors, gauges, computers, and even LEDs. If you haven't verified that the battery is good, that's like not looking at the gas gauge when the car stopped running and won't start.
check your ignition system. might just be coils or something simple. what codes did you pull from the ecu?
12-26-2009, 09:54 PM
#10
AudiWorld Member
I've been a mechanic (cars and boats) for some time now and have never had problem with a battery that was intermittent and with no warning signs (such as slow cranking). The voltage is also not provided by the battery when the car is underway. It is provided by the alternator. If the voltage were low on the battery and the alternator couldn't bring it to 14 volts then the battery light would come on. How would it just appear out of the blue after driving for a while?
I would simply lean towards the ever-failing coilpacks or a sensor. Unburned fuel dumping to the cat could cause that.
Then there is always the check engine light itself. Even if the light went out you can pull up the trouble code. Sounds like a good place to start and you can check that for free too. I'm simply stating that rather than jumping to the three instances of problems you have had in the past we should get all the information.
Just the same, get it checked if you need. It is free after all.
I would simply lean towards the ever-failing coilpacks or a sensor. Unburned fuel dumping to the cat could cause that.
Then there is always the check engine light itself. Even if the light went out you can pull up the trouble code. Sounds like a good place to start and you can check that for free too. I'm simply stating that rather than jumping to the three instances of problems you have had in the past we should get all the information.
Just the same, get it checked if you need. It is free after all.