sincitys4

How it started...

At first it didn't start and a friend told me to use starter fluid to determine if it is the fuel pump was bad or not. (He did tell me this is not good for the car, but attempting it once shouldn't hurt) I sprayed it on my air filter and attempted to start my car. (Of course it took a couple of tries) He also indicated to me that once all the vapors are gone from the starter fluid, your engine will cut out if your fuel pump is bad. My car did start, but it remained on until I turned it off. With that results, I went ahead and used my car to do errands for a good 1 1/2 hours. As I was returning home, I decided to gas up. After filling at the station, I started my car and felt as if it was stumbling. I made it home, but once on my driveway, it cut out and was not able to start it up again. This is where I am at now...

So far I've check the spark plugs and re-gaped. I'm unsure if I have any bad coil packs. I also changed the fuel filter and fuel relay. Checked the fuel pump as indicated in my previous post. Now I'm stuck and don't know what to do next.

Where is the crankshaft position sensor located? Is that something easy or hard to do? Or any other electrical fuel devices I can also check?

Thanks for your help in advance!!!

BTW: I do have a vag-com and got codes on misfire in cyl 3 & 6. I switched the coil packs around to see if the packs are bad. But without starting my car, I can't determine the results.

joeffrS4

Your problem could still be fuel related even if pump runs, you need to verify fuel pressure at idle is 55-60 PSI, with vacuum hose to pressure regulator unplugged and approx 7 PSI lower with vacuum on regulator. If fuel comes out of pressure regulator when vacuum hose is unplugged, replace regulator.
System pressure tested 10 min after engine shutdown should be at least 31 PSI. At least you can start eliminating potential problems. I have not seen an intermittent crank sensor and since you do have a VAG, it would throw a code if sensor values were out of range. Hope this helps.

sincitys4

How do I measure pressure if I can't get the car to start? Also, is there a DIY on how to do this? Pictures would help a lot!

Thanks!

joeffrS4

If it won't start then, you could check the pressure after turning on the ignition after the fuel pump charges, just to see what the charge pressure comes up to. if the pump runs but the pressure bleeds down quickly, the regulator could be bad bleeding off. unplug the vacuum line from the regulator and see if fuel is coming through the diaphragm. bottom line is, you need to have sufficient pressure during crank to fire the injectors. hope this helps.