TheSamba.com :: View topic - 1985 Volkswagen Cabriolet

Tue Oct 26, 2010 4:03 pm

I recently purchased a Volkswagen Cabriolet about three weeks ago. I was working on it yesterday, and replaced the fuel injector o rings since they were cracked and leaking air. Upon replacing them ,I noticed that it was running slightly rough upon idle, but I thought that it may be due to having just changed the mixture (I thought a few adjustments at some point would make it better). Anyway, today I decided to check the air filter, thinking perhaps it needed to be changed. I took a look at it, and it looked clean, so reattached it and tried to start. No go.

Here's the problem:

No spark at plugs
No fuel through injectors.

when I initially turn on the key, I hear the fuel pump kick on, and the distributor buzz a little bit, but when I turn the key nothing. I am currently trying to decipher the wiring diagram to get some ideas, but perhaps somebody out there has had this problem before? :evil:

Mon Nov 01, 2010 11:27 am

So, here's what I've found.

Looking at the wiring diagram I see the fuel pump relay and the ignition coil are connected by one black wire. Reasoning suggests to me that since both went out at the same time, it's probably something shared. With my test light, I have found that when the key is on, all three wires to the coil are hot. Shouldn't one of the wires be a ground (probably the black one that goes to the fuel pump relay)?

I'm going to try a different relay and hopefully I fix this thing. I've had it for three weeks :(

Sat Jan 08, 2011 7:50 am

I had the exact same prbolem happen to me, believe it or not. Check your hall effect sensor on the distributor, if it is bad it will cause the fel pumps to not work correctly and actually make the engine not even spark, took me around 3 thousand dollars before i realized this was my problem, just check it out and see if that might be it.

Tue Apr 24, 2012 1:25 pm

I might be experiencing the same problem. mice ate up some of my wires and im trying to figure out what wire goes where. In the Sender Hall that plugs into the ditributer cap, how do the wires go?

My wires are Red, Green and Brown going from the front of the vehicle to the rear.