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Car shuts off while driving, push in clutch, car back to life
95 vw cabriolet started bogging down, thought I had another speed sensor problem, noticed rpm was not dropping down, engine speed seemed fine, thought possible transmission problem. Now the craziest part, when driving the entire car just shuts down, no instrument panel lights, engine stops, I instinctively push in the clutch car comes back to life. Runs a few feet and it happens again, this is mainly when I am driving up my bumpy hill. I must hold the clutch just at engage point and burn the tires off to keep car running enough to get up drive way.
Over 7 years I have replaced, speed sensor, gaskets, plugs and wires,distrib. button, timing belt, filters, boot covers, etc. Thought I had all the bugs worked out. HOPE YOU CAN HELP!
Re: car shuts off while driving, push in clutch, car back...
That sounds like wiring or connection issue. I would firstly try getting a wiring schematic of the vehicles loom then find all the earth points and start by cleaning those and making sure there is clean and secure earth connections
Sounds to me like not all valves are fully closed at ignition stroke
try putting some Redex through the fuel system in case it is a carbon build up at inlet/exuaust valves which wont allow them to close properly. Sniff exaust gasses for smell of unburnt fuel.redex will also clear dirty injectors which could be another source of the problem.
this failing to solve it after a week or 2 get yor engine timing checked by a garage
It could be. The car seems to be flooding its self as though you are driving on the choke all the time. Replace the air filter if dirty and clean all the breather pipes. Also check the accelerator cable is not snagged and is adjusted correctly.
I had the same symptoms and found I had suffered from turbo failure and the final cost at the dealer was $3500, last VW I will ever own. I hope this isn't your trouble too, good luck
o2 sensors will put your check-engine-light on. it is attached to the exhaust (closest to the motor)and rusts-out sometimes. you could try to fix it by buying the o2 sensor and use a socket-set to see if it loosens. i 'm not a mechanic but have had the issue, in the past, with the jetta II's and a 1997.the guys at vw dealers are great with info, if your a hands-on kinda guy/girl. mike420
The oil in the spark plug may cause the car to run sluggish. The oil may prevent the spark plug from firing correctly or cause you to burn oil. You may want to replace the oil seals around the spark plug holes by removing the valve cover and you should be able to change the oil seals underneath the cover. While at it check the engine for loose wire connections and loose vacuum hoses.
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At that point, I think the best thing to do would be having the carburetor taken off, take it apart, put it in some gunk remover (Carburetor Cleaner sold in 1 gallon barrels), then wirebrush it all out, make sure all the jets are clean, buy a carburetor repair kit, and put it all back together with new seals. At how old your car is, it would probably be best for it. On the cheap side, all that needs to be done is having the carburetor's throttle accelerator pump fixed (Squirter). A shop should be able to do all this, but it's not hard, either.
it is kind of beyond belief that someone could replace the entire clutch and yet be unaware that the actuator, be it hydraulic or mechanical, is not working. That is like saying you replaced the head but did not notice there were no pistons in the engine. The shifter fork sticks out the side of the bell housing and connects to the actuator.
You need to take it back to the person who did the clutch and inquire as to how he managed to miss the totally obvious. Having to get the vehicle towed back to your home after getting a new clutch installed would be a clue that something was awry with the clutch install.
I'm far from an expert but I am also the owner of an '89 Cabriolet that had a similar problem. My Mech played with the oxygen sensor setting and then we ran a bottle of STP Injector Cleaner + full tank of Shell Gas through it and now the RPM's don't drop when downshifting or stopped at a light.
I would start with a tune up. ( plugs , wires fuel filter)
Then if this does not work , I would have the fuel pump check and the Idle air control checked.
IF there is a check engine light coming on , The throttle position sensor is most likely the cause
of failure . The throttle position sensor is part of the throttle body .
The throttle body is a very expensive repair.
Some time you can get away with a good cleaning of the throttle body.
That would be your Ignition switch my friend, happens to most the vw's within their 200k mile life span. if you turn the key and it doesn't start, try (as you have the key engaged to start the engine) lightly leaning the key up, down, left, right, sideways, which ever way possible, or even pushing the key its self into the ignition as far as it will go, if its the ignition switch, the car will most likely start. Now, for saftey reasons i will tell you not to drive the car once you do get it started, for the only problem i had with doing that was as i was driving down the road, the started engaged when ever i would push the clutch in, so i had to resort to "speed shifting", and something like that could lead to an accident. if you bring it to a local repair shop it shouldnt cost you more the $100 to fix.
with driving with the check engine light flashing u may have done damage too the catiltic converter check that when u reve the engine there is alot of exhaust flow it should push your hand from the tail pipe (be carefull exhaust will be hot)
It would be helpful if u could list the codes you can buy a code reader from any automotive parts store relitvly cheap
Possibly a clogged catalytic converter. Even if it is clogged it can be irratic. I had a muffler shop check it by cutting a hole before it with a torch, changed it out and i was good to go.
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