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Hope you wonderful people can help before the scrap heap beckons!

I’ve recently been having problems with the ignition on my 1988 Polo C (1.05)…
The engine keeps cutting out, and will not re-start… please help me!

A couple of months ago the car started not pulling and stalling at lights when cold (choke fine, idle speed set as normal).

Then a week later, the car engine gave out completely when on the motorway, but re-started first time when on hard shoulder!

A couple of weeks later it gave out again but wouldn’t re-start until the next day.

This has been happening regularly ever since!

When it won’t start, there is no HT spark from the coil, so I changed that for a brand new one… that didn’t help.

I also changed the TCI unit for one from a breaker, this fixed the problem for a while, but it is now happening again!


Does anybody have any idea why this is? I’d be really grateful for any input!

I’m considering buying a new TCI unit from the dealer but it’s £120 (or £50 from eorocarparts) and special order so I’m hesitant unless I’m sure it’ll fix it! I can go into more detail if required!


Thanks!!

Matt

Tried new HT leads?
Something like this happened to me yesterday. Driving along normally and then lost power completely, car wouldn't start again.. turned out my coil HT lead had actually fallen off Don't think I fitted that one properly

Might also be worth checking the low voltage wiring to the coil, thinking about it - it's not going to make much of a spark with no volts to do so with

Thanks for the reply!

good idea... but i've already tried that. new set of ht's when it first died. the coil seems to have normal voltage to it too!

it i did it again today, tried my old TCI unit in it and it worked... i'm thinking it's almost cerainly that, but why it keeps blowing them i don't know! ... i've just found a section in the haynes manual that tells you how to test it... that'll be a job for tomorrow.

if it means anything, when it's not starting, there is a good spark comes from the coil when you turn the ignition off, but not when it's cranking over.

Weak battery, dodgy alternator that's not charging it right, earth leak?

Those are all the things i can think about that might give some of those results (and conveniently ignoring the ones i can't explain )

eg spluttering out on the motorway - running at high speeds for a while when either alternator isn't suppling enough current or battery is too far gone to accept it, lots of sparks needing to be created, not all of them can be supplied...

no sparks when cranking over - not enough power in battery both to turn engine and to charge coil up enough to spark. (that's sometimes a pain with mine... if i leave the lights on... there's enough oomph to spin the motor round 4 or 5 times, but nothing in reserve to make sparks or run the fuel pump/injector simultaneously. have to realise it, disconnect the battery for a good few minutes to let the voltage rebound, then bump-start.. and even that rarely works if i've cranked too long)

(um?)

Ok,

I found a section in the appendix on the haynes manual that tells you how to test the ignition system... all seems to be working except the manual says the voltages should be 2v or more... mine's 6.5v, don't know whether that's important... could explain why it's blowing control units?!?

Does anybody know what the resistances on the coil are meant to be? ... just so as i can make sure that's not the problem!

I've ordered a new TCI unit from german and sweedish so we'll see if that helps!

Thanks.