Help! Car starts but shuts itself off.
#1
Help! Car starts but shuts itself off.
I installed a boost gauge today and noticed the hose form the intake manifold to the diverter valve was burned and full of holes so i replaced it. Unfortanatly when i took the hose off the dv the nipple broke off. I cant get another dv right away cuz of the holdiays so i got a fitting that i could screw into the dv to replace the nipple. I used thread tape and ran glue all the way around it to make sure it didnt leak. After i hooked everything up to the boost gauge i started the car and it shut itself off after about 2 or 3 seconds. When it is running vacum reads normal and boost seems to be normal too. If your rev the car up it will stay running a little longer but eventualy shuts itself off. I did unhook the battery to run the wires to the light on the gauge. I do not have the code to put back in the radio so now that says its in safe mode. Could this be realated to why my car wont stay running? What else should i look into? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
#2
RE: Help! Car starts but shuts itself off.
Your problem sounds kind of extreme, so I'm not sure if this is going to fix it, but did you do a throttle-body alignment? It's a good idea after you disconnect the battery. If your car is shutting down completely I don't think that the TBA will fix it, but it certainly can't hurt. Do that and see if it helps you at all.
#3
RE: Help! Car starts but shuts itself off.
I just saw that this was your first post, so here's the deal - a throttle body adjustment is about as easy a technique as you can have. Put the key in the ignition, and turn it on to the position that supplies full electrical power, right before you'd crank the engine. If you pop your hood first, you'll be able to hear a humming/whining sound from the throttle body, which is at the back center of the engine, near the top. It can be finished in a few seconds, or could take a minute or so. When the sound stops, the TBA is done - close the hood and fire up the engine and see what happens.
#5
RE: Help! Car starts but shuts itself off.
It makes sense that it would be the DV, since that's what he was working on and had to rig up. Check with the guys in the classifieds section who are parting cars out and see how much they'd ask for one - you may find it to be pretty reasonable, especially since OEM DVs probably don't fetch much - most would upgrade, which could make your salvage search cheaper. I doubt too many people with OEM DVs for sale are holding out for a big price on them.
#7
RE: Help! Car starts but shuts itself off.
Thanks guys. Im going to try the tb alignment this afternoon. I just found a guy whos parting out b5 1.8t parts so im trying to see if i can get a dv from him. Might just go aftermarket though but id have to wait for that. Hopefully that wil fix it. What do i have to do about geting the radio to work again since i dont have the code for it?
#8
RE: Help! Car starts but shuts itself off.
Take the car to a dealership and bring your title and registration with you. If you use those documents and your driver's license to prove you're the owner, they can give you the code.
#9
RE: Help! Car starts but shuts itself off.
Got it workin. Turns out the next day whenwe went to work on it again in the daylight we forgot to hook the main tube to the airbox which was causing the car to shut off.[sm=headbang.gif] It was dark out, thats my excuse... Oh well easy fix. Got the code for the raidio too. Thanks for the help.