Hi .. my sons vw sharan was left into get the engine steamed cleaned ... when he went to pick it up it started as normal and then broke down ! .. i have tried all the usual drying out the leads , blowing air into all the electrical connections .. i have replaced the distributor cap as well as the rotor arm .. i have had the distributor out of the block and dried it out .. no difference ... i am getting a single spark at the plug as soon as i turn the key and then nothing when i crank the engine over ... is it possible that the immobiliser has came on ? how do i go about linking the key to the transponder / ecu ? ..can any of you tech guys out there help me out ? i forgot to mention it is a petrol 2.0 litre with manual gears ..

 

Well its not easy to diagnose none starting problems over the web.

There are basically three reasons why an engine won't ru.

1. Mechanical condition - as the timing belt broken? If you can remove the timing belt cover and get someone to crank it over to see if it turns ok. I'm not sure if you can see the camshaft if you remove the oil filler cap and crank it over.

2. Insuffient spark to ignite the fuel. You said you've replay the distributor cap and rotor so it must be a petrol engine. You also say you get a spark at the spark plug if you just turn the ignition on, you shouldn't do normally only when the engine cranks.

3. Insuffient in the injection system. If you turn the ignition on can you hear a buzzling sound coming from the fuel pump which could be in the fuel tank? You could crack off the main fuel pipe where it goes onto the fuel rail and see if there is any pressure in there.

If the immobilizer is active then the immobilizer light (car symbol with the key in it) should be on in the dash. If the immobilizer is on it should still run for 1-2 seconds then stop again.

You don't say what year this Sharan is?

I could suggest you find someone with VAG-COM\VCDS to do a system scan to see what error codes come back.

 

Thanks for the advice Keith ... it's a 1997 vw sharan and it's had more hits than Elvis m8 .. gotta feelin it's going to the big bone yard in the sky chum ... it's really not worth sorting he has had quite a few electrical issues with the sharan in the past and isn't prepared to spend any more money on it as it is becoming a financial black hole lol ...The big lad has discovererd the no. plate is worth a few quid and scrap is quite a good price at present so he is going to scrap , sell the plate and get the tax back on the car and call it quits ! ... i have already sourced him a Ford Galaxy 7 seater to run his many kids about in and he is happy with it .. once again thx for the advice ..