Since I will be using this for a 1995 car, is this cable okay for me? Will it be able to clear codes and read live data?

Also, the cables have to be the same version as the software?

I have found a VAG12.12 cable albeit a bit more expensive.

If I can get better codes and clear them more easily, then I'd invest in it. But if 409.1 is sufficient for my car, then I can get a hold of one tomorrow.

 

Thanks!

The 409.1 will read your codes and live data 

Okay, so, huuuge update.

Cable out, laptop out, VCDS on.

Found fault codes same as before, with a difference. The hall sensor code goes away when the engine is running.

Now it states that I have a problem with the actuator and its idle switch.

I still get violent cut-outs every now and then, but could this be the actuator making a mistake?

The codes are:

00282 - 27-00

00515 - 03-00 (goes away after starting engine)

00516 - 30-10 Intermittent

00525 - Lambda sensor (none present)

 

I have a spare actuator, will try replacing it, but what about the MPG?

Could the missing sensor be the cause? Could the injector be somehow faulty?

 

I get live data from the engine, RPM, ignition, temperatures (intake and coolant), injection (timing?) but none of it is off the charts (to me). The lambda signal is fixed at 1.00, is that too lean or too rich?

 

I still do not have automatic choke during startups, hard to start cold grrr.

 

Thank you in advance!

Okay, so the strangest thing happened 30 minutes ago. After a roundabout, in 2nd gear, the car started to judder, only pulling when at half throttle, anything less and it would start slowing down.

 

I depress the clutch and release it again and it continues as if nothing happened.

Refitting a lambda sensor will help. 

When the ECU does an off the charts access that is like a software bug. It may not even be able to record snapshot values when fault occurred and it could recover by warm reboot (because the watchdog timer is not reset by normal control loop).

All inside the software code of the ECU. That's my theory from looking at Megasquirt as an example injection controller. I am a carbs fan myself.

 

Nearly stalling could be vacuum leaks at inlet manifold, or could be electrical.

Any pipes that can flex and are split?

Are all the earth connections good?

 

Would it be simpler if I just get a carb and replace the whole SPI unit? If so, what kind would be best since I still can't believe that my tiny 1.4 can go through 18 litres of fuel in 130kilometers. It is colder, but I have no choke (so the mixture is leaner anyway?).

 

I don't see a vacuum line anywhere around the dizzy, so I am guessing the advance is digitally augmented somehow.

When I was looking at live readings, a block appeared saying #°TDC rising as I gave it throttle, is this the advance?

 

Could I just adapt my intake manifold and attach a carb to it to lessen the consumption? It is insane right now!

 

The car does not smell of petrol, it smells somewhat under the bonnet but that's it.

As it stands, I am definitely replacing the distributor (with the hall sensor), and either welding a lambda sensor in and connecting it or replacing the SPI unit with some sort of carburettor.

 

Last winter the cunsumption was about 12 liters/100km and during summer it drops to 8 (which I can afford) but Holy God 18 is too much. 

Could I get near 12 with a carb?

Okay, update.

Checked all hoses in engine bay, everything extremely dry and dusty.

I am guessing either a leak around the gas tank OR no leak at all and the engine is managing to swallow gallons of fuel lol.

Now to the no choke part, here is a video. 

 

 

First, the actuator didn't move at all, but unplugging it just raises the RPM somehow.

Second, if I plug the old actuator and short the idle switch to negative the engine goes back to regular idle, and the actuator moves.

Third, is that amount air supposed to blow from the PCV pipe?

Fourth, there is a petrol mist coming from the manifold when the engine is off and I open the TB, is this normal?

 

VCDS says that the idle switch is shorted to plus and that the actuator gives an implausible signal.

With the old actuator it is just implausible signal, and the switch works.

The thing is the redlining happens with the old one, but happened once with the new one and it broke.

Maybe I need to chase down a brand new one with a good return signal?

There are 4 pins, I am guessing positive, negative, and return signal, but what is the fourth pin?

 

OMG I love VCDS Lite for this, made the exploration so simpler.

 

 

Edited 19 March, 20188 yr by Vedad1944

18 l/100km!

Where's the petrol going? Could it be getting past piston rings into oil?

A taxi is cheaper.

Other economical drivers report average 7.5.https://www.spritmonitor.de/de/uebersicht/50-Volkswagen/452-Golf.html?exactmodel=abd&powerunit=2

 

 

Sorry, I don't know enough about injection to answer your questions.

 

Carbs.

https://danstengineering.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=59_78_128&product_id=801

claims good fuel economy. It is a lot to buy (10x a lambda ) and STILL needs other bits.

Maybe this manifold plate would fit an ABD if you are good at welding and can find other parts second hand.

. https://danstengineering.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=248

And can do the tuning and be without car while getting it to work.

 

If that plate does fit ABD, then a 1.3 polo inlet manifold and Weber DMTL and mk2 Golf ignition could give 7 to 8 l/100km.

Edited 19 March, 20188 yr by dvderlm

13 hours ago, Vedad1944 said:

It is colder, but I have no choke (so the mixture is leaner anyway?).

I thought injection engines in theory just increased the injector duty cycle to make mixture richer when cold in warm up phase and before lambda sensor warmed by its heater circuit. Unburnt fuel droplets when cold would make no difference to oxygen

content of exhaust so lambda not much help during warm up, just temp sensors and mass air flow.

 

Okay so, a carburettor would be better, is that amount of air supposed to come out of the PCV valve?

 

If the rings are shot, then there is no sense in me keeping the car any more.

The oil does not have any fragments in it, nor does it get too thin, it is as thick as it came in an oil change ago.

 

I should note that the car is only exposed to city driving.

Wow I guess I got lucky today!

I unplugged the actuator, erased the code and reconnected it, and tightened the throttle cable a bit.

Started right away with choke and after a minute or so went back to regular idle.

 

It used to always start with choke no matter hot or cold (before rev crazy), now when the engine is warm it starts with no choke, and when it sat for about 4 hrs and cooled down, next start choke for about 1 minute!

 

So it became drivable in the cold mornings now lol, just need to check my fuel lines next time the car is on the lift.

Edited 20 March, 20188 yr by Vedad1944

Good to hear positives. Let's hope it lasts.

 

Yes city driving is not as good for economy as empty roads. But not as bad as 14l/100km (for 18 litres in 130km)

 

PCV tube. I suppose the pistons are moving 1.4 litres of air back and forth  in the crank case below the pistons  every revolution. 

1.4 x 1000rpm = 1400 litres per minute = 23 litres per second, some of which comes out.

 

Thick oil does not sound like it is getting petrol.

 

Okay so, not an april fools joke, but I re-did my entire exhaust system and welded a plug for the lambda probe.

Does not sound "farty" anymore, and there is definitely a lot less noise in the cabin. It does have an occasional hiccup during idle (can be barely heard in the video) and the exhaust now definitely has a petrol smell to it.

 

As far as the Lambda probe goes, the thing is, the plug of the old probe is rectangular, while this one was rounded rectangular. So I spliced together the new plug and connected it, i was careful to connect the heating element in it to positive and negative (the element had a resistance of 3.6 ohms)

Then, there were the other two wires, one was white (which the original plug had) and the other was black (the original being yellow). Now, I had a black wire, but a quick test was that it's just a ground wire, so white-white yellow-black it is.

The other two wires gave off 14V so I knew this was for the heating element.

Result:

What the hell?!

I removed the code, and still nothing from the lambda sensor.

Bugger, is the sensor now broken or did I wire it incorrectly?

 

Thank you everyone!

One step forwards and no April fool indeed.

 

What was the code?

"Implausible signal"

 

Do 4-wire lambda sensors work differently ? Just a guess.

Is ignition timing right?

I saw it change, but I don't know the base spec. If it smells of fuel at exhaust it is not burning in engine. Hence no soot on plugs but fuel gargling economy.

 

 

 

 

VCDS said No signal - Intermittent but that was from before. I will wait a few days and then scan it again to see what it says, if it states an implausible signal I might have reversed the sinal polarity.

The probe sat in the parts car for 4 years before I installed it, so cold temperatures and moisture might have killed it too. I read somewhere the resistance should be 4 to 6 ohms and it was lower than that...

 

I had it go for a tune up a while back, when the engine was under high load (3rd gear uphill) it would make this mechanical knocking noise, like the old 1.6 diesel. It didn't sound natural at all. The mechanic did something to the back of the SPI unit with an Allen key and then moved my distributor clockwise.

The knocking went away but over 3000rpm the engine would jerk intermittently.

He moved it counterclockwise half way and the growling and stuttering stopped.

 

Now, I am afraid to move the distributor since I have no clue what movement defines what, and what is a 'default' position. I could mark it and then experiment with it, but the hall sensor is causing a spark problem. I still haven't found a replacement for that.

 

So what you are saying is that I haven't got a fuelling problem, but a timing problem?

Not totally sure. The symptoms say fuel is vanishing. You now smell it at tail pipe.

4 gas analyzer high HC reading would confirm that it is ignition timing issue.

But the little pops sound very like lean misfires with carb. 

Maybe it is squirting large bursts less often, rather than frequent small bursts.

That might be SPI behaviour, I guess, but getting timing right is vital for best efficiency.

 

Yes, don't move the distributor without making a pen or scribe mark to realign it back to current, as you can only accurately adjust with timing light. Get the lambda working and fuel trim (and ignition advance? ) should be much better.

 

On single cam VW engines I know distributor clockwise for more advance, anticlockwise for less advance.

Or opposite natural rotation of the rotor arm for more advance. Movement is tiny: approx 1mm at edge is 2.5 degrees.

Edited 2 April, 20188 yr by dvderlm

Okay, so I reversed the polarity on the probe and still nothing. I take a multimeter to it and there is a signal, about 0.02 or 0.03 volts. I am guessing it's dead.

Well it was worth the shot, now I have a bung where I can screw in a Bosch universal one or whatever I can get my hands on...

Now that it's warmer, the timing on idle wont stay at 4°BTDC, it is at 1 now, and just feathering the throttle moves it up. The car still sometimes attempts to stall but depressing the clutch and a few revs gets rid of it for a while.

Damn, I didn't know that you can't find a good condition used distributor for these things.

 

Also, I can't find anyone with a timing light! Like, a legit big company garage and they don't have a timing light :/

 

I guess I could try and make one myself or order one online. I will see if Haynes has something about the timing of this engine.

IN THE NAME OF SERVER SPACE, I continue writing to this thread!

 

I ordered a brand new Trisco timing light. Tested it out, works great, now I am still waiting for a replacement distributor, and when it arrives and gets set up properly, I am going to hopefully not have to touch the ignition for a long time.

 

This thread should get renamed, since I am basically asking about everything that starts bothering me and my 23 y/o car.

 

Anyway, it started losing coolant again, this time on the main cooling 'branch', one of the hoses started slowly dripping and I have to get that sorted.

 

The rear shocks and springs are getting replaced since the car got lower and started banging the speed bumps all around town (it was just a matter of time).

I will have to choose between Monroe or KYB, what do you think is better?

 

I have also noticed that the car starts stalling during cold mornings, slowly losing revs 850-700-600-500-400-300 and then stalls, unless I keep my foot on the throttle, the thing is it was happening even when I had my automatic choke (broken now), dropping all the way from 1100 rpm. 

After maybe 5 or 6 minutes of driving it it goes fine. It stalls even faster when I have the heater on or the wipers going.

Now, every time I start it I have to rev it past 2k revs to get the alternator going and when it does, it gives close to 14 volts but it still likes to stall...

 

Yep, every time you sit down in this car it is an adventure with many sounds, sights, and frights. Thank God VW parts are plentiful.

Edited 21 April, 20188 yr by Vedad1944

Always exciting then. Does the timing light have an advance control, so you can see what current distributor is doing without changing anything?

 

We have project "build threads" that work for diary of disasters (and small triumphs) that an old car sometimes forces --- until you have replaced everything but the number-plate.

 

 

Not heard of KYB.

 

For the stalling worse with heater fan and wiper, perhaps the alternator brushes are worn... battery drops voltage from starting, takes several minutes to fully recharge, so sparks not as good during that time? 

New regulator and brush pack in alternator is easy fix usually.

So be it then, build threads here I come!