Car guys, I need your help!

[dwalker460]

1- Fuel injector cleaner is a good idea
2- I doubt you can gap the OEM plugs, they are likely multi-electrode type plugs, also you cant really clean modern spark plugs like you could in the good ole days
3- There are no plug wires, the VW products use COP (coil-on-plug) systems and these coils are known troublemakers.
4- Yeap, the battery not cranking enough is always an issue, also, in modern cars the battery can have enough juice to crank, but not enough to actually start the car. The motor will turn over, but the ECU does not see over X volts (usually 9 but it varies) the car will not start.

If it were me (and what to I know) I would-

Check the battery, and its ok to take it to an auto parts store for this, but even if they say its ok there can be other issues, such as corrosion on the terminals etc. One thing about living in an arid region like Denver is the battery life tends to be shorter because the water in the batteries evaporate at a higher rate, and most people dont remember back in the ole days when you had to heck the water in batteries...

Next I would put in new plugs.No use in checking them or whatever, its been flooded so replace the plugs. Use only NGK. You can use Bosch, but Bosch plugs are pretty much junk so use NGK.

Stuck injectors are a possibility, but you have no idea how bad it has to be to actually flood a modern car bad enough that it wont start. Still, it will not hurt to run a tank full of treated fuel through it. Also, use REGULAR. Regular fuel is much more volatile than premium and ignites easier. The entire reason for using higher octane (premium) fuel is to slow down the burn rate, which we are not concerned with here. Try and use fuel from a trusted source. Water in the fuel can be a bastard.

ASSuming that there is still an issue after this, STOP and take it to someone who knows what they are doing, because you may be looking at a component failure. Chris (tmleader03) is a good guy, and I may have time to help you out myself depending on timing. Whatever you do I would recommend being careful as VW's are cars a lot of people claim expertise in but those are the people who spend more time replacing things because they are guessing than properly diagnosing and fixing the issue.

If you want to run anything by me or get some input, all my contact info is at grid-1.net

[Ronin13]

1- Fuel injector cleaner is a good idea
2- I doubt you can gap the OEM plugs, they are likely multi-electrode type plugs, also you cant really clean modern spark plugs like you could in the good ole days
3- There are no plug wires, the VW products use COP (coil-on-plug) systems and these coils are known troublemakers.
4- Yeap, the battery not cranking enough is always an issue, also, in modern cars the battery can have enough juice to crank, but not enough to actually start the car. The motor will turn over, but the ECU does not see over X volts (usually 9 but it varies) the car will not start.

If it were me (and what to I know) I would-

Check the battery, and its ok to take it to an auto parts store for this, but even if they say its ok there can be other issues, such as corrosion on the terminals etc. One thing about living in an arid region like Denver is the battery life tends to be shorter because the water in the batteries evaporate at a higher rate, and most people dont remember back in the ole days when you had to heck the water in batteries...

Next I would put in new plugs.No use in checking them or whatever, its been flooded so replace the plugs. Use only NGK. You can use Bosch, but Bosch plugs are pretty much junk so use NGK.

Stuck injectors are a possibility, but you have no idea how bad it has to be to actually flood a modern car bad enough that it wont start. Still, it will not hurt to run a tank full of treated fuel through it. Also, use REGULAR. Regular fuel is much more volatile than premium and ignites easier. The entire reason for using higher octane (premium) fuel is to slow down the burn rate, which we are not concerned with here. Try and use fuel from a trusted source. Water in the fuel can be a bastard.

ASSuming that there is still an issue after this, STOP and take it to someone who knows what they are doing, because you may be looking at a component failure. Chris (tmleader03) is a good guy, and I may have time to help you out myself depending on timing. Whatever you do I would recommend being careful as VW's are cars a lot of people claim expertise in but those are the people who spend more time replacing things because they are guessing than properly diagnosing and fixing the issue.

If you want to run anything by me or get some input, all my contact info is at grid-1.net

Thanks for that- I'll do just this and see, if we can't get it working with what you suggested, I'll see if she's open to having Chris or you take a gander and what not. I do not plan on doing any injector work myself as I'm not knowledgeable enough for that- I can change plugs, alternators, batteries (duh) oil, and some other this and that type of stuff, but nothing too serious. Does CarQuest sell NGK plugs? My buddy owns the CarQuest shop up here in Evergreen and we pretty much exclusively buy our automotive stuff from him. Thanks again and I hope I won't need you or Chris to take a look at it.

[loudbay]

injectors / injector o-rings / weak spark due to plugs or low voltage / weak fuel pressure / something as simple as the water temp sender could be spraying more fuel than necessary too.

Any codes?

[DD977GM2]

Get a hold of tmldr03 he is a master mechanic in German vehicles

[Danimal]

1- Fuel injector cleaner is a good idea
2- I doubt you can gap the OEM plugs, they are likely multi-electrode type plugs, also you cant really clean modern spark plugs like you could in the good ole days
3- There are no plug wires, the VW products use COP (coil-on-plug) systems and these coils are known troublemakers.
4- Yeap, the battery not cranking enough is always an issue, also, in modern cars the battery can have enough juice to crank, but not enough to actually start the car. The motor will turn over, but the ECU does not see over X volts (usually 9 but it varies) the car will not start.

Yes the plugs can be re-gapped if they are not the bosh plugs, and the iridium spark plugs could be lightly brushed up and gapped. I think that they came stock with NGK according to some quick research I did. If they are the stock plugs they are probably due for changing anyway. If they have less than 60k on the plugs I would say clean them up and try to save the $20 if you can. But that is just me.

If it were me (and what to I know) I would-

Next I would put in new plugs.No use in checking them or whatever, its been flooded so replace the plugs. Use only NGK. You can use Bosch, but Bosch plugs are pretty much junk so use NGK.

NGK are the best.

Stuck injectors are a possibility, but you have no idea how bad it has to be to actually flood a modern car bad enough that it wont start. Still, it will not hurt to run a tank full of treated fuel through it. Also, use REGULAR. Regular fuel is much more volatile than premium and ignites easier. The entire reason for using higher octane (premium) fuel is to slow down the burn rate, which we are not concerned with here. Try and use fuel from a trusted source. Water in the fuel can be a bastard.

I took this as more of a been cranking on it for a while kind of thing, mostly because the battery died. If that is the case a smaller leak would do it. Premium fuel does in fact burn slower, but it also burns hotter and a spark is just as likely to start either under the same situation because they have the same flashpoint. The main reason to use premium fuel for this application is because fuel injector cleaner is just octane booster. You will get more bang for your buck out of the fuel injector cleaner and it will do a better job cleaning out your fuel system.

[tmleadr03]

There are 12 possible engines for this year. VW was insane, too many engines all just different enough that you can't order parts easily. Honest to god the easiest way is to just pull the part off and read the part number stamped on it to VW.

Many things are going to be common between them all, but the different L engines have issue just for themselves. Knowing the engine code will help at some point I bet. You find that on the cylinder head.

Lets stick to basics. Does it have a check engine light on? If yes, start there before anything else. Trust me it will save you money that way.


Do you have another key for it? If you don't have a check engine light on change keys out and see if it does it on the other key. It honestly sounds like the immobilizer is messing up. When the car does not recognize the key it will shut off spark. Not always fuel. So you think it is flooding because the fuel isn't being burnt but the injectors are firing. This would be my bet. Of course free advice is worth what you pay for it. You want a real opinion call my number(during working hours, I don't answer the phone after hours) or email me to have a look at it. I am free Monday afternoon or Tuesday next week for now unless someone jumps on my schedule before you contact me.

Good luck! Probably could use some plugs anyways.

[SideShow Bob]

On the subject of the car's computer not recognizing the key, when was the last time the battery in the key fob replaced ? A weak or almost dead fob battery could cause this too.

[tmleadr03]

On the subject of the car's computer not recognizing the key, when was the last time the battery in the key fob replaced ? A weak or almost dead fob battery could cause this too.

Good point.