4muddyfeet

OK i'll disconnect the battery tonight and update tomorrow. Thanks.

I've measured again once upto temp and it recorded 286, so the new sensor works A OK. I have a good relationship with my parts place and I'm able to return whatever I don't need, so would it be worth picking up a new crank sensor and seeing if it solves anything? They're happy with same day returns as long as parts are clean, and the crank sensor has no chance of being damaged during install. I'll get a VAG-COM plugged in as soon as I'm able, I have Land Rover under restoration at the moment so it's taking a lot of my free time!

I've replaced the coolant temp sensor and the car starts much better now, but still won't start when the engine is warm. Is there a way to test the crank sensor?

Fantastic, thank you. Part ordered!

RicardoM, I got the car up to temp and measured 438 across the points. Is it worth measuring when cold as well, or should I just go ahead and replace the CTS?

I used the multimeter on the TPS and had constant readings from 1.04 (20k) with seemingly no dead spots. I will try again with a friend because sometimes you need three hands with a multimeter! I've also cleaned the MAF and it was oil/grime covered so that won't have helped.

OK, last week I checked the compression and compression in all cylinders is good! Next I pulled the throttle body and cleaned it up, changed the oil from the 5w30(!) that the PO had used to 10w40 semi, changed the spark plugs from the Bosch units to the NGKs, checked and cleaned all electrical connections to sensors, injectors and coil pack, pulled the injectors and cleaned them and checked o-rings. Put everything back together and whaddya know, no misfire and a much better return from revs. The throttle will still 'stick' occasionally at what I would estimate to be 1200-2000 rpms, but a quick blip on the throttle brings it down to normal idle again. I assume that perhaps a more thorough clean of the throttle body may fix this, either that or TPS? The 'hot start' issue still remains, as after switching of the engine after a good 20 minute test run, it immediately refused to start again. I think my next step will be to clean up the MAF sensor as the pipe below it looked a bit grim with dirt, and then... well, that's where I need some input please.

The Sealey tester comes well reviewed, and I have another petrol car that it'll be useful on. Buy one tool once etc etc.

I have some pics here of the strut mount damage, not sure whether you can see enough in them, my barn is pretty dark. Underneath the bed skin, there is a 6mm steel support which the strut seems to be attached to, and both of them are in fine condition bar surface rust. The bed that surround them on the other hand, that's in really poor order!

I've ordered a Sealey compression tester which is due for delivery tomorrow, so I'll get straight to it. Many thanks,

Please accept my apologies if my terminology, lack of knowledge about a vehicles ownership history, or Googling of an issue with a sight unseen vehicle prior to purchase has offended you. Is this not what I have done? I'm not even 48hrs into ownership and my first stop in finding out more information on the vehicles issues was creating this thread, which you have so kindly and fully replied to. I will take your advice and pop the car onto the trailer again and get it to a friend that does have VAG-COM, because yes you assumed correctly; I do not have VAG-COM.

Thanks for the recommendation. As I said, this is a project car - I don't have a compression tester, and if it's running and idling and driving fine, then that's enough for me to begin with. Before I went to view the car I was made aware of a problem with the engine - once warmed up, the engine will turn but refuse to fire. I Googled, and the issue seems quite prolific on the 1.3, and spreads to the 1.9D also. Considering some of the obscure (in the UK at least) vehicle problems I normally have to Google, anything that produces over three results is a common problem! I focussed on the Briskoda posts about the topic, and the fix that solved the most problems was replacing the crank sensor. After that replacing the lambda sensor (already replaced according to PO), or cleaning the throttle body worked for a small percentage of people too.

Hello all, I've been lurking around these parts without having much to say since I bought my '08 Octy last year (nothing goes wrong with it and any questions I have have usually been answered in a previous thread), but now I'm going to need your help because I've just picked up a pickup! A '98 1.3 Siemens MPI (68hp) LXi with 68,000 miles for the grand old sum of £240. She runs, albeit with a misfire and the common hot starting issue, and from the cab forward it's in immaculate condition saving a dent in the radiator grill - the wings, interior, bonnet, engine bay are just super clean. From cab backwards is a different matter, with a rotten bed and seam at the back near the rear crossmember(?), corroded rear quarter panels at the seam behind the b-pillars (something to do with the hard top), rusted out metal in the bed around the shock mounts (although the actual structural bits are absolutely fine, minor surface rust), and a hatch which crunches when I press on it's plastic cover and which is currently only operating on one hinge do to the other one falling through.... It's not in excellent condition, but this is going to be a my new project for when I complete my current vehicle this summer. Any hints and tips on bed/hatch/rearquarter repair will be appreciated hugely, and if anybody wants any bits I'm going to make a list of the stuff I don't want like the load liner etc. once I've decided exactly how I'm going to tackle the different areas. More detailed pics will be coming once I have the time, so I can ask stupid questions and get awesome answers, but first off the bat the hot start and misfire issue. The engine fires up and runs on what sounds like three cylinders, and will continue running until switched off - and then it wont start again for a good while. I am assuming that the crank sensor and spark plugs should be my first port of call. The PO apparently replaced the coil pack (not sure if new or scrappy, he didn't state), and the sparkies in there now are Bosch but look like they have huge gaps, whereas Haynes states I need Champions with 0.8mm gap. Also the crank sensor looks quite fresh, almost standing out against the rest of the lower electronics by being so black rather than being crud coloured. Is it still worth replacing with a new unit to eliminate it from the hot start issue? Thanks for any insight you can shed, and please ask whatever questions you want to.

Hi lads and lasses, On my CR170 (71k) I'm getting small, short but frequent losses (not complete) of power in gears 1, 2 and 3 at low speeds, happening at constant revs and during gentle acceleration. The engine also idles unsteadily at a standstill. This doesn't happen all of the time. I'm able to accelerate out of the issue. It seems to happen only at low revs, but can make the car lurch a little bit especially when trying to keep in at constant revs. Car is into the dealership tomorrow to get its air-con and the door button fixed under the 12 month warranty supplied when I bought it, and I was hoping someone could give some more insight on the issue in case they try to fob me off.

Plenty of tread, not far from new. They get mixed reviews all round. Good to hear that the problem was replicated in your car, at least it means my engine/sensors are probably ok!