Good morning all. this morning i tried to start the car to go for my mother and sister from the airport. I got in, turned the key, and the engine cranked, but didnt start. After about 4 attempts, the car started, but it was idling at about 250-500 rpm, and there was alot of black smoke coming from the tail pipe:(. When i hit the gas pedal, the car just shut down. I tried again and the same thing happened. I called a friend of mine and was informed that the coolant temp sensor was probably stuck in the position it was in when i last drove the car and i would have to bypass it. I did so by flooring the throttle while trying to start the car. It started and i was advised to rev it till the smoke cleared. Can someone confirm that it may be the coolant temp sensor? Also, this weekend, I went to a friend's house and about 10-15 mins later i had to leave for sumthing. The car refused to start, and there was a strong petrol smell coming from somewhere on the car. it finally started after about 10 minutes. Can someone please advise me.

The car is a 2004 octy ambiente estate. 1.6 engine code AEH gasoline engine

Thanks for any replies

Get a full fault code scan of the car and report back, pasting it in. We can then help you.

If you want to chance a coolant sensor, a kit with a pattern sensor, clip and 'o' ring is £10 on ebay. Release pressure from expansion tank then put cap back on - change when cold, top up afterwards, careful with the clip it's plastic.

Greg.

thanks, will try to get the faults read. btw,is there anyone in barbados who has a vagcom? to have the codes read will cost me about $200 or 50 pounds, which is abit pricey now

Almost certainly the coolant temp sensor... had same problem on mine... £26 roughly from VW

A thirder for the CTS

It alters the fuelling , so it can think that the engine is cold , when warm and can overfuel you see

Sarah

thank you all for your useful posts. i am now seeing about getting the parts, luckily i have ETKA so i should be getting the correct part numbers for the things and they should be sorted soon. Cheers all.

CTS down, exhaust system, door electrics, shocks, metal undertray, strange engine noises, unusual gearbox shifting to go. Have a very merry christmas to all.

almost certainly CTS, and almost equally as certain it won't be logging an associated fault code, as the sensor is quite likely still "in range" , just miles away from where it should be