On ‎22‎/‎01‎/‎2017 at 18:25, markb said:

 

1.It's got fuel in the tank, but I don't know if it's getting to the cylinder

2. Definitely sparking

3. Dunno yet. My compression tester won't fit down the 3 mile tube that connects the sparkplug to the rest of the world

 

I suppose I could squirt a bit of petrol down each plug hole, reinsert the plugs and crank it?

 Have you considered trying Bradex Easy Start in the air filter inlet while cranking the engine if a spark is available. It has to be used carefully, but has identified fuelling problems on numerous occasions.

Is it not actually time for a qualified & experienced VW Trained technician with all the gear and more than just an idea to check things over?

4 hours ago, Offski said:

Is it not actually time for a qualified & experienced VW Trained technician with all the gear and more than just an idea to check things over?

Maybe, but I'll exhaust the DIY diagnosis first. If the bores/pistons/rings are indeed knackered then it'll be me replacing the bottom end anyway.

 

5 hours ago, KeithCheetham said:

 Have you considered trying Bradex Easy Start in the air filter inlet while cranking the engine if a spark is available. It has to be used carefully, but has identified fuelling problems on numerous occasions.

Good idea. I'll give that a whirr. Cranking it didn't produce a petrol smell at the exhaust so definitely worth a shot.

Have you had a borescope in the cylinders, that would be an idea, but then it is turning over.

Do you know or not yet if it is inhibited by the immobiliser so not going to get fuel?

11 minutes ago, Offski said:

Have you had a borescope in the cylinders, that would be an idea, but then it is turning over.

Do you know or not yet if it is inhibited by the immobiliser so not going to get fuel?

The immobiliser question is precisely the one I have been trying to answer. Currently none seems to know. It sounds OK when cranking, so i'm sure it hasn't dropped a rod. However, it's possible the mains/big/littles are damaged, but I'm still surprised it doesn't start. So my current guess is rings welded to piston reducing compression (bad) or immobiliser has cut in to avoid (further!) catastrophic damage. I'll try the squirt in the air intake trick tomorrow and see what occurs.

Cheers

 

edit- i don't have a borescope

Edited 29 January, 20179 yr by markb

My current and previous guess is the fuel is cut due to the activation of a collision cut out.

Hmm. Is the fuel cut out quite sensitive? Daughter claims she has no knowledge of any incident. She's painfully honest so it would have to have been quite subtle for her to miss it. That said, she does play her toons loudly so running over, say, a spanner that popped up into the sump could have gone unnoticed?

my best guess is that its started to seize the camshaft and jumped a tooth on the belt (or chain if it has one), almost every engine we have had here that has run out of oil has suffered far more in the head than the crank or rings. my bet is on a cam position sensor implausible signal fault logged. 

scan it, then if nothing obvious there , compression test followed by timing check.

31 minutes ago, felicia16v said:

my best guess is that its started to seize the camshaft and jumped a tooth on the belt (or chain if it has one), almost every engine we have had here that has run out of oil has suffered far more in the head than the crank or rings. my bet is on a cam position sensor implausible signal fault logged. 

scan it, then if nothing obvious there , compression test followed by timing check.

That's excellent information. Many thanks.

I hope to have a fault scan this week and will post the results

Cheers

Mark

Right. Finally got an adaptor and checked compression. Nothing on offside cylinder, so it's a replacement engine.

Thanks to everyone that offered input and wish me luck as I brave the breakers yards on South London

21 hours ago, markb said:

Right. Finally got an adaptor and checked compression. Nothing on offside cylinder, so it's a replacement engine.

Thanks to everyone that offered input and wish me luck as I brave the breakers yards on South London

Interesting though that it wouldn't fire on the remaining cylinders, what were the compression pressures like on the remaining cylinders? - does the ECU on these engines have a complete shut-down (rather than going into limp mode) when it detects something like MarkBs daughter experienced? I once lost a piston on my Mk 2 Austin Cooper S, it blew the complete side of one piston right down through to the skirt, leaving the piston hanging on one side of the pin - the engine hydraulic-locked when cranked until I removed no 3 plug and I was able to drive about ten miles to a secure storage place. After a bit of a rebuild, I did get that engine running again!   

37 minutes ago, Warrior193 said:

Interesting though that it wouldn't fire on the remaining cylinders, what were the compression pressures like on the remaining cylinders? - does the ECU on these engines have a complete shut-down (rather than going into limp mode) when it detects something like MarkBs daughter experienced? I once lost a piston on my Mk 2 Austin Cooper S, it blew the complete side of one piston right down through to the skirt, leaving the piston hanging on one side of the pin - the engine hydraulic-locked when cranked until I removed no 3 plug and I was able to drive about ten miles to a secure storage place. After a bit of a rebuild, I did get that engine running again!   

Yes, I was surprised it didn't fire, but I think there may have been more damage that affected the camshaft/timing. Anyway, for me it's out with the spanners and hoist. I may be some time...

 

5 hours ago, markb said:

Yes, I was surprised it didn't fire, but I think there may have been more damage that affected the camshaft/timing. Anyway, for me it's out with the spanners and hoist. I may be some time...

 

Good luck and happy hunting. Would appreciate an update when you find out what happened inside.