2002 Golf Died While Driving!

BruhahaX

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2002
Location
KS
TDI
2014 JSW
...as the title states....

Here is the rundown:

Outside temps around 10 Deg F all day and lower in morning when I woke.

515 am: wake up and drive 45 mins to work
starts fine, no issues

600 am - 300 pm: leave car in weather entire day
starts fine at 300pm, no issues

310 pm: driving home, car was cruising at 70mph when it died
engine rpms fluctuate up and down, varying from 1000 rpm to 2000 rpm for about 3 seconds until engine death, I coast safely to a stop on the shoulder. no start, engine will turn over but not catch, tried more than a few times.

had been snowing, no moisture in the airbox though.

7/8ths of a tank of fuel. been cold recently, today was probably the coldest. forgot to put in anti-gel (thats probably the problem:mad:) after last refill. ran a day to work and back on this tank fuel prior to incident.

got towed to a friends house, going back on saturday with hair dryer and anti-gel, temps supposed to by around 34 Deg F.

car has larger holes, smart box and race pipe (none of which have created any problems in the past)

Anybody think it could be something else besides fuel gel? I feel pretty stupid right now, its probably fuel gel.
 

n1das

TDIClub Enthusiast, Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2002
Location
Nashua, NH, USA
TDI
2014 BMW 535xd ///M-Sport, 2012 BMW X5 Xdrive35d, former 3x TDI owner
What version fuel sender do you have? "H" revision level is cold weather version for Canada. Check the clear fuel line from the fuel filter to the injector pump. It it full of fuel or air?

"C" and "D" fuel sender versions have a check valve that tends to get plugged up with ice crystals if you've got some water in the fuel. The H version doesn't have the check valve, or has a different and less restrictive valve. Any fuel sender version earlier than a rev H sender should be considered suspect.

You may actually have icing instead of gelling. The symptoms are the same (engine dies). The check valve in the fuel gauge sender in the tank is often the first victim when things start to ice up due to water in the fuel. It's happened to a number of TDIclub members and it's also happened at temps cold enough for icing but too warm for gelling (that's how we found it!).

Here's the main thread on this subject:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=68872

Edit: Also check this thread:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=98600

Your location in your profile says you're in KS. You may not have winterized fuel in your area, so it could be gelled fuel.

Good luck.
 
Last edited:

MOGolf

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 27, 2001
Location
underneath something
TDI
2001 Golf GLS TDI Reflex silver, rough road suspension and steel skid plate, 2004 Passat Variant, Candy White, rough road suspension and geared balanced shaft module, and much, much more. 2016 LR RR HSE TD6, 2019 Jaguar I-PACE
So where have you been buying the fuel that they would not have treated fuel?

Did the fuel line to the pump go empty?

Hair dryer? Your car grown hair since I last saw it? If the temps get up to 34F you won't be needing it.

Take a mity-vac and see if you can draw fuel up from the tank to the filter (like I do for a filter change). Take a 17mm wrench as you may have to bleed the injector lines. Take VAG-COM (or equivalent) and look for fault codes.
 

BruhahaX

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2002
Location
KS
TDI
2014 JSW
saw the fuel sender thread, im checking that out when I get there too

Not sure if the lines to the pump are dry, I was going to fill the fuel filter with additive when i try to restart it.

I have been buying fuel from Valero, and they "claim" to have a winterized formula of diesel fuel....

dont have a mity-vac, but im going to cram as much additive into the filter as possible. accomplish roughly the same thing?

as for cracking the lines...I did this when I did my own injectors...I should do this to get the air out if the fuel lines to the pump are dry, correct?
 

BruhahaX

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2002
Location
KS
TDI
2014 JSW
Actually got back to it today. Checked my fuel sender unit part number: 1J0919183D, bummer.

Changed fuel filter, added a bunch of PS Blue, White and Grey (gotta love auto parts connections), about 50oz Blue, 96oz White and 32oz Grey. Probably overkill.

Anyway, cracked the lines and the car started up with a jump from my friends donor car.:)

Got the car running, 20 miles later it dies on highway, oh boy...not this again...

Take off the black top of fuel sender, take off both lines and use a small screwdriver to poke down into the holes and slosh around diesel fuel. Car restarts with some hesitation, amazing.:confused:

I get it back home 8 miles.

Probably time to get out the drill eh guys? I will be making a hole of that sender unit this weekend.
 
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