Help , Passat died on highway now hard start stumble die

Strange times we are living are in!
My 2013 Passat lost all power and slowed to a stop on the highway.
I tried to start it but it would crank , catch for a second stumble and die.
Had it towed back to the house and have since changed the fuel filter since it was easy enough and probably should be done at this point anyway .
Car only has 50k miles on it .
Still same symptoms , always cranks fine , sometimes catches then takes little to no fuel and then dies .
No immobilizer light , check engine is on but I have no way of reading it .
Check engine light goes away when trying to start or when it catches for a second.
The filter chamber is full of fuel so I believe the pumps are doing their job.
Very little in the way of resource at the moment and the car is necessary to my family’s survival given the current state of the world . Please any suggestions would help! Thank you!

Unfortunately there are hundreds of things it could be, and since the Check Engine light is on the car knows what's wrong and is trying to tell you.

You're best to find a way to have it scanned... these are expensive and time-consuming fuel systems to throw parts at.

A cheap bluetooth dongle and an Android app would be a good start, although the meaningful codes are probably only visible with a VW-specific scanner.

I’ve had lots of diesels over the years , this is the first one newer then 1995! I’ll see what I can do with the Bluetooth . I was hoping there might be some common failures I could attempt to check / remedy .

Shotgunning the "common" failures will generally involve ordering expensive parts, waiting for them to arrive, and then hoping for the best.

That said, one thing you can do now to do is disassemble your old fuel filter and look for metal fragments.

Is your local dealership open? At 50k miles, I’d have to believe you could get help under warranty. Unless your vehicle did not receive the emissions fix. Is there something more you’re not mentioning about the condition of the vehicle? No help in two days makes me concerned for you.

If I were to guess, it would be that the in tank lift pump has failed. it would be a warranty item and the part is close to 300.

Take it to the dealer. If you have a CEL they should check it and I would think it'd be covered under warranty.

Scan the codes. Even a $20 Bosch obd2 scan tool from autozone is better than guessing. Most autoparts places will also do a generic scan for free.

Thank you for the reply’s,
I got a carista scanner in the mail but now I am having trouble with my payment method through Apple store so I can’t yet see the codes.

.i can’t move the car without towing it so it is not possible to get it scanned somewhere else .

No work was done to the car in the last year, that’s how long I’ve had it and it otherwise drove and operated fine however I did think it was odd how long it took to start maybe 3-4 seconds of cranking ... all my other diesels used to start immediately.

I did try to change the filter hoping it would allow even minimal mobility but still same symptoms. I have checked and the filter compartment appears to be completely full of fuel tho I can’t verify any pressure .

I got them out but doesn’t seem related .

Codes are

OBD2:
P0562 (pending) - System Voltage Low

Engine:
17262

ABS:
00668 - Supply Voltage Terminal 30
01325 - Control Module for Tire Pressure Monitoring (J502)

Power steering:
03803 - Steering Angle Sensor for Steering Aid: No or Incorrect Basic Setting / Adaptation

Driver's door:
131584

Front passenger's door:
131584

Heater & air conditioning:
9473905
9481200 - Coolant Pressure

Radio:
00446 - Function Limitation due to Under-Voltage

Central electronics 2:
02174 - Analog/Digital Clock

CAN network gateway:
00484 - Vehicle Position Recognition Control Module (J603)


Obtained with Carista 4.0.6 for iOS.
Download app: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id954363569
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caristaapp

You've got a bunch in the "low voltage" bucket that are probably related to all the cranking.

SOP is to clear all the codes, make sure the battery is well charged, and then see what codes come back after a brief amount of cranking.

bad alternator and weak battery?

How old's the battery, I'd test the battery toss in a new one if old and watch the voltage make sure the alternator is putting out good voltage.

I just put in my yellow top battery and same symptoms have a video now here

http://youtu.be/CaB5AxZNtTw

Could a bad alternator cause an otherwise running driving car to die mid highway and leave it in these conditions even after a fresh high output battery is installed ? I would imagine if alternator being the culprit the car would have returned to normal operation with a fresh battery even if only momentarily?

Still stumped .


I cleared the codes and

OBD2:
P0562 (pending) - System Voltage Low

Engine:
17262

ABS:
01325 - Control Module for Tire Pressure Monitoring (J502)

Power steering:
03803 - Steering Angle Sensor for Steering Aid: No or Incorrect Basic Setting / Adaptation

Driver's door:
131584

Front passenger's door:
131584

Your car is cranking over more than fast enough, so the starting system (battery, starter) is not the cause of your problem.

Even if your alternator was having problems charging your original battery you've taken it out of the equation by putting in a different battery, so your problems lie elsewhere.

There was a brief shot of the entire dashboard and it looked like the glowplug light was flashing? If so, that's a special "major problem fix me RIGHT NOW" Check Engine light (generally not related to the glow plugs) that unfortunately almost always requires a VW-specific scanner to read.... which would explain why you're only really seeing nuisance codes on your generic scanner.

Just one possibilitiy, but a common cause of major engine problems with your common-rail engine type is issues with the high-pressure fuel pump. This one will trigger the flashing glow plug light and cause the symptoms you've experienced. It also often leaves metal shavings in the fuel filter, which is why I initially suggested disassembling your old fuel filter for a look-see.

Unfortunately with a generic scanner you're at the limit of what you can detect, particularly with the flashing glow-plug light kinda error, and if it *is* a fuel system issue the entire system will be suspect and potentially need replacement. Meaning: I don't really know what more you can do in your driveway unfortunately... it most likely needs to be looked at by a quality mechanic with solid Volkswagen common-rail diesel experience and specific test gear.

There’s no metal in the filter and was no presence of it when I removed it .
Idk what to do at this point I suppose I’ll look into having it towed to a dealer . Unless someone has a recommendation for a capable mechanic in north East Ohio?

It your car is still under the extended dieselgate warranty (check that first) then have the dealer repair it.

Can you hear your lift pump running?

Check to see if your fuel filter canister is filling with fuel, that will tell you if the lift pump is working.

If your fuel pressure is too low it will trigger a flashing mil light.

Are you still getting low voltage codes? Was the battery you installed new?

The car has 53k miles on it and recently had an issue with thinking it was out of DEF even though it was full and they fixed it for free though idk if that was warrently
Or responsible.

I used a yellow top from my old Jeep .

I did reopen the canister and it’s full of fuel.

I believe the low voltage codes cleared after using the yellow top .

It did start doing this at 70-80 mph cruise on highway , just lost all power and slowed to a stop . I would guess , judging by how it’s acting that it’s not getting enough fuel or pressure. I called VW and it’s $130 plus tax for it to get into their garage after being towed there for another $100. Really hoping to figure this out without going through them .

A dealer / mechanic is always going to quote a diagnosis fee to start, if the failure is covered under warranty, the vw takes care of the whole bill. If the failure is not covered, then the charge applies. Is the car certified pre-owned?

Great news y’all.

I am the second owner of this car and I got it from a dealer sold As Is.

I got the money together to have it towed and scanned at the dealership.

They called and said the car has a warranty attached to it that extends to 2023 and 130k miles , it has around 50k on it, I was Not aware of the warranty.

They are replacing fuel lines and pumps free of charge .

Thanks to everyone who replied and offered help , it means a lot.

Wait, so the HPFP did fail?...sounds like it did.

Glad to hear Dealership didn't argue fuel quality, blah, blah.