my 88 tii just died on my on the way home from work last friday.. on the 60 going to the 605... i wasn't even pushing it... traffic was a slow crawl around 5mph and it just died had to push it off to the side.. and tow home... don't know wahts wrong.. i checked a lot of stuff and can't find anything.. vac lines are all ok... no leaks or anything... its my daily driver car... and need it to get me to and from work... =( it only has 89k miles on it..
don't know wahts wrong with her.. can anyone give me some advice... or help? please =(

 

so you did a compression test and it came out bad or what... you have power to everything still?

 

the car has power and the battery is fine... i haven't done a compression test yet.. but the last time i did it.. it was 96-97... that wasn't too long ago.. only about 2 months ago...

 

Does it start? If so, does it sound like a lawnmower?

 

Um... your car died and won't start, that's all you know so far. Compression probably has nothing to do with it. It could be a lot of things.

Check battery voltage with a multimeter. If it's dead (under 11V), hook up some jumpers to a friend's car and let it charge for a while. Try it out. If the battery is still good you can drive for up to an hour on a fully charged battery. Try driving around the neighborhood first, then make sure it still has ~12V. Have an auto store test your battery and alternator. They'll do it for free. You only need a wrench, hammer and crowbar to pull your alternator, put it back, and retighten the belt. Pulling the battery is a no-brainer. Next check your fuses (search, etc. to see how). Don't buy lousy auto store alternators (warantee means nothing). Ask around, or ask a local mechanic to find one.

Since it died all of the sudden at low speed, I suspect an electrical problem. That's why I posted everything above. But I'm noob at this. It could be something else too. You'll have to provide a heck of a lot more detail if you expect anyone here to help you. Like, for example, does your starter crank alright? (yes = not an electrical problem). Geeze, try to start it, then tell what happens so people can help you. Nobody here is psychic.

 

well as far as i know.. i've been trying to start it every day .. ..... the battery is new... optima red top... starter does turn but wont start up... voltage is fine... its 12+... since its a 5 speed.. i've also checked all my fuses the day it went out... also learned my lesson in buying cheap stuff for cars... cause they break down on you faster.. but i haven't had any mods to the car.. besides the "FCD and HKS intake" thats all that was done to the car... thanks again guys.. =(

 

Why have an FCD if you dont boost any higher than 8 PSI?

 

well when i bought the car.. from the guy.. it came with it... so i just left it alone... didn't really want to mess around with things...till i read up on it..

 

the car dosen't start up at all.. it just cranks and thats it..

 

Next basic step is to check for flooding (search forum for info). 'Course if you're running so rich that your motor dies and floods in the middle of driving, that's another issue to check later. You'll have to experiment a bit here and search for the problem. There are too many possible causes for anybody here to guess. You might as well get all the maintenance items you haven't done out of the way. That'll at least eliminate some possibilities and you gotta do it anyway.

Since it cranks fine, ignore everything I said about the battery and alternator.

 

Start with a compression test... If the motor's blown (and, yes, it does happen at low power settings), you'll figure it out in a hurry.

-=Russ=-

 

Yes, compression test first.

You may also want to check if the fuel pump still works. Not sure if the turbo's have the yellow fuel pump check connector that turns the fuel pump on when you jumper it with the ignition on. This connector is near the airflow meter on the NA cars.

Also check for spark by pulling one plug wire at a time and seeing if it arcs to ground. Also look at the spark plugs.

 

well.. i'm gonna check the sparks as you've said.. and see how it goes.. and the spark plugs are pretty new.. i go through them about every 3-4k miles.... since i change my oil about every 2k miles.. how can i tell if the motor is blown anyways? would i be hearing things grinding in the motor when i crank it? i guess i'll have to get it towed to a shop to get it checked.. which i'm afraid of.. since i'm going broke.. from bills... and a low paying job... =(
thanks

 

Pull the trailing (top) plugs. Turn the engine over. You should hear evenly spaced "chuffs", twice per eshaft rotation. If you hear gaps, or only one rotor making compression, it's blown, and all the dicking around in the world with spark plugs won't help.

Been there, done that. Do a compression test before you waste any time with other stuff.

-=Russ=-

 

ok i've pulled the top trailing plugs... and turned the ignition... nad the chuf noise is evenly spaced... so i guess i'm saved from doing a rebuild... could it be that the throttle is clogged? that could cause the car to shut off..?... any other ideas? just throw some curve ***** at me... and i'll check it out.. and see... thanks
david

 

Check compression with a *gauge* to be sure. Fuel pump (see post #12).

 

well i cleaned the throttle and it started right up... i guess it was just clogged.. thats prob why it wont start no air and what not..
thanks guys..

 

haha my car wont start! I lost compression!

Have you even compression tested?

No but it has low compression!

 

Do this and report back (use a gauge if you aren't sure):

http://www.rotaryresurrection.com/2n...ion_check.html