Q: Car died while driving down the road and it will not start.
99.5 VW Jetta 2.0 gas:
History:
Car has sat more than driven. Has 130,000 miles. Replaced the timing belt 1,000 miles ago. Transmission issues putting it into limp mode but that is probably a sensor.
Issue:
My daughter was driving along and the car shut off. Vehicles hardly even chugs if at all when trying to start it. The belt including the timing belt turn but seems to turn slower than I would expect.
What I have tried:
I replaced the fuel filter and the fuel pressure regulator and I get fuel at the fuel rail. I spray starter fluid in the air intake and put the air intake back together and no change leading me to believe it is not fuel related. I had the battery tested and they said it was good. I tested for spark off one spark plug and all 4 of the terminals on the ignition coil and visibly saw spark leading me to believe it is not spark related. I opened the area under the wipers and found mice had made huge nest in there. There was moisture around some electronics.
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Hi there. What could have happened is the rats nest could have chewed through some of the wires to the ignition system to the ignition switch and making the engine not want to start. Remove the rats nest and clean the wires up. If you see any wires that are bare, either cut them and fix them or rap them up with electrical tape and heat shrink tubing. Then check the vehicle to see if it starts up. If the vehicle starts up, then there was a short where the wires were chewed through. If the engine still does not start up, then the computer could have locked out the starter circuit. Remove the battery cables and put them back on after 12 minutes. This will reset the computer to the car. If you need further assistance with the no start situation, then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you.
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