Golf 2003 MK4 1.6 Cuts out

[David BB]

Can anyone help with a suggestion? My daughters 2003 1.6 MK4 auto occasionally cuts out when she come to a stop and the alternator warning lights sometimes comes on. The car restarts immediately and seems to drive normally from there on.

Also on occasions when she puts her foot down on the accelerator from a standing start there is no acceleration unless she backs off then slowly increases the accelerator pressure.

Since we have had the car the temperature gauge has never worked and has been suggested by VW to fix this as it can affect the running of the car ? (maybe this is why the fan can run for 5 minutes after the car has been switched off.)

Not sure if these problems maybe related.

Any help would be appreciated thanks.

[Coralon]

The first 2 problems are likely related and could be any number of issues from dirty throttle body, dirty fuel, dodgy pump... many causes for that behaviour. If your handy under the bonnet have a squizz and see if anything stands out.

The second problem will likely be a dodgy temp sensor which is a pretty cheap part and you can replace yourself (make sure the engine is stone cold) and will cause the temp gauge not to work. The fans should run on a little especially if the coolent temp is high, this is normal for almost all thermo fans.

[craig_the_german]

Hi David BB,

The water temperature sensor is a very common problem. Replacement sensor from VW costs about $70 and takes a minute or 2 to fit yourself. I would fix this first as this could be the cause of the other issues.

The water temp sensor not only sends the signal to the gauge but also sends a signal to the ECU about the temp of the engine. If the sensor is faulty, the ECU will be thinking that the engine is always cold and therefore adjusting the fuel mixture accordingly. It could be "flooding" or "over fueling" causing the sluggish acceleration and stalling.

My advice is replace the temp sensor asap and the rest may be fixed as a result.

Good luck

[David BB]

Thanks guys for your suggestions.... had the sensor fixed and also had a broken thermostat was fixed at the same time....car runs so smoothly now ! Unfortunately I'm not handy with cars.....so had a local Adelaide VW specialist do the work

Cheers

[craig_the_german]

Glad you got it sorted.