Hi everyone,
I'm new to the forum but this is my second Golf, I started out with a 1977 Mk 1 which used to give me tons of trouble but I loved it to bits so when it came time for an upgrade I moved on to a manual 1.8L 1998 CL! I have tried to search through for threads on similar issues so I don't have to bother anyone, but can't find anything quite right, so apologies if I am duplicating another thread but I'm really trying not to!!!
I've been having a problem with my car over the past 6 months or so that is now becoming a lot more regular, but still not regular enough that I can take it to a mechanic and have them be able to experience or identify the issue! My Golf will sometimes not start, it almost never happens first thing in the morning when I'm leaving, most often it is when I try to start the car when I've been at work or uni all day, it just won't start. It's trying to start, turning over etc, and it's not an electrical issue (as far as I can tell) as I've replaced the plugs and plug leads myself, had the coil etc checked and it's making a good spark. Originally I would still be able to get the car to start if I either pumped my foot on the pedal or put it flat to the floor (I know this is bad since it's injected but it was the only thing that worked!), but now this often doesn't work. Another trick that would usually work would be to open the fuel cap for a minute, start the car while it was open, then close it up and head off- this doesn't work anymore either. Roadside assistance suggested replacing the fuel pump the other day when I was really stuck and couldn't get it going (Roadside got it going by taking off a hose and spraying aerostart or similar stuff down), but this is $450 just for the part and then one of the online quotes I got said that if you replace the fuel pump you also have to replace the fuel sender, which is another $320 and Roadside (and my mechanic) aren't even sure if that will fix it. I had it at the mechanic for most of a day a little while ago but they couldn't duplicate the problem and couldn't find anything wrong except that the fuel pressure was lower than it should be (about 18psi rather than around 30 where it's apparently meant to be).
I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to what it might be, what else I can try, before I go as far as the pump??? VIN no is WVWZZZ1HWW190836 if that helps. Or does anyone have any info on how the fuel delivery/fuel regulation system works??
Thank you so much for reading this, I'm sorry it's so wordy and I really appreciate any help that anyone can give me as I'm at my wits end and can't afford to just spend heaps of money for something that may not fix it!!!