Hey gang, hope you might be able to help with this. My 2000 Jetta, VR6, 5-speed, 88K miles, will stall without warning, usually at idle. It may start again right away, but usually not. It does not throw any codes.
When it stalls, I hear a clicking sound under the dashboard. I also hear repeated clicking when I am trying to restart it.
I had a similar problem with a 1985 Jetta way back in the day and it turned out to be the fuel pump relay. Is this a possibility and/or are there other relays up there? No, I have not started in on it yet, it is sitting in the garage.
Flip up the rear seat, open the fuel pump access cover, and rig up a light that runs off the power to the fuel pump. That way you will have a clear indication of power at the pump. Now drive the car. If the light goes out, you have only a few seconds of run time before it stalls from lack of fuel.
If this is the problem, sway the fuel pump relay with another that is the same. Maybe AC or fans......many times there several of the same part # relay in the fuse box, so you can swap the to rule out the actual relay as the culprit, or prove it is defective.
also pay attention to the wires under the fuse box, look for loose connections or signs of rodents chewing the wires.
Your big clue on this problem is the lack of any codes being stored. Loss of fuel pressure generally does not set a code.
Thanks all, I appreciate the help.
Let's see...
It dies instantly, no dash lights or warnings of any kind.
When it is running, it runs perfectly.
It seems to maybe be related to ambient temperature, possibly. I say that because the first day it died was our first day over 75 degrees, but I was able to get it home. It ran fine the next two days, but they were cooler with rain. Then the next time it died was an afternoon it had been sitting in the sun. It started, ran great and attempted to die while going down my steep driveway. While it was trying to die I kept hearing a clicking under the dashboard. I also hear that clicking when attempting to re-start.
Unfortunately, it did not occur to me to open the door and listen for the fuel pump purge.
The relay swap sounds like a good starting point. And thanks to all for your time.
Delayed follow up, but it turned out to be the Crankshaft Position Sensor.
And I shoulda known, too, because the symptoms were identical to several motorcycles I've seen do this over the past 20 years.
Thanks to all who offered diagnostic tips.
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