intermittant cutout!!!

[tonytech]

Took my kids and some friends away for the weekend.
2adults 2 15yr olds and 3 8yr olds. 7seater Caravelle
Full to bursting with luggage.....
Got on to Motorway 20 mins from home and for about 2 seconds the engine 2.1 fi DJ died.....
rev counter to zero.
Well my heart stopped, but the engine picked up again.
100 miles later and it hadn't missed again.

coming home, same thing after about 15 mis drive for 2 seconds, nothing, then back...
just short of home it did it again 3 or 4 times. then fine for the rest of the way.

I know intermittent problems are almost impossible to diagnose, but any thoughts???????

I assume as the rev counter is dropping to zero I'm either loosing +ve to the coil or the signal from the distributor.

T

[syncrosimon]

I would agree with your diagnosis that if the rev counter drops immediately then it's the ECU that has stopped sending a signal to the coil. This could be any intermittent fault on the electrical side. I would spend some time going through the wiring checking all the connections. Just a single bad connector will stop the whole thing working. In America they attribute these random problems to faulty earth connections, so they are worth checking, and if in doubt add a separate earth feed to the alternator. When the alternator is putting out a large amperage it sucks out the earth feed to the engine and can cause intermittent faults. A large wire to the alternator body to earth can help with that.

Don't forget to look at the connectors for the idle stabilisation unit. There is a relay behind the right hand tail light, and the little box near the coil. Also the big plug for the ECU is worth taking off and making sure all the connectors are bright and clean. Usually just disconnecting and reconnecting a few times on each of the plugs will sort it.

My Caravelle VR6 also had this problem ( now sold ), VW had replaced the ECU previous to my owning it, but it didn't solve it. It too would only do it on the motorway, would die for 5 seconds or so, then fire up and not do it again for months.

[Louey]

Check the big fat live to the battery or starter. I had one corrode inside the covering. Give them a good tug and inspection - an easy check but probably not your issue. It caused my van to cut out for the odd second now and then for about a week - drove me barmy working it out

[tonytech]

Thanks guys.
I'll get back uner the engine cover and check every lead I can find.

I had a intermittant, 'wont start' a few weeks ago cleaned everything I could see, and found a corroded earth, thought I'd cured it.
Oh the JOY of 17 year old vehicals.

T

[Mocki]

i had a simular thing last weekend in yorkshire, and quantry to popular belief it turned out to be the ignition module, i changed it after it failed to reignite, and it hasnt missed a beat since, in the 700 miles since, so they do break down, and not just "go" in one go, as has always been the advise , this is the first time i have had one play up in all the years of carrying a spare........ i double checked and put the other one back on, and same symptoms, so wasnt wires or earths in this case.......

still check all ya wires and connection s first tho, i beleive mine was a exception to the rule......for now

[tonytech]

Bloody hell ,,,,,
the symptoms match exactly...... I was in Yorkshire too.....


T

[Louey]

. I was in Yorkshire too.....


T

They must be keeping the luck or electricity (even 12v) to themselves