Electrical Nightmare

[2GSOCAL]

Heres the prob,
90 TSI AWD, just got done rebuilding, took it out for the first test drive, is boosted and everything was fine except, when i hit the clutch the car would die...also there seemed to be a minor exhaust leak possibly the manifold, i had just put a boost gauge in and it appeared to be maxing out at 13psi in 1st gear. So i got it back and shut her down and installed my A/F ratio gauge. But the problem is the next day when i went to start it up, it would not start, it would turn over but it wouldnt fire up. I tried different things all day and tried to start it like 30-40 times throughout the day after trying different things to find out the problem, well after noticing that the fuel meter wasnt moving at all and it seemed to be stuck in the middle i realized there was no Gas!! So this morning i filled her up with gas and tried to crank her over, she turned over the same but wouldnt fire up, we didnt hear the fuel pump click/whirl listening thru the fuel opening, i was thinking i might have burned out the fuel pump or something by trying to start it without gas, however, i had another engine laying around the garage brand new injectors and a cleaner fuel rail than mine so i put that on my engine, checked the fuel filter by opening the banjo bolt and cranking up, and it spewed out fuel like a fountain so i know the pump isnt defective, however i then found out that 2 of my wires are not recieveing power, i replaced them with 2 i had before that i know worked and they didnt get power either, so could it be my coil pack, or is there a fuse i should check? Where should i go from here, or what should i check next?

Any inputs will be greatly appreciated, thanks guys!

 

[femmeDSM]

Wow, that was a lot of info for one post...Let's see if I can decipher it all, shall we....

First of all, when you were listening for the fuel pump at the filler opening, was this with KOEO, or were you cranking? Your fuel pump will not turn on until you crank the car, in case you did not know this. The FSM will lead you to believe that the pump will prime with key ON, but this is not the case - you have to crank it.

What are the two wires that are not getting power? have you rewired your fuel pump?

Now on to the no start issues..........Here is a little information that might help you.

Since you have verified that you have fuel to the rail, have you checked fuel pressure? Humor me and pull the return hose after you've cranked the car (careful, have a towel over the line in case it spills gas). If it's dry, or nearly dry, you've got a fuel pressure problem. We can diagnose this seperately if this is the case - usually not a hard thing to diagnose.

Also, I have a hunch....
How long has the car been sitting (both before and during the rebuild)? Any gas at all in the tank during this time? If so (even just a little gas) you need to drain that out and clean the tank. Running the car that first day could have stirred up all sorts of rust, debris, and crap in the bottom of your tank (especially if you were running low on gas anyway) and clogged your fuel filters (both firewall and in-tank), resulting in a no-start due to low, low, low fuel pressure.

Have you listened to the injectors to see if they are firing?

One more thing to check, just to be sure, would be the Coolant Temp Sensor. This can keep a car from starting, and when it goes, it can mimic a fuel pressure problem (hard start, followed by no start, followed by hard start, etc).

Did you throw any CELs during that first drive? That could be another indication of the coolant temp sensor taking a crap.

Let us know.
I've been through all of this before, so let me know how I can help

 

[2GSOCAL]

Ok, thanks for the reply,

Yes i did crank it and i had someone listen for it and i had them crank and me listen and nothing, it might be possible for dirt and debris to have gotten stirred up the car was sitting for about a year before the rebuild. I didnt get a light during the drive but i accidently broke a sensor during the rebuild, i think i was the coolant temp sensor, it was the sensor towards the top of the themostat housing and it faces out in the direction of the right headlight, i didnt get a accurate temp reading during the run, it was at cold the whole time, so either the gauge is stuck like my gas gauge which was reading half full when it was empty or it is because i broke that sensor. Also the fuel pressure was checked at the rail and it was good. As far as the injectors, i tried 2 pair of injectors, and the number 1 and 3 spark plug wires were getting no power but like i said it wasnt the wires, power wasnt coming from the coil.

 

[femmeDSM]

If you're talking about the sensor I think you're talking about, I don't believe that one is the coolant temp sensor. On my car, the one on the top portion of the thermostat housing that faces out is the coolant temp fan switch -- it is connected to your air conditioning and senses when the AC fan needs to turn on, based on the coolant temp. The actual coolant temp sensor (that talks to the ECU via Pin 20) is located more toward the bottom of the thermostat housing area, and is closer to the engine block. It sits next to the coolant gauge sending unit, I believe. A replacement temp sensor is like $60 from Satan, or $39 from DSMotorsport.com. The sensor you broke during the rebuild is about $50 from DSMotorsport. I know because I've had to replace them both, haha.

If the car was sitting for a year, then yeah you definitely need to clean out that gas tank, regardless of how this is affecting your electrical issues (which, in itself, it is not) -- but there is no way a car can run and be healthy with any amount of gas in it that's sat for that long.

Also, since we were on the subject of DSMotorsport, they have a new factory ignition coil for your car for $165, in case yours tests bad (probably does). They also sell used parts as you probably know, so they might have a used one as well.

 

[2GSOCAL]

Hey man thanks alot for all the time, i will try these things and post back on the results, i apreciate it!