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passat died while driving, wont start

38K views 32 replies 15 participants last post by  Wahobbert  
#1 ·
2005 Passat GLX V6 90,000 miles
The wife was driving home from work and the car died. I figured probably the batt. until I got there. The car had power and when attempting to start everything sounds normal. No check engine light. The car might sputter slightly, struggles to idle and dies. Had it towed to the house, it has been raining all day and I haven't had a chance to check anything out. It acts like it might start but it won't. Any help will be appreciated. Last time it was at the dealership they wanted 2200.00 for pretty routine items. I am trying to stay away from there.
 
#4 ·
carpet is dry, what is a good way to check the fuel pump? I have heard of listening under the car while someone turns the key to see if the pump is working. I guess this will work on the passat.
 
#6 ·
Yea this happened to me there could be three causes.

1.) Timing Belt (Just Lift the cover and you see if the belt is still on the teeth or not)
2.) Coil Packs (If one go's you should still be able to start the car 2 or more and it might not start after stalling out)
3.) Fuel Pump

For me it was the fuel pump. Best of Luck to anyone who has to go through this ordeal


and yea listing to it is the fast easy way but if you brake down on the side of the high way just grab some power testers and see if you have power coming from the pump when it is connected.
 
#8 · (Edited)
This happened to me this morning in my 2004 GLX 2.8 4 motion wagon. Had it towed home. It was running perfectly until it died at a red light.

The code was P0456, which indicates an EVAP system/fuel leak issue. However, I'm thinking this could be a separate problem perhaps related to my leaky when filled all the way fuel tank that is a known issue with this model, but I really don't know. I haven't had the chance to check it out very thoroughly yet.

Is the fuel pump a big pain in the ass to replace? Parts geek has Bosch replacements for $130 so that's not a huge deal.
 
#9 ·
An EVAP leak is coincidental to your car quitting.

Fuel pump; not a big deal if tank partially filled; a bigger deal if just filled up. But you have some troubleshooting to do before deciding the pump is bad. First, you have to decide if spark or fuel is what's missing. I'm assuming you would know if the timing belt let go.
 
#11 ·
Fuel pump is a good possibility, but don't overlook the possibility of the engine speed sensor (ESS), aka crankshaft position sensor. It tends to go flaky, but if it stops sending a signal, the ECM assumes the engine stopped and cuts fuel and spark, so if it wasn't stopped, it will!

The ESS also results in a lot of "crank/no start" complaints. The test is easy: crank for 7 seconds continuously. After 5 seconds the ECM ignores the lack of ESS signal, so the engine will start. If yours doesn't, fuel pump is likely.

My (electrical brain) favorite fuel pump test: with key off, measure resistance to ground from the fuel pump fuse. (If you pull it, the load side.) A good fuel pump will measure several ohms to ground; a bad one will be an open circuit, or very high resistance. This works because the fuse is downstream of the fuel pump relay, etc., so the wire goes from the fuseholder to the pump motor.
 
#12 ·
You have only one coil-pack, it is not likely to be causing your issue.
Fuel pump and ESS are the most likely culprits.

It could be a timing problem, as further damage could result from cranking; you should check the timing of all 4 cams first.
Check the belt timing, the chain timing, and check for broken/missing CCT shoes.
 
#13 ·
Unfortunately I don't have the time to do this myself. I literally just bought a bigger project car, a 2000 BMW 740i, last night and my wife needs the Passat ASAP, so my trusty, super cheap, super good mobile mechanic guy is coming in the morning. I'll keep you posted.
 
#15 ·
Before replacing the fuel pump, you should check out the recall on leaking fuel tank vent valve that applies to that model, you might get a FREE new tank.
 
#17 ·
My mechanic confirmed it is the fuel pump, however, we seem to have a difference of opinion on the cost of a new one. Autozone has them for about $240 but they are on eBay for as cheap as $40. Is this one of those things not to be penny wise and pound foolish on?
 
#18 ·
Autozone has them for about $240 but they are on eBay for as cheap as $40. Is this one of those things not to be penny wise and pound foolish on?
Yes it is, and like a fool I also put a $40 pump in my A4, it quit without warning at a particularly bad time. I'd suggest that you get a VDO German pump and not worry about it again.
 
#19 ·
I'll second that! Cheap pumps are asking for trouble! Plus, a $40 pump probably is just the pump itself which you have to try and take apart the sender assembly and fit a crappy generic pump too, where-as the $240 pump is likely the assembly which will not only go in easier, but you won't be reinstalling a bunch of 13 year old brittle plastic parts. Just went through this two months ago on my '00.
 
#20 ·
Ok you convinced me. Before I buy it though, I'm going to try to get my fuel tank replaced by VW under the "soft recall." I know some others here have successfully gotten it done.

Would a new fuel tank include a fuel pump or do I need to get it anyway?
 
#30 ·
Quit trying to crank it until you check if you have fuel pressure. The cam chain tensioners are flopping around when the engine isn't running because they activate with oil pressure and it might pop out of time. If you have fuel pressure you'll want to check your timing belt next.

You can see it and do a rudimentary tension check on the timing belt by popping the upper timing belt covers off by releasing the metal retaining clips. The belt shouldn't be very loose at all aside from maybe a bit of flex when you push on it with your finger (1/8"), and there shouldn't be anything but a small amount of dust in there. If there is more play than 1/8" of play, scuff or rub marks on the outside of the belt or frayed edges on it, or more than just a small amount of dust in there, just replace it.

You can check the timing on the way into it, and if the belt slipped you should really grab a cheap endoscope and shove that in your spark plug holes to look for valve marks on your piston tops. Sometimes I begin with looking at the piston tops because it requires the least disassembly and if the timing is that far off it's pretty obvious from the shinny-ish metal circles on top of the pistons from them banging against the valves.
 
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