Help Wont start!

Okay my GTI is teaching me another lesson!.

So I decided to give my car a bit of a mini service and now it wont start.

I had a small fuel leak around the filter so I took it off and tightened it all up, I also gave the pipes a bit of a clean around the filter and changed the air filter.
After a day or so put it all back together and gave it a start and it was fine.

The following day I drained the radiator and removed the radiator and replaced as old one was 2001, I removed the oil filter and replaced.
I took of the dizzy cap and the rotary arm and gave it all a good clean. I also gave the HT leads a good clean and the engine bay and surrounding areas.
I changed the dizzy cap and cleaned the plugs.

I few days later went to start but it just kept turning over and eventually run the battery dead.

So what have I done:

I bought new Spark plugs - No joy
I bought a new dizzy cap - No joy
I have checked the position of the rotary arm there is a little nick on the metal to show the position I presume.
I have checked the HT lead connection so it goes 1,3,4,2
Can smell petrol quite strong after a few attempts at starting.

Still no joy.

I did notice when I was working on the car I must have caught one of the wires with the screwdriver as it seemed to burn out!! I checked all the fuses no problems.
I think it was the oil pressure sensor nr Dizzy, where is the fuse for this looked everywhere it goes into D wire loop on fuse board but is it fused? I have ordered a new sensor to replace this. However guys/girls will this stop the car starting? the oil light on the dash is flashing and I have filled up with oil.

I have also ordered new HT leads as I may have damaged and also ordered a new rotary arm as I had given it a good clean.

After this I am at a loss so hope it starts when I change all this, I did also notice quite a strange bang from the fuse board when trying to start I have checked the relays they seem okay.

This car seems to teach me the hard way!. Please any suggestions I have spent days tackling this!

First of all as there's a lot of info there, do you see a spark at all from the spark plugs?

Thanks for the reply

I have just checked the plugs I can see a small spark on each.

so does that mean the dizzy, HT leads and plugs are fine.

Pop up a pictue of the engine so we can see the HT leads and dissy to check the order or we may spot something else.

Here you go tried to cover everything thanks.

Which wire did you catch with a screwdriver which has now burnt out?

I would Statically set your timing to verify that it is proper.

see : http://www.cabby-info.com/Files/AdjustingTheTiming.pdf

Crank at 0tdc.
Cam dimple on back of gear even with the top of the valve cover tin, not the rebar.
Distributor rotor in the middle of the hash mark.

The Rotor that you show is a tad different than what I am used to seeing on VW's.  

Once you know it is in time, then sorting out the spark issues and firing issues are easier.

"I just replaced my timing belt, and setting time on return, car wouldn't run.  I checked it again and the cam was off by about 15 degrees.  Reset it again, car would run."  So timing can get off unintentionally.

If your engine is at TDC in the pictures you are out on your timing.
Turn the engine round till the mark on the pully is lines up like this.
There may be an arrow on the plastic timing cover like mine?


take out spark plug 1 (the one nearest the cam belt)
and check the piston is at the top (poke a thin screw driver in there)

In your picture No.2 the wrong bit of the rotor arm is lined up with notch, the bit of the rotor arm at 3 oclock should be at 6 oclock, the bit at 6 oclock in the picture is the rev limiter cut out not the metal bit which makes to spark.
Once that's all lines up the HT should be the one which is above the notch on the dissy.
At the moment the rotor arm is pointing at No 2 HT lead..

It may be during a cambelt change the intermediate shaft got move when fitting?

Your dissy also sitting a little off, not a real problem but can make it difficult to adjust the timing, to turn it all remove the dissy then with some long nose pliers turn the old pump drive at the bottom of the hole and reline the dissy to fit.
Mine sits about here, if you compare the vacuum advance so will see but get the car started before doing this as you will need to reset the timing if you remove the dissy.

You guys are legends thank you so much!!!!! I got the thing started! we fell out of love for a few days now we are back together haha.

The suggestions on the Dizzy appreciated, I put a new Rotary arm in and changed the HT leads and it fired up straight away.

I still have timing issues so I will do the other stuff suggested.

Thank the lord for this site saved me again.

Great news!  

Have a good weekend playing with your Mk1.  

Glad you got it started.
With the timing are you using super unleaded or normal petrol?
I found mine runs better on super unleaded, there is a different setting for the different fuel.
I set my timing by advancing it till it "pinks" under load then retard it a little till it stops "pinking" . You do need a quiet road to do this so you can drive the car, pull over and adjust the timing and idle speed then drive a little more then re-adjust etc…
May be worth turning your dissy around but it's up to you.

Thanks for the advice I turned the Dizzy round, my main aim of this was to improve starting her up and she turns over goes so I am very happy.
It was a huge learning curve and I picked up so many tips really appreciated thanks for the advice guys.


She is back on the road!.

Looking very nice and smoooooooooth sides, I bet you take up 2 parking spaces in a supermarket car park to stop idiots opening there door on it?