**Sudden stop - please help!**

Greywall

Greywall

Member
Germany
Hi everyone

On the way into work this afternoon, little Liv and I were pootling in when there was a sudden bang, the car jolted forwards and the engine stopped. When I turn the ignition, all the lights come on but when attempting to start, there's nothing.

At the time, the battery warning light came on but it's quite new - around 18 months old - so I didn't think that was the issue.

I have noticed white smoke coming from the exhaust when I start the engine on but this only happens after Liv has been sitting around for a couple of hours. I took her to see a couple of mechanics but they dismissed the problem.

I have had the four injectors changed last August and there aren't any oil leaks. Liv was last serviced by A2 Cars in October 2016.

She's sitting at the roadside a distance away while I'm typing this and I'm calling in the AA later this evening. But mechanics seem quite dismissive of the A2; I don't think I'm visiting the right people! I'm worried this could be a serious problem.

Any ideas?
 
Sounds very ominous.. when was the last time the cambelt/water pump was changed ?. did the battery light come on before it stopped ?..

It does sound very much like something very bad IE cambelt unfortunately.
 
Oh no! I was afraid someone would mention the C word...

I last replaced the cambelt and water pump around 4 years ago. Covered around 20K miles since then but I know other factors can affect the condition of it, too.

The battery light came on after the engine stopped but not before. I turned off the ignition and it was on again.

Feeling very down if this is indeed the case... (but thanks for replying, BoxyA2)
 
LionJag said:
Oh no! I was afraid someone would mention the C word...

I last replaced the cambelt and water pump around 4 years ago. Covered around 20K miles since then but I know other factors can affect the condition of it, too.

The battery light came on after the engine stopped but not before. I turned off the ignition and it was on again.

Feeling very down if this is indeed the case... (but thanks for replying, BoxyA2)
Click to expand...

Fingers crossed it’s not that please let us know.
 
Could it be anything else? I'm searching for a little hope, as my heart is in my mouth at present!

Would the AA recovery person be able to tell by looking at the engine if it is indeed the cambelt?
 
LionJag said:
Could it be anything else? I'm searching for a little hope, as my heart is in my mouth at present!

Would the AA recovery person be able to tell by looking at the engine if it is indeed the cambelt?
Click to expand...


You might get a helpful AA guy that will take a look to somewhat diagnose for you, I wouldn’t like to speculate as to what else it is ,it’s Friday evening I’d get it recovered and go for a pint..
 
BoxyA2 said:
You might get a helpful AA guy that will take a look to somewhat diagnose for you, I wouldn’t like to speculate as to what else it is ,it’s Friday evening I’d get it recovered and go for a pint..
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I'm at work until 2300 and I'm teetotal...however, after all the money spent on Liv in the past 18 months, I may turn to drink!
 
Good luck with all this - all may not be over even if it was the cambelt, provided it didn't go too far afterwards.
 
Hi sorry to hear of your troubles---the battery light will come on if the engine is not running and will turn off once the alternator is turning when the engine is running.
As you say you had new injectors are we talking fsi 1.6 here ? if so they are an interference engine so valves will have hit pistons. The white smoke is probably just because the cold weather and condensation forming in the exhaust.

But there are other reasons for an engine to stop so lets stay positive ----i take it the engine is not turning over with the starter ? it is easy to remove the end cover and view the two belts - check them both. one long one that goes from one cam to the crank and the other links the two cams together. Good luck mike
 
a2sumo said:
Hi sorry to hear of your troubles---the battery light will come on if the engine is not running and will turn off once the alternator is turning when the engine is running.
As you say you had new injectors are we talking fsi 1.6 here ? if so they are an interference engine so valves will have hit pistons. The white smoke is probably just because the cold weather and condensation forming in the exhaust.

But there are other reasons for an engine to stop so lets stay positive ----i take it the engine is not turning over with the starter ? it is easy to remove the end cover and view the two belts - check them both. one long one that goes from one cam to the crank and the other links the two cams together. Good luck mike
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I think from his signature it’s a TDI.. but agrees all isn’t lost..
 
Yes, it's a 54 plate tdi 90.

There was no 'rough' running prior to the sudden stop. All was quite tickety-boo until the jolt and sudden bang made me think I'd been shunted from behind.

I was planning on having the cam-belt changed this summer, as part of a 'freshen-up', after speaking with Mike 'Skipton1'.

I'm hoping and praying it's not the cam-belt and, if it is, the engine has escaped serious damage.
 
Timing belt is the worst case, bonnet off, unclip and pull back plastic timing belt cover. Do you still have belt?
 
philward said:
Timing belt is the worst case, bonnet off, unclip and pull back plastic timing belt cover. Do you still have belt?
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I'll check it once I finish work. Just praying hard that it's still there, intact.

Also hoping Liv is still there; she's not parked in the most desirable of areas!
 
@LionJag, you say in your first post that when you try to start there's nothing.

Hopefully you do mean nothing, no movement at all from the engine, so it's not turning over.
If that is the case it may well be the alternator pulley siezed or broken loose, and the aux belt might have wrapped itself around the pullies and that could be stopping the engine turning.
This isn't a cheap fix, but cheaper than an engine rebuild.

Could also be the Dual Mass Flywheel / clutch biting the dust in a major way and various bits from what's left stopping the starter motor engaging.
Again - not cheap to fix, but......same as above.

If the engine was turning over, but it wasn't firing after the incident- unfortunately there aren't many options that include a bang and total loss of power other than what has previously been mentioned.

Fingers crossed for you.

Cheers
Jeff
 
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Mustang-owner said:
@LionJag, you say in your first post that when you try to start there's nothing.

Hopefully you do mean nothing, no movement at all from the engine, so it's not turning over.
If that is the case it may well be the alternator pulley siezed or broken loose, and the aux belt might have wrapped itself around the pullies and that could be stopping the engine turning.
This isn't a cheap fix, but cheaper than an engine rebuild.

Could also be the Dual Mass Flywheel / clutch biting the dust in a major way and various bits from what's left stopping the starter motor engaging.
Again - not cheap to fix, but......same as above.

If the engine was turning over, but it wasn't firing after the incident- unfortunately there aren't many options that include a bang and total loss of power other than what has previously been mentioned.

Fingers crossede for you.

Cheers
Jeff
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Thanks for that comprehensive advice, Jeff.

The engine didn't do anything after it stopped. I tried starting it again, thinking I may have absentmindedly stalled it, but there was no movement, no noises or anything else. The lights come on after turning the key but nothing once I try to start the engine. In fact, the dash almost goes blank once I try to turn over the engine.

I suspect that the work needed will be expensive. As long as it's not cam-belt damage, I'm willing to have Liv repaired and back in my possession.

I feel somewhat heartened after reading your post, Jeff. But all you kind chaps have been excellent and your advice allows me to make educated choices when I face my local spanners man. Thank you all.
 
I also think the same as Phil - get Liv recovered ASAP.

There are a few things that could have caused this failure, and one I didn't mention is the chain drive and tensioner for the oil pump.
It's a ball ache to repair, but not terminal.
If the tensioner or chain fail, it can create the appearance of a siezed engine, but as we all know - it's very, very rare to hear of a siezed A2 TDi engine.

Sending positive thoughts your way.

As you're around the Birmingham location, a reputable workshop is Stealth Racing, based in Southam.
There are some private mechanics in your area too who underatand the A2 very well, so once you've got the car home and have had a good think about the next steps, feel free to drop me a PM and I'll happily pass on details of those who might be able to help (P.S. - I'm not affiliated with any of them).

Cheers
Jeff
 
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