Volkswagen MarkIV Jetta no start

[PeaveyBassist]

My dad has a 2001 VW Jetta 1.8t Wolfsburg. We took out his ECU to send it to get a chip put in it. I didnt know much about the deal, he just wanted help taking out the ecu. We got it out and he sent it out. We got it back today and he puts the ecu back in the car. He turns the key to the ON position for 3 minutes like the instructions say to do and then tries to start the car. It will crank but will NOT start. I havent been home so this is just what he has told me. He says it cranks very hard so the battery voltage should be high enough. I asked him if the immobilizer light flashed and he said that when you crank it, it goes out with all the other cluster lights. I told him to try and push start it but he thinks that wont work since it cranks like it does. I told him to check for spark and fuel pressure too but he hasnt done that yet. He wants to open up the ecu and put the stock chip back in and see if it will start. I know some of you guys know VW's very well. What other kinds of things should I check? Only things I can think of are spark, fuel, and battery voltage. I will be able to mess with it at 11:30pm est.

Will

[DarkWing6]

www.liquidubs.com

One of the main guys on that site is a friend and a mechanic at a VW dealership. You should be able to find help there. www.vwvortex.com is always good too.

[redcarbon]

I had a similar thing happen to my Jetta. I have a '02 Jetta 1.8T. I went away for a long weekend and left my car in my girlfriend's garage. I don't know why but when I got home it would not start. It would crank, just as you describe, but not fire. I have no chip, it's completely stock. So I call to have it towed, I roll it out of her garage and put it on a flatbed. I give the guy my spare keys and call the dealership the next day.

They're like, "uh, nothing's wrong with it, it started right up". I'm like WTF?! It's never happened again and the stupid tech couldn't explain it, yeah right. I think it had to have been the immobilizer or something. Do you have the spare key or the valet key? As just a hunch, try using that key and see if it starts. That's what seemed to work for me, unless my dealership just likes to play with me. Sorry, that's all I can say, another option is to search or ask on vwvortex.com, there is a lot of info there.

[PeaveyBassist]

Well I tried to start it with my key and dad used his key earlier. It wont start. Battery voltage is 12.2v which is a little low, but he has tried to crank it several times so I figure thats probably normal after some cranking. I think something happened to the ecu while it was gone. We took it out and it worked fine. Got it back and put it in and now it wont work. My dad has an OBD-II reader and it wont even read anything when plugged into the plug under the dash. I didnt check for fuel or spark or anything.

Will

[PeaveyBassist]

Also... my dad took out the new chip and put the old stock one back in and it still wont start. When the ecu was taken out, it was sent to a guy in Oregon who unsolders the stock chip and solders on a socket. Then he puts his chip in and sends the stock chip back. I think something HAD to have happened between taking it out here and getting it back. So I think it will need to be sent BACK to the guy and see what he thinks.

Will