VS Wouldn't start

[Barto76]

Couldn't get my VS started tonight and thought I was stranded. There was spark so I thought it was a fuel problem but I thought I'd try resetting the computer first out of desperation. Disconnected the battery and reconnected after a few minutes and it roared into life.

Any thoughts? Do the ECU's just "die" or could it be something else?

 

[hako]

Could just be a "one off" and never happen again...if it happens again try do a codes check before you disconnect the battery. Is your battery over 3 years old?

 

[Barto76]

The battery is only a couple of days old, had a dodgy cheap one in there and it wasn't holding charge, hence the new one. It's done it once before and today it started idling rough.

 

[Barto76]

pulled off the injector plugs one by one and cylinder four isn't doing anything.

 

[Barto76]

Noticed I was losing coolant as well and what was left in the radiator is brown and sludgy.

Cylinder four is only missing intermittently and when it does, this is when it heats up and starts losing coolant. Tried some Bars Stop Leak and it ran sweet and stayed cold all the way up the freeway then as soon as I stopped at the lights on the off ramp - up goes the temp gauge and running rough.

Been searching through threads here for similar problems and what I've come up with is the intake manifold gasket, would this sound like a fair diagnosis?

 

[Barto76]

F***ing thing wouldn't start again today. Plenty of kick in the battery and there's spark that I can see.

Has ANYONE got a suggestion? I'm meant to be at work again.. feel like I'm bashing my head against a wall here.

 

[IBLOWN]

I would do a compression test. Sounds like you may have a blown head gasket.

 

[Barto76]

I would do a compression test. Sounds like you may have a blown head gasket.

The non starting issue was co-incidental. Turns out it's the key, have another key and it starts no worries.

Seems odd that it would be a head gasket, shouldn't there be water in the oil? I've blown head gaskets on two different vehicles and ended up with chocolate milk on the dipstick both times. On this VS the oil is clean.

It's odd, I managed to drive a fair distance and the motor stayed nice and cool, coming home last night I pulled off the freeway and up went the temp and cold air was blowing from the heater vent. When it started running rough, the only cylinder not firing was number 4.

 

[IBLOWN]

Quite often the gasket can blow between cylinders.

 

[Barto76]

Ran some more Bars through it yesterday and have cylinder 4 back, it's running smooth again so hopefully that'll hold until I get time off to get to a mechanic.