No matter how buried in sensors, wires, and emission control devices your engine may be, under it all is a giant block of metal with pistons in it. It is still an internal combustion engine and therefore requires five basic things to make it go vroom: air, fuel, spark, compression, and timing. Let’s explore these five important aspects of automotive theory for a moment.
I like to diagnose and repair all manner of automotive puzzles but I specialize in “It ran when I parked it”. If a car has been sitting and won’t run the timing and compression are most likely fine. In my vast experience I have only seen the air blocked off once, by a large magnet, but that’s another story for another day. This leaves us with spark and fuel, both of which are easy to diagnose.
Once I had the tiny fuel lines hooked up on the VW I cranked the motor but it wouldn’t start. I knew the pump was good because the clear plastic filter I had installed was full of fuel but this didn’t rule out a fuel issue. Maybe the float in the carburetor was stuck up and not letting in any fuel. Just to be sure it was not a fuel issue I sprayed some starting fluid down the carburetor and cranked the motor again. No love.
On to spark. Instead of testing spark at at a plug wire, I got to the heart of it and checked it at the coil; nothing.