This morning I got in my car (Mk3 Golf 1.8 SE Petrol) and went to start it. The engine will turn over indefinitely but not start. On my second attempt, again it would turn over, but as soon as I let go of the key it would stop and let out a big puff of smoke. The smoke (from what I can tell) is coming roughly from the area near the cam belt cover and the top of the block (not sure what else to be looking for around here and terminology. I want to say carburettor?) I've checked the HT leads and distributor and they look fine. I've also been told it could be the coil. I'm a bit lost though at this point and any suggestions would be much appreciated!
Most probably, the misfire (smoke) was caused by a wrong firing order of the plugs. check if the high tension wires are on the correct plugs.
another thing that can cause this is incorrect ignition timing. have a mechanic check your timing on crankshaft, camshaft, and distributor (if present)
SOURCE: 2000 Volkswagen Polo runs rough and dies in wet weather and rain
Girlfriend's 99 Polo had same issue. In fact it recurred yesterday! Anyway, am not expert, but it seems to be due to deposits building up inside distributor cap area and then getting damp in wet conditions, causing shorting of ignition 'signals'. Found solution is to clean inside cap every 6 to 12 months with a cloth and IPA (or water if you're stuck - just make sure to dry it properly!) and the problem goes away. Silly thing about her Polo is that there's no decent splashguard to protect the engine area from splashes from puddles etc. I've lost all respect for VW coz of the amount of silly things that have gone wrong with her car...! Hope this helps - sounds to me like it's exactly the same problem.
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changing HT leads, plugs, distributor cap, and rotor arm. Will report back.
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