Helping a friend with his 1989 VW Golf. I believe it has the 1.8L engine, EFI and the Digifant II ICU installed. The problem - No Regular Spark coming from the coil to the distributor. Verified it with a timing light, and it does flash 1 time when the key is first turned, then 1 more time when the key is turned off? We have replaced the coil with 1 from a "donor" car, along with the ICU and the distributor itself, still no regular flashing from the timing light? I guess it's possible we've put in a bad part from the donor car that has the same problem as the original parts, just don't want to spend any further funds on the repair without having a good knowledge of the culprit. Any ideas? When my friend purchased this vehicle, it did start and run, although not very well due to several vacuum leaks. Those were fixed and it ran pretty good for 2 days, then all of a sudden, it would not start, and we began the troubleshooting process, verified it was getting fuel, which it was, then moved onto the electrical part and determined that it was not getting spark from the coil. That's where we're at today. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

VW distributors are very well made. I suspect the Ignition Control Module is bad--they are the weak link. I would pony up and buy a new one--I would be surprised if it didn't solve the problem. I recommend replacing them every 120,000 miles or 10 years, whichever comes first.

Received the ICU on Saturday and installed it. Did not fix the problem, still not getting any spark from the coil wire going to the distributor. We decided to check all the ground connections that we could find. We removed them, cleaned them, lubed them with some electrical grease and put them all back on. Tried starting again, same problem, no spark. Added a separate wire from the negative of the battery to the coil holder where it attached to the top of the firewall? Sounds strange, but read it on 2 separate forums that it fixed someone else's "No Spark" problems, figured it couldn't hurt. We now get spark when the Starter is active, but the spark stops when you let go of the key as soon as you feel the engine will continue on it's own. Weird, but it feels like a little progress has been made. Still waiting on the new distributor to arrive on Wednesday and will swap it out and test again. TXGreaseMonkey, I appreciate your help and knowledge as you've been a life saver for me several times in the past. Thanks! Any ideas or suggestions why adding this extra ground wire would have caused the spark to start working? I suspect after replacing the distributor and it does not start and continue running that there will be a definite wiring issue somewhere on this car.

Your latest description makes it sound like the ignition switch is bad.

I too gave that some thought, although this whole "No Spark" thing is baffeling me? Prior to attaching the EXTRA Ground wire to the coil mount, we would only see 1 spark as soon as the key was turned to position 1, no spark while trying to start the car, then it would spark again when the key was turned to the 1 position prior to the off position. After the ground wire was attached, it now sparks the whole time the key is held in the position where the starter is engaged, but the spark stops when you release the key, and the real weird part is that this scenario will ONLY occur 2 times in a row to attempt to start the car, on the third attempt, there is NO Spark again, other than the 1 spark in position 1 and just before turning it off again. Let the car sit for 10 - 15 minutes, and we get the 2 successive attempts to get it running again. The donor car does still have the ignition switch installed, I'll get the boys to remove it and bring it to this project car and try it. Thanks again!

Additionally, I would remove, examine, and clean the negative battery cable, main engine ground, and main ECM ground. Apply dielectric grease to ground connections. If all of your grounds are clean and tight, you shouldn't need any others.

I would definitely remove the new grounding wire. These efforts often have unintended consequences, where ECMs, sensors, and alternators get damaged.

I will do that and report back. I really appreciate all your help!

Be sure to test all under hood and under dash fuses with a test light or multimeter:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-trucks/faq-how-troubleshoot-repair-maintain-hondas-selected-other-vehicles-46563-3.html#post252145

Stupid question? Is the ECM Ground anything more than the threaded stud and nut that holds the ECM's metal case to the firewall?

It depends on the vehicle. On my Taurus, it's pretty much the way you decribed--the ECM ground connects to the main ground right next to it. Still, it has its own grounding wire. On my Civic, the main ECM ground is on the thermostat housing. Service Manuals usually have a section indicating where ALL grounds are located on the vehicle. Unfortunately, I'm not too familiar with VWs.

Found all the ground locations mentioned in the Haynes manual. Cleaned them, applied some dielectric grease, and attached them again. Checked ALL fuses under the dash, found 1 blown, labelled "engine electronics" and replaced it. Got the new distributor in and installed it as well as replacing the ignition switch electronics, and lo and behold, the car started and ran on it's own. Spent some time getting the timing set correctly after replacing the distributor, but it purrs like a kitten now. I have a very happy 20 year old young man on my hands now. Thanks for all your help, I really appreciate it!

Very nice job! Serving others is what it's all about (JOY). I'd want you on my team.