vw golf wont start but turns over (1J1) 1.4 16V 2002
VW Golf IV Hatchback (1J1)

My VW Golf won’t start but turns over and I can’t figure out what the issue is. It’s a 2002 VW Golf IV Hatchback – (1J1) 1.4 16V – that I bought recently. I test drove it twice and since buying it I’ve taken it out a couple of times. All of these times it started fine, but then last night it wouldn’t start. When I test drove it I started it myself, it’s not like the person I bought it off had a special trick or special procedure to get it going or anything like that. I just pressed the key halfway in, waited for the engine to warm up, then pressed the key in fully, and it started without any problems.

Now when I try to start it, the engine will turn over but won’t start. It just keeps cranking. If I hold the crank for longer than around 5 seconds the message “STOP! OIL PRESSURE, ENGINE OFF” comes up. There’s enough fuel in the tank for another 100 miles or so. The oil looks to be at a good level and I topped it up a little to be sure.

I did a VCDS scan and there were a lot of error codes at first but they were probably just old ones that just hadn’t been cleared. I cleared the errors and did another scan. The only error codes the second time around were:

000801 – Engine Speed Sensor [G28]
005714 – Please check DTC Memory of Transmission Controller

Any ideas about why the car won’t start?