CEL was on ran codes had Faulty MAF ,Hall Effect sensor. Maf Has been replaced and have had no problems with it after being changed. However I replaced the distributor this morning and cleared the codes but Ill be damned if it didnt come right back up again. Car is running alright . Some vibration in the cap (Seeing as its glued on they may be normal? )Keeps saying 00515 - Camshaft Position (Hall) Sensor (G40): Open or Short to Plus
Heres a breakdown Of what I've done so far

1. set top dead center cam\crank were right where they needed to be
however flywheel was not could this have been the previous owner not installing it right?

2. Replaced distributor with new one

3. New plugs rotor and cap

4. Tested voltage at sensor (was not low )

5. Set tdc again and did everything again and triple checked everything

6. looked for damage to connector and wires

7. cleaned grounds on block

8. tried twisting cap seeing if that would help


I am out of ideas and almost out of money.

I would say you need to fully trace your crank sensor wires from where it plugs into the distributor to the ecu. you could probably use a test light.
1. unplug distributor, unplug ecu harness
2. locate cam position wires on both ends
3. run +12v jumper wire from battery or fuse box to distributor end of the wire(make sure its not coming straight off the battery, i don't want you to set your car onfire, hook up the wire after a fuse in the circuit somewhere.
4. test the other end with a test light, if it lights up I don't know what to tell you, but if not then you know what to do.
Also, to check for a short to power you can bypass the jumper wire and just hook up the test light to see if its shorting out, shake the harness around abit when you're testing it.

Year and Engine ?

1995 ABA 2.0 8v

If the vehicle runs OK but still sets 00515 it's probably an alignment issue .
Remove the belt cover and CONFIRM that all three marks are exactly right .
Then pull the dist and line up the index marks and reinstall the dist .
Clear the code and start the vehicle . These cars are super critical for timing
and will code a 515 in as little as 2° variation .

If it still codes you can move the dist in tiny increments , but you have to clear the code
before restarting every time until it stays off .

Yes , do this. It doesn't matter as much that the camshaft is in the absolute perfect position , but the positions of the timing mark on the flywheel and the index mark on the distributor must be perfect in order for the light to stay off.
DO NOT trust a mark on the crankshaft pulley/harm. balancer when correcting the timing of the crank/cam/distributor , ONLY the timing mark on the flywheel should be used for this purpose.

Just out of curiousity , when you decided that the hall sensor in the distributor was faulty , did the car fail to run , or just a check engine light?
If the hall sensor is faulty , the engine will NOT run at all.


Also , you ARE scanning for codes with the engine running , right?
If not , the hall sensor code is most likely false , and there is another problem you cannot see or a code your scanner will not read.
On A3 platform VWs , when scanned with key on , engine OFF , the hall sensor code will normally appear and should be disregarded , same with the "brake switch F open/short" code on some models.

If that hall sensor code isn't there while the engine is running , the hall sensor is not the problem.

After market flywheel no marks. I am going to do the timing belt. I 'm thinking the intermedare shaft is off too much for the ecm to compensete for. It could just need a timing belt tensinor.