That gives me some hope again thanks, I will try again tomorrow.I would expect the oil pressure warning to occur simply because the pressure dropped below the minimum with the ignition on while the engine was running. Effectively, it's done exactly what it's designed to do, so I would say it's nothing to worry about.
The smoke will probably be off the exhaust manifold and will be the cleaning fluids that you used, it only takes a few seconds for it to heat up and they will clear once it's running properly.
If it were mine I would continue to crank with suitable pauses to bleed the air from the injectors until it's running smoothly. It shouldn't take you much longer to get there.
I’ve only owned the car for a month and it came with no service history, not even a manual. According to Audi the last service with them was at 83k. It is now on 142k and definitely not been looked after at all. I have just put 10 litres of fuel in, just debating wether to redo the fuel hose before one last try.How long have you owned this car and what is the service history like?
Of course you are right, the brake fluid has probably been topped up at best. It’s very dark in colour. I just assumed it had to be done with a pad change and the level was good.As the servicing is unknown, I would do a service now before trying to start the engine again. Also take this opportunity to recharge the battery or replace it.
Although the brake pads have been changed I bet the fluid has NOT. The level may be good but what colour is the fluid you can see in the reservoir?
I would not be too concerned with the blue return hose as it has sealed. If the tandem could not return enough fuel down this pipe it would probably leak. If you remove any pipe from the tandem or in that area yes you will leak diesel so you would have to fully protect all the rubber hoses from being eaten by the spilt diesel.
As a bare minimum NOW I would replace the fuel filter and engine oil and oil filter. The air and cabin filters can be changed a bit later. Before driving the car too much would do the brake fluid flush and change. Reconnect the fuel temp sensor wiring so the ECU uses the correct fuelling map for the temperatures.
I should have thought about this - trying to start the car after all the work with a small amount of 10-12 month old fuel was a bad idea ? Apparently diesel can go bad after about 6 months (gummy?) and clog up the fuel injection system ?I doubt the problem is the return, the problem is most likely on the supply side. Fuel filter and tank top up are your next priorities. That said if there is very little fuel in the tank I would drain it and start again with fresh fuel and a new filter.
I run my car on 5 - 40 because I live a short distance from a motorway and it is my towing car. So most of the time it was driven flat out or at max load. At the moment I'm not working and the car only goes to the shops and it will soon be winter so I have 5-30 in to check it out. I can tell the difference in the way the engine runs, some how looser, and will be switching back to 5-40 at the next service.I’ve read some of the extensive threads on oil choices on here - it’s a minefield! Conflicting reports of 0 - 30 as the original choice, but for me I’m in agreement with you, surely an older engine would need a thicker oil (except honda petrol engines, always run them on the thinnest you can get) and I like the idea of running some cheap oil around the block then dropping and replacing it with the good stuff. I was set on using a - 40 oil but decided in the end I’m going with the Mannol 5 - 30, that has been shown to match the latest spec stuff on here this time and see how it goes. The way this car has been maintained though, I could probably throw some crisp n dry in there without making much difference……
Fingers crossed the drain screw arrives today and we can get her running again.