A2 TDI is a pig to start from cold

tourangang

tourangang

Member
Can anyone offer me some advice.

My wife drives a 51 Plate A2 TDI, which has a mileage of 166000, wow!!

still drives great though.

But the one thing that is driving us nuts is its starting is terrible.

It starts fine from hot.

But if you leave it for a few hours or overnight it is a pig.

it sounds like fuel starvation, it turns over quickly, and the only really way to start it is by giving it some throttle and with a strangled sort of sound if eventually fires up, farting and spluttering.

i took it to my local independant audi dealers, and he could not find anything wrong with it - typical.

could it be the cheap morrisons diesal we use?, although its fine in my VW Touran.

am i going to have to resort to taking to my local Audi Stealership?

any help greatly appreciated.

John
 
Try putting some decent fuel in and also some fuel treatment, such as Millers or Redex and run a couple of tankfuls through the car.

Have you ever put new glow plugs in? If not, at that mileage, I'd say they were well overdue and you've got you money out of the present set.

Cheers,

Mike
 
a2 starting

Thanks Mike

Are Glow plugs a DIY fit, and where is the best place to buy them from

VAG Parts?

if they are a DIY Fit, what tools are needed, being a bit of a Diesal novice, are new HT leads required?

thanks in anticipation

John
 
Glowplugs are a DIY fit, needing a deep reach socket (10mm from memory) and that;s about it.

If you are going to do it yourself, PM Spike, as it;'s something that he has done and I think he'll have a few tips for you.

No new leads are needed though.

Cheers,

Mike
 
tourangang said:
Can anyone offer me some advice.

My wife drives a 51 Plate A2 TDI, which has a mileage of 166000, wow!!

still drives great though.

But the one thing that is driving us nuts is its starting is terrible.

It starts fine from hot.

But if you leave it for a few hours or overnight it is a pig.

it sounds like fuel starvation, it turns over quickly, and the only really way to start it is by giving it some throttle and with a strangled sort of sound if eventually fires up, farting and spluttering.

i took it to my local independant audi dealers, and he could not find anything wrong with it - typical.

could it be the cheap morrisons diesal we use?, although its fine in my VW Touran.

am i going to have to resort to taking to my local Audi Stealership?

any help greatly appreciated.

John
Click to expand...
I had the same problem. an independent dealer put the vag on and found corruption in the software...reset defaults all fine.......

Audiman
 
I had similar trouble our 51 plate 1.4 Tdi has 178,000 on the clock and I changed the fuel filter during a service.The car started fine after the filter change then developed a tedious routine where it would start ok from hot but not from cold .It would start ok after a short period of driving but left to sit for ten mins,no go.It would start eventually but not great.During all of this the performance wasn't affected at all.Has the filter been done recently.If it has make sure the o'ring is seated properly on top of the filter underneath the R clip. The R clip should glide in and out with ease if it is fighting you then the seal isn't seated properly.These seals can fail periodically and for no apparent reason.This can be a bit of a pig,it looks ok but invariably isn't.I use a tiny engineers hammer to seat the plastic housing containing the o'ring.But gently does it as the housing is plastic.:)The reason I am pushing this is it sounds like your filter is not priming itself.So try a new filter with new seals.Don't worry about fuel draining from the tank as there is a check valve in the housing that contains the o ring.
ps I think you will find that your fuel regardless of the supplier all comes from the one refinery,ours is BP at Grangemouth.That includes Tesco, Shell,Morrisons etc
 
Last edited:
thanks spike, i have ordered some from my local indepantant Audi Dealer, and they should be here tommorow, i dont think it will hurt to change them anyway, considering the mileage they have done.

J
 
Still a pig to start with new glow plugs

HI All

I have changed the glow plugs, and for a day or 2 seemed ok. thought i had cracked it.

but after that its the same, have to keep starter motor going for ages to get it to start, it can only be fuel related.

someone before suggested the fuel filter might be at fault?


any thoughts - and if so, where the hell is it located and what is needed to gain access to check it?

I really dont want to resort to the main audi stealership in Taunton. But i took it too my local indepandant VW/Audi dealer in Bridgwater and they could not find anything wrong with it.

help

Thanks

John
 
alright fella

Ours is a 2002 TDiSE, the fuel filter is just in front of the passenger side rear wheel under the car (if memory serves correctly) it is covered with a thin aluminium shield.

Ours is a metal canister type, they changed (from what I was told in 2002) from a paper type.

Phone your dealer etc with your details & reg, they will tell you which you have.

Unless it has not been changed for ages, I can't see that being your problem (not that I know too much :) mine went 40,000 between changes, there was nothing wrong with the old one.


good luck

bba
 
The fuel filter is near the rear axel and under one of the silver heat shields on the offside. You need to undo one of the 10mm speed nuts, fold the heatshield away and then you can access it. If you are going to change the filer, it'll help to have a few pipe clamps to stop the diesel running out!

Cheers,

Mike
 
Hi John
The glow plug system includes a fuse and relay so these could be at fault if the starting problerm only occurs when the engine is cold. If it is difficult to start even when warm then its more likely to be a fuel supply or even an engine sensor problem. If nothing shows up on a diagnostic scan then a blocked fuel filter, air leaks or even the fuel delivery pump are all possible causes.
By the way, what year is your car

Cheers Spike
 
Thanks Spike - looks like im going to have to take it to the Audi Stealership for that lot to be checked then - Taunton Audi - they are rubbish :-(

oh yes its a 2001 (51)

cheers

John
 
Hi John,

May I ask a few basic questions, just to cover the essentials?

Does the glow plug symbol appear when the ignition is turned on and before the starter motor operates?

How long does it stay on for?

Are you waiting for the symbol to go out before starting the engine?

John
 
it comes on briefly for a second or so, so there is no really need to wait, as its always out by the time the key is turned the final bit to activate the starter.

j
 
Would you say that the glow plug symbol stays on for the same length of time, everytime, or have you noticed it staying on for longer, say 2 - 3 seconds when it is freezing outside?

Try getting more heat into the glow plugs as follows. When the glow plug symbol goes out, turn the ignition off and back on again to bring the glow plug symbol on for a second time, then try starting the engine.

Hope you get it sorted.

John
 
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