Hi all, I dont post here often but am more of a lurker, however, and not wanting to sound like Max Bygraves I want to tell you a story. I bought my first A2 last April which was a 1.4 petrol and I changed it last week for a 1.4 TDI90 which I think is a sport model. my problem is that when I first looked at the car I mentioned that at 69k I think it should have a new cambelt etc. and the seller agreed and said he would get it done. He got it done but then said it needed something else as they couldn't start it. They then fixed this and I picked the car up last Friday. One thing I noticed was that it took a bit of winding on the starter motor before it would fire up but I thought this could just be how they are but this morning (Sunday) it was a swine to start and when it did it seemed to be only firing on one or two cylinders with a cloud of smoke coming out of the exhaust. After four or five attempts it seemed to fire up O.K. and when driven seems fine. I have a 3 month parts and labour warranty on it and if there are any probs I want to get them sorted ASAP. Any ideas what could be the prob, your help would be greatly appreciated.
Help, starting problems
- Thread starter halfacar
- Start date
murdo
Admin Team
Hia - the car doesnt sound right at all. One of our mechanical gurus (Spike or Skipton) will be along to advise sometime I am sure. In the meantime you can take a look at the Vag Com or VCDS group members list to see if theres anyone near you with the diagnostic equipment. If youre armed with all the facts you will be in a good position to have it all sorted on the warranty. I'm sure theres a simple explaination for your troubles and I hope you get it sorted PDQ. Cheers. 
Hi halfacar
I would guess that one of the engine sensors is faulty and this is affecting the fuelling from cold. Ask the garage to do a diagnostic scan which should pinpoint the fault. If you can get hold of any fault codes we may be able to offer more advice.
A faulty fuel filter is another possible cause of poor starting but this does not generally result in clouds of smoke when it fires up (the smoke is normally a sign of unburnt fuel in the cylinders which vapourises when the engine finally runs)
Let us know how you get on
Cheers Spike
I would guess that one of the engine sensors is faulty and this is affecting the fuelling from cold. Ask the garage to do a diagnostic scan which should pinpoint the fault. If you can get hold of any fault codes we may be able to offer more advice.
A faulty fuel filter is another possible cause of poor starting but this does not generally result in clouds of smoke when it fires up (the smoke is normally a sign of unburnt fuel in the cylinders which vapourises when the engine finally runs)
Let us know how you get on
Cheers Spike
The glowplugs only work at temps below 6C so even on cool summer mornings they probably won't be activated. Still worth checking though for peace of mind when the weather gets colder
Cheers Spike
Hi all, well I have had a scan done and the fault that has come up is the camshaft sensor. So my trusty mechanic says that is what the problem is although he did say the engine seemed to be running a bit rough.
I said that I thought that it had a new one cos they couldnt start it after the new cambelt was fitted. O.K. says he, lets have a look and proceeds to take the cover off to inspect the sensor. Lo and behold there is indeed what appears to be a new sensor, strange we think.
Oh look at that, the daft so and so's havn't connected it properly. We clip it together and guess what, it won't start at all. Disconect the sensor and it starts. If the engine is running and you connect the sensor it stops the engine.
My ace mechanic reckons that they have put a new cambelt on and got the timing wrong and that they knew this when they let the car go. What a bunch of ********.
The plan now is to strip it down on Monday morning to see what they have exactly done and put it right. I think this is a warning to us all.
I said that I thought that it had a new one cos they couldnt start it after the new cambelt was fitted. O.K. says he, lets have a look and proceeds to take the cover off to inspect the sensor. Lo and behold there is indeed what appears to be a new sensor, strange we think.
Oh look at that, the daft so and so's havn't connected it properly. We clip it together and guess what, it won't start at all. Disconect the sensor and it starts. If the engine is running and you connect the sensor it stops the engine.
My ace mechanic reckons that they have put a new cambelt on and got the timing wrong and that they knew this when they let the car go. What a bunch of ********.
The plan now is to strip it down on Monday morning to see what they have exactly done and put it right. I think this is a warning to us all.
