A friend of mine, who also lurks around on here, has gone to the US for a month. So he has kindly lent me his Skoda Octavia to try out as I would like to buy a family car. It is a MK2 (55 plate) TDI (1.9/2.0 PD?). It is an "Elegance" trim if that matters.

Anyway, I have never driven a diesel before now, just several 1.0-1.4 petrols. I love everything about this car, except for one problem - I keep stalling the bloody thing in second gear! It's driving me insane.

If I am on a perfectly flat surface, like our car park, I can get the car to pull away in 2nd gear and drive on as normal. If I am on the road, doing under 10mph, change from 3rd into 2nd and I try to pull away I always stall it. No matter how slowly I release the clutch, or how high I rev the engine, it will stall.

An example of this is coming up to a T-junction and slowing down when coming towards the dotted line, to check if it is clear to proceed. If I end up stopping or going below 5mph, but don't remember to change into 1st, I stall it.

The car just seems far too fussy about what gear it is in. I was told by my friend that apparently the car's computer even tries to compensate by increasing the revs if it feels it is going to stall. My ****! So either I am a crap driver, or there's something seriously wrong with this car.

If I am on a perfectly flat surface, like our car park, I can get the car to pull away in 2nd gear and drive on as normal. If I am on the road, doing under 10mph, change from 3rd into 2nd and I try to pull away I always stall it. No matter how slowly I release the clutch, or how high I rev the engine, it will stall.

Are you attempting to start from a standstill in 2nd (this is the impression I get?)

If so, why? The 1st gear is there for a reason

No, he's letting it coast in 2nd and it's stalling, I think. That case I suggest trying a tank of different brand fuel and some spirited driving to clear the spider webs.

No, he's letting it coast in 2nd and it's stalling, I think. That case I suggest trying a tank of different brand fuel and some spirited driving to clear the spider webs.

Mondeo TDCIs do this - ones at work drive me mad. If you let the revs get below normal idle - even for a split second - they cut out & you have to switch off & restart(embarrassing & dangerous often). The amount of times i have stalled pulling out of junctions etc.......It seems the engines have no flywheel and you have to give them some revs to keep off / away from the idle point. Quite the oposite of an old Seat arosa (Lupo) 1.7 SDI my wife has - that is nearly impossible to stall - I'm guessing it's modern TDIs with DMFs - small flywheels?

Possibly related to the interaction between the idle speed control and the injector cut-out (when you are slowing down the ECU stops supplying fuel to the injectors altogether to reduce fuel consumption, when you get near idle revs it cuts back in). I was a bit jerky with my TDI ay very low revs until I figured out what was going on and changed my driving style slightly. Just change gears to keep the revs above 1,000rpm and you shouldn't have a problem.

Keep in mind that the modern turbo diesel engine's charactaristics are slightly different to older "more agricultural" diesels of years gone by and there is an area just above idling speed that the turbo is still "off boost" and less power is produced. You would stall a petrol engine a great deal more if you attempted to move off frequently at idling speed (around 1000 rpm)

Its normal, use 1st gear.

I do the same thing when chugging around the car park at work (5mph limit), you have to use 1st, they dont like 2nd gear.

If you change gear as below you won't stall. These speed/gears are recommended by the IAM to afford maximum flexibility in each gear.

1st- 10mph

2nd- 20mph

3rd- 30mph

4th- 40mph

5th- 50mph

6th- 60mph

I used to use 4th gear when driving within the 30 mph limit, however, since undertaking IAM training I use 3rd and find it an improvement as the engine is able to repond more readily.

So IAM worked this out using gear ratios and torque curves for each particular car on the road, or did they just pull it out of their collective asses?

They still have you doing the very safe 10-to-2 steering shuffle, or did they finally think that's a bad idea?

i have found diesels need to be running at a higher speed in each gear like veloplus has posted above. i tired driving the bosses 2.0 tdi the other day and where as my 2.0 petrol can go into 6th at 30mph and give great fuel econonmy the tdi hated it and would only settle for 3rd gear.

Mondeo TDCIs do this - ones at work drive me mad. If you let the revs get below normal idle - even for a split second - they cut out & you have to switch off & restart(embarrassing & dangerous often). The amount of times i have stalled pulling out of junctions etc.......It seems the engines have no flywheel and you have to give them some revs to keep off / away from the idle point. Quite the oposite of an old Seat arosa (Lupo) 1.7 SDI my wife has - that is nearly impossible to stall - I'm guessing it's modern TDIs with DMFs - small flywheels?

your correct about the flywheel, the ECU cuts the engine out below 800rpm iirc on the TDCi engine to protect the DMF, my 1.8 focus TDCi did exactly the same

So IAM worked this out using gear ratios and torque curves for each particular car on the road, or did they just pull it out of their collective asses?

They still have you doing the very safe 10-to-2 steering shuffle, or did they finally think that's a bad idea?

Don't knock it till you've tried it...

I have passed my IAM motorcycle test and my wife has passed both car and bike IAM test and we were well instructed on mechanical sympathy.

Don't take for granted that we hang about on the road. Truth be told my wife rarely gets held up by traffic, could show some younger and dafter drivers a thing or two on twisty roads and her car is always the one which needs less money spent on fuel,maintainance and repairs.

P.S. No she does not do the 10--2 steering shuffle!!

If you change gear as below you won't stall. These speed/gears are recommended by the IAM to afford maximum flexibility in each gear.

1st- 10mph

2nd- 20mph

3rd- 30mph

4th- 40mph

5th- 50mph

6th- 60mph

I used to use 4th gear when driving within the 30 mph limit, however, since undertaking IAM training I use 3rd and find it an improvement as the engine is able to repond more readily.

Does this not affect economy, as a taxi driver I always get into 5th asap and always 4th in the 30s

To stop the stalling dont be shy in giving it a bit more welly

Driving a diesel is very different to petrol, you maybe able to get away with 2nd in a petrol pulling away but a diesel engine will not like it one bit due to different gearing. I always use first to pull away from stationary.

Must a thing with newer diesels...

Although slightly different I recently drove the college's mini bus (57 plate Ford transit TDCi) and that thing was the same... you HAD to give it some gas when moving off etc or it WOULD stall no matter what you did... stalled it about 12 times that day! lol

In Nelly I can usually set off in 2nd without really noticing (done it a few times without realising) and I can coast up to junctions and almost stop in 2nd but then clutch back out and on the gas and she will pull away... and she will cruise along at idle without issue in ANY gear.

It must be the ECU cutting in on the newer diesels that is causing the stalling... suppose all it taked is a simple and small change in driving style.

Phil

I suspect it's the anti-stall system coming in, designed to protect the dual-mass flywheel more than anything I do believe.

Never had a problem with stalling diesels though I must say. I am able with mine to pull away in 2nd, when in traffic, as long as I've not come to a complete standstill.

Steve

With the note that this is the old 1.9l, I always use first from rest, but find that once I'm rolling I can use idle revs in first through third, and get some sort of pick up from about 1_000 rpm even in top, at 30mph/1000rpm (give or take).

Well as i have just got myself a Mondeo 2.2 TDCI I can say pulling away in 1st gear I need to give it some revs

As in one of the above posts I can't drive in 5th at say 30-40mph as it feels like it's going to stall so I am finding 4th gear used quite a lot at the moment.

Know what you mean. I've found that whenever I find myself in a Ford derv. The TDCis are renowned for it apparently.

I find myself sticking with 3rd upto 30-35mph, probably more so since the HPC driving day. Hasn't seemed to harm economy and the engine feels much happier. And of course it's more willing to respond when the limit increases too

Steve

And of course it's more willing to respond when the limit increases too

Steve

What do you do with the second you save; spend it changing up a gear?

In my experience this problem is very vehicle dependent. Before the Octy I had a Suzuki Grand Vitara 2l petrol. I could easily slow down at the end of the turning and pull out in second, if the road was clear. About 3 years ago my wife bought a 1.9td Fiat Doblo, which is an absolute pig, and stalls if I try the same trick in second. Now, my Octy, 1.9TDi, will happily pull out on second!

What do you do with the second you save; spend it changing up a gear?

Not with you? I meant more in terms of being in the most suitable gear for acceleration; so more from a mechanical sympathy and also a performance point of view, rather than time saving

Steve

Not with you? I meant more in terms of being in the most suitable gear for acceleration; so more from a mechanical sympathy and also a performance point of view, rather than time saving

Steve

Not with you either. I rarely to never apply full throttle out of speed limits so I don't see how a car can be in too high a gear to accelerate on part throttle unless it's in too high a gear for steady speed running at the speed you're accelerating from.

Not with you either. I rarely to never apply full throttle out of speed limits so I don't see how a car can be in too high a gear to accelerate on part throttle unless it's in too high a gear for steady speed running at the speed you're accelerating from.

I never mentioned full throttle

At 30 in 4th gear, the Fabia it turning over about 1500rpm. If the limit then increases from 30 to 40, or 50, or national (all applicable scenarios for me locally), that isn't an ideal starting point for increasing speed, as the turbo is off-boost.

My original point was that I feel 3rd is the most suitable gear for both maintaining a steady speed in a 30 limit, and also most useful when that limit is replaced with a higher one.

Steve