This morning my TDi 90 started first turn and then I let the engine run for five minutes to get rid of the ice and frost. Then switched off, had breakfast and returned to car 20 mins later to take wife to her work. Engine wouldn't start. I have a new battery fitted. There was an initial cough as if the engine was about to fire then nothing, just the starter seeming to turn over the engine for ages and no more indication of any firing or misfiring. tried several times to start, always the same, an initial cough then turning over without any firing. Called out AA. Their man heard the same initial cough and then the engine turning but not starting. he checked the timing belt was still ok by prising apart the cover and having a peek whilst I tried to start the engine. Then, the engine fired up just as he was looking at the timing belt and we could not get the fault to re occur. he plugged in his laptop and ran the diagnostics software and no fault codes showed up.His conclusion is that the initial sounds indicated that the starter motor was turning too quickly and that there could be a flywheel/starter motor problem developing. Suggested take the car to a garage asap to have it checked. Anyone on this excellent forum had similar experiences with intermittent starter motor operation?

Poor battery might cause the starter motor to spin too slowly. I know you changed the battery for a new one, but if that was a bit flat that might have masked the problem.

The starter motor was spinning faster than normal when you are trying to start up, according to both my ears and those of the AA man. The battery is almost new and fully charged Bosch high capacity unit.

Might be a crank sensor. Perhaps the ecu sensed the sensor had failed and switched over to a different one. It would have showed up as a fault though.

Does it run OK once it has started?

When you say the engine keeps turning- Is the engine turning, or is it just the starter?

If the starter motor is cranking the engine then imho it is doing its job, if the engine fails to fire thats a different problem altogether, main culprits likely to be a fuel problem, a duff sensor or possibly immobliser playing up, I really wouldn't consider the starter motor at all, problems with starter motor are generally solid clunk = flat battery or pinion jammed in flywheel, wizzing round but not cranking the engine = pinion fialure or baldly worn teeth.

Edited 8 February, 201115 yr by smileonimpact

The starter motor was spinning faster than normal when you are trying to start up, according to both my ears and those of the AA man. The battery is almost new and fully charged Bosch high capacity unit.

Not really sure how it could spin any faster than normal, unless your engine was knackered (no compression), or the starter motor wasn't engaging - either way there would be less load on it. However as you say your car has started, then that rules out both....

When you say the starter motor was spinning faster than normal due you mean you could just hear the starter motor & not the engine turning over? reason i ask is i had a failed starter motor on one of our trucks that when you tried to start it it just made a high pitched spining noise & would not start,i replaced the starter motor & its been fine since.(the bush had failed in the end of the starter & the pinion teeth etc were all flaping around) it did start once with the failed starter so this may be you problem?

Thanks for all the replies so far folks. Now an update, the engine was definitely being cranked, our AA man could see the cambelt moving as he pulled back the cover so I reckon he mis diagnosed the problem. I was reckoning on it being fuel related, ie lack of it reaching the injectors. Sought a second opinion from my local garage mechanic last night and he agreed that he would be looking at the fuel supply since what I was describing sounded to him like there was low compression due to no diesel reaching the cylinders and this would make it easier for the starter to crank the motor. I had filled up the night before when the tank was down to around the point where the low fuel light would be coming on so I may either have disturbed sediment or water perhaps, and given that we had had a night of below freezing temps, the possibilities exist that water or sludge had solidified in a line. The engine did by chance start up just as it was being looked at by the AA and it has not missed a beat since.I have just checked this morning, starts first turn, left running for 10 minutes then left for half an hour, started first turn again so no problems today. mechanic suggested I put Wynn's dry fuel into the tank just in case there is water in there and if it happens again then full investigation into the fuel supply. Will post if the problem happens again.

Might be worth draining your fuel filter... maybe it has a lot of water in it?

Good suggestion about draining the filter although this car had all filters changed just 2 months ago when serviced but one never knows.

There is a temperature sensor in the fuel pump which can go and cause the car to under/over fuel when warm.

Either of these can cause it to not start correctly or run badly/stall.

If you only have the problem when the car is warm, then I'd take it to a diesel injection specialist and ask them to investigate/replace that part.

Most normal garages, will replace the whole fuel pump for you, which is expensive.

Hi all,

I am from India and Own a Skoda Laura (which is the Octavia) Ambiente 1.9 PD. As I start the engine I hear a shuddering sound. This sound does not occur always can any one help...