Starting problems

[Dan13]

Hi there. I know this subject has most probably Been mentioned before but here goes! I have a 60 plate Octavia vrs tdi and a few wks ago the car gave a slight judder then a few miles later it cut out and wouldn’t start. I had a machanic come out a few days later and after around 20 seconds of turning the car over it fired up and ran fine. He replaced the fuel pump relay but after 3/4 times of turning the car of and on again its slower to fire, has anyone had the same issue and had this problem fixed I would b grateful 

[Gabbo]

Did the mechanic read the error codes from the engine ECU as this is the quickest way to find the cause of the fault.

Why did he replace the fuel pump relay?

When you say it doesnt start, does it just dead-crank or does it cough & splutter like its trying to start?

 

A diesel needs synchronsations (good cam/crank signal) and the fuel pressure over a certain limit before the injection is enabled.

[edbostan]

Had intermittent starting problems on our Corsa and it was the crankshaft sensor.

[Dan13]

Yeah he read the error codes and it said bout fueling but didn't give an accurate fault so he replaced the relay as the fuel pump itself is fine. As for starting it's just cranking over but won't fire I've heard of these cars suffering with heat soak? Someone also said camshaft and crankshaft sensor? 

[Rybu79]

Not sure if this will help??

 

 

 

 

[chris4500uk]

1 hour ago, Rybu79 said:

Not sure if this will help??

 

 

 

 

 

Looking at the part diagram it looks like the CUPA engine doesn't use this part but the CUNA version in the AWD model does? Can anybody confirm this?

[Dan13]

just to update. Machanic came out earlier he suspects fuel injector he read the codes only one was glow plug number 1 showing signs of failure but he said wouldn’t b affecting the symptoms I have

[Dan13]

Sorry forgot to say thank u to rybu79 and Chris 4500 for the video cheers guys!

[Gabbo]

I'd ask for the list of fault codes.

If the ECU has an error with the glow-plug I'd be inclined to change that first. (its cheaper than an injector & it seems the logical thing to do).

 

A problem with one injector or one glowplug shouldnt prevent the engine from starting although it might be rough afterwards.

You should also be able to tell when you are trying to start if some of the injectors are enabled as the engine should cough & splutter.

If the starter is enabled but there is no injection at all then I'd say the problem is not the injector

[WallMeerkat]

I occasionally get this on my 1.6 TDi

 

It'll take it a few seconds to start. It only does this maybe once a week or so. Just enough to scare you and keep you on your toes

 

Last time it was in for a service I mentioned it, they suggested it may be the battery struggling. For a late 2013 car with stop-start that mightn't be unreasonable?

 

I was thinking more maybe it was the injectors?

[Gabbo]

This delayed starting is a separate issue which has been on the forum since the beginning.

I firmly believe it is just a software/calibration issue because of injector drift rather than something mechanical.

There was a software update for some engines (2L I think) which worked for a short while for several users but after a few months/miles the issue slowly returned.

My car does this regularly, sometimes it fires immediately, sometimes after a couple of second, worst case is perhaps 5-6s of dead cranking.

 

Whilst there have been quite a few people reporting battery problems recently, I dont see why a battery should need replacing after 4 years.

Providing the crank speed is good when you are starting, the battery should be ok. They should be able to read the state of the battery with their diagnostic Tools anyway.

[Dan13]

I’m probably going to change the glow plugs as it came up with an error and they have never been changed and my car has done 122000 miles now so probably wouldn’t hurt. Il most probably just see how it goes but I’m inclined to agree with Gabbo if it’s not causing major issues live with it! 

[Gabbo]

Can I ask how you start the car?

Do you have Kessy or a physical key?

Do you know that to start you just need to flick the key to start & then release? The ECU takes care of the rest, glow plugs, starter motor activation, cranking time, starter motor release etc.

If you turn & hold the ignition key in the start position, you bypass the automatic start proceedure & just activate directly the starter motor.

 

[Dan13]

I have a physical key on mine and I do turn and hold the key rather than doing what u suggest so mayb il do that see what happens. Thank you for that as I didn’t no 

[Gabbo]

Just to be clear, the issue from WallMeerkat (extended cranking) is different to not starting at all.

Many diesel users report that the TDI does not fire immediately when starting & sometimes cranks between 2-10s before the engine starts.

It should normally take maximum 2 révolutions before the engine fires up the first time.

In these cases I dont remember anyone complaining the engine would not start at all & there are no fault codes stored by the ECU during this time.

i.e. the engine always starts but sometimes cranks longer than it should do.

 

If the engine reall doesnt start after 10s of cranking & there are errors then this is a different issue/fault..

[WallMeerkat]

On 16/08/2018 at 12:15, Gabbo said:

Just to be clear, the issue from WallMeerkat (extended cranking) is different to not starting at all.

Many diesel users report that the TDI does not fire immediately when starting & sometimes cranks between 2-10s before the engine starts.

It should normally take maximum 2 révolutions before the engine fires up the first time.

In these cases I dont remember anyone complaining the engine would not start at all & there are no fault codes stored by the ECU during this time.

i.e. the engine always starts but sometimes cranks longer than it should do.

 

If the engine reall doesnt start after 10s of cranking & there are errors then this is a different issue/fault..

 

Spot on. It has never failed to start. Though I'll admit that after a couple of seconds my heart is in my mouth , it'll then behave for the next week or so and I'll forget about it.

Service at dealer found no codes, thats why they suggested "maybe" battery.

[Dan13]

So far this week my car hasn’t missed a beat hopefully it stays that way! Bought some fuel additive earlier so will put that in later ( millers diesel cleaner)

[Dan13]

Hi guys! Just an update on my starting/ running issues. Today my car had been warmed up and running for approx 20 mins and then it had a misfire and a lack of acccelaration and power I’ve had a fault code for glow plug one but would this cause these symptoms?

[TheZuus]

I have had a car with only 2 working glow plugs (1.9 tdi passat) that worked fine.

What you describe seems more like fuel delivery issues.

There are two fuel pumps, one in the fuel tank to prime the main high pressure pump in the engine bay.

It may be worth changing the one in the fuel tank on spec as they can fail in a fairly intermittent fashion.

As for the main high pump that is a last resort thing.

The one in the fuel tank is electrical and can be changed in a few hours.

If you do it yourself then make sure once you have fitted it to prime it about 10 times before starting engine.

To prime it simply insert and turn key to step before engine start, you should hear the pump running in the background for a few seconds.

[Dan13]

On 29/01/2015 at 20:56, silver1011 said:

£1,600 / £1,300 for a new EGR? Someone is having a laugh.

 

If mine fails the whole lot is coming out for good.

Just an update. My turbo blew and they found all the intercooler pipes were full of oil so looks like this has been the reason why my car has been cutting out at a cost of £1600!

[Dan13]

Just an update. My turbo blew and they found all the intercooler pipes were full of oil so looks like this has been the reason why my car has been cutting out at a cost of £1600! 

[Peter'ssuperb]

On 16/08/2018 at 12:15, Gabbo said:

Just to be clear, the issue from WallMeerkat (extended cranking) is different to not starting at all.

Many diesel users report that the TDI does not fire immediately when starting & sometimes cranks between 2-10s before the engine starts.

It should normally take maximum 2 révolutions before the engine fires up the first time.

In these cases I dont remember anyone complaining the engine would not start at all & there are no fault codes stored by the ECU during this time.

i.e. the engine always starts but sometimes cranks longer than it should do.

 

If the engine reall doesnt start after 10s of cranking & there are errors then this is a different issue/fault..

I've had this issue recently on a 16 plate VRS 4x4, I mentioned it at a service last week. Doing exactly as described above, fault was reported to Skoda and theIR solution is to replace the ECU!! Anyone heard of this? Just to say it's intermittent and never fails to start and runs and drives perfect when it does!

[Adiczek13243]

On 26.05.2020 at 14:13, Peter'ssuperb said:

Miałem ostatnio ten problem w 16-płytowym VRS 4x4, wspomniałem o tym w zeszłym tygodniu w serwisie. Robiąc dokładnie tak jak opisano powyżej, usterka została zgłoszona do Skody i ich rozwiązaniem jest wymiana ECU!! Czy ktoś o tym słyszał? Powiem tylko, że zdarza się to sporadycznie i nigdy nie przestaje się uruchamiać, a gdy tak się dzieje, działa i jeździ idealnie!

And how did someone solve the issue? I have CUPA and it also produces unsets for a long time.

[varaderoguy]

Can you get us a code scan of your car, then we can advise?

[Adiczek13243]

TMBAK7NE2F0128521 You're welcome