Thread: Slower starting - 300Tdi

Originally Posted by VladTepes

Thanks - it shouldn't be the battery as that is relatively new.

I'll check out the other 'lecky stuff.

I know NOTHING about lift pumps....

Inc - heater light ? ha ha that'd be the last thing in our climate. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Tdi engines would start without functioning glowplugs

Glowplugs have been disconnected on mine for 5 years now and it starts instantly even in the Snowies in close to sub-zero weather. Can sit for three months without starting and it will start at the first hint of the key being turned.

Probably has no compression...

Originally Posted by steane

... .... ..
Probably has no compression...

I would have thought the opposite. Good compression -> easier starting.

Originally Posted by vnx205

I would have thought the opposite. Good compression -> easier starting.

Yeah, I agree, but my fingers were out of control.

Originally Posted by workingonit

Vlad. Is it a wheezy 7 or 8 or a perky 7 or 8 to start. From my experience wheezy turning = electrical (earth, battery etc); perky turning no fire = fuel. Much like a petrol engine, spark or fuel. Hope it's not both problems for you

Doesn't seem wheezy...

I'll have a go later and pay close attention.

Originally Posted by weeds

I had the smallest crack in one of the plastic fuel lines......it got progressively worse and when it affect actual driving I eventually found it.

I had same issue. Slow starting otherwise ran fine. Try bleeding and see if you get bubbles. The cracks are very hard to find as there may be no diesel leaking
from the crack. Mine was in the bend near the sender/pickup

Air in the system or a dead lift pump. Check the lift pump for flow and look for any leaking fittings including the return line.

Originally Posted by Red90

Air in the system or a dead lift pump. Check the lift pump for flow and look for any leaking fittings including the return line.

Umm, how?

Air in the system can be found by cracking open the bleed screw on the top of the filter. Bubbles means you have a leak. To check the lift pump, you could get a mechanic to check the fuel pressure. Not recommended and not a good test but you could probably just pull the fuel line off and crank the engine to see if it's pumping fuel. But pumps are not too much $ and easy to change so I would probably just replace it anyway and see if that resolves the problem. If it does not fix the problem keep the old pump to carry as a spare. On a tdi it will fail at some stage so a new pump won't hurt.

However I would be surprised if it is a pump as when my pump died the car would start and idle fine but died when you tried to apply power.