98 NB TDI - Hard Start
Fred
diesel odors. After a year or so, it seemed to get harder and harder to
start. We live in Florida so cold is not an issue. We have been told by 2
different dealers that VW knows of "the problem", but there's no fix. The
last time we had it at the dealer we were told that we needed a new battery.
I said OK, what's it cost? $160. I declined.
Just wondered if there are any factory fixes for the hard starting. Also,
is there an alternate source for the battery?
Fred
art clemens
good DieHard from Sears. it will run about $70 or so. Check the tdi
website: www.tdiclub.com
Al Rudderham
If the engine cranks quickly but is slow to "catch" and you're getting
a lot of diesel fumes then the chances are good that one or more glow
plugs are dead. This is to be expected, and they aren't a big deal to
replace. If it is glow plugs, the symtpoms show mostly first thing in
the morning when the engine is cold. Warm engine starts aren't
affected.
I've driven VW diesels since 1977, and I've never heard of any "known
problem" with starting. My TDI starts right away, even during the
coldest days of Canadian winter. As did my last one, and the ones
before that. When they don't I know it's time for a trip to the
dealer for new glow plugs.
Tell your dealers to send some of their techs on diesel training...
--
Remove preceding and trailing X from username for replies
(Sorry, but I'm SICK of spam...)
SELECT TRA
plugs were good and if manually jumpered power top the glows or unpluged the
temp sensor to simulate cold conditions would immediately start.
An otherwise "good" local (read 50 miles away) took three months and many calls
from my office to VW Customer service to find that adding a ground to the
injector rail was a fix!
We subscribe to all the bulletins but none on this toipic. Another late Jetta
TDI puzzled us with glows good but had glow relay causing check engine lamp per
VAG 1551. VW factory service books and diagrams (which did not list the engine
code our TDI and others of similar vintage are factory equipped)pointed us to
an unused realy plate and upon plugging in the new relay ...HEAT/SMOKE--relay
was unplugged and thank goodness no wiring damage.
Six weeks later our "local" 50 mile away dealership successfully identified the
defective relay in another location and repaired.
Moral of this story? Don't just go and spend the BIG BUCKS for glows on this
late model TDI. Lack of good tech info makes servicing these late diesel quite
difficult. Our 17 year VW tech and 23 year Master VW tech are nearly helpless
without proper documentation/support. THe gentleman in charge of service
publications for VWoA made great efforts but could find no documents on glow
system in this ~ '98-9 Jetta TDI. Check for 12V at glows on a cold engine then
if power test glows outside engine taking care to avoid buring yourself. If
all good, relay (noted as common problem on Fred's page) may be hte culprit.
Joel Osserman, proprietor
Select Transportation-Top 10 Buyer VW Off Lease USA '85-2001
0685 Waterloo-Geneva Rd.
Waterloo, NY 13165
(315)-789-9368 phone (315)-789-9018 fax
Always a choice of, 1995+ off-lease VW/Audi See us @ www.selecttr.com
Fred
start" problem. If you stall the engine, it will take about 5-10 sec of
cranking before it "catches". Early morning starts in the garage are
usually quick.
"Al Rudderham" <xal.rud...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:07jaqt83vu5307l68...@4ax.com...
Fred
Thanks for your very detailed reply.
I didn't mention that our problem is more prevalent when the engine is hot.
Starting the engine when cold is usually instantaneous. Starting hot may
take 5-10 seconds of cranking. This seems to be consistent with what you
describe in your first two paragraphs. Is the injector rail ground
described in a service bulletin?
I shoud also add that this engine has had its problems. It blew a head
gasket at 9K miles due to a broken head bolt during assembly in Germany.
This required a total rebuild of the engine - VW would not supply a
replacement engine - only a short block. I wonder if something was not put
back together properly?
Fred
"SELECT TRA" <sele...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20010916222155...@nso-md.aol.com...
Joe
There's a "anti shutter" plate, device or whatever that keeps the engine
from getting air and therefore no shutter when it's turned off. They have
been known to stick and cause your symptom. Also they are easy to see and
lubricate.
Joe
"Fred" <Fr...@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:Bq6p7.173746$8c3.25...@typhoon.tampabay.rr.com...
Alden Cates
art clemens <art.c...@nashville.com> wrote:
Or if you're looking for a higher-quality battery go with a red-top Optima
gel-cell battery. 800 cranking amps (1000cca) and a greater reserve capacity
along with a superior warranty (36 month free replacement, 72 month pro-rated,
IIRC.) I have one in my Corrado and it has been great and still cheaper than
the VW battery at $119.
Alden
sd
<Fr...@nowhere.com> wrote:
> When we got our NB 3 years ago, the TDI engine started quickly and with
> no
> diesel odors. After a year or so, it seemed to get harder and harder to
> start. We live in Florida so cold is not an issue. We have been told by
> 2
> different dealers that VW knows of "the problem", but there's no fix.
> The
> last time we had it at the dealer we were told that we needed a new
> battery.
> I said OK, what's it cost? $160. I declined.
You might want to try a new battery anyway. I had the same problem on my
99.5 Jetta TDI (hot starting got increasingly harder until one day even
cold starting was impossible). I don't recall a significantly greater
smell of fuel, but it could be. I usually have the windows closed.
Anyway, the tow truck driver tried a jump first and the car turned right
over. One new (Interstate) battery later and I was in business.
Check for battery problem: if the instruments do a little "light show"
and then go dead as the car cranks, you're probably looking at battery
rather than the valve or some of the other possibilities others have
pointed out.
Good luck.