Spluttering TDi

chill14

Lodger
Sep 25, 2005
73
0
Staffordshire
Hi folks

Got a 2003 Ibiza TDi SE 100 PD.

Not sure if I got a problem on the way but last few days my car getting worse at starting, as it been starting with a bit of splutter.

With the cold and snow last couple of days, I have waited for the glow plug light to go out before starting, however its still spluttered like mad until i have given the engine a couple of revs up to 2K. It then runs fine after and will start fine for rest of day.

The car has only done 26,500 miles, last 6,500 mostly motorway and was serviced 1,500 mile ago.

Has anyone had any similar problems. Do you think its worth investing in some new glow plugs or is there something more sinister lurking, that people know about with this engine?

I know the power steeing light has come on twice in the last week, but that clears when you restart engine so I assume its the damp in the electrical connector as mentioned in another thread. Could this be happening with starting system?
 

Bunglebonce

Bunglebonce
Jan 21, 2005
247
0
The Blackcountry
Sounds typical of sh@gged glow plugs to me.
Price them up and swap them if theyre not too expensive - other than that thers not a lot else that can hinder the starting of a derv.

Anyone else... :)
 

Bunglebonce

Bunglebonce
Jan 21, 2005
247
0
The Blackcountry
Oh I just thought.

A good test on older dervs for failing (not failed note) glow plugs was to wait till the light goes out, turn the ignition off, turn it back on again, wait for the light to go out - and try and start it.

If it goes ok then its usually the plugs that are going and they needed two loads of current to get them warm enough to warm the engine :)


Oh, dont use Quickstart either!
 

elnigel

Active Member
Nov 25, 2002
217
10
Chesterfield, Derbyshire
Visit site
Bosch duraterm plugs set of 4 to fit your car are 40 quid at halfords mate, you will need an extra long 10mm socket 1/4 drive to get at em, its quite difficult without moving fuel pipes but its possible!!!

Have fun.
 

dontnoanything

dontnoanything
Jul 19, 2005
135
0
gondor
if the engine seems to run on 3 cylinders when cold or very lumpy when cold and the engine is an asz type theres a modified ecu for them
 

dontnoanything

dontnoanything
Jul 19, 2005
135
0
gondor
its worth remebering though ecu seem expensive so if any one has a asz pd ibiza or cordoba that runs like crap when cold and its in warranty ask the dealers to check there hst book
 

basstard

Dropping Cogs is Useless
Aug 24, 2002
2,746
0
Roma, Italia
Visit site
WTF!!!!

the rough starting on cold is perfectly normal on these engines. mine does and some others on this forums have experienced the same.

glow plug won't come on unless below -5°C IIRC.
this ain't a petrol, fuct glow plugs will end up with starting difficulty, not bad idle!!

don't waste any money, leave it like it is, it's just ok.
 

Bunglebonce

Bunglebonce
Jan 21, 2005
247
0
The Blackcountry
basstard said:
WTF!!!!

glow plug won't come on unless below -5°C IIRC.
this ain't a petrol, fuct glow plugs will end up with starting difficulty, not bad idle!!


Bass, are you sure about this as every other derv Ive ever had uses the plugs no matter what the temp - it just uses them for less time.

Also, he says he has a starting difficulty - not bad idle, so not sure where your coming from there mate :)
 

chill14

Lodger
Sep 25, 2005
73
0
Staffordshire
basstard said:
oh, and btw,
[nerd mode]the 110hp is not a pd,,, [/nerd mode]

I didn't mention a 110 hp, it states 100 in my post
I did also state a starting problem not an idle problem

chill14 said:
Not sure if I got a problem on the way but last few days my car getting worse at starting, as it been starting with a bit of splutter.

With the cold and snow last couple of days, I have waited for the glow plug light to go out before starting, however its still spluttered like mad until i have given the engine a couple of revs up to 2K. It then runs fine after and will start fine for rest of day.

I have owned a diesel (although not a VAG one) before which had plugs go down (although not until it done over 50K miles), but i know the use of the glow plugs is different on the newer diesels, thats why i asked the question in the first place, whether it would be plugs or something else especially on a car so young.

It has been a bit better today although still very lumpy until i revved it. I will hang fire for a bit though as could just be the damp.
 

basstard

Dropping Cogs is Useless
Aug 24, 2002
2,746
0
Roma, Italia
Visit site
chill14 said:
I didn't mention a 110 hp, it states 100 in my post
I did also state a starting problem not an idle problem

sorry! :redface:
but I thought of bad idle from this:

chill14 said:
however its still spluttered like mad until i have given the engine a couple of revs up to 2K

so, maybe my english comprehension isn't the best but I guess we agree that an engine can't rev to 2k if it's not started yet,,, or not?
so I thought you were talking about lumpiness when cold [i.e. at idle just after a cold start].

I think this is normal since my car starts ok everytime unless I sleep at my girlfriend and leave the car out of the garage and it's winter,,, then it starts fine but splutters a bit on idle for a second, then goes ok,,, I know muddy experiences the same [apart that he doesn't sleep at my girlfriend!!!!] and his car is much newer than mine so I guess that's pretty ok,,,

muddy where are you??????
 

chill14

Lodger
Sep 25, 2005
73
0
Staffordshire
No probs Basstard.
THanks to everyone for your help, I'll just keep an eye on it and if it gets worse then i'll invest in some new plugs.

Mind you we've probably had all the snow we going to get this winter now.
 

muddyboots

Still hanging around
Oct 16, 2002
5,739
1
basstard said:
muddy where are you??????
:wave:

Not sure I've got much to add to this debate really...

Well OK a couple of questions then.

1) Does the engine seem to turn over on the starter OK when starting (ie not slow to turn or anything) ?

Reason I ask is that when I start mine up and leave it idling, the alternator doesn't kick in and start charging until either A) a minute or two have passed, or B) I rev it a bit - once the engine passes a certain speed the alternator kicks in and starts charging.
Now, before it starts charging, battery voltage just sits around 12v (I have an '03 Sport with voltmeter ;) ), but when I rev it or wait a few minutes, it springs up to just over 14v which is normal.
If your battery was struggling in the cold weather - maybe because the battery itself is poor (they usually die in cold weather) or because you do lots of short journeys and it never gets recharged - in that period before the alternator kicks in, the glow plugs could be struggling if the battery voltage was a bit low - especially as the battery has just taken a beating turning the engine over.

Something else you could try:
When you next start up in the frost, let it idle for just a few seconds to get the oil flowing, then hold the revs at someting like 1500 rpm. Keep them there for 2 or 3 minutes. On mine, when the glowplugs switch off (I think that's what causes it), I hear a faint click like a relay, and the engine revs suddenly rise - such that I have to lift my foot off the accelerator otherwise the revs would shoot skywards.
If you try this and there is no such change, maybe it means your glowplugs aren't working at all....


Just my 2p's worth :)
 
Nimbus hosting - Based solely in the UK.