Oh god have I lost my engine???

[FenlandPosh]

I will order a temp sensor from seat tomorrow and give that a try. The car is due a service, so I also will order a fuel and oil filter.

I can't see any loose pipes etc, but at the moment i have a painful trapped nerve in by shoulder/neck, so I am not up to doing too much with regards investigation work.

Would the maf cause the oil pressure light to come and the warning beeps, and prevent the car from starting and cause the black smoke?

As above, i will try the temp sensor, give it a service and cross my fingers (very tightly). Even if it needs a maf, I wont begrudge paying for that if it resolves the problem.

You just need to be careful not to replace a load of parts that are absolutely fine and waste your money. Your best bet is to get it onto proper diagnostic equipment and find out what it actually is that's causing your problem. There are a lot of mobile companies who can do it but be careful as there are also a lot of mobile companies who don't know what they're doing.

 

[smashingguy]

I accept your point, but would decent diagonstic equipment be able to do a thorough check without the engine running?

 

[MJ]

Remove this intake pipe and try to start the car:

 

[smashingguy]

MJ, I disconnected the pipe where you indicated on your picture, and there was oil inside the top of the egr that dripped on to my fingers (this was not old dried oil, but very fresh). I tried to start the car, but the same as before, starts for a second or two and then cuts out (the fans are still going as soon as i turn the ignition on).

The oil pressure light is still flashing and it still beeps. The strange thing is, that there is a single tone coming from the engine, even when the car is locked up?

 

[MJ]

some motors carry on working after the engine is switched off, does the engine light come on when you turn the ignition on?

 

[smashingguy]

No, the engine light doesn't come on when the ignition is switched on (I believe that is the yellow light with an engine symbol you are referring to).

 

[MJ]

Does it come on at all?

 

[smashingguy]

No, it doesn't come on at all.

 

[MJ]

If you have a code reader try to access the ecu if you can't then the ecu power relay has failed, if you bang the relays under the drivers side of the dash or in the fuse box in the engine bay the light might come back on and the car start.

Then you'll need to replace it.

 

[smashingguy]

MJ, many thanks for your help it's much appreciated.

The code reader i have is very basic (cost about £25), so it won't allow me access to the ecu. I did try banging the relays in the dash, and the engine (373 & 370), but still no engine light comes on the dash.

Is it possible to test the relays with an ohm meter to check if they are faulty? If i could find someone that has vag com would this be better than having the car checked with a decent code reader?

 

[thirty3]

Well with regards to the oil lamp flashin but you haveing plenty of oil.....I think the oil pump may not be running quick enough to build up enough pressure to put the light out. A bit like when you change the oil and the engine is full of oil but the light takes a second or two to go out.

Is there anyone here local with vagcom.....on uk-mkivs they have a list of vagcom owners and where they live....saves buying a vagcom for a quick test.

 

[MJ]

if the ecu power relay has failled then the ecu will be unaccesable via diagnostic equipment.

 

[smashingguy]

I have contacted a kind forum member, who is popping over to see me tomorrow evening with his vagcom. I will update you on the outcome of the vagcom scan.

 

[green87]

Having oil in the intake system isnt going to stop the car starting. (After popping a customers turbo on a road test last year the car would still start even though the oil was being pumped into the intake). And as for having advice for changing the oil, I just cant work out why, fuel filter maybe but not oil. Oil lubricates the moving parts of the engine thats it.
Start with the basics, air, fuel ect.
Is the intake system clear? chocked egr valve could have an effect on the engine not starting.
May sound stupid but do you have fuel in it? take the pipe off to the high pressure pump and switch the ignition on (dont start the car) fuel should be pumped out from the lift pump. Could have a issue with the high pressure pump or injectors (maybe).
Get someone with vagcom to have a proper look as cheep diagnostic scanners are naff.
As for the fans running it could be a coolant temp sensor but could also be something else. Dont spend any money on parts till you know what fault codes are stored thats including pending fault codes.

 

[jgy6000]

I have just got back from Daves where i tried to run a VAG COM scan on the Leon.

Im running VCDS-Lite Release 1.0

We were unable to auto scan the car as the 1P Leon was not on the drop down menu for auto scanning, maybe i have an old version??

I then tried to manually scan the control modules, Starting with 01 - Engine, which it seemed to read OK, but then when i went to fault codes it said no fault codes found or DCT's unreadable

I then tried to scan some of the other controllers like central convenience, air bags and ABS, but was unable to read them, an error came up saying signal implausible.....i don't know if this was because of the car OR my version of VAG COM? (as i have only used it on a MK1 Leon and a MK4 Golf)

We then disconnected the battery as i had a feeling its an electronic fault, after about 10 minutes we reconnected it and it was the same, the car would turn over fine, run for a second or so and cut out. The fans were also running when the ignition was turned on.

There was a flashing exclamation mark on the dash.

The oil was overfilled, but this wont stop it from starting unless this engine has a safety cut of where if it detects its got to much oil it prevents it from running to stop it damaging some components?? (im not familiar with this engine)

But then why would the dash look like a xmas tree...

I have a feeling it an electronic fault somewhere, but cant say for sure

 

[thirty3]

Does this car throw up any kind of car (sorry have vw not seat) message for an immobiler problem. Has he tries another key. I know some vags run for a second then switch off with this issue...worth a try something to cross of the list and free...lol

 

[leontdi130]

The diesels do wierd things when they have a fault, for example my flashing glow plug light was a buggered brake light switch. If your engin still turns over then you haven't killed it. you'll just have to see how it sounds when it does eventually crack up.

Is it possible with it being over an engineared german engine that its done it to protect itself and now it need the ecu resetting?

 

[smashingguy]

jgy6000, many thanks for your help it was much appreciated.

I have tried the second key, but it's not making any difference, and I'm not too sure where to go from here.

 

[MJ]

cheap crappy VAG-COM lite yielded no results? - i wouldnt even consider taking heed of them. You need to get the fault codes scanned by either a dealer or someone with a full copy of activated VCDS.

if the engine light is not coming on at all then i find it difficult to believe that you can communicate with the ecu.

plus you'll now have the PAS ans TCS lights on constantly until the car is driven and the steering angle sensor reset.

 

[Seatmann]

Are you able to tow the car? If so get it to a garage with the proper gear and someone who knows what they're doing. You'll spend ages wasting your time otherwise. Could be the relay thing MJ was on about, immobiliser, some other broken wire etc but you could be at it for a long long time and still get nowhere. Ask around and see if there's someone who knows vag engines and has been dealing with them for a long time and knows all their little quirks. You might end up causing more problems. I think you're just going to have to bite the bullet on this one.