Engine Cuts Out - (MK1 Leon TDi)

[TDI-Tim]

Hi,

I'm having a problem with my Mk1 Leon TDi. On saturday was driving along and the engine completely dies. I was able to restart the car and continue but it did this a couple more times (sometimes I was able to restart it straight away, sometimes i had to wait a few mins first).

Called out the RAC and the guy reckoned it was either the fuel pump or the fuel filter. So yesterday got a new Fuel filter and installed it cranked all the air out and got the car running then took it out a drove a few miles and it all seemed fine.

However today drove a bit further (approx 10 miles) and it cut out again. I'm guessing that its gotta be the fuel pump or fuel pump relay.

But was wondering if anyone else had any experience with this issue and what the cause was as i'm guessing a new fuel pump is gonna be quite expensive so dont want to go ahead and replace this one if its not broken?

TIA

Tim

 

[Viking]

Need to be more specific about what engine you've got.

 

[TDI-Tim]

Hi, Its a Seat LEON 1781cc TDI S 2000 Reg

 

[Viking]

Umm, summat's wrong there mate. They didn't make an 1800 (or 1781cc) TDI engine. They only made a 1.9, and in your model year I think they were only 90bhp and 110bhp.

Anyway, when it stops working and you go to restart, does the glow plug light come on when you turn the key to the second position? It should do, but in some circumstances it doesn't.

 

[TDI-Tim]

ah i think that must have been a typo on one of the bits of paper work I was looking at its defo a 1.9 TDi ( the one with 90hp).

Yep the glow plug light always comes on when i go to restart it.

 

[Viking]

Well, the fuel pump on your engine will be about £1300 from a dealer, then there'll be time for fitting aswell, and factor in a new cam belt at the same time. Somewhere round about £2k.

Best hope it's not the fuel pump eh?

I'd be taking the car to an independent VAG specialist to have it scanned for fault codes if I were you. The basic kit that recovery services carry doesn't give access to all the ecu settings for full diagnostics.

 

[TDI-Tim]

£1300 are you sure? I was think it would be like £100-£200?

 

[MarkWales]

thats not good get it checked electronically

 

[Viking]

Yep. It's expensive. There's no fuel pump in the tank. The pump on your engine is a combined low pressure/high pressure pump driven off the cambelt. It sucks fuel up from the fuel tank (low pressure) and then fires fuel along each injector line (high pressure) at exactly the right time so that each injector gets a high pressure slug of diesel as the piston reaches TDC. The ecu then opens the injector at the correct time dependant on certain variable factors such as coolant temperature and fuel temperature.

So it's not just a fuel pump. It's the whole injection pump.

 

[TDI-Tim]

Do you guys know any specialists in the north hampshire / wiltshire area?

 

[elnigel]

This happened on my old 90hp TDI Ibiza, no fault codes were thrown. It turned out to be relay 109. Its only about £20 Its the relay that turns on the ECU when you start the car. So if it starts intermittantly failing it will cut the engine out.

Hope thats of help.

Nigel

 

[sssstew]

yes the old relay 109s were problems, they change them after 1998 from memory, different colour grey, as Tims car is a 2000, it will have one of the newer ones already in which wont overheat and fail. But if your still at a loss its worth swapping out i guess.

 

[Viking]

Already discussed the 109 problem (earlier post referencing the glow plug light).

 

[TDI-Tim]

Yep confirmed was a Relay 109 problem, now resolved

NB - before it was fixed it got really bad was doing it every couple of miles and the glow plug light stopped coming on when i tried to restart it. After a few minutes it would come on and I could restart it.