Intermittent cold start issue

[Andrei Jelescu]

W

Hi,

I've had my 2014 184 FR for about 5 months now.

Sometimes when cold it's not quite as keen to start. It requires an extra second or two of cranking before firing up instead of the normal instant start up.

It happens once every 10 days or so. It's always when the engine is cold, never when hot.

Any ideas what the problem is?
Battery, starter, coolant temp sensor, glow plugs, fuel pressure issue?

I've scanned it with vcds and no faults are shown. Anything else I can check with vcds?

The car is under warranty however I'm reluctant to visit the dealer due to the intermittent nature of the problem plus my poor dealer experience so far dealing even with straight forward issues.

Any ideas?
Any guidance much appreciated.

Colin.

What is the mileage please?

Unfortunately, I had loads of issues with mine..they all started around 54k miles..

 

[wolverine_uk]

Mines done 34k I've had the car since October and its happened a fair few times but is intermittent. Wheres a decent place to get battery checked and for replacement as I've heard stop start battery can be pricey.


Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

 

[Big Col]

Hi,

I've had the car from 15K miles, now at 50K

Mine has actually improved with the miles. The issue is no where near as frequent as when I first got the car over 2 years ago now.

Theres a video on you tube featuring a golf with the same engine. In that video the guy has a scope and stuff hooked up to the car. He identifies it's the variable valve timing that causes this intermittent start issue.

 

[npn]

Hi,

I have the same issue. (Leon MK3 1.6TDI, 2014)
The first engine start on day is with problems (3-5 seconds rotating to start). The other ones in the same day are very OK. The problem appears every time after car is stopped more than 8-9 hours. Scanned it with VCSD and no faults are shown.

I tried the following with no result:
- Replace the fuel filter with a new one
- Replace the camshaft sensor
- Removed and clean the diesel fuel delivery unit - pump from fuel tank. Check for possible leaks on pump connectors -> no problems found
- Tried different brand of diesel.
- Battery measured with a dedicated tool (the startup amperage and other parameters) => 48% remaining life

What works (as workaround – not a final solution):
- Activate contact (not start)
- Keep the contact set ON (without start) for >5-6 seconds
- Turn the key in off position
- Activate contact (not start) – for a second time
- Keep the contact set ON (without start) for 5-6 seconds
- Start the engine
- The engine starts without any problem

I intent to build a custom fuel pressure checking tool to verify the pressure between:
- High pressure pump and diesel filter unit on both fuel line and fuel return line
- Diesel filter unit and tank fuel lines
- Fuel lines and diesel fuel delivery unit

If you have (any) more ideas, please advise.

Regards,
Petre

 

[npn]

Problem solved!
New battery (Varta AGM as the original one).