Starting trouble

[dgorman23]

Hi,
My 1.6 Leon (2002 model) is giving me trouble starting up, particularly when cold. It has been like this for about 2 months but hasn't gotten worse. Basically the engine needs to turn over a few time before it kicks into life. Can anybody point me in the right direction as to what might be wrong. I tried using a carb spray down the intake but that didn't help.

thanks,
D

 

[Evilpob]

Mine has starting doing this..
I think it might be my battery due to when i open & close the windows (by hold the switch not on auto.. ) my main lights dim...

But i've just it serviced.. oh no!!!

 

[RobM]

Probably the battery to be honest. Cold weather kills batteries on it's own, but when you consider the first thing many people do in the cold is whack up the heaters, turn up the fans, turn on the heated windows etc you suddenly put a massive amount more drain onto the battery.

You can buy battery testers if you want to check it out, or take it to a garage and ask them to check for you. But in any case, a new battery might be a good investment, as the weather is only going to get worse....

 

[Evilpob]

if i fit a new battery will it affect the alarm or tracker??

 

[dgorman23]

Probably the battery to be honest. Cold weather kills batteries on it's own, but when you consider the first thing many people do in the cold is whack up the heaters, turn up the fans, turn on the heated windows etc you suddenly put a massive amount more drain onto the battery.

You can buy battery testers if you want to check it out, or take it to a garage and ask them to check for you. But in any case, a new battery might be a good investment, as the weather is only going to get worse....

Hmm,
I didn't really feel it was a battery problem but will give it a charge, check the voltage etc to see if thats the issue. To be honest I was thinking that it might be a MAF sensor or engine temperature sensor.

D

 

[dgorman23]

Mine has starting doing this..
I think it might be my battery due to when i open & close the windows (by hold the switch not on auto.. ) my main lights dim...

But i've just it serviced.. oh no!!!

It is normal for your main lights to dim when holding the window switch past its closed / open position, even when driving. It does not indicate a battery problem. I read this somewhere regarding the car.

 

[dgorman23]

I just checked my battery under no load condition (but terminals not disconnected) and it is reading 12.35V which i think is fairly healthy

 

[RobM]

That is pretty healthy, nothing to worry about there

 

[JimTDI]

Had the exact same problem in an Audi A4 with the 1.6 engine, turned out to be a shot temperature sensor! Apparently it was giving the wrong signals to the automatic choke.

 

[dgorman23]

Had the exact same problem in an Audi A4 with the 1.6 engine, turned out to be a shot temperature sensor! Apparently it was giving the wrong signals to the automatic choke.

i think i will have a look at that. thanks.
was there any other symptoms - e.g. warning lights on the dash?

ps. how much was the sensor and is it easy to fit yourself?
thanks,
D

 

[JimTDI]

The part was £27 I think, its an easy job on the audi engine, but I’m not sure if it is in the same place.

The faulty sensor also caused the car to rev a little 2 or 3 times after starting it up. I have also heard it can cause the coolant gauge in the dash to read high or low, but this wasn’t the case with the audi.