2006 Brm tdi cold start problem

Hi guys,

my brm tdi is taking a really long time before starting on cold mornings (-15C and colder).

List of parts:

- 2 of 4 glowplugs are new from last summer
- Brand new oem battery
- Starter is a reman. Bosch unit from last year
- Fuel filter is less than one year old

The car cranks fast enough (300 rpm) but takes a lot of time to finally start.

Here is a video taken last week on a very cold morning (almost -30C outside)

Sorry for vertical filming, I can't rotate the video.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6clp3z

Maybe gelled fuel? When was the last time you filled up - if it was a while ago, perhaps it is not "winter enough" blend.

You could check the fuel filter to see if it looks like jello.

I would be tempted to add a bottle of power service diesel 9-1-1 - 1/3 to the fuel filter, remainder to the tank.

Battery sounds healthy given the temp.

Try cycling the glows a couple times before cranking.

Only other thing is might be getting air in somewhere, when my old ALH took a lot of cranking to start it was the fittings on top of the fuel filter.

Gelled fuel is definitely a possibility, this year more than others in recent memory. The BRM and the BEW share the common problem of a weak cam. Last 2 years mine started a little hard even though we had milder winters than this year. Certainly no shot of cold like we’re getting now.

Through a series of events this spring I had to replace my cam. Since that replacement I have had instant starts 1st crank, 1 glow cycle, less than a second. Even a couple of mornings ago when it was about -2F below 0. I do have a frost heater installed but have not used it yet this year.

We are forecast for about -10 on Saturday morning and only slightly warmer on Friday morning, I do plan on plugging my frost heater in those days.

After the cold is past if it proves not to be gelling or your starts are still a little long, it might not hurt to check your cam.

How many miles on the car? With you replacing some of the glowplugs,
the glowplug harness could be faulty, have too much resistance, and the glowplugs are not getting enough current to get as hot as they need to.

I replaced my harness, due to the hard plastic that covers the glow plug connectors falling apart. Once replaced, my car does start better in cold weather, even better than after replacing all the glowplugs.

Hi guys,

first of all, thanks a lot for your fast replies!

This morning, its was -10c outside. I cycled the glow plugs twice before giving it a try like legendman suggested. After only one and a half turn, the car started like a champ!

I fuel up quite frequently, so I don't think it is a gelled fuel case scenario.

tactdi: the car has 270,000kms, so around 168k miles

I tried removeing the fuel filter to check it out. Unfortunately, the screws were so stuck, I had to stop before stripping them out. I will have to buy new ones before attempting this.

I checked the voltage and resistance over the plugs and harness, and the numbers make sense.

I will be giving you updates as soon as I get the fuel filter out.