2006 Jetta TDI: Stalling / Rough start in cold temperatures

eggcrusher

Active member
Joined
Aug 30, 2009
Location
Hamilton, Ontario
TDI
2006 Jetta
Hi there,

I have a 2006 Jetta TDI and if I start it in the morning (first time starting) and the temperatures are below 0 degrees Celsius, it will idle very rough and if I don't let it run for a good 2 minutes or so it bogs down and stalls shortly after putting it in drive and giving it gas.
It also seems to be idling a little louder than normal when at lights / stopped. So I'm wondering if that could be related?

I already brought the car to my mechanic and he started off by replacing the fuel filter (which he said was quite dirty) and he also did a fuel system purge. But the issue is still occurring.

So I was wondering if anyone had any ideas? Could it possibly be an issue with the glow plugs?
 

slamhouse

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2011
Location
Stanwood, WA
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI SE
How many miles are on the car?

Have you checked all positive charge intake tubing to make sure it's all properly secured and clamped with no leaks? Including the intercooler.
 
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slamhouse

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2011
Location
Stanwood, WA
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI SE
I doubt that its an intake leak, but I know others more knowledgable than myself will chime in shortly with a better answer for you.

I believe that the glow plugs dont activate until intake air temperature goes below something like 0 degrees celcius.
 

eggcrusher

Active member
Joined
Aug 30, 2009
Location
Hamilton, Ontario
TDI
2006 Jetta
Turn's out there's an issue with the clutch pulley on my alternator being seized which is causing a bit of a vibration / noise when the engine is idling. Was told that if the pulley seizes completely it will burn out my alternator. So I'll need to get this looked at as well.

Anyone else have any thoughts on my original issue though?
 

eggcrusher

Active member
Joined
Aug 30, 2009
Location
Hamilton, Ontario
TDI
2006 Jetta
UPDATE:

Okay so I brought the car to my VW mechanic here in Hamilton (The Bug Shop) and they replaced the clutch pulley on the alternator which was in fact seizing. They also did a bit more investigating into my black smoke / stalling / hesitation problems and discovered the EGR had a lot of excess carbon buildup. So they cleaned the EGR but also did more investigating since the EGR is usually the victim of something else and they found the lobes on my cam to be very worn!
So I haven't a clue why this would happen, I always get my oil changes done at regular intervals and don't add any additives to my oil which could explain this from happening. I'm probably going to hold off on getting the cam replaced since its a pretty costly repair.
 
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MyAvocation

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 9, 2004
Location
Hoffman Estates, IL
TDI
2017 Passat SEL TSI
There are no noticeable symptoms of cam wear. Once lobes are REALLY worn, power will suffer, but this is so gradual most don't notice until after cam replaced.

Try not starting the car for two days. If motor must crank & crank before starting, then it's fuel starvation from a bad check valve. If this is the case do a search for the fix.
 

skeith5

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 20, 2010
Location
WA
TDI
2006 Jetta
I'm probably going to hold off on getting the cam replaced since its a pretty costly repair.
I wouldn't wait if you can afford to do it now. When the cam wears down it will eat into the lifters, where does all that shaved metal go? I just had to redo my cam it wasn't too hard of a job.

Scott
 

eggcrusher

Active member
Joined
Aug 30, 2009
Location
Hamilton, Ontario
TDI
2006 Jetta
So I finally had the repair done and the car drives like a dream now!

They replaced the cam and all 8 lifters, plus had an oil change performed to get rid of some of the metal shavings. They recommend that I come in early (~6000 KM) for another oil change to avoid any new damage to the new parts from the possible metal shavings.

The real test will be when the temperature drops again in the fall and hopefully my car doesn't bog down like it did in the winter.
 

MyAvocation

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 9, 2004
Location
Hoffman Estates, IL
TDI
2017 Passat SEL TSI
Recommended oil and filter change intervals for a cam job are:
- immediately after 2000 RPM for 20 minutes, no load (break-in oil)
- after 500 driven miles (break-in oil)
- after 2500 driven miles (505.01, 5-40 weight recommended)
- 10K thereafter (505.01, 5-40 weight recommended)
 

Ol'Rattler

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 3, 2007
Location
PNA
TDI
2006 BRM Jetta
Try this thread for the check valve issue in the fuel filter canister.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=355436

If the car seems to start O.K. in warm weather but starts hard when the weather and car are cold, I would suspect the glow plugs and/or the glow plug harness.

In the 101 section there is a thread on troubleshooting glow plug issues. The first thing I would do is scan for fault codes with VCDS.
 
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