Another no start ALH

[stevie96]

Hey guys need some help with my 2003 automatic jetta wagon tdi. Car was purchased not running. Brought it home and did the basics of setting timing and bleeding injection pump and car fired up. Used it for a week or two and it ran poorly(slow and wouldn’t hold speed up hills). Replaced the maf and wow new car. Kept driving the car and it started giving me long crank issues before starting. Tracked it down to a leak on the injection pump from the main pump seal. Bought the dieselgeek kit and replaced it. Car started for about 30 seconds then shut off. Would crank it and it would fire up but not stay running. Tore it back down and noticed the seal got kinked and was broken. Replaced the seal again and now it will crank and will not start. Took it back apart thinking seal got kinked again but seal is fine. Replaced it again since I bought new ones anyways. Primed it and double checked timing to make sure it didn’t slip or anything and we are still good there. Any ideas what could have happened?

 

[Mpaw]

Gut feeling is that your diesel is not getting through (if you mean by injection pump what is known here as the tandem/ diesel pump...)

 

[stevie96]

Gut feeling is that your diesel is not getting through (if you mean by injection pump what is known here as the tandem/ diesel pump...)

i ruled that out as there is fuel spitting out my injectors when I crack them open

 

[Mpaw]

Fault codes?

 

[burn_your_money]

You’re talking about the large head o-ring right?

I’d venture a guess that something fell out of place inside the pump.

 

[stevie96]

N

Fault codes?

None

 

[stevie96]

You’re talking about the large head o-ring right?

I’d venture a guess that something fell out of place inside the pump.

That is correct i’m talking about large oring. However it is sp

You’re talking about the large head o-ring right?

I’d venture a guess that something fell out of place inside the pump.

yea i am talking about large head oring. It is still spitting fuel out of injectors however.

 

[tgray]

Keep trying to bleed out the injectors one at a time. They should want to spray the fuel out when you loosen the nut and not just dribble. Once they get air in them it is hard to push it through. If you are pushing fuel through an injector something should fire or smoke. Make sure your cranking speed is good. A small air bubble can shut down an injector.

 

[Genesis]

IMHO the way I do "bleeds" on these engines takes seconds, does NOT require cracking an injector nut and it has NEVER FAILED:

1. Remove the return line at the filter from the return to the filter (INTO the "T", not the exit) and plug the "T". A short piece of hose with a bolt or piece of rod and clamp works great for this on the "T" side.

2. Attach OIL SUCKER to return hose (I use one for oil changes anyway on these, entirely from the top, so I already have it.) Pull vacuum on the return hose.

3. Crank. Ideally you want someone ELSE there who can hit the key as once you get fuel you're going to get a LOT of it, in a BIG hurry. If you're alone as soon as the engine *stumbles* (you detect ANY firing) STOP.

Hook it up back up. Assuming the pump is working properly it will start.

I used to do the "crack #3" (the one with the lift sensor on it), crank until you get fuel, snug it up and then sometimes had to do one or two more before it would light. That works too but if there's nothing in the filter or similar it takes quite a while. This way takes literal seconds. I can change a fuel filter, start with a completely dry one (thus no risk of contamination pouring fuel or DK in there, etc.), put the sucker on there and in about 10 seconds I have a running car and since ALL the fuel goes through the filter this way there's no risk of getting contamination in the filter or inlet line to the IP.

 

[tgray]

Thanks, I will have to try that next time.

 

[Nevada_TDI]

I feel your pain. I was having long crank after car had sat a few days..I did mention this in another thread.
After finding the "weeping" in my fuel lines, I replaced the questionable hoses, gave her a quick bleed and she fired right up, " Great", I said, much too early.
Some 25k miles after installing my new Baldwin fuel filter, I don't know how or why, but there was fuel on the top of the filter at the edge of the gasket, very likely the source of the air leak.
She sat for a day and a half, and when I turned the key, she started right up. Phew!