Car won't start troubleshooting

[whitedog]

Please note that this is a work in progress. If you can help fill in the blanks that I note, please PM me or post here.

Thank you.

So, your car will not start. This is probably the second most common problem discussed on TDI club, second only to glow plug problems. I will try to outline some of the problems that people have had, provide links to what has been done and add some pictures and links to guide you along to get your car started.


If it's cold and you have a 2009-2012 Jetta CLICK HERE for information.






"Legal" stuff:

• This is by no means a comprehensive list of problems, just some of the most common.
• Use common sense when doing any testing and be sure that you won't get run over if the car suddenly and unexpectedly springs to life.
• I don't want to confuse anyone if a fuse, switch or relay is in a different position on different models or model years, so the location may vary from what I give. Hopefully people will be able to add different information as it becomes needed.
• Everything here assumes that the engine started fine and ran fine earlier, but now it suddenly won't start.
• This does not include "hard starting" which is detailed elsewhere.
• <2003 means "2003 and earlier", >2004 means "2004 and later".
• I have not looked into stuff specific to the A3 cars. Some of this stuff is basic stuff that applies to all cars, but I have nothing specific to the A3s yet.

HERE WE GO







If you have a "No Start Condition" (NSC) you need to differentiate between some different fault situations.

1. You were driving along in your car and the engine died and won't start, or it just won't start, but may start after sitting for awhile.
2. You were driving along in your >2004 car and the engine died or you just changed the fuel filter and won't restart or restarts and runs poorly.
3. You turn the key to start and nothing happens. You don't get any lights, beeps, buzzing, clicking or noises from the engine compartment.
4. You turn the key to start and you get some of the lights, beeps buzzing or whatever, but no noises coming from the engine compartment.
5. You turn the key to start and you get the lights, etc AND the engine turns over at normal speed but it does not fire.
6. The engine turns slowly and doesn't start.
7. You turn the key to start and you get the lights, the engine turns over and FIRES! then it dies after running for about two seconds.
8. You just replaced the timing belt and now it won't start.
9. You just had something in the fuel system open or ran out of fuel and now it won't start.
10. You have a DSG transmission, and when it's really cold out, the car won't start.
11. You have a >2004 and nothing else here fits but it could be fuel related.
12. Here are some miscellaneous links to some oddball no starts that don't quite fit.
13. You have a 2009+ car.​

1. 
   
   
   
   A few last general notes:​

The Intermittent Problem: It may be any one of the above, but it only does it intermittently. For this, you still need to look at the appropriate fault situation. The good part is that this will most likely be an electrical problem. The bad news is that problem is "somewhere" on the car and will require some detective work to find the source.

The Mixed Bag: Maybe you find that you have a little bit of this and little bit of that: If that is the case, do the troubleshooting for both.

Don’t crank the engine over for more than 30 seconds at a time, then allow at least two minutes of cool down before you crank again. This is to protect the starter from overheating, exacerbating your situation such as in this post

If you have any tuning boxes on your car, remove them and see what happens. Your box may be causing a problem.

Glow plugs only help the engine start, they are not required until the temperature gets very cold. (Very cold is described as when you breath and your nose hairs freeze)

Finally, if you are having electrical problems check the fuses first then check the grounds on the car. Even if things don't seem related, make sure all of the fuses are good.

Does your car start, but won't shut off? Unplug your fan control module and see if that takes care of the problem. See HERE for a thread with this problem.





A few definitions as they relate to starting the car.

• Key On: This is the position of the key when the engine is running.
• Start position: This is with the key turned to where the engine should be starting.
• Cranking (or turning over): This is when the engine is rotating. Look at the alternator belt to see if the engine is cranking if you are unsure.
• Start(ing) or fire(ing): This is when there is combustion and the engine is trying to run or is actually running.
• ECU: Engine Control Unit; the computer that controls the engine.

(I put those in not to poke fun at people, but because some people just don’t know cars that well and they may be getting false information from people. This way, I hope that we will all be on the same page when we describe what is happening when we are having troubles.)

I'm going to put each of these in a different post, so if people have additional information, quote the pertinent post and I'll try to add your information in that post, or at least link it there.

The basics.


First, here is a post with much of the basics of the diesel engine.

For the TDI to start, electrical power needs to flow from the battery through fuses and relays to the key switch and ECU. From the key switch, power needs to flow through more fuses and relays to the start solenoid on the starter and from the ECU power needs to flow to the injection pump.

For the TDI engine to run, it needs three things: Sufficient air, sufficient fuel injected at the
correct time and sufficient heat generated by compressing the air.

HERE IS A LINK to the TDI FAQs about no starting. Much of it is the same as what is found here but here you have pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph explaining what each one is about.

HERE IS A LINK to the basic starting system for >2000 J/G/B. HERE is the list with reference numbers for what stuff is and where most of it's located. Stay tuned for updates.

Thanks to Fred
Without Fred and this forum none of this information sharing would be possible. If this thread was helpful and you saved mega bucks fixing or diagnosing the problem yourself, please consider a donation (see paypal button on home page) to ensure that this site remains available in the future.

Thanks to all of TDI Club
Without the members of TDI this thread would not exist. The only thing I have done here is assemble the collective information of others. They are the heros for putting the information out there for everyone.

 

[whitedog]

Situation #1

1. You were driving along in your car and the engine died and won't start, or it just won't start but may start after sitting for awhile.

The basics.

The fuel being injected is controlled by the computer, but the computer needs electricity to run.

Troubleshooting.

This is easy. Turn the key to "ON" and watch the glow plug light. It looks something like this:

If the some lights come on but the Glow plug light does not come on you have a relay 109 problem. If NO lights come on, you have a power problem so start at the battery and start checking.

The earlier cars had a bad problem with the main power relay which is numbered 109 in the relay panel. The original relay was black, and the updated one is gray.

This relay supplies power to lots of stuff including the main computer. If this relay fails, it is just like the key was turned off. The thing is that the problem is a bad solder joint that opens and closes with heat. Often if you let the car sit for a bit, it will cool back down and that crack will close and you can run again until it heats up enough to open that crack. Some people have had luck opening the relay and resoldering the cracked joints, others have been able to test it by jumpering the terminals 30 and 87 in the relay holder using a piece of wire. You can see the numbers on the relay next to the terminals. Use caution with any temporary repairs or don't drive very far from a fire station.

Check to see if yours is black. If it is, this is a very high failure rate item so it is safe to assume that's the problem and either fix the black relay if you are capable or just drop the $10 and buy a new one. If it isn’t the problem now, it will be in the future, so this is worth replacing.

Here are some old posts about it:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=199038

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=35854

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=300195&postcount=1

A post showing some of the odd happenings:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?p=3910517#post3910517

A post detailing what gets powered from the Relay 109:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=3558145&postcount=28

It’s also possible that the engine will die and not restart, or it may just not start. Just remember to look for that tell-tale glow plug light on the dash.

If the glow plug light comes on, see #4 below.

Fuse 32 is an important fuse that powers the EUC and the Quantity adjuster.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=156507

THIS thread doesn't have final resolution, but it has some good information.

THIS post was a Relay 109 and it talks about the communication with the transmission and the Engine controllers.

The B5 Passat has a relay similar to the Relay 109. Mogolf has detailed it's workings and such HERE.

There seems to be the occasional >2004 that is grenading the turbo, blocking off air flow. This failure starts with a pop while driving, and the car dies, then it won't restart. A test is to remove the air intake hose where it goes into the intake manifold. If the car now starts, pull the hose off of the turbo and take look in there. If it looks like this:


it's time for a new turbo.

 

[whitedog]

Situation #2

2. You were driving along in your >2004 car and the engine died and probably won't restart or restarts and runs poorly.

The basics.

The engine needs clean fuel out of the tank and to the engine.

Troubleshooting.

The big problem here is the fuel lift pump in the fuel tank. It is an electric pump that feeds fuel to the engine and if it isn't running, neither will your engine.

Lift the right, rear seat bottom, lift the carpet flap, turn off any noise and turn on the key while you listen for a humming sound coming from the area just uncovered. This pump is on a timer so it will shut off after a few seconds so be ready. If you have no humming, remove the metal cover and disconnect the wire connector and you can test for voltage coming to the pump on the two big wires, and/or you can jumper power and ground to the big wires on the pump.

Here is a picture of the connector:

The two big, outer connectors will be for the pump with the blue/red wire being power and the brown wire being ground.

If you jumper power to the pump and it doesn't run... bingo. It if does run and you aren't getting power to the pump, you have relays, fuses and wiring to check. Most common problem is the pump though.

Here is some facts that DanG144 has found.

My pump is part number
1J0 919 050 B,
and as far as I can tell it is the original pump for the car, which was built in 4/2005.

MY lift pump flows .85 gallons per minute, or 3.2 liters per minute. This is flow to the fuel filter; the electric pump actually flows more, but some is used in the eductor.

...

The shut-off head of my lift pump was about 15 psi - using a 150 psi gauge, so the reading was not too accurate. It did solidly peg my 10 psi gauge.

HERE is a link to Dan's thread about how the tank pump works and some of the things he has done to it.

And HERE is a link to a PDF outlining the checks for the low pressure side of the fuel system.

If your pump is pumping, you need to check for clean fuel. The fastest way to do this on the 2004 and 2005 is to lift the fuel filter and drain off a little of the fuel, inspecting it for water or contamination. If you remove the drain valve and nothing comes out, you have a filter clogged with sediment in the bottom. Remove the filter and while the lines are off, refer to this picture:

and put hose #1 into a clean container and cycle the key switch on. Inspect the container for contamination. If you get contamination, you will need to get it out of the tank. That procedure is detailed elsewhere.

Note that people have been driving around with a dying pump and not knowing it until they change the fuel filter. This is because the fuel system is leak proof enough that the tandem pump will pull the fuel. Now the fuel system has been opened, the tandem pump cannot pull the fuel and since the in-tank pump isn't pushing it, the car won't start.

But be sure to check the timing belt like HERE. Apparently there have been early failures.

 

[whitedog]

Situation #3

3. You turn the key to start and nothing happens. You don't get any lights, beeps, buzzing, clicking or noises from the engine compartment.

The basics.

You need to get power from the battery to the key switch and when the key switch is turned to the run position, it needs to go out to power the ECU and to your accessories.

I have a PDF of the start system wiring diagram HERE.

Troubleshooting.

First, verify that all is good with #1 before proceeding here.

Fuses, fuses, fuses. Check all of the fuses, even if they don't seem related and don't forget to check the fuses on top of the battery, if applicable.

Next up is ground wires. Bad grounds cause all kinds of havoc and my rule is if you check things and you start to think that there is no way that could happen that way, start checking grounds. It has been reported that the ground for the ECU can corrode the connection. It sits under the windshield wiper cowl here:

It's about center of the picture and has the brown wires going to it.

These cars have lots of grounding points. The other main ones are under the battery tray on 2005 and earlier but elsewhere on the 2005.5 and later.
Next start following the power path, starting with the battery. If you have 12 volts there, you should be able to get a feeble dome light if nothing else. Check the fuse bars for voltage.

Here is a link to a post by alphasenior detailing the Park Neutral Relay on a 1999.5.

Actually the whole thread is worth reading.
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=161054

Here is a link to a thread where Dick Larimore helped someone with their PNP Relay. Again, more good information.

Here is some great information courtesy of Oilhammer:

A quick way to check for a bad ignition switch (ie one that loses terminal 15 contact when in the 'crank' position) is to just turn the key ON, then jumper power to the crank wire on the starter directly. Your car is an autobox, so no worry about it running over you, just make sure the brake is on and the trans is in Park. If the engine starts right up, you have most likely a bad ignition switch that loses terminal 15 power in crank.

 

[whitedog]

Situation #4

4. You turn the key to start and you get some or all of the lights, beeps buzzing or whatever, but no noises coming from the engine compartment.

The basics.

Once you get power to the key switch and to the ECU and accessories, when you turn the key switch to start, you need to get power out to the start solenoid trigger connection.

Troubleshooting.

If you have a NSC and the glow plug light comes on, you need to determine if the solenoid on the starter is clicking. Here is a picture of the top of the starter in an A4 model car.

On the right is the battery box and on the left is a coolant hose. Put your hand on the top of the starter and have an assistant turn the key to start. Do you feel a click? Yes or no?

If yes, you need to make sure that you have a good battery. I won't go into testing the battery and cables, but I will provide a link or two.

***Need to find links or build another post.***

Here is a link to one thread about batteries. I haven't taken the time to read it all the way through, but DBW has some good information in here, thoguh the picture links are dead.

If your battery and connections all test good, then it's time for Wingnut's starter removal post found here.

If no, you will need to do some digging so get out your multimeter (MM) and Bentley wiring diagrams.

Troubleshooting the starting system is very straight forward as long as you have the correct wiring diagram for your car, a MM and some common sense. It’s just a matter of tracing the power from the battery to the starter solenoid as it passes through all of the fuses, switches and relays.

First place to check is the fuse. Get out your owners manual and find the fuse that controls the start circuit. If the fuse is good, you can move on down the line.

The next stop is the signal terminal on the starter itself. This picture shows the connector disconnected from the starter. Tug and pull on the wire and connector to make sure that it isn't coming loose as this has been reported to have happened a few times.

Here is a picture of a failed wire:

And this is what bf1967 said, "Where the wire looped around it became brittle, fatigued and cracked. There was some corrosion of the copper in the wire which indicated to me that it had been cracked for some time and only a few strands of the wire remained."

Put your multimeter on this wire turn the key to start, you should get about 12 volts here. If not, safely verify that putting battery power directly to this terminal on the starter will turn the engine over. (Buttons switches are available so that you won't need to be leaning over the car to do this. I highly recommend this method, but it can be done safely without it)

If you aren’t getting power to the solenoid when you turn the key to start, you need to find out why.

If you have a manual transmission, there is a switch on the clutch pedal that needs to close in order for a relay (or possibly two or three - check your wiring diagram) to close in order to get power out to the starter wire. If you have an automatic transmission, you have a switch in the transmission control lever that does the same thing. I won't go into how to test here, but if you have a Bentley manual and lots of patience, you will be able to dig in and follow the flow of power to find where it stops flowing.

One thing to try is to turn the key to start and wiggle it up and down and back and forth and round and round and any other direction you can think of, even back and forth. If it suddenly starts, you have a bad keyswitch. This is often caused by having a bunch of keys hanging on your keychain that pulls on the mechanism of the switch wearing it out.

***If anyone wants to jump in and tackle this troubleshooting in more detail, that would great. Or if you know a good link, let me know.***

Thanks to yetta0 for the following:

"The 12 volt wire that is connected to the solenoid on the starter tends to chafe inside the protective plasitc casing and will cut through the wire, then the solenoid will not engage the starter motor. Pull off the connecter and pull the wire out of the plastic protector and inspect/repair as necessary. While you're there, have a look at the metal braided wire that connects the negative side of the solenoid to the starter casing. They tend to corrode and break off, and you may be able to solder it back on."


As mentioned, I won't go into how to test this circuit, but another place to check is for power coming out of the key switch. Get your wiring diagram out and find the first place that wire goes to and check for power there. If you don't have power coming out of the key switch, but you have power going into the switch, well guess what? You get to buy a new key switch. As with all testing, don't rely on just one try to verify if something is good or bad; give it a few attempts, removing and replacing MM leads if applicable. There is nothing worse in electrical troubleshooting than replacing a part because you had a finger on each MM lead giving bad readings.

Here is a thread that has some odd information about a blown dome light fuse that appears to have somehow kept the car from starting. This is an example of where I would start looking at grounds because there is no way that the dome light fuse should keep the engine from cranking.

First thing to check is to turn on your headlights and turn the key to start. Do the headlights go off?
If yes, move on to other things. ***Need to point out where to go*** This indicates that
If no, then you need to start at the key switch and move to points downstream from there.
"The earlier 96~99.5 Jetta and Passat had issues with the starter key switch failing." (That is a quote from some else that I forgot to note so they can get credit.)
*** Don’t go by this in blue just yet. I need more help with the specifics of key switch troubleshooting…***

Here is a thread where a guy did a bunch of troubleshooting and ended up replacing his key switch.

Here is a thread similar, but has more detail in checking the key switch circuit.

Here is a post someone sent me about key switches.

Here is a post about a wiring harness that has caused problems.

Here is a thread where they found the main wire on the starter was bad.

HERE is an external link About troubleshooting the starter on an A3, but it would be very similar to other cars.

On the 98/99 Beetles and 99.5 Jetta and Golfs, the door lock system in the comfort control module inhibits the start. There is an antitheft starter lock relay in position 3 in the 13 fold replay panel. This relay must be energized for the starter to turn and it gets it's signal from the Comfort Control Module, pin 3 and the fuse controlling that section of the CCM is fuse 6. This is just for the 98/99 Beetles and 99.5 Jetta and Golfs. *Apparently this applies to the A3 cars as well, but I haven't looked at anything about them yet, so get confirmation before proceeding.*

 

[whitedog]

Situation #5

5. You turn the key to start and you get the lights, etc AND the engine turns over but it does not fire.

The basics.

This is where all of the engine basics come into play. You need fuel, air and heat and remember that you have electricity controlling fuel, so it may be a problem with the fuel itself, or with the electricity controlling the fuel.

Troubleshooting.

First thing to check is the Anti Shutter Valve (ASV). This valve shuts off the air into the engine upon shut-down and it can become stuck in the closed position.

<2003
Basically, it come down to Diesel Boogers. See post #134 in the following thread for an explaination of Diesel Boogers.

Here is a link to a thread dedicated to this and a picture of the valve lever when the valve is open:

Another picture of the valve:

Once you verify that it is open, try it again and see if it starts. I say this because, it may have opened up from the time you got out of the car to check and when you actually got around there to check. The temporary fix for this is to get it open, but this valve sticking open is a result of gunk building up in your EGR valve. Once you get the car where you can work on it for awhile, you will want to remove the hose going into the valve and look for gunk built up in there. The long-term fix will be to remove the EGR valve and intake manifold and clean everything. This isn't a job that you want to do in a suit and tie. Search for "intake manifold cleaning" and you will find information on this.

HERE is a post where the solenoid for the ASV was failing and the valve was open when the car was shut off, but would close when they went to start the car. This is their story, but here is my story:
I installed another engine in my Beetle and along the way I installed all new vacuum lines. Well, the engine would not start but the ASV was open. I don't recall how I figured it out, but I finally figured out that I had the connector for the ASV solenoid and the CCV heater crossed so that as soon as I turn the key on, the heater turned on, shutting the ASV. I guess it would also be possible for the wires to chafe in the harness putting power to the ASV.

I guess it comes down to watching the ASV lever when the car is started and making sure it doesn't move to shut off air.

HERE is a link to a post later in this thread about wires to the ASV. It started and ran for a few seconds, then died, just like an immobilizer problem. It turns out there was some wiring issues.

>2004

These engines have a motor driven ASV. It has a much more positive return to open, so getting gunked up is not likely, but the motor for the valve could fail and hold it shut. Here is a picture of it in the open position.

If the valve is stuck closed, you are three Allen head bolts and one wire connector away from replacing it so skip the dealer. In order to get you running, you should be able to shove that flap open.
That’s the cheap fix to hope for. The expensive fix is to remove the cover over the timing belt and be sure that the belt is still there and tight and turns when the engine is cranked. Here is a picture of the cover on a 1998 Beetle:

It has clips holding it on and you may need/want to move that air intake line out of the way to get the cover out of there. It’s also possible that the timing belt has slipped. Here is a post detailing how long you should run your belt on your A4.

Maybe you just replaced the timing belt and you have an aftermarket flywheel. The flywheel may not be marked properly for TDC. To find TDC, you can remove the #1 glowplug and stick a thin straw or something soft and flexible down the hole to contact the piston. Rotate the engine until the straw is at it's highest point and is just starting to go back down. At this point it would be best to use a stiffer feeler in the hole to be most accurate. Rotate the engine back and forth a little bit to find the highest point for the feeler. The best way to get exact TDC would be to turn the engine so the feeler drops down maybe .100" and make a mark on the timing belt to the block. Then rotate the engine the other way until the feeler drops down .100" that way and make another mark on the timing belt right at the previous mark on the block. Then turn the engine so that half way between the two marks on the balancer is lined up with the mark on the block. This will take special tools to accurately measure the piston travel, so it may be best to leave this to more experienced hands.

All cars

If all is well so far, it could be one of two things wrong: an electrical problem or a fuel problem.

Let's start with fuel problems. There are differences between <2003 and the >2004 cars, so know what you are working on.

Is it really, really cold? Are you running any kind of biodiesel (BD) or Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO)? Regular diesel fuel will start to separate wax crystals when it gets cold enough. Also, if there is water in the fuel, it will freeze at a higher temperature than the fuel and can cause clogging, especially in earlier A4 modle cars. They had a restricted check valve in the fuel pick up and this often clogs. Here is a link to how many folks have taken care of this. Here is a link to an article about cold weather and biodiesel. BD and WVO have a higher cloud point so keep this in mind when choosing fuel and when troubleshooting. On early A4 cars, there was a problem with some of the fuel senders.

I just added a thread full of links to a bunch of fuel gelling posts. It is located HERE.

But right now, if your fuel is gelled, you need to get it running. Power Service makes an additive called 911 that will break-up the gelling in the fuel system. It is in a red bottle and it has instructions for use right on the bottle. Without the 911, you can remove the fuel filter and take it to a warm place, or better yet, get the car into a warm place to raise the temperature of the fuel so that it will get ungelled.

If you have just started running biodiesel, how long has it been since you changed your fuel filter? Biodiesel is a very good solvent and it will clean the fuel system which is good, but that stuff goes to the filter and may plug it up. Be sure that your fuel filter is not plugged. That procedure is detailed later.

<2003

While the hood is up, you may be able to check the clear, plastic line between the fuel filter and the Fuel Injection Pump (FIP). Beetles don't have this clear line and >2004 cars don't have this line. There will typically be a small bubble at the top of this line that is maybe an inch or so long. This is normal. What is not normal is if the fuel line is empty. This means that either the fuel tank is empty, the filter is plugged from contamination or gelled fuel or you have an air leak and the fuel is draining back to tank. If there is any fuel leak on the pump or if the little hoses between the injectors are wet then you have an air leak and the fuel is draining back to tank.

So if the clear line is empty, you need to investigate this. As runonbeer said, "Here is one of many threads dedicated to this issue"

Here are more links to more air leaks:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=187114

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=115689

and an off-site link:

http://anglo-hexon.net:88/tdi/ip_seals/

One more place for a leak is on the filter drain valve on the bottom of the fuel filter. You need to lift the filter and check that the plastic knobby thing is still there and that it is dry and tight.

Another place to look that is becoming more and more popular is a leaking O-Ring on the injection pump at the joint between the steel part and the aluminum part. I don’t want to discuss causes here, but if there is any fuel leakage there or anywhere on your fuel system, assume that you are sucking air there.

Here is a link to a site that offers a better seal and instructions on how to replace it.

Once you get your air leak fixed, you will need to bleed the air out of the fuel system. See #9 for bleeding procedures.

One of the handiest tools I have is my hand pump Mityvac.

With this tool you can remove the line off of the filter that goes to the engine (#2 in the picture of the filter top further down) and pull a vacuum from the tank. Do you get a good stream of fuel at low vacuum (<5 Inches vacuum)?

If yes, that end of your fuel system is good.

If no, you can remove the #1 line and try to suck the fuel from the tank through the hose. Do you get good fuel flow now?

If yes, your fuel filter is plugged.

If no, you have blockage at the tank. Remove the fuel sender and find the problem.

If the car sat for a long time, or bad fuel has been used, the suction screen in the tank may be plugged. Diesel fuel, and especially Biodiesel, are prone to a microbiological growth at the fuel to water interface when they sit for an extended amount of time. If this occurs, you need to buy an additive that will kill this stuff and add it to your fuel tank after you have cleaned it out. *** NOTE: This paragraph applies to ALL TDI cars.***

If the fuel system is bled (see #9 below) and it still won't start, see #6, then if needed, start a new thread and get more help. I have just heard about a way to test for a broken thingie in the injection pump, but I want to look into it a bit more.

>2004 cars

These cars have a completely different fuel system so troubleshooting a fuel problem will be very different. The main problem has been outlined in #2 earlier, but there is one more thing to check. Since these cars have a pump in the tank pushing fuel to the engine, all of the lines are under pressure rather than vacuum so you won't have the nasty air in the fuel lines keeping you from starting. To test, on the 2004 and 2005 cars you can remove the fuel line that goes from the filter (not the tee) to the engine at the engine end and put that hose into a container. Here is a picture of the filter end of the hose:

On the 2005.5 and 2006 cars here is a picture:

The one you want to remove is the second one from the bottom in the picture at the engine.

Once the hoses are off cycle the key to on and you should get fuel out of the hose for about two or three seconds. This verifies that you have fuel coming to the engine.

If you have fuel there, #2 above checks out fine and all of the electrical is good, you should start a new thread and get more in-depth help.

If you don't have fuel there, you most likely have a dead fuel pump in the tank. DANG144 has worked out some troubleshooting for the connector on the head of the PD engine. Here is the link. (Thanks, Dan.)

Here is a link to one thread where a guy got some bad fuel.

So, there are lots of places on the <2003 cars where there can be a fuel problem, but not so much on the >2004. Lucky you. On the other hand, if there is a fuel related problem, it's hidden deeper and will be more expensive to fix. Lucky you.

That leaves electrical problems.

<2003 First you want to verify that there is voltage at the fuel shut-off wire.

Here is a picture of it:

The computer cuts power to this solenoid after it sits for a certain amount of time without starting. So the best way to test it is with someone else, or to clip the MM onto the terminal and set the display where you can read it as you turn the key to on.

Do you have about 12 volts there? Yes or no?

If no, this wire is fed directly from the ECU and you need to trace the wire back to the ECU to check if you have power coming out of the ECU and that the wire is good. Remember that if you have a broken wire, you may disturb it enough during troubleshooting that it makes contact. So you may find voltage coming out of the ECU and you may find that the wire has continuity, but you keep getting zero volts at the solenoid. At this point, jumper 12 volts to the solenoid and you should hear/feel it clicking.

Here is a post later in this thread about a no start that was traced to the Anti-theft Starter lock relay. The relay was fine, but the connections were bad. The story starts at post #159.

Here is a post where the connector for the solenoid was hanging by a thread.

If yes, Make sure that the solenoid is clicking. If not, run a hot wire direct to it and a ground wire direct to the base. If it still doesn't click, replace it. If it does click after giving it a definite ground, you get to clean ground connections.

Here is a link to a post where a guy had a connector problem for this wire.

Here is a link to another post about broken wires. It is a not uncommon problem.

Here is a link to a post later in this thread about a problem with the shut off solenoid.

Here is a link to some pictures of chaffed wires on an A3

Here is a link to a thread with a long-time-coming solution. Skip to post #75 for the solution, but the rest is good troubleshooting.

For all cars, another electrical situation would be loss of power to the ECU. You did check the fuses, right? Get the wiring diagram for your car and find the wire going into the ECU direct from the fuse and check voltage there.

Here is a link to a short thread with a code P1562. In a nutshell, it was a broken wire. The short version of troubleshooting according to jcrews is:

Test IP pin 6 continuity to ecm 66 59 and 80. It is a high current drive so there is a splice connecting the three pins to the qa.

>2004 Here is a link to an intermittant problem. In this case, it appears that there is something loose at the ECU connection.
2005.5-2006 with BRM Engine:Your BRM should run with either a crank signal or the cam signal.
But if they disagree too far it will not run.
After you check group 5 while cranking, check group 4 field 4 and post that value.
Note that 0.0 means either you have it perfectly aligned, or your cam and crank are too far out, and it puts in a default value of 0.0.
Then unplug the cam sensor, see if it will run on the crank sensor alone.
Then plug back in the cam sensor, and unplug the crank sensor, and see if it will run on that one alone.
If it runs on both of them alone, but not when both are plugged in at the same time, then it is reporting your crank to cam timing is too far off from each other.

This can also result if the sensing wheel behind the cam sprocket is bent, or if one of the tabs it is sensing from is bent.
Thanks to DanG144 for this info.

HERE is a thread about critters getting into the engine compartment on an 04 Jetta. He got into the crank sensor. It took some time, but we finally got it figured out.

***There is more checking for voltage out to the FIP on the <2003, but I'm unfamiliar with this. HELP***

 

[whitedog]

Situation #6

6. The engine turns slowly, but doesn't start.

The basics.

In order for compression to create enough heat for the fuel to burn, the pistons have to move at a certain speed.This means that the battery has to be able to supply enough power, the power has to get to and from the starter and the starter has to be in good enough condition to turn the engine fast enough to move those pistons at the required speed.

HERE is a thread describing a bad starter.


Troubleshooting.

This is either a battery problem, a battery cable problem or a starter problem. Basically you need to go through the checks outlined in #4 to check the condition of everything except the starter. This will isolate the problem to the starter. So if you get to that point, remove the starter and put jumper cables to it right there on the floor. Don't be scared. It will only flop around if you don't hold it down.

A note on starting speed. Folks here have said over and over that the engine has to turn over at 250 or 300 RPMs for the engine to start. Many of these people also yell at people for not reading the manual. Well, Right there in my Bentley for the Beetle, it says that the engine needs 150 RPMs for it to fire. So who to believe? I am going with Mr. Bentley not because it is a more trusted source but because I have personally seen both my 1998 Beetle and my 2004 Jetta start at RPMs below 200 and others have seen the same thing.

Here is the start system on an A3: (<2000 A4s are similar)



Here is the start diagram for a >2000 A4 engine with manual transmission:



So get out your multimeter and start tracing the power. A common point of failure is the wire right at the starter can break, so check there. THe grounds shown are at the transmission to engine block mount.

HERE is a link to an interesting situation with good troubleshooting and a resolution.

***This is another place where I need some VW specific help for troubleshooting. Can you help?***

 

[whitedog]

Situation #7

7. You turn the key to start and you get the lights, the engine turns over and FIRES! then it dies after running for about two seconds.

The Basics.

The car has an antitheft device that will allow the car to start, but will shut it right back down if it doesn’t like what it sees.

Troubleshooting.

This will probably be accompanied by the immobilizer icon. This icon is an outline of the car with a key superimposed on the bottom.



The first thing you want to do is to try a different key if you have one and see if that works.

Another quick thing to try is to remove the battery cables and touch them together for a slow count of 5.
Here is a link to the Ross-Tech (The people that make VAG-COM makers) site on immobilizers.

I will post a few links or stuff I found quickly just searching here for "immobilizer".

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=197799

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=130174

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=1948518&postcount=1

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=105291

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=244813

HERE is my own thread with an immobilizer issue. The car had sat for a long time and the battery had died and that is what caused the immobilizer to shut things down. I had to use VCDS to not just clear a couple of modules, but I had to read the adaptations and save them to get the light off.

HERE is a link to a page on myturbodiesel about the immobilizer.

Another possibliity is that the Antishudder valve is stuck closed. This can allow enough air in the engine to allow it to run for a second or two, then die. See this link for more information.

Also, the ASV solenoid can fail. See THIS post later in this thread for more information.

 

[whitedog]

Situation #8

8. You just replaced the timing belt and now it won't start.
The basics.

First, I'll cover the ALH engine.

The fuel has to be injected at the right time and the pump wasn’t in the right position when the timing pin went in.
Troubleshooting.

Here is a link for all you need to know about ALH engined cars.

And here is a picture of the Fuel Injection Pump off of the engine showing the relation of the pin hole with the rest of the pump.

And here is a picture of the entire timing belt system with the pump hole circled in Yellow:

If that isn't the problem, double check everything then start looking for anything that you touched or moved or MAY have touched or moved during the TB installation.

Here is another picture, picture courtesy of chittychittybangbang. It give a different view of things.

Here is a link to a thread about timing on the pre-ALH engine TDIs. I don't know much at all about these, but Paramedic and Drivbiwire are old hands at it.


Maybe you just replaced the timing belt and you have an aftermarket flywheel. The flywheel may not be marked properly for TDC. To find TDC, you can remove the #1 glowplug and stick a thin straw or something soft and flexible down the hole to contact the piston. Rotate the engine until the straw is at it's highest point and is just starting to go back down. At this point it would be best to use a stiffer feeler in the hole to be most accurate. Rotate the engine back and forth a little bit to find the highest point for the feeler. The best way to get exact TDC would be to turn the engine so the feeler drops down maybe .100" and make a mark on the timing belt to the block. Then rotate the engine the other way until the feeler drops down .100" that way and make another mark on the timing belt right at the previous mark on the block. Then turn the engine so that half way between the two marks on the balancer is lined up with the mark on the block. This will take special tools to accurately measure the piston travel, so it may be best to leave this to more experienced hands.

The next bit is for the engines before the ALH. This is the AHU and 1Z

Baron VonZeppelin has an Excellent post HERE detailing it in a thread with more details on the no start.

I'll post it here as well.


At the point of where the belt is around Crank sprocket, and around Intermediate sprocket, and the Inj Pump is Pinned -

when you go to wrap around the Inj sprocket - and have the belt cogs hit flush - there will be slack in the belt between Intermediate and Inj sprockets.

This is where they get 1 tooth off just about everytime.
Very common occurence with newfolk !
And tutorials i've seen do not mention this - oversight from habits.

You have to wrench the Injection sprocket clockwise into the next cog.
It will then spring back - remove slack - and sets things proper.
This can be done with Inj Sprocket still pinned - btw.

Its not the easiest thing to manipulate with 2 hands and keep everything in place and in order. Especially if you do not have the crank lock device.

First - wedge a big screwdriver or small pry bar between bellhousing and flywheel teeth to "lock" Crank.

The Cam sprocket is OFF the cam.
The tensioner is mounted loosely snug in loosest position.

Once i have the Crank sprocket cogged and Intermediate sprocket wrapped - and the other end of belt is standing up alongside tensioner -

i use 2 spring clamps to hold the belt firmly in place on the Intermediate sprocket-

pull the belt up to Inj sprocket where it meets cogs flush - but still has some small small slack - then wrench the Inj sprocket clockwise/forward into the NEXT belt cog. Then let it spring back/relax.

remove 1 spring clamp from Intermediate sprocket - and place it on Inj sprocket to hold belt in place - now the Interm and Inj sprockets both have the belt clamped. Its cogged firmly on Crank by its own submission.

Now grab your Cam sprocket - keep the belt on proper side of tensioner - and insert Cam sprocket into the belt cogs as you slide the Cam sprocket onto the Camshaft.

Also at this point - your upper guide roller is NOT installed.
Not mandatory - but easier / simpler for newfolk until they get the full hang of things - and leaves a wee bit more flex /working room to install Cam sprocket easier.

AFTER belt is fully installed - but NOT tensioned to spec - then install the upper guide roller - then LOOSELY snug Cam sprocket bolt - then spec and torque the tensioner - then torque Cam bolt.

Proceed with normal protocols as per tdiclub tutorial.

I'm told:
a 10-11-12 deep well socket works like the real thing for the Inj Sprocket Pin - i'm not sure which size or which drive works best - sample them for yourself and get best fit.
But its likely to work better than a big bolt.

a 3" STANLEY door hinge works like the real thing for the Cam Lock Plate.

Just things to consider if you don't have any or all the specialty tools.
Hope this helps

 

[whitedog]

Situation #9

9. You just had something in the fuel system open and now it won't start.

The basics.

<2003

(A) The pump in the injection pump has to suck fuel from the tank and it doesn’t do this very well when it is trying to pull air.

The pump has a hard time getting rid of air inside of it.

Since air compresses, when fuel is trying to be injected, the air acts as a kind of shock absorber and the pressure doesn’t rise high enough to open the injectors and let fuel flow.

HERE is link to jcrews explaination of this. It's much more comprehensive.

(B) If the quantity adjuster was removed, the pin must be in the hole on the collar inside.

Here is a link to search results for losing prime. Not all of the threads are relevant to the fuel system, but youcan figure out which ones are. You can go through them and see what others have experienced and compare it to what you are experiencing.

>2004

This isn’t much of an issue, but there are a few things to check..

Troubleshooting.

<2003

HERE is Runonbeers definitive answer to leaking injection pumps.


You have replaced the fuel filter or installed new injectors, or changed the injection pump or you have just fixed a leak on the injection system and now the engine will crank just fine but it won’t start. You need to bleed the fuel system. There are three points you need to bleed:

1. The fuel filter
2. The injection pump
3. The injection lines

1. The easiest way to get the filter primed is to start by filling it with fuel. This can be Diesel fuel or Diesel Purge (a fuel system cleaner) or your favorite additive. Remove the Tee on top of the filter and fill the filter as much as possible then reinstall the Tee. I mentioned earlier in this thread about the MityVac; this is your best friend at this point. Refer to this picture

and remove hose #2. Install the hose of your Mityvac to the barb on the filter and start pumping until you get good fuel out of the filter. Reinstall the black hose and your filter is bled.

2. The injection pump is a bit trickier. AFTER bleeding the filter, refer to this picture

and remove the hose marked with the purple arrow and install the hose from the Mityvac. Install a clamp on the hose you just removed and pump and pump until you get fuel coming out of that tube. Remove the Mityvac and reinstall the black hose.

3. After (and only after), the first two items are bled, it’s time to bleed the injection lines. You would think that the pump would push the fuel through the injectors. It eventually will but unless you want to prematurely replace your starter, then bleed the lines. What happens is that since the injectors don’t have much fuel leaking through them, and since it takes a very high pressure to open the injection valve on the nozzles, AND since the pump is only moving a small amount of fuel with each pumping action, you don’t get much fuel traveling through the lines displacing the air. So you want to get the air out of the lines and allow the pump to fill them with fuel.

Take a look at the picture above and locate the four injector line nuts marked with Red, Yellow, Green and Dark Blue. Those are cylinders #1, #2, #3 and #4 respectively. Notice that #3 is taller than the others. This is because this one is special. It has a sensor in it that tells the computer when it injects fuel. For this reason, you want to take a 17 MM wrench (or 11/16 if that’s all you have) and loosen that nut about ½ turn. Do the same with #4. Drape a rag over the injectors because fuel will be spurting out, hopefully as high as the hood. Now have an assistant crank the engine until you see fuel squirting out. Let it crank for no more than 10 seconds then wait 30 seconds before trying again. Have the helper stop cranking and you tighten the nuts you loosened.

***NOTE: Be careful with high pressure fuel. If it gets injected into the skin, it can cause death. If fuel does get injected into the skin, drop everything and get to the hospital immediately!!!***

Once the nuts are tightened, try starting the car again. (be sure to observe the 10 second cranking rule)

Still nothing on the second try? OK. Get aggressive and crack open all four of the lines like before and get a good flow of clear fuel out of the injector nuts. Once this flow is established, tighten down the nuts and give it another shot.

Here is a simplified procedure that MoGolf uses (if there are discrepancies, follow the MoGolf):

For drawing fuel through the pump, I follow this procedure:

1) clamp off return line from filter to tank
2) remove return line from pump to filter at the thermostatic T on the filter
3) cap off the thermostatic T nipple
4) carefully blow into the line from the pump to clear an fuel that might be in its twists and bends (if you have a light pressure air source, use it instead of yourself)
5) attach vacuum device to return line from pump with a piece of clear tubing or clear container between line and vacuum device (so I can see when fuel comes out
6) use vacuum device to draw fuel through.
7) clamp return line from pump to limit the amount of air that can get in while
8) uncap the T and reattach the return line as quickly as possible
9) unclamp return lines
10) loosen the injector fuel line nuts at the injectors just enough that fuel would weep out if fuel does get pushed from the pump
11) crank engine until fuel does weep
12) tight injector nuts
13) start the car and allow to run for several minutes

It does take a bit of time to get all the air out using a hand Mity-vac device. There is no need to activate the fuel shut off valve.

(B) If you removed the quantity adjuster to replace the seals, you must reinsert the adjusting pin of the quantity adjuster in the hole in the control collar inside the pump. If you aren't sure, take it back apart and double check.

Also, be sure that you reinstalled the housing in the position that you previously marked.

If you have bled the filter and the pump and now the lines and you still aren’t getting any fuel, you have more homework to do.

As a note, keep an eye on that clear line (or install a temporary one if yours doesn’t have one). Watch for movement of large air bubbles as you go about testing everything. You may stumble on the source if you move something and suddenly the bubble moves, or stops moving, depending on the circumstance.

Here is a short explanation of bleeding the injection lines from lugnut:

Crack open the fuel pipe nuts at the top of all four injectors by about 1/2 a turn. That's enough to create a leak without creating a gusher. The intent is to allow any compressible air a low resistance path out (rather than behaving as an air spring and never getting injected).
Crank the engine until the fuel leaks out of the loosened fittings in a clear stream. Froth indicates there's still too much air.
Tighten the fittings and try to restart.

HERE is a thread that turned out to be a shattered feul sending unit.

>2004

The basics.

In #5 above, I described the difference in the fuel system and because of this difference, there isn’t much of a problem here, but it isn’t trouble free.

Troubleshooting.

Pull the #2 hose off of the filter head and see if you are getting fuel out of it when the key is turned on. If you are, then your filter is bled and it should start.

A bit of patience with turning the key on and off a few times should bleed all of the air out of the fuel system.

HERE and HERE are a couple of threads by DanG144 about the intank fuel pump on the >2004. It gives some pressures and flows you can see to test your pump to see if it's bad. What I'm reading is that the tandem pump will keep pulling fuel until you either run out of fuel or open up the fuel system but it won't pull fuel afterwards since it needs to be fed fuel first.

I did find one post (though there may be others) about someone having troubles bleeding their filter after a filter change. Here is the link.

There have been a couple of posts about running out of fuel and difficulty restarting. HERE is one.

A picture of an A5 fuel filter top to help you indentify the fuel flow.:

.....

 

[whitedog]

You have a DSG transmission, and when it's really cold out, the car won't start.

There have been a few posts recently about cars with the DSG transmission that don't want to start when the temperature is below about 10 Degrees, F. Here is a link to one of them.

The car will start just fine at 20 F, but below about 15, it just doesn't want to start.

This is a fairly new complaint, so more details are needed, but it appears that the oil in the transmission is so cold that it is causing excessive drag for the engine. So much drag that the engine won't spin fast enough to fire.

At this point, I don't know of a fix, but keep your eyes open for any new information on this.

 

[whitedog]

Situation #11 Other A

HERE Is a thread where a guy with a 2006 had a fuel filter problem and HERE is his first thread about the same problem.

It turns out a check valve in the filter head failed, blocking fuel flow through the filter.

This is what the failed part looks like:

You can see a white thing in there just to the left of center. This is the check valve that failed. I'm trying to get a picture of an unfailed one as well as more information on this.

 

[whitedog]

Some links to interesting no start threads

Sometimes a simple look at everything can reveal a problem such as in this post.
So be sure to open the hood and take a look around for anything obvious such as the battery heavily corroded, a fuel line that has split down the middle leaving a puddle of fuel or the engine having been stolen in the middle of the night.
******
Here is a link to an interesting situation. This car has a DSG transmission and when the weather gets below about 20F, the car is difficult to start or even won't start if it's cold enough. VW is saying that the oil in the transmission is causing the clutches to engage, causing so much drag that the engine can't turn over fast enough to start.
*****
The following is a bad one and not very common, but it needs to be mentioned, unfortunately. Does the car clunk like it wants to turn over, but it doesn’t turn over at all. If you hold the key to start when it does this, maybe the battery cable gets hot? Your engine may be seized up. Yeah, not likely, but there is a plug on the top of transmission bell housing you can pull and, using a big screwdriver, try to turn the flywheel. If none of that makes sense, it is time to contact someone that can come over and give you a hand.
*****
Maybe you just did the hammer mod and now it won’t start? Start by adjusting it back to where it was originally. (You did mark it, right?) Now start the car and do it all again. Here is a link to where LurkerMike had this problem here.
*****
HERE a guy found a bad connection at the main wire connector for the injection pump.
*****
HERE is a thread where a guy had a bad wire in the door hinge area. This wire went to the comfort control module (CCM) and it was causeing the no start. Apparently on certain models, the alarm system will cut power to a relay for the starter and this is what was happening. Compu 85 has a post explaining it better.
*****
HERE is a thread where the car would only start at low temperatures. Like below 10 degrees, F. There was a problem inside the ECU. Certainly not a common failure, but it can happen.
*****
HERE is a thread for an 06 Jetta that had the PRNDS display flashing. Amazingly enough a dealer actually found the problem (though cujet suggested it first) . Anyway, it was just the tabs in the fuse holder weren't tight enough on a fuse.
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=482192]HERE is another of the same. Just looking at the fuses isn't enough. Fortunately, this guy heard noise as he was testing and understood what that meant.
*****
HERE is a thread about a BRM (2005.5 - 2006.5) that had wiring issues. This is what was found with a scan:
"Currenly, I am getting 1 of 2 codes and a randomly alternating basis:
1) 000802, Engine Speed Sensor, G28, P0322, No, or intermittent signal, V14.44
2) 000801, Engine Speed Sensor, G28, P0321, implausible signal, V10.76V."
Basically he found chafed wires below the battery box.
*****
HERE is a thread about a fellow that did some inventing testing to find his problem after disassembling the injectors.
*****
HERE is a thread about an engine that went pop, no power, then wouldn't start unless the hose at the EGR was removed.
*****
HERE is a thread about a 2006 (BRM) that would run fine for 3 minutes, then after sitting for 5 more minutes it would start and run --- for 3 minutes. Wash rinse repeat. As a bonus is a link to some great information on CAN bus stuff.
*****
HERE
is a post about a broken fuel pick-up.
*****
HERE is guy that had air in his fuel lines and had trouble starting it. Turns out it was something with his fuel pick-up.
*****
HERE is a no start after a rebuild on a PD engine. The codes 0321, 2564, 1652 came up and it turns out the tone wheel on the crank was bent. The tone wheel is what the speed sensor reads.
How about the past coming back to haunt you,
HERE.
HERE is a link to a thread with lots of troubleshooting. He had fuel to the injection pump, but nothing to the injectors. Turned out to be the IP.
HERE is a thread about a dead 2000 Golf. Turned out to be the crank sensor.
HERE is a post by Paramedic about another odd situation with a crank sensor. The best part about this thread is that he goes through all of the most obvious stuff.

HERE is a link to a guy that had a BEW start for a couple of seconds, then die. Oilhammer came to the rescue and suggested the cat may be plugged. One clue is that it fires, but there is no smoke out the exhaust. He ended up pulling the hose off of EGR and it ran. I bet all of the exhaust was coming out the EGR.

*****
HERE is a 2006 with no Glow plug light and a flickering PRDLS display and a bunch of codes. It was fuse 34.

Some A3 Stuff.
This first is one where power is cut to the clock and guages and everything when trying to start: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=333333
Next is one that was bought dead:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=334148
*****
HERE is a thread where a guy had a bad wire in the door hinge area. This wire went to the comfort control module (CCM) and it was causeing the no start. Apparently on certain models, the alarm system will cut power to a relay for the starter and this is what was happening. Compu 85 has a post explaining it better.

 

[whitedog]

Situation #13 Other C

The two major reasons we have seen for a no start on the New Common Rail engines Iced-up intercoolers and High Pressure Pump failures.

Please read carefully before jumping to any conclusions and posting another thread about either of these.

There is another problem that occurs occasionally and that is the "throttle body" AKA "air intake flap" gets stuck in the closed position, choking the engine for air. It's a fairly easy to change part, but expensive. So far they have been failing when under warranty, so hopefully, the bad parts are bad enough that they all fail in warranty. Time will tell.

HERE is a post about it with post #23 showing the resolution.

On the common rail cars, we seem to be seeing the power supply relay fail like in the older ALH cars. This kills power to the dash. HERE is a thread about it.

 

[whitedog]

In closing

I'm just going to leave these last few open for anyone that feels I have missed something completely. Just let me know and I'll add it in there, but please try to give as much information as possible including links or pictures.

Finally a few general links:

The TDI FAQs: http://www.tdiclub.com/TDIFAQ

TDI Articles: http://www.tdiclub.com/articles

TDI Links: http://www.tdiclub.com/links

TDI Wiki : http://communityhosting.net/tdiclub

ROSS TECH site: http://www.ross-tech.com/

And finally TDI 101: http://forums.tdiclub.com/forumdisplay.php?f=43

One last bit of advice. If none of this gets you going, find the search button near the top of the page and click on "Advanced search". Type into the search window the following: car and won’t and start . Just below that window is a drop down that lets you choose titles or threads, choose titles. Then near the bottom is a button marked "boolean", click that button and hit search. You can also try "engine" instead of "car" and get some different results. I have tried to condense much of the newer posts I found with this search into this long diatribe, but you may still need more help

If you still can’t get it running, start a new thread being sure that you include your general location, car model and year and any information on what has been done to the car recently and what has been done to troubleshoot.
As a last ditch effort, send a PM.

 

[whitedog]

I have already had a few suggestions, corrections and offers of help, so thank you to those kind folks.

 

[whitedog]

(It's OK to reply to this thread)

 

[DanG144]

We are still trembling in fright and recovering from your first post.

Excellent project.

 

[wolf1477]

(It's OK to reply to this thread)

OK.

Good stuff here, thanks for the info. Hopefully now it'll get stickied so I can find it again.

Wolf

 

[owr084]

Situation #2 The lift fuel pump will time out quickly if the engine does not start. So, either have your meter in place ready to go when a friend turns the key or jumper the fuel pump to turn it on.

For the B5.5 Passat, you can jumper the fuel pump by attaching a lead from the positive terminal of the battery to the right side of the fuel pump fuse socket (#28). Then place a screwdriver on the top of the fuel pump cap and listen to see if it is running.

 

[owr084]

For the 2004/2005 Passats, the fuel supply lines have WHITE markings and are attached to the metal tubes on the filter. The fuel return lines BLUE markings and are attached to the fuel tee. Blue to white and white to blue will guarantee a no start condition This is most likely to happen while changing the fuel filter after a long day

Edit: Made info specific to Passat B5.5 Is it similar to other VW TDIs?

 

[Geo-1]

Tim, just read your post after a long scout camping trip, I am tired but wanted to send you a few comments.

<2003 and >2004..
what about 2003? seems less than or equal or greater than or equal. the 2003 crew seems between the two.

Situation 1. under the glow plug symbol. "if no light you have a relay 109 problem" (or a dead battery).
Paragraph #3 same topic.. (recommendation, keep a spare 109)

Situation #2 second sentance uner photo of pump..How can pump run if no power?

Situation #4 Troubleshooting..Define NSC

Situation #5 clear fuel lines...Not all 03 Jettas have a clear fuel line (mine doesn't)

Will read in detail again after some rest. Eric.

 

[whitedog]

Tim, just read your post after a long scout camping trip, I am tired but wanted to send you a few comments.

Thanks for the advice, I'll make the changes needed.

 

[ecodean]

Thank You whitedog for making it easier to trouble shoot a no start situation. I'm sure that many TDI'ers will be greatful. Keep up the good work

 

[DanG144]

PD BEW head connection troubleshooting

Troubleshooting the T8 (8 pin connector on the left (port for you sailors) side of the engine head)
BEW engine specific data. (may apply to BRM).
(Remember the left side of the car is on the driver’s left when sitting in the seat.)
Only 5 of the 8 possible connectors are used, they are shown in wiring diagram 81/7 of my Bentley book.
The plug is the part that comes off of the head in your hand
– on the end of a pigtail of wires to the ECM.
The jack is the stationary part that stays on the engine head.

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The ECM does not detect that the plug is off until you try to start the engine, and then it throws this code:
18072 - Control Circuit for PD Injectors: Electrical Malfunction
P1664 - 000 - -
Freeze Frame:
RPM: 315 /min
Torque: 126.0 Nm
Speed: 0.0 km/h
Load: 0.0 %
Voltage: 11.02 V
Bin. Bits: 00101100
Temperature: 41.4°C
Bin. Bits: 01010000

Other VAG-COM information
Group 52 always reads zero, engine off, cranking, or running, T8 connected, or not connected. Seems worthless?
Group 13, engine off, key on reads 0.0 with T8 connected or not. Reads 0.0 cranking with T8 off.
Group 18, engine off key on reads 128 with T8 connected or not. See graph for cranking with T8 off.
Group 23 engine off key on reads 0.0 with T8 connected or not. Reads 0.0 cranking with T8 off.

Due to concerns about connector health I never tried to tape over or otherwise open a single injector’s current flow path.
If anyone is more assured of their skills and would open one conductor path for one injector (any pin but 7), and post the data here or PM me, then I will update this post.
Dan

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[whitedog]

For the 2004/2005 Passats, the fuel supply lines have WHITE markings and are attached to the metal tubes on the filter. The fuel return lines BLUE markings and are attached to the fuel tee. Blue to white and white to blue will guarantee a no start condition This is most likely to happen while changing the fuel filter after a long day

Edit: Made info specific to Passat B5.5 Is it similar to other VW TDIs?

On my 2004 Jetta this holds true. I need to check the Beetle someday

 

[DanG144]

OWR084 says "For the 2004/2005 Passats, the fuel supply lines have WHITE markings and are attached to the metal tubes on the filter. The fuel return lines BLUE markings and are attached to the fuel tee. Blue to white and white to blue will guarantee a no start condition This is most likely to happen while changing the fuel filter after a long day

Edit: Made info specific to Passat B5.5 Is it similar to other VW TDIs?"

On my 2004 Jetta this holds true. I need to check the Beetle someday

And for the 2005 BEW models it is true, but it seems the markings may be wearing or fading off.

 

[owr084]

And for the 2005 BEW models it is true, but it seems the markings may be wearing or fading off.

So, the easiest solution is to mark your hoses before taking them off the filter to prevent a no-start when you are done

 

[whitedog]

I still need some help filling in blanks I have in bold. I hope that someone can step in and give us a hand.

 

[Groundhog1248]

Clicking sound from engine when trying to start

When I try and start the car I get flashing dash lights and a clicking sound coming from the engine. I'm guessing it's the starter gone bad but would like some opinions before having it towed to the VW shop. The car sat idle for approx 10 days before I tried to start it in temps ranging from 20-45 degree's. Started fine before this. Thanks