chocke pulled out, not going back / car not starting

[momin]

Hi Folks, I was away for 2 months and did not start my mk3. When I started, I pulled the choke, and it got started. Immediately after starting, I pushed back the choke and got out of the car for the car to idle for sometime.

The engine stopped with 10 seconds of me getting out of the car. Frustrated, I pulled the choke again and started the car, but the car could not start this time... surprizingly, on trying to start again a few times, the car sounded as if the battery was down (but it did start quickly the first time). I tried to push the choke back in, but it was not going in.

How can I push the choke back in? Has it got something to do with car not starting?

Before I proceed further, I would appreciate any hints, suggestions and pointers.

Thank you

 

[VWWV]

Sorry, Momin. You have posted on the wrong forum. This forum is for TDIs and TDIs don't have manual chokes. However, your problem may indeed be a weak battery. You have mistaken the cold start advance for a choke. If the cable is broken (common) you may manually rotate the cam on your injector pump to start. Surely it isn't cold enough in Toronto to need the cold start, yet? Sorta/kinda sounds like you are not a hands on person? Post in the non tdi diesel forum for expert advice.

 

[momin]

It's a 1997 mk3 TDI and you are right... I troubleshoot computers as a profession, and try to troubleshoot car issues as a hobby

My mechanic called it a choke. Not sure, if the exact jargon for that peddle towards the left hand side of the steering wheel is called a 'choke' or a 'cold start advance'.

Is that still something critical if it is stuck out and cannot be pushed back in?
Could this be related to the starting of the car?

Thx

 

[Ski in NC]

That "cold start knob" advances the timing a little for cold starts. It's not a TDI, but must be an earlier indirect injection engine. If engine ran for 10sec then stopped, it probably got air into the injection pump and needs a bit of repriming. Cold start knob has little effect once the engine is running.

 

[VWWV]

It's a 1997 mk3 TDI and you are right... I troubleshoot computers as a profession, and try to troubleshoot car issues as a hobby

My mechanic called it a choke. Not sure, if the exact jargon for that peddle towards the left hand side of the steering wheel is called a 'choke' or a 'cold start advance'.

Is that still something critical if it is stuck out and cannot be pushed back in?
Could this be related to the starting of the car?

Thx

TDIs don't have chokes! THis IS a diesel you're talking about? Diesels don't have chokes. No...it isn't related to the no start unless the advance is in the run configuration and it is real cold. No Starts are generally battery, starter related. There are several other causes but those might best be handled by your "mechanic"? Gasser mechanics, BTW, generally have the same level of diesel competance as I have when I try to troubleshoot my computer.

 

[Alchemist]

What you have is not a TDI, but an IDI engine type AAZ. The thing called "choke" by some mechanics is actually a cold start advance. It advances the injection timing a bit to help with winter starting. It seems most likely to me that while sitting, the fuel drained back to the tank so the pump has some air in it now. The fuel system probably needs to be bled to get the air out and all should be well again.

Paul

 

[Abacus]

TDIs don't have chokes! THis IS a diesel you're talking about? Diesels don't have chokes. No...it isn't related to the no start unless the advance is in the run configuration and it is real cold. No Starts are generally battery, starter related. There are several other causes but those might best be handled by your "mechanic"? Gasser mechanics, BTW, generally have the same level of diesel competance as I have when I try to troubleshoot my computer.

Geez, go easy on the guy. They had IDI's in Canada in addition to the TDI's, and they aren't that far apart. He is clearly talking about an IDI which IS a 1.9L turbocharged diesel and very closely related to our TDI's. The A3 and B4's up there had both depending on the year.

How would you like it if I gave you crap for not knowing about them? That's what I thought.

 

[momin]

Thanks for all the replies and sorry for the delay in response as I was on a long vacation away from my beloved car.

I am happy to know the exact type of engine in my car... I will now call it mk3 IDI instead of mk3 TDI !

I am new to DIY's - going through the learning curve and have done few fixes successfully. The reason why cold start advance is of importance to me is because I drove my mk3 tdi ... err... mk3 idi from Toronto (not so cold unless you are from TX or FL etc. ) to the beautiful city of Edmonton (which is colder than Toronto) after a 3700 km scenic drive! Here it can go below -40 degrees in winters easily and using the cold start lever becomes essential.

Since this thread had gotten older, I just started a new thread to fix the cold start lever on my mk3 IDI here:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=366423

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