Author Topic: Loss of power after starting when cold outside (Read 4654 times)

karlaslc · « **on:** September 11, 2005, 06:10:13 pm »

Hello,

I just bought a 2003 Jetta TDI a few months ago and have found that when I try to start it in the morning now that it's cooler outside, it starts up just fine, but won't idle above 1000 RPM's even when the gas peddle is fully depressed and if I attempt to drive it, it barely coasts (still not going above 1000 RPMs). It eventually sputters and stalls out. This does not happen when the weather warms up. Any ideas would be appreciated as I'll be riding my bicycle to work until I can get it fixed!

Thanks,

Karla

QuickTD · « **Reply #1 on:** September 11, 2005, 06:41:29 pm »

I would suspect a plugged fuel filter. Cold fuel is more viscous than warm fuel and is more difficult to pull through a partially clogged filter.

karlaslc · « **Reply #2 on:** September 12, 2005, 06:48:41 am »

Thanks for the reply.

I just had the fuel filter changed a month ago. I also don't see any bubbles in the fuel line. I started it up this morning to let it warm up for about 10 minutes and i noticed it hiccuping a little at first but then it seemed to idle fine. However, when I tried to drive it, I had the same loss of power (pressing gas peddle all the way but RPM's didn't go above 1200 this morning) and the MIL light came on. So I turned around and limped back.

benjaminva · « **Reply #3 on:** September 23, 2005, 12:40:52 pm »

This forum might not be the best place to get answers for the problem that you are having. www.tdiclub.com is a site with many people and lots of knowledge on TDI cars. One thing to ask though is how cold is it getting and where are you getting your fuel? Up in Calgary here its dipping below freezing at night, so if your fuel source still has summer diesel in their tanks the fuel could be gelling. I know I got a bad batch of fuel early last winter and the only way that I could get the car started was by dumping a bunch of fuel conditioner in the tank, and filling the fuel filter with the stuff as well. Check your fuel source, good ones are in a high traffic area, and hope thats the only problem. The only other things it could be are MAF and maybe the glow plug bus (happened on my dads 2003 tdi), but don't go rushing to get those fixed until you are sure about your fuel. Again, check out tdiclub, a great source for tdi cars.

Ben

vwmike · « **Reply #4 on:** September 23, 2005, 02:29:37 pm »

I'm guessing you're in Salt Lake by your name? and the MIL light coming on might actually be a good thing if you have a way of reading the fault codes. Vag-Com is an excellent program.

karlaslc · « **Reply #5 on:** September 26, 2005, 01:36:11 pm »

Thank you for your replies.

Yes, I'm in Salt Lake City...so it's not going below freezing yet.

The code that came up was P0252 - Injection pump fuel metering control.

The problem is gone however. I did 2 things:

I cleaned out the electrical connectors to the fuel temperature sensor, quantity adjuster and coolant temperature sensor. AND, a friend discovered that the fuel filter that had just been changed about a month ago was on backwards! After changing the fuel filter again and cleaning the connectors mentioned above, it's running great (all the time).

Thanks again,
Karla