2002 1.9 tdi wont start

[vegasvolks]

i have had my golf for over a year & its a great car to drive when it runs.  when i first bought it last year the engine light is on and coded p0671 cylinder 1 glow plug circuit.  my clock would sometimes reset it self and other times the battery woulld drain.  i replaced the battery probably 4 times in a year. rarely the glow plug light would come on.  well the other day i got in the car to start it and it started for two seconds and the died instantely.  after that i could not get it to start.  the next day i jumped the car and it sounded like something was knocking in the engine as i was cranking it over.  i did open one of the fuel lines and gas came out.  i also squirted starter fluied into intake to no avail.  i also put a battery in my alarm remote it has been out for a month.  i have guesses but thats what they r.   any help is greatly appriciated.

[vegasvolks]

my guesses and they r just guesses r glow plug relay, timing belt ( looks very loose),  something to do with the alarm or electronics. 

[Vincent Waldon]

It will still start, particularly in heat of Lost Wages, without glow plugs.

If your timing belt is noticeably loose I strongly strongly strongly suggest you don't turn it over again until you've done the full timing belt job:  belt, all rollers, tensioner, water pump, etc.

To continue to turn it over with a loose belt risks valves hitting pistons... causing you to need a new head, pistons, etc rather than a simple timing belt.

The timing belt replacement job will also reset your timing... which is my guess as to why it wont start.

[vegasvolks]

im not sure if its loose it just appears to me.  when i touch it it seems i could slip it off almost not sure if i could.  probably 3/8 inch play.  there r tiny cracks in the timing belt but does not appear to bad. cracks r like smaller than a centermeter.  where exactly is the fuse relay.  i took the cowl off and could not find it .  there were large computer plugs.

[Vincent Waldon]

If you can move the belt side-to-side at all it's too loose.

If you can see any cracks at all the belt is long long overdue and could go at any minute... your engine will then grenade.

Dunno what you mean by "fuse relay"... if you're getting fuel at the pump it's not an electrical issue.

[vegasvolks]

im sorry i mean glow plug relay.  i heard these can keep a car from starting but is that just in cold conditions?

[Vincent Waldon]

im sorry i mean glow plug relay.  i heard these can keep a car from starting but is that just in cold conditions?

Yes... they aren't even turned on for starting until the temperature drops to 46F... I'm guessing it's warmer in Vegas than that. 

As well, if there was a problem with the glow plugs, even if it was cold outside, the Check Engine light would come on.

[vegasvolks]

the check engine light is on it says cylinder #1 glow plug and then it has the code number p0671.  i have had this problem for over a year when i first bought the car.  it sometimes kills the battery or resets everything.  i charged my battery & sprayed my intake with starter fluid.  i wanted to hear the noise without jumper cables.  this time no noise thank god.  i also check the timing belt wiggle and it really didnt have any.  between the cam sprokets at the top i can move it about 3/8s and inch up and down. however it does feel tight besides between the cam sproket.  i found the glow plug relay and inspected it.   nothing noticable.  it looked fine.  so to backtrack a few days ago i started the car and it started right up as allways however two seconds later it died.  it was similar to using a valet key.  however i try imediately to restart the car and it just cranks over. so im stumped. so i guess i need to check the marks on the timing belt to eliminate that.  i could not find the tread for checking the marks.   also it there a way to either bypass or check the glow plug relay.  is there an electric spark with diesels ?  any other suggestions.  thanks sincerely john

[redneck_vdub]

My thought is..,if you've had this glow plug relay problem for over a year, why haven't you fixed it?? Diesels ignite off of compression ... not spark.

[vegasvolks]

so the relay could be a factor even in warm temperatures.   i dont know if i had a relay problem i have a glow plug code.

[Vincent Waldon]

so the relay could be a factor even in warm temperatures.

Again, the glow plugs aren't even used until it's quite cold out.... certainly not a factor in the spring in Vegas.  Glow plugs are *not* your issue... you know this if for no other reason than the fact that you've been driving with the glow plug code for some time.

Starting fluid is death to diesels, btw.  My opinion stands: get 'er to a diesel mechanic who can get that cracked timing belt replaced.  In the process he'll sort out any other issues.

[vegasvolks]

thanks for all the help vincent.  im starting to think its the timing belt or tensioner so im going to look into that further.

[redneck_vdub]

I understand glow plugs are not need around this time of year, especially in Vegas. All I'm trying to say, is if you have a code that is setting your engine light on, fix the problem no matter what it is. And yes starting fluid and diesels do not mix.

[superspringer]

I had a problem not too dissimilar on my TDS BMW recently. (Sorry I know this is a VW forum!)
What I would say is that it is important not to forget that the fault codes are not always completely right, and in fact can be 100% untrue and misleading. If you have a wire shorting/earthing to ground that is important to the engine running, (in my case it was the needle lift sensor(?) wire connected to #4 (#3 on VW) injector) then any kind of fault code can get thrown up and the car can run erratically or not at all.
It would be well worth checking for signs of either chaffing/rubbing on the wires in the engine bay, and that lead to the ECU, or of a repair which perhaps might not have been totally succesful? An earthing wire would also drain a battery....

[famous phil]

Hi, I came across a problem like this battery drained , charged it up and OK for a few weeks ,

few weeks later parked car up to go round a few stores on returning battery drained , this went on for a while until it was found that a heater plug relay had overheated occasionally welding the contacts  together even when the car was not turned on !!!!!!