TDI cold start problem

[Smokey Eddy]

I just acquired a 1999.5 ALH TDI golf from my parents and it has been dealership babied it's whole life.
For the last few years I noticed that the glow plug light in the dash stays on for maybe 1-1.5 seconds no matter what the ambient temperature is or how long the car has been sitting.
If i flick the key on and off fast enough for long enough I can get the glow plugs to glow otherwise its extremely hard to start... lots of white stingy exhaust on cold start... lots of cranking... the whole works. (it is about 10C (50F) where I live right now in the mornings.
the plugs are all okay, the fuses inside the car all look okay... the fuses on the battery cover look okay
I feel like a temp sensor *like on the IDI heads* is playing up but rather than always running the plugs for the full length of time it is running them for the shortest.

I'm really stumped here and not sure where to look next?

Also, not sure if this is related, but at around the same time my key FOB no longer works... changed the batteries to no avail.

Brand new to TDI so any insight what so ever is appreciated!

[Blocksmith]

I have exactly zero personal experience with TDIs other than changing the oil on my dad's jetta, but from what I recall reading on the subject, they don't even use glowplugs unless temps are in the 30s.

[Smokey Eddy]

Hmmm
I wish mine would... it starts worse than my '90 IDI did.
The ALH has ~240,000km on it and it's never been apart (other than to clean the EGR nonsense out)

[burn_your_money]

Get a VagCom and check the pump timing. It's probably a bit on the retarded side. You can also check the temp sensors with it. With the engine cold, all the temp readings should be fairly close to one another (5 degrees or so). I'm more familiar with the AHUs and they measure fuel, coolant and ambient temps.

[8v-of-fury]

Albeit my TDI is an AHU and mechanically controlled.. Both my M-TDI and the E-TDI AHU/ALH have the same pump innards.. so the starting should be identical. I don't even have my glows hooked up yet! I did this swap last January, and never needed them then either. We had a -5C morning here this weekend and it started just as good as a +25C day Ed.

However! My timing is also set to 1.20mm.. So it definitely seems like your timing is WAY retarded.

The glows do not activate until 10C.. and you shouldn't even really need them to well below -10C. Started earlier this year at ~ -23C with no plugs.

[theman53]

You ever think it may be a few bad glow plugs? If you had some that were bad the other ones by flicking the key may take up the slack? Just throwing it out there. I would check them. It won't hurt.

[8v-of-fury]

At 10c it shouldn't matter if none of them worked. TDI should be able to start no issue at 10c.

[theman53]

Yeah, it should always start, but the smoke and what not. Still 50F is warm. Mine runs a little rough when it is below 30F but it doesn't smoke white ever.

[libbydiesel]

Any air in the fuel lines?  Any leaks?

[JFettig]

"lots of white stingy exhaust on cold start"

Sounds like really retarded timing or really old nozzles that need replacing.

Who did the timing job on it?

Hook up VCDS and check the static timing, IQ, and injector balance.

measuring blocks 000 hit go, then basic settings then tdi timing, select pre 2003 ALH and see where it is
http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-scope/TDIGraph.html
measuring block 001 for IQ
measuring block 013 for injector balance.

[Smokey Eddy]

"lots of white stingy exhaust on cold start"

Sounds like really retarded timing or really old nozzles that need replacing.

Who did the timing job on it?

Hook up VCDS and check the static timing, IQ, and injector balance.

measuring blocks 000 hit go, then basic settings then tdi timing, select pre 2003 ALH and see where it is
http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-scope/TDIGraph.html
measuring block 001 for IQ
measuring block 013 for injector balance.

The nozzles have likely never been changed.
Volkswagen did the timing on it.
I dont know what a VCDS is.
Can I rent a VagCom? Are they expensive? Is it a dealer item? I've never seen one before.

Now that i've read your whole post i dont understand a single part of this whole bit here...

"Hook up VCDS and check the static timing, IQ, and injector balance.

measuring blocks 000 hit go, then basic settings then tdi timing, select pre 2003 ALH and see where it is
http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-scope/TDIGraph.html
measuring block 001 for IQ
measuring block 013 for injector balance."

I dont know what ... block 001 refers to... IQ to me means intelligence quotient which might mean my TDI is smarter than i thought!

I need to change the timing belt anyways so i guess this is all something i would have to do afterwards.... frick i knew i loved my IDI for a reason! I'm starting to regret trading it for this TDI. Too much specialized equipment... you can't do anything pretty much without it. Kinda sucks. Makes the old mechanical ones pretty nice to work on in retrospect.

[JFettig]

VCDS=vag-com=vagcom, can be purchased here: http://www.ross-tech.com/
Lots to read here: http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q.htm

IQ is injection quantity.
Measuring blocks are inside the diagnostics of VCDS

TDI's are really simple once you have everything figured out, lots to read!

VW techs aren't always the brightest when it comes to diesels. odds are they just changed everything and didn't set static timing, its possible that they didn't even do cam to crank timing correctly.

[libbydiesel]

JFettig, do you know how injector balance is determined? 

[burn_your_money]

If you go on TDIclub you can probably find a local with vagcom and he can scan it for you. Odds are he'll know what he's doing so you can just watch and take it easy.

Enjoy the timing belt job... I did one once, it took a full day. Do the water pump, even if it's fine now, it probably won't be fine in 100k.

[JFettig]

Injector balance really isn't injector balance in channel 013, it measures the crank acceleration more than anything. Bent rods, bad rings, etc can cause these readings to be different. If those two things are good, it is a decent measure of injector balance. Old nozzles can cause these #'s to be all over.

Or if you mean injector balance as far as pilot and main pressures and flows, that is something I'm currently experimenting with.