Struggling to start

[Peteflint]

Can anyone help??
When I start my car the engine really struggles and judders with a bit of blue smoke coming from the exhaust....then with a quick pump of the accelerator it's fine. Could this be the fuel filter??

Pete

[daycartes]

Hi Peteflint,
You would need to give some engine details for any one to help you is it petrol or diesel / hold old is the car etc.
daycartes

[Peteflint]

Thanks for reply. It's a 2006 audi a3 2.0 tdi diesel

Pete

[daycartes]

There are a lot of people on this site much more qualified than me, however I've been running a 1.9tdi a4 for 6 years now. At start up it is a bit lumpy and there is nearly always a puff of black smoke. It has been regularly serviced and has done 70k. It depends on how lumpy yours is. It could be that one of the glow plugs is malfunctioning. Even though you don't need to let these warm up nowadays I still do by switching on the ignition to red light whilst I put my seat belt on. I had to replace a glow plug in the fiesta a million years ago and have always let them warm up first, on both of my Audis. I think that the blue smoke is just burning any residue off after the last time it was used.

Hope that i may have been useful, am willing to accept opinions of others though.

daycartes

[kite]

try operating the glowplugs 2 or 3 times before starting..

[Peteflint]

Brilliant, thank you both :)

[kite]

If this improves the starting, it could be a sign of a failed glowplug.
I would change all 4 at the same time...