octavia diesel starting problem

[k4racer]

Can anyone help please my 04 19tdi has a starting problem. This occurs intermittantly with both hot and cold engine. i turn the key and the engine fires immediately but wont run. if i keep the key turned the engine just spins over but wont fire again. this will happen between one and twenty times and then out of the blue it will start. when it does start it emits a cloud of smoke from the exhuast so it would appear that its not a fuel problem. other times it starts and runs fine. i would be most gratefill for any help

[aambler]

Can anyone help please my 04 19tdi has a starting problem. This occurs intermittantly with both hot and cold engine. i turn the key and the engine fires immediately but wont run. if i keep the key turned the engine just spins over but wont fire again. this will happen between one and twenty times and then out of the blue it will start. when it does start it emits a cloud of smoke from the exhuast so it would appear that its not a fuel problem. other times it starts and runs fine. i would be most gratefill for any help
I had something similar with a Octavia 1.9 TDi....mine turned out to be a bearing that had failed in the water pump (which runs off the timing belt). Blue smoke was caused by timing belt jumping, and everything out of sync in the engine risking fairly serious engine damage.

Did you hear a faint tinkle low down on the passenger side just before it went?

[towcestervag]

get diag test done as it sounds like it could be an immobilizer fault

[VAG123]

Check the main earth for the ecu , it's on the n/s under the scuttle panel