180 all road 2.5 tdi starting issues.. 2001 158 k miles

[Foresterfan]

Aye.. could invest in a new pump to see if it improves starting. Be the cheapest approach initially likely.! It’ll be getting much worse too the colder it gets.! I’ll let you know how things go


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[sandistt]

Aye.. could invest in a new pump to see if it improves starting. Be the cheapest approach initially likely.! It’ll be getting much worse too the colder it gets.! I’ll let you know how things go


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I thing don't go for new, cheaper is to refurbish the old one and they normally gives you a one year unlimited milage guarantee... Just check maybe before buy new one the prise to refurbish the old one... Look what's cheaper for you mate......

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[Foresterfan]

Will do. Cheers again sandistt


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[Hannu5]

To me it looks more like the glow plugs not heating, unless you know differently.

We own the same motor (just Quattro not allroad) and have run it dry of fuel half dozen times with no effect. Just fuel it, turn ignition on without cranking and it'll bleed itself through to the filter with no interference. Embarrassing reasons, but there you go.

Always starts easily, except for once when parked at 1800 mtrs altitude in France it was covered in snow for about 4 days with snow touching underside too. It just wouldn't fire when that cold. Dug it out and went to try next day when it'd been sitting in the sun and it went then. But a huge cloud of light coloured, diesel flavoured smoke when it fired.
I viewed that as it'd been putting diesel into and out of combustion chambers without firing, to be left inside exhaust and turbo. Smelt more of raw unburnt diesel, is your one like this?
Just seems that my glow plugs were insufficient to get it going with fuel that cold. Otherwise they work OK.
The light on dash comes on irrespective of them working, so you'd have to check them to verify.

Think you have to remove cam covers and meter through the glow plugs to assess them in situ. There's a routine on here somewhere.

One quick check that may help with diagnosis, before trying to start it cold, open airbox and remove filter. Mist some easi-start in there before you crank it. Logic is that's just easier to fire when cold and it may go straight away even if glow plugs are inoperable.

Same as you, I'd view it as injection working OK if it runs well. Just getting it to light up being the problem, confirmed by your smoke cloud of unburnt fuel. Plus warmer starting ok too.

[Amphitryon]

The light on dash comes on irrespective of them working, so you'd have to check them to verify.

I don't think it's my imagination but it seems to me the length of time the glow plug light comes on is dependent on the temperature of something. If there is no feedback from the glow plugs themselves, what would it be?

[Foresterfan]

Hiy. Yeah thanks for those pointers. I’ve not had time to have a go at it yet but battery now stone dead..!! Hopefully I’ll get some time in a week or two plus weather be better. See wot I can find. Thanks again tho to you all. I’ll be back..!!


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[Hannu5]

Yes, I'll expand that Amphityron.

The ecu as far as I know takes a reading from engine coolant temp and then gives a time for glow plug cycle. That's as far as I understand it. You see a variance based on that decision logic.
The plugs themselves are effectively dumb and when the ecu switches the circuit on the dash indicator lights, but if the plug itself is defective there's no loop closing report to ecu. As far as ecu knows, the plugs are deployed as it knows it switched them on.

With defunct glowplug, I don't think the car has any way of knowing. Just doesn't start when cold.

[Foresterfan]

Maybe worth changing coolant temp sensor then give it a good charge and see if that helps matters first then.!!


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