Irratic Idle,white Smoke Now No Start Passat Tdi 97

[craigdix]

hi guys,im new so bear with me if you can! i have a passat tdi (97) hatchback,problem is
i had an irregular idle that fluxuated when foot was not even on gas,i had a look and did see air bubbles in the filter line ? in the morning it never started ,so i chaged fuel filter, and glow plugs,changed oil changed coolant,STILL NOTHING,so in desperation i sprayed wd40 on the wires etc recharged battery,and after a while it turned over yipppeeee!!,then again this morning NOTHING again, checked injectors bled them,checked fuel pump etc ,4 days later im still no further forward with it i turn the key and oil light now flashes?(is that normal?) all i get is unburned fuel from the exahuast(white smoke) ,so i checked wiring harness to the glow plugs which is fine!!!!
im at a loss of what to try next any information will be most helpfull .
thanx in advance

[adamss24]

Hi, do you wanna sell it ? Regards, Chris-07841206564.

[craigdix]

HI,THANKS BUT NO THANKS,if you have and information regarding this problem i would appreciate it,
i have changed glow plugs and g/p harness, relay 109,fuel filter,battery,starter,fuel lines,oil,oil filter,,hard start or no start when cold,if left to cool down no start again,only starts on a bump only get white unburnt fuel from tail pipe, i had air in fuel return pipe so replaced filter,also checked the in tank filter also had fuel pipes blown through, no codes to read on code reader (PURCHASED TESTER)
tested all relays and wiring with meter,can SOMEONE help thanks craig

[the_old_diver]

Hi Mate,
I had similar symptoms on my Passat (a TD Umwelt 1996, 210,000 miles) and it turned out to be a broken key on the cam belt pulley where it slots on to the crankshaft. This allowed the pulley to move around a little so the timing varied. The white "smoke" was actually unburnt fuel. My garage had also replaced all the things which weren't at fault :-(

Cheers.

[craigdix]

hi thanks i,ll get that looked at,I RECHECKED THE WIRING TO THE IN TANK FUEL PUMP and found it to be 0.20v can any one tell me if this is normal or should it be 12v i also checked the relay again and it seems to work i.e.click when turing key and checked it through 12v battery and also clicks regards craig

[Col]

Have you had it read for faults ?

My guesses are;

Cam / crank position sensor(s)
Needle lift sensor on injector Nr3
Imobiliser.

But they are all guesses.

Go to the vagcom sub-forum here to find someone who may be able to help or have a look at Eshrules Enterprises and others with a view to setting yourself up with vagcom.

Checking the car for fault codes is the only way forwards !

[JohnSt]

Craig,
Did you sort this issue yet?
If not & assuming you hav't set fire to it yet! consider the ignition switch i had most of the symtons on my tdi you seem to have. It ran rough and would only start with easy start or with a bump start.
It transpired to be no electric to the ECU due to the dogey ignition switch.
I dont know if this will show up on plug in fault test.

[Alfred1]

Passats have a real problem with the key on the cam belt bottom pulley/sproket wearing and even though it seems tight it makes very hard starting and uneven idling and sometimes speed fluctuation whilst driving. The answer is a new pulley at around £ 30.00p. and ideally a new belt at the same time. Before fitting the sprocket put Loctite bearing lock on the mating faces, it stops it moving again. I didn`t do it the first time and learnt the hard way.