Faulty start, faulty idle 1.4 tdi

[alin_999]

Hi guys!

I am having some trouble with my 1.4 tdi PD BAY motor 2004 (engine is not the original, it was replaced. The original was also a BAY)

Symptoms:
-it starts with difficulty when engine is cold
-sometimes when cold starting in the morning it throws a more than normal amount of black smoke out the exhaust
-idle is faulty, it has a small but visible oscilation
-when driving it seems that the engine has only 80-90% from the normal strength

Need to say that I have no previous knowledge of the maintenance on this engine. I am pretty sure the engine had no timming belt on when it arrived.

Right after purchase a new timing belt(with the accesories) and water pump were placed by a friend which is a hobby mechanic(used to be a full time mechanic).

I suspect either an injector is faulty or the timming belt not being perfectly sinchronized with the engine.

I used VCDS from a friend on the car, only in idle and it shows no error on any injector.

Please shed some light on this issue!

Thank you!

[alexperkins]

The turbo might be worn. That would explain the black smoke

If it was a tooth out on the belt it would be fairly obvious but it's worth checking it properly

[alin_999]

Ok, but the turbo is not being used when starting the engine.(correct my if I'm wrong)

As for the timing belt, Is there a way to determine if it is not properly sinchronised in the engine?

[alexperkins]

The turbo is always spinning regardless of load

Normally you would use a timing light but on a diesel that won't work so you'd have to pop the covers and check the alignment markings

[alin_999]

What would explain the faulty idle? This is a permanent issue, regardless of engine temperature or outside temperature. It was this way since the engine was first mounted.

[alexperkins]

It could well be a faulty injector. They dont always show up on VCDS as faulty. Its not unheard of on these blocks

[alin_999]

Is there a way I can check a faulty injector without VCDS ?

[alexperkins]

It requires engine disassembly and a dial guage to check calibration. Not a particularly 'easy' task

Chuck a bottle of Comma Diesel Magic in on a half tank of fuel and see if that helps. It worked well on my 1.4 TDI which was having some wierd fuel issues ages back.

[alin_999]

There is something that got me thinking about the faulty idle.

When the engine starts the idle is good for maybe 1-2 minutes, then it starts to oscilate foradd 1 minute and the again works fine. Also when I stop from driving it sometimes works perfect for 1-2 minutes, then it oscilates again, then it goes back to working well and so on.

In conclusion the idle problem is intermitent but does not seem to stop for good.

[alexperkins]

Sounds very similar to what I had. Id say its a choked injector thats intermittent.

Get some of this: http://www.halfords.com/motoring/engine ... agic-400ml

[alin_999]

Thanks for the tip!

I also have the injectors from the original engine and they were running well 'till my crankshaft got broke so I can swap them if needed.

They have not been cleaned or refurbished and I don't know if they will work properly considering that 2 of them fell on the ground during the disassembly, they seem not affected on the exterior.

The tips on all of them seem to have residue from burnt diesel over the years.

I am curious of those two who fell on the ground. Could they be affected by the shock?

[alexperkins]

They are somewhat fragile components. Dropping them on the floor will normally destroy their insides

[alin_999]

It seems I cannot find the product in Germany(where I live) so I tried the next best thing, something similar from Liqui Moly, 0.5 l to a full tank of premium diesel. After the first 100 km it seems that the idle issue is still there but is somewhat diminished. I will keep you updated on this, maybe I will be lucky

[alexperkins]

The liqui Moly one is similar

Give it a full tank to run through and see how it is

[alin_999]

Sorry for the late reply!

After the tank of premium diesel + 1 bottle of Liqui Moly things are the same.

Symptoms are: difficult start, sometimes I need to keep the starter going 5 seconds before it starts with great difficulty. This happens only when the engine is cold.

When the engine is warm it starts well but with a very slight hesitation.

The idle is ok for about 30 seconds after starting the engine, then it starts to oscilate for about 20-30 rpm.

I tried to clean the air filter, which has only 6-7k km on this car.

I removed the air intake from the air filter box so to give it a full breathe of air, it started as it usually does when the engine is warm, but the idle is still an issue.

I also opened the engine cover, removed the electrical connectors from each injector and tried starting the engine with only 2 injectors. The engine starts with difficulty but it starts better then when cold with all 3 pistons on. Tried this on all 3 injectors, couldn't pin point one in particular that made a difference in any way.

After this I tightened the electrical connectors from the injector rod so to make sure the injectors receive a full electric contact.

Idle still a problem and the difficult start also.

Edit: I noticed something strange, the turbo sometimes goes into limp mode at around 2750-3000 rpm. (Showing an error in VCDS as something related to air issues)

Second: when parked with the engine running if I steer I see a drop in the lights intensity and I notice a drop in the rpm. (The steering also feels havier than it should on this car, although it is filled with steering fluid for this model)