hiflexjohn

hello there,a big thanks to one and all.the galaxy is running and it was the timing.as i read before the bottom timing sprocket had slipped and was the cause of all my problems.here is what i have learnt so far - 1 if the car does not recognise the key the car wont even crank over.this can be proved by removong the plastic rim that sits around the key,underneath the plastic steering shroud,as shown by one of these locksmiths who carry vag and key programming equipment.my light flashes when it trys to start though! 2 after replacing filter the pump should be strong enough to bleed the filter unless the pump is shagged.a good way of checking is to crack all 4 injectors open slightly,and you should get a nice spray of diesel all over the place,also getting rid of any air hanging about.this shows good preasure.when i mean slighly,just undo nut slighltly other wise your clobber will reek for eternity. 3 leccy faults related to drivers door.one of the strange things my galaxy did was when locking the damn windows opened! check out the gater where the electric cables pass through.mine had a split in it and of course the wiring had eroded and a couple of wires were brokern.being tight i rewired the plug out and all well works 100% now though it is very time consuming. 4 electric faults on the back door.the tailgate has a wad of wires going through yet another gater.check for cracked or damaged wires there to! 5 temperature sensor.ichanged my temp sensor twice and still the heater plugs would not work.so if your temp sender is blue ,change it to balack and yellow.it seems to bring the heaterplugs on every time as if on cold start.i may change mine back to blue but i may leave well alone!!!! 6 if you think your heater plugs are not working test them first,not like me,ive now got a set of spare heater plugs! 7 so if you have done all this ,PANIC!!!!! like i did.i nearly burnrt the thing out as at least i would of had the last laugh!!!!! Everything ive had listed here is only what appears to be my diagnosis,and my opinion.if in doubt take it to a good garage as it will save you loads of hassle. also ,as my timing had slipped,i ran agreat risk of damaging the engine more than what it cost to get the problem i had,compared to smashing up the valves and possibly a couple of pistons,so beware!!!! best wishes ps.if you have an opinion on this topic what i have wrote is incorrect,please comment as to help others hiflexjohnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

TDI update,so far.i had the locksmiths come out and they checked me keys,there ok.the car is now in the garage and its now pointing to timing or nackerd fuel pump.ill let you no the outcome.

looks as we have the same fault.come friday mine goes into the garage.ill let youno what happens and ill plaster it all over this site so everyone gets a better bite of the apple than me.in the haynes manual it says you can run an ohms test across the crank sensor with the multimeter,but if your timing has slipped which i think mine possibly has then wouldnt the sensor be sensing at the wrong time and throwing up all sorts of problems?????

well looks like more doom and gloom! ill await the transporter and have it carted of for investigation! looks like expensive problem and i am now at the mercy of the garage.ill let one and all no the outcome.im of to sell a kidney,and probaly an arm and a leg!!!!!!!!! at least me carbon footprint is now only the size of elephant!

my mechanic even took out the fuel celoonoid!

my galaxy does not have a remote key.should it have?? the fault code reader says imobilser.would the immobiliser cause this???? would the thing try and start?

thats the problem.it turns over,trys to start,misses and conks out.it must be the timings out,though ive checked it and it seems ok.goes in the garage next week.ive had 2 mechanics look at it and the aa!!!!!!!! no joy

hello there.if any one can explain what the immobiliser on a galaxy does,could they let me no as i am about to be carted of to the nutters yard as i am slowly going insane.i bought a vag fault code reader of ebay from obd2 talk to my car for 25 quid.bargain and it worked on the engine management system! cant get it to work on srs what ever that is.anyway.one of my codes is immobiliser.when i turn on ignition the red led on the door comes on for about 5 seconds and then goes out.if it was the immobiliser would the engine crank,would the fuel solenoid open etc.someone must no.help?

i havent got a spare key,and under the seat is dry.theres nithing electrical under there apart poss an earth.mines a late 97 did they intergrate the immobiliser into the control panel?what does one red led mean when i try to start?

firstly,a big thanks to hank for his reply,and to allwho have replyed to my posts.down to buisness.things are generally getting worse.i bought a fault code reader or vag ,any way,my motor has a immobiliser fault.its a 97 late tdi.it also shows brake pedal monitoring and some other little codes.the big question,,can the immobiliser be bypassed,and if so how.does any one now where the bl***y thing is to start with.at the moment,the led flashes when locked,but when you try to start you get 1 short led then nothing.the vag unit is very good though.the galaxy is apile of s***.if i new before i bought it that it was really a volkswagen then i probaly would of gone for the pug as this is taking me to the gallows.im only a semi skilled engineer,and feel like a duck out of water.does any one no wat relays to check, we went for 106.well i also called in the aa man who was really helpful but alas came to the same conclusion as me. can an auto electrician sort it? or am i throwing my self onto the fire.,help//help///help//// any one got any cures as this would certainly help others from what i have read cheers

hello there! i checked me timing and its all ok. i even refitted timing belt and it still lined up.after taking the starter motor of ,i found the timing hole,located to the top of the gearbox,right hand side(as you look at car)of the head and down.though you need a neck made of rubber to get in and see.i used a mirror and a torch.though wish i had three hands as you need to turn engine over to line it up.the thing still has trouble starting and smokes like hell.it does look like fuel starvation? ive changed the coolant sensor,fuel filter etc.bled the injectors.checked the timing.if the egr valve is blocked would this cause a problem? could i have fuel running back to tank?any one got any ideas? i havent changed brake light switches as this come up a lot on here.would this effect my timing on the pump?when my engine starts on easy start it does rev higher now as if on cold start and when engine warms up it returns to abot 900 rpm from about 1100.help help help help.anyone in the basildon area or does anyone no of a diesel wizard who wont charge an absolute fortune !!!

just 1 more thing,does the little plastic valve that sits on top of the filter play up?is this what stops the fuel running back to tank?is there any body out there? where have all the people gone? have i enterd the twilight zone?????? cmon ,help me fix me galaxy and il make it give up smokin.the last time i saw this much smoke was an old mk2 granada fitted with a york diesel engine and that like a sniff of the old easy start. cheers!!!!!!!!

a big thanks to all the replies to my little problem.here is the situation so far.i paid autocare a little visit and apparently the colour code for my temp sensor is black and yellow, and may be not blue like the one fitted and the 1 i replaced.if by magic my glow plugs have now burst back into life.i took the oppurtunity to replace the fuel filter.does the fuel filter bleed itself? i had to crack an injector to get the thing to start.and yes,plenty of white smoke!!!!!!could i still have air in the system????? it starts but misses a little.does the ecu need resetting??i still need a little help,so if any one has any ideas please give us a clue. the sky over essex is now turning dark and the acid rain could be a problem for me paintwork!!!!!!!! perhaps other people who have a simular fault should crack open an injector and that would help bleed the syssem and get it to start rather than using the dreaded easy start as mine is probaly an addict already!!!

i have had the ignition relay of .the contacts looked a little moody but i meterd the out and they seemed ok,found brake switch sticking but freed of with some squirt if i disconect the switch would it not prove otherwise?

yes.i did replace the temp sender.did i buy a dud? does any one no the correct colour? mines a late 97 on a r reg.

do you no the number on the glow plug relay> is it 103 ?

can any one help.glow plugs are cool as a cucumber.ive replaced them with a new set.{ before i realised i should have checked them first!}found the ect sensor a bit dodgy so replaced that as well.if i remove the sensor wiring plug the glow plugs work,as i found out from my trusty haynes manual,{that keeps referring me back to a main dealer?}it all points to the engine management system.but before i go down that road has any one got any ideas? me glow plug light flashes allthe time.if i try to start the engine with the ect sensor connected,the glow light comes on but goes out to quickly to do any thing.if i disconnect the ect sensor and give a little easy start she runs like a dream with plenty of power! if i get hold of a second ecu,does it have to be reprogrammed?

does any one no what the fault is when the glowplug light flashes on dashboard.in the book it says take to main dealer,it also says engine management is in safety mode due to this problem 97 TDI help???????????

cheers for that,just had a look,no mention of bolt changes,though i havent gone right through yet,

ah great.in the ford rom it only mentions a tranny,looks as if its a common fault.what about the temp gauge? dodgy sender unit? and now for a real annoying question,i got hold of some nice granny wheels, 5 stud with a pcd of 112,but the bore is slightly diff,do i need special alloy wheel bolts as the standard locking bolts fit steel wheels as well? has any one fitted grannny wheels on? galaxy wheels seem quite rare and are going for a fortune on ebay

cheers.never used a forum before.oil cooler sperate at bottom of engine.does coolant run through this as well?

ive got mayo in me header tank,engine runs sweet, late 97 tdi,apart from the usual block and head,could there be any other reason for this? bought a cd rom on ford and its about as helpful as..........also got an aractic temp gauge and again engines fine.help????????