Tdi Won't Start After A Long Run

[Richard Salisbury]

For the last 5 months after a long journey of at least 100 miles I have has great difficulty starting. It's intermittent - sometimes starts first time, at other times it won't start at all but mostly it starts after about 10 minutes of trying. Once it goes it runs perfectly. It will also start again if only left for half and hour or so, but any longer than that it won't start. The strange thing is that it gets over it after about a week of the long run and is then perfectly OK. My local village mechanic in Norfolk has checked the battery, the fuel filter, the heaters, the fuel pump and can't find anything wrong, but believes me that there is a problem. They took it to the Ford main dealer who I don't think believed the story and said there was nothing wrong with it. Long journey last weekend, same problem. This is getting beyond a joke. Anybody out there who can suggest what might be wrong so I can point them in the right direction?

[Scorpiorefugee]

This seems to be a bit of a variation on the common problem whereby they take 10 seconds of steady cranking to start when warm. I have had this for about 3 years on an old '98 AFN engine and others have reported similar problems but no solutions, The only good news is that, if you just crank it until it starts, it usually will but it can take a while and it doesn't seem to get worse.

[marinabrid]

had same problem for last 2 years on 149,000 afn engine. i think its some gremlin that you have to live with. i thought ours seemed better after coatng the fuel filter ends where they go in the filter with silver grease also on the inj pump end as well.

i still have problem of if i start car and then turn it off after a minuite or so then its the same, ages of cranking.

as chap said, live with it. ive checked everything and had a dieselvw expert check it and they find nothing.

[seatkid]

Check/Change the O rings (they may be missing) in the fuel filter connections. Air may be getting in. Edited April 27, 2009 by seatkid

[Scorpiorefugee]

SeatKid, It does feel a bit fuelish in the way it picks up when it finally starts but that doesn't fit in with the fact that it will always start on the button if left for an hour or so.

 

It does seem to be restricted to the AFN engine. It seems to be something that just starts and then stays consitent thereafter. I.e, it is not progressive as in leaky pipe etc. The trouble is that it doesnt cause more than a little annoyance and always when it is inconvenient to experiment .

 

Never mind. Another 250k and I can get rid of it. :P