Diesel VW won't start -- any ideas?

[LostinVA]

Firstly, why does this stuff always happens on Sundays?

It had been standing idle for about a week and won't start yesterday. AAA came out, jumped the car immediately, and said the battery was fine -- it had a full charge. This morning, nothing. It won't even tick, although the interior electrical are still on clock, odometer). The keyless remote is also dead.

Any ideas? I would think a new battery, except for what the AAA guy said yesterday.

[datasuspect]

1. starter/selenoid?

[davsand]

2. Go see DUer Pavulon! Seriously!!!

How odd you should ask this! He has a thread in GD about Diesel cars!



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3648426


Good luck!


Laura

[coffeenap]

3. Battery code? Security system? Here is a link to a discussion

about it. Maybe it will help--hope so.

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f1027c1

[LostinVA]

4. Thnaks!

[jobycom]

5. Battery? My old Mercedes Diesel acted like that once.

Turned out it was the battery, but it was made worse by fading glow plugs. The battery generated enough power to light the inside stuff, but not enough to start the engine.

How's it sound when it won't start? Does it turn over or not?

On edit: forgot to say, the battery checked out as fine, but under a load it was too weak.

[Bluzmann57]

6. Yes I have an idea

Get rid of it. Buy something else. I don't like diesel passenger cars and I don't like VW's. I owned one. The first last and only VW I will ever own. Ford has good cars, as does GM, as long as you stay away from Hummers and those types of vehicles. Buy American and support your brothers and sisters in Unionized America. I have a Ford Taurus and have had very good luck with it. Reliable, steady transportation. Not flashy. Just good. And I can travel over 300 miles on one tank of gas.

[GOPisEvil]

8. I love how everyone has an idea about spending other people's money.

[Bluzmann57]

17. And your advice is?...

Waiting...waiting... Oh, you just want to rip me instead of offering up anything of use to the OP like I tried to do. Because I happen to have owned exactly 1 (one) foreign car in my life, and had SHITTY luck with it, you 'd rather judge me. Ok. I suppose that's your right. Nothing like keyboard commandos. And God help those of us who have had actual real life experience.

[GOPisEvil]

18. My problem with your post is that it offered NO HELP to the OP.

Not everyone can afford to run right out and buy a brand new car, when the one they have needs minor repairs.

Your response was no better than Apple users who tell people with a Windows issue to get a mac.

I'm not judging you. Your opinion is perfectly valid, however, it didn't ANSWER THE QUESTION.

[Bluzmann57]

19. Answer.

Check the alternator and/or the serpentine belt. More real life rearing it's head. No guarantee that that is the problem, but it could easily be. Alternator= around $400.00 for a foreign car and serpentine belt is around $50.00. Clue: If it's the belt, it will be stretched beyond belief and needs immediate replacement.
On edit- Could be a timing belt. Around the cost of a different car. One has to tear the whole engine apart to replace it. And that's any car, foreign or domestic. Once again, real life experience. Us old folks have lived a bit.

[GOPisEvil]

20. Now that answered the OP.

My non-mechanic's thought - I wonder if there is a faulty starter relay/solenoid.

[jobycom]

10. Oo. You have a Taurus and you are giving OTHER people advice?

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :spray: :spray: :spray: :spray: :spray: :spray: :spray: :spray: :spray: :spray:

[Bluzmann57]

16. Yes.

I am giving other people advice. I am tired of foreigners taking over this land. I am an American and as such, support American workers. If you don't feel that way, well I guess that's the way you feel. Let's leave it at that. I repeat: Support American workers and American products.
I hate all these cocksuckers moving our jobs out of this country. That includes car manufacturing. But if you don't support blue collar Union people, then I guess that is your opinion. Every Labor Union in America supports Obama. Just sayin'.
End of this rant. Likely more to come.

[jobycom]

22. I support humans and baby kitties

Not auto execs who make crap products with outdated technology that pollute and destroy my country and my planet while burning more gas so that my friends and family have to go fight wars in foreign nations to feed our oil addiction, and then expect me to pay them for doing so just because their mom and dad screwed within our borders.

Besides, both VW and Ford are international companies with products made all over the world, and even their cars are mishmashes of foreign and domestic parts. Half your car is probably a Mazda. At least the mechanics who work on it will be Americans. I work for a car repair place. Ford, VW, or Mercedes, we make money when they break down. The car doesn't have to be made here to create jobs.

[LostinVA]

12. Yeah -- I can travel more than 300 miles on a tank of gas

*yawn*

And, I've owned a Ford. It sucked.

[Pavulon]

14. I have an 1983 240D

The car has over 350,000 miles. I paid 2000, and have put time and about that much in for a project to drive. It is rock solid. I beat the hell out of that car and it was my friend when I was broke.

I drive ford and gm diesels and they are also rock solid. 500 miles on a 30 gallon tank.

The diesel sedan is great, wifes (e320) car gets 650 to 700 miles on one 21g tank.

VW makes a decent car.

[newmajority]

7. Alternator?

That would seem like a logical explanation if you got a jump yesterday and it's already dead. Could be a dead alternator itself, or the belt that drives it could have snapped.

[Ikonoklast]

9. Check for corrosion at the battery terminals

Where the positive (red) and negative ground (black) wires attach to the battery itself. A small amount of whitish residue from corrosion is enough to keep the terminals from getting a good contact.

It doesn't take much corrosion to keep the current from either flowing to the starter due to resistance, or from the alternator to charge the battery.

It is fairly easy process to unbolt and clean the battery terminals. A simple solution of baking soda and warm water will suffice to neutralize the acid and clean the terminal surfaces, and after removing that use a wire brush, steel wool, or other mild abrasive tool to get to a bare metal surface on both the battery terminals and the power supply wire ends. They also sell a foaming corrosion cleaner at the auto parts stores, works just as well.

Re-fasten the battery wiring tightly to the terminals, and then purchase some corrosion preventer at your local auto store and spray the terminals.

Some things like the clock etc. will still run as they draw low amperage, but a starter motor needs all the amps it can get to spin and it only takes a loose connection or corrosion to keep that from happening.

The next thing to check is the ground strap (black) cable from the battery to the ground point, either on the frame or the motor. It must be a solid contact point free of corrosion to make a good ground. Also, the positive power cable to the starter is susceptible to 'jacking', where internal corrosion actually unwinds the braided cable and prevents if from carrying enough amps to the starter motor.


Hope this helps.

[Zuiderelle]

11. Did you drive it around much after he jumped it?

I had the same issue with my car which I rarely drive. I leave it for four weeks or more and forget to take it out for a spin, and then nothing. After I jump it and let it idle or drive around for a while it's good to go until I leave it for a month again. Fortunately we have two cars, so we just jump it when this happens. Mine is a new battery too.

[Pavulon]

13. Hello..I like to start cheap and move on..

First if the car is more than 2 years old replace the battery. They can not check the battery under load. They just check to see it it shows a 12 volt charge. Diesels take more power to start than a gas car.

If it starts drive it to a dealer of garage to see if the alternator is charging.

If it does not crank after trying in 3, 10 second runs. (This prevents you from killing the new battery and damaging other stuff) move on.

Check the fuse box, the car may have more than one.

Take note if when you put the new battery in if it clicks and refuses to "turn over" or if it turns over and does not "start".

From that point you will probably need a trusted mechanic. AAA should tow it in for free.

They can check the solenoid, glow system, fuel system to be sure basic things are in place. The right vibe of honesty is more important than anything else here.

Hopefully it does not involve computer systems. They may be able to pick up a code if basics do not pan out.

The good news/bad news diesels fail very simple or fail very big.

[Ellipsis]

15. Sprinkle holy water on it.

Sounds like bad contacts or condensation. Been humid out there?

Electrical issues are so much fun to track down.

[flvegan]

21. Battery. And then everything else Pavulon said.

Good luck!