Cold Starting an A3 2.0 TDi 170.....

SMc

SMc

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I've only had my new A3 Sportback 170 for less than 3 months and its my first ever diesel......is it normal when you are starting it from cold for it to struggle to start? I mean when it is 0 degress or one or two below? It always starts but sounds like its really struggling to kick in and sounds like a bag of spanners.......

All is well when I get on my way but just wondering if this is normal...?


Cheers
 
Are you waiting for the little coil light to turn off before starting it?
 
SMc said:
I've only had my new A3 Sportback 170 for less than 3 months and its my first ever diesel......is it normal when you are starting it from cold for it to struggle to start? I mean when it is 0 degress or one or two below? It always starts but sounds like its really struggling to kick in and sounds like a bag of spanners.......

All is well when I get on my way but just wondering if this is normal...?


Cheers
Click to expand...

Have you got the latest engine management upgrade? My TDI 170 was in for a service recently and had an EMU upgrade described as '23B6 recall' on the invoice. The technicians told me it was to improve cold starting, but it seems to have also made the engine much more powerful, and has abolished a previous tendency to 'tractor noises' described in earlier TDI 170 threads. Your car does seem too new to require such an 'upgrade' though? :think:
 
Yeah your not waiting for the plugs to warm up, have to wait for the coil symbol to go out!

I was told by my dealer when I picked up my car that you dont need to but tried it a couple of times without waiting for light to go out and it doesn't start so well. Shows how much they know
 
My TDI 170 is a grumpy starter even waiting for the coils to complete there heating. My old 320d was a much happier starter with or without the coils.

Perhaps I need the ecu upgrade??
 
Matt said:
Yeah your not waiting for the plugs to warm up, have to wait for the coil symbol to go out!

I was told by my dealer when I picked up my car that you dont need to but tried it a couple of times without waiting for light to go out and it doesn't start so well. Shows how much they know
Click to expand...

Hence the reason I asked on here and didn't call the dealer! ;)

It was cold this morning and it happened again because.....er.....I forgot!! I;ll try to remember next time and see if it makes the difference.

Cheers
 
It must depend if you car is outside overnight because mine is put in the garage every night and I've never waited for the coil lights to go out and mine always starts first turn of the starter. If fact, I don't think I've ever seen them!
 
My car is kept on the drive all night and I tend to forget to wait for the glow-plug light go out.
I've never had the car reluctant to start nor had it start and then struggle to tick over properly. It probably the only diesel I've owned that is so forgiving with the glow-plugs and so reliable to start on the 1st turn of the key.
 
Surely you've read the manual with it being your first diesel !
 
Mine starts straight away but does splutter a bit for a split second as it fires - only when the engine is stone cold though, ie, overnight. After a 7.5 hours day at the office, although its cold it starts fine (without much preheat).
 
Preheat is becoming more and more unnecessary as engines evolve. My first car was one of the first mk1 golf diesels that needed loads of preheat, a battery recharge, loads more preheat, more charging , then more preheat before it would start on cold days. Also winter additive in diesel wasn't so good so on the coldest days I sometimes had to heat the fuel filter to melt the waxed diesel in it.
And if the golf wouldnt start there was always the Landrover which needed preheat preheat preheat blowtorch atom bomb preheat.
Funnily enough John Deere tractors nearly always started with no heat at all.
 
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