Hi Hux, did you run the VCDS Test on the car?

how did you conclude that there is no power to the glowplugs?

how cold is it at your place at the moment?
Usually the 1.9 ignites very easily

 

Hi. Ive just had a voltmeter on the plug loom to test. Van normally starts 1st turn of the key. Its not the cold, been mild for a few days.

 

and what does the voltage say? the voltage will drop when the pre heating period ends, so if you do the test yourself i dont think you can make it in time out of the car (with ignition on) and to to meter before the voltage drops? (do you have the meter in the car or do you ignight and the go out and check?) if the plugs and relay is new it can ''only'' be the supply cabling. remove the the supply cabling to the plug terminal measure the electrical resistance between the glow plug terminal and the engine earth. A reading og anything more than an Ohm indicates thet the plug is defective.
if the cabling is god. you might be having a nother problem. what is the symtoms of the car? chrank but no start? make sure that all connector terminal in the start/glowplug/relay circuit is god and clean,. (im from Denmark so sorry fore my english)

 

Check the fuse in front of the battery.....very common for them to crack and fail.

 

Hi. Fuse is good by the battery. Multimeter shows 0v on plug loom when ignition is on. Preheat light is on as normal. Engine will crank but will not start. Not even a splutter. Did eventually start the other day when it was quite warm. Plugs are fairly new so would be very surprised if they had all suddenly failed

 

okay. if the voltage is 0 volt and you read the meter the same second as the ignition? then do the test with measure the electrical resistance between the glow plug terminal and the engine earth, and report back. if you get the van to start (starting fluid in air intake see what color the exhaust smoke is and report back )
and try to get a VCDS read of your fault code.

 

Have you tried the fuse on the drivers side, in the engine bay.

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Ah no!. Where abouts is that fuse??

 

It's attached to the sound deadening on the inner flitch. A little black plastic box.

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Right. It is that fuse, it was blown. I think its an 80amp, only had a 60amp so put that in and it melted again when the ignition key was turned. Any ideas? Different fauly relay?

 

Think it supposed to be 80,could be relay yes.

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Take glowplug relay out take top off have a look for slight burn marks, before you do that tho give it a tap might be stuck.

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do the test with measure the electrical resistance between the glow plug terminal and the engine earth, if you have a bad wiring cicirt to the plugs you will burn fuse every time.

 

could this not be a faulty ignition switch?

 

i dont know.
-what we know is that he change the battery, and the relay 103 and the glow plugs.
-he have not tested with VCDS!!!
-he has 0 volt at glow plug (pre heating period is quick so there is a chance that he cant take reading in time before the cycle ends and then there is 0 volt )
-the fuse in holder A was bad 80Amp?
-he has not given info of the cars symtoms only crank but no start?
-kevin is the start / preheat relay not number 100?
-we know that the car work years back so maybe it has been standing for a long time?
-he says that the outside tempeture is mild so normely the tdi will start without the glowplugs help? it is only in realy cold weather it need the preheated diesel?

• i still think he should try with start fluid spray in air intake and see what color the smoke is and if it smell like diesel or sweet smell (coolent fluid in engine)
• it could be that it is the injector seal that is bad?

 

the plugs run for 30 secs after the light goes out.

The ABL is indirect injection and most definitely does need glow plugs to start.

Start fluid isnt a solution, or a good idea. If you know there is a glowplug problem thats why its struggling to start. If you pull the cold start lever that will help.

I dont think VCDS will help on the ABL as there isn't an ECU

The ignition switch is a known cause of many strange electrical problems. Theyre inexpensive.

 

Ive just re read the replies.

Double check that the big fat red wire is actually connected to the glowplug supply rail on top of the glow plug on cylinder 4. Its nigh on impossible to see properly and mine wandered off when I changed my plugs while I was reassembling. If yours has done this and is touching the engine it will blow the fuse.

 

i hope he will try what you have said and report back.
i told him to remove the the supply cabling to the plug terminal measure the electrical resistance between the glow plug terminal and the engine earth. A reading og anything more than an Ohm indicates thet the plug is defective.
if the cabling is god. he might be having a nother problem maybe it is the ignition switch.

 

When my fuse went the light wouldn't come on. When the wire was connected to fresh air it was coming on.

I dont see how a switch fault would blow the fuse, especially as that switch is dealing with low draw.

I think the wire has come off either in the process of reassembly or hasn't gone back together correctly and vibrated off over time. Its a really chunky wire, I cant see it being a cable fault, but you never know! None of these are much less than 18 years old now!

 

i hope it will work for him and the old girl will run again!