2008 2.0 TDI - Immediate cutout

[Martinsson]

First of all, im getting the car on a proper VCDS scanner on monday, but i wanted to check in and see if anyone has a clue to what this might be.

On my way home from work the other day i noticed that the glow plug light was flashing, followed by the car going into limp mode.

Stupid as i am, i turned off the car at the next red light, only to realize that it wouldn't start again. Never funny to push your car to the side of the road ALONE, with a million cars honking at you 😂

Car starts and shuts down immediatly (revs just goes up to 1000rpm and down to 0 in one motion). Glow plug light flash has disappeared, but now ESP fault and power steering light is showing.

Had a service guy come out and try and help me start it with some of that jump-start spray, but that didnt work either. So this is NOT a fuel problem.

At first i thought this to be an immobiliser issue, but spare key is not working either.

 

Crank shaft sensor? CTS? 

 

Cheers.

[cliffcoggin]

Hello Toke.

At the risk of sounding like a gramophone (remember them?) with the needle stuck, can I ask if the battery is in good condition? I don't want to jump to unwarranted conclusions but faulty batteries have been a common theme on this forum for a few weeks, as you can see if you look back at recent topics.

[Martinsson]

No risk for that at all, havent really browsed recent topics 🙂

Battery was swapped last year to a decent quality brand.

Also, my logic says that the car should not start at all if it is a battery issue? Might be wrong on that one.

[cliffcoggin]

18 hours ago, Martinsson said:

Also, my logic says that the car should not start at all if it is a battery issue? Might be wrong on that one.

Logically you are right, and until two years ago I believed the same; in reality a defective battery may start the engine yet cause electrical problems because of the sensitivity of electronic computerised engine management. I found that hard to accept initially, but I have had to accept it as true after personal experience of limp mode, loss of cruise control, and false warning lamps, (despite the alternator putting out a good charge,) when using a battery that I knew was lacking capacity. The mechanic I took it to convinced me to fit a new battery which immediately cured all the problems.

That is the reason I asked about battery health. Since yours is fairly new I daresay your problem lies elsewhere so please let us know the outcome of the testing on Monday.

[Martinsson]

Car is scanned and they were able to see a Crank Shaft Sensor error. They reset it, car still doesn't start fully, and the error haven't reappeared..

Sooo..

I asked them about the battery, but they didn't seem to think that it could cause the issue.

 

Not really sure what to tell them at the moment. 

 

Could this be an EGR or DPF problem, or would the car act differently?

[cliffcoggin]

I have to stress that I have no direct personal experience of scanning for fault codes, but I see too many reports on this forum where such codes have not given accurate diagnoses. In my opinion those codes need to be interpreted with caution, and considered together with other evidence before concluding where a fault truly exists. Your report of resetting a crankshaft sensor error without affecting the engine problem only emphasises my belief.

Did the garage offer any explanation for the engine problem? I can not suggest any particular component is at fault on the evidence we have at the moment. To renew the DPF or EGR more or less at random in the hope that the problem will be cured would be expensive, wasteful, and possibly unsuccessful. Sorry, but I can not offer any more advice.

[Martinsson]

They assume it might be a mechanical error and then mentioning the EGR. Just because the fault code disappeared. 

From previous post ive read about the issue, i think i will have them check all ECU connections and relays, try with another battery, replace the CPS and check the EGR if all other fails. 

Thank you for your input Cliff! 

 

 

[cliffcoggin]

Good luck. Do let us know the outcome.

[Martinsson]

For those interested,

Timing belt had jumped a couple teeth. Apparently the heads are built in a way, so that the valves won't take any damage. Atleast thats what the shop said.

Im back on wheels 🙂

[cliffcoggin]

Glad to read it is resolved and thank you for letting us know. It's a miracle the engine has not been damaged.