cordy estate 2000 battery issues

[mike_f]

Hi there Im new to this forum business but i think im in the right place.
I recently bought the estate tdi 1.9 cordoba. The battery was flat so i charged it up to full, and got the seat home. the next morning i went out to start the car and nothing. Is it possible that the battery is screwed or might there be something draining it?
Any help/Advice will be awesome, i have no clue when it comes to electrics on cars.
cheers

 

[mike_f]

Can anyone shed any light on this for me please??

 

[Pimped up vario]

If possible lift the battery out of the car and charge it to full. Then leave the battery overnight and test it's voltage level the next day. It should ideally be 12.5-12.8 volts for a healthy battery and at least 12.1/2 12.5 for a good battery. If it's below 12volts at all then it's almost certainly spent. It might be worth opening the cell ports/caps and checking the electrolyte levels and the condition of the fins/elements. Finally a substitute good substitute battery may give you an indication of the charging pattern and to whether you need to replace the battery or check the charging system.

 

[mike_f]

Thanks so much for your reply. I eventually decided to go with a new battery. I got hold of a multi meter and took the battery out of the car like you said, and it was well below 12v.
But now the cordy will still not start, the battery is fine and there is no drain or anything...
I think there is air in the fuel lines, one of the pipes coming out of the pump is see through, and when i try to start it i can see bubbles in the pipe...
Can u think of any other reason why she aint starting
Ive ordered the haynes manuel, and am gunna give it a go when said manuel arrives.

 

[mike_f]

Ive just spent the last 3 hours reading through both the Tdi and Cordoba specific threads, and your name has come up more than any by far. So i gather im in good hands Thanks again for you reply
I love my cordy but its doing my head in i just havnt got the money to get it to a garage, and have very basic mechanic knowledge to say the least.
could you possible note all issues with starting problems, off the top of your head. So that when the manuel arrives ill have a basic idea what to look for....Its a W - reg - Tdi. Vario
Thanks a lot

 

[Pimped up vario]

I'm from Northern Ireland so don't have a clue what a w reg is 1998 or 99, is it? Is it cranking quickly but not firing up at all?

 

[Seatmann]

Is the glow plug light coming on as normal? If not it's the 109 relay. Other option is you do indeed have a leak and air is getting in, loosen the fuel pipes on the tops of the injectors and crank till fuel comes out then tighten them up and try that.

 

[mike_f]

Thanks for your input fellas, you guys are so informed on this stuff its amazing. It turns out that the fuel gauge is faulty and it had run out of diesel...Also the girl i bought it from had not put a drop of oil in it, the dipstick was dry as a bone lol
So with fresh oil and some diesel it fired and is starting first time every time. Id only just bought the car, and the girl said she put £20 diesel in, and thats what the gauge was saying too, so i didnt bother to check if it had any in. Obviously i shud have lol
Is it the sender unit thats faulty or cud it be the gauge itself??

There are still visible air bubbles in the clear line coming from the filter, from what i can gather on the forums, some bubbles are normal?? Is this the case guys??
Also i have a wet passenger footwell, any thoughts on that??
W - reg is 2000 mate. its a cordoba s vario tdi 1.9 AGR engine code i love it, its so fast really surprised me, after i cut the egr..
Are there any other cheap/free mods i can do guys?? Thanks again for your input

 

[Seatmann]

Same on I had and the same problem, ran out at a quarter tank.

Pop the sender out and work the float up and down a few times, that usually gets it working again, it's the sender.

Oil missing could be the turbo or a bad leak, shouldn't really lose much at all.

 

[mike_f]

Ok cool, do i need any specisl tools to get the sender out. It hadnt lost any oil, she just never put any in the 12months she had it so it was just dry. Would that cause it to not start?

 

[Seatmann]

No fancy tools, lift up back seat, three screws remove the black metal plate, unclip the pipes and the plug, using a screwdriver and hammer tap the big plastic ring anticlockwise till it starts to move, unscrew it and out the sender pops.

No fuel causes the no start

 

[mike_f]

Wicked thanks a lot..

 

[mike_f]

So i went out today, drove to the garage to put more diesel in the cordy, and it wouldnt start back up again. so i had to get it towed home...
****ing thing is doing my head in!
Anyway i think ive got definite air in the lines, coming from the filter to the pump.
Umm just turn the injector nuts half a turn and crank it over for a few seconds, then tighten them up whilst cranking to avoid air going back in??
Will that work and how long shud i crank it while the nuts are loose, Just untill a good amount of diesel is coming through is it?
cheers

 

[Seatmann]

Yeh just loose enough to allow fuel out then crank, tighten each up as fuel comes through but you can stop cranking to tighten them.

Crank till it dies or the starter goes on fire, you've only got one life, might as well live a little lol

 

[mike_f]

LOL Thats my motto man exactly...ill be sure to take some pics of the car on fire for you...If that doesnt sort it, i am gunna set the thing on fire...lol
Seriously tho if that doesnt make it behave, what else shud i look at mate?
Thanks again

 

[Seatmann]

New fuel filter, something like mann, they come with new seals for the t piece on the filter too. It could be there was just a bit of air still stuck somewhere from running out or it could sucking air in somewhere. Check all around the injection pump for diesel leaks.



Make sure the pics are high def too

 

[Pimped up vario]

Does that relay 109 feed a signal to the fuel pump? I forgot to put the connector off the fuel pump back on one time when I was fannying about and wondered why she wouldn't fire up after a few crank attempts, then the penny dropped.

 

[Seatmann]

No it's just for the ecu, the pump is mechanical on that car

 

[Pimped up vario]

I see, it's a signal wire to let the ecu know what the fuel pump is doing. That's what ross-tech vcds-lite uses to read the injection timing. I'm wondering then why mine wouldn't fire up until I'd reconnected that part of the harness. Is the AGR engine a 110bhp engine a bit like mine but with a gt15 turbo. I was looking to nab an AFN engine exhaust manifold off ebay but the ones on there at the minute are off Sharon and Galaxy and they look completely different from ones out of golfs or early audi's.

 

[Seatmann]

Wait what? Lol, the relay has nothing to do with the pump, it's just like a big switch for the power supply for the ecu, the #3 injector has a lift sensor at the top, that's why it's tall and this tells the ecu where the injection timing is at.

AGR is a 90, same engine as the ALH but with a wastegate type turbo.


Different how? Audi ones are different because the engine sat long ways but the sharan etc sat same as the golfs.