Hello everyone,
I have intermittent starting problem with my crdi 1.6l diesel from 2010.
On start up the engine cranks but won't start. I haven't managed to figure out the pattern of the fault. Ie the issue comes on regardless of change in weather or if it hasn't been used for some time, seems completely random. It might happen that I start it with no problem, drive it to the store for 5 min and when I get back 15min later it won't start, just cranks into infinity.
Some things that I consider ruled out:
- Fuel filter is changed about a year ago
- Battery is new, changed before winter 7 months ago
- Fuel pump relay - I figured that AC has the same relay as fuel pump so I switched their places. AC works ok after that so the relay must be ok.
- Fuel pump - this was my initial suspect since I haven't inspected it ever since I got the car a couple of years back. I took it out of the reservoir. The state of it looked decent enough. There was some black diesel residue on the bottom which I cleaned out. The meshes were not clean but not clogged either.
This issue has been going on for a week or two. By coincidence or not, a few days ago key fob died. The car would not unlock when pressing the button. I could still unlock and lock the car normally by inserting it in the door lock.
Today I replaced the fob battery - no change. Buttons still don't work.
Some things I noticed:
- Immobilizer light comes on when key is turned (not cranked) and stays there for about a minute before it turns off. I am not sure if this is normal. I tried reproducing the issue under the assumption that I have to wait out the immobilizer to turn off before cranking but in the meantime the fault has gone. Car starts whether I wait it out or not. I should also mention the light goes off and stays off once the car is on. Will get back with more info when the problem returns.
- The rpm meter responds with cranking - the pointer jumps to 100-200 rpm. It doesn't sit still at 0.
- Might not be related, but when car is idling, rpm is usually just tad below 1000. However, sometimes it idles at 1000 or a bit higher.
As I by no means have a lot of hands-on experience, I would love to hear your ideas before I take it to the mechanic.
Thanks!
