Slow crank - won't start

[BillyCool]

Hi All,

My 2014 2.0 TDI ST FR has decided not to start today. Was fine yesterday, yet today it acted as if the battery were low. It sort of cranked but never fired up.

Checked battery and charged it anyway but is showing 80% using the car dash to check SOC. The battery is also just over 12 months old.

I've taken a quick video and would appreciate it if anyone can suggest what it could be. You might need to turn the volume up to hear it.

Thank you.

 

[SteveGSXR600K1]

That it weird, but doesn't sound slow to me. When my 184 doesn't fire up immediately (very rare, touch wood!), it does a continous crank until it fires up. Yours seems to be going through a loop of trying to start and immediately giving up and then retrying.

Have you got a Carista or OBD11 to check for error codes?

 

[SuperV8]

Strange, are the battery connections and chassis ground nice and tight making a good connection?
As mentioned I would check for any fault codes.
When the new battery was fitted was it the correct battery type (AGM)/capacity and was it coded to the car?

 

[BillyCool]

Thanks for the replies. I've had the AA out this morning and he's a bit baffled as well. He says the starter usually cranks but nothing happens or not all. He's not seen it partially crank then die and then crank and die.

He attached jump leads and a booster and the starter still struggled. It's not the battery. He said it was drawing an awful lot of power. With all the extra power, it did perk up slightly but still not start. He said it seems to turn, then struggle, then turn and then struggle. He said it could be a lazy starter or maybe an issue with the DMF - it's `catching` halfway through the crank process. We decided not to try to tow start it in case there was a DMF issue.

No fault codes. I do also have Carista and the battery was recoded when fitted.

So - the plan is that I will fit a new starter motor. It's one thing on the car that you can actually get to without a degree in physics. It's a process of elimination, so if that works, happy days. If not, it's going to go to my local garage for some more detailed analysis.

I'm still open to ideas if anyone can wave a magic wand.

 

[SuperV8]

Thanks for the replies. I've had the AA out this morning and he's a bit baffled as well. He says the starter usually cranks but nothing happens or not all. He's not seen it partially crank then die and then crank and die.

He attached jump leads and a booster and the starter still struggled. It's not the battery. He said it was drawing an awful lot of power. With all the extra power, it did perk up slightly but still not start. He said it seems to turn, then struggle, then turn and then struggle. He said it could be a lazy starter or maybe an issue with the DMF - it's `catching` halfway through the crank process. We decided not to try to tow start it in case there was a DMF issue.

No fault codes. I do also have Carista and the battery was recoded when fitted.

So - the plan is that I will fit a new starter motor. It's one thing on the car that you can actually get to without a degree in physics. It's a process of elimination, so if that works, happy days. If not, it's going to go to my local garage for some more detailed analysis.

I'm still open to ideas if anyone can wave a magic wand.

Hopefully a new starter will fix - other wise could be DMF - or cylinder compression problem.
You could try turning the engine over by hand with a socket/ratchet on the main crank bolt and see what it 'feel's like? You should be feeling 2x compression per 1x crank revolution.
If problem still exists after new starter I would be getting each cylinder compression measured.

FYI starter motor part numbers:
For my car 184 manual:
Starter
For vehicles with start-stop D >> - MJ 2015
02M911024S 2,0KW VALEO supersedes to 02M911024B 2,0KW DENSO
Genuine prices are £450+! for the Valeo and £570+ for the Denso!

If yours is DSG you may have different part numbers.

 

[BillyCool]

Hopefully a new starter will fix - other wise could be DMF - or cylinder compression problem.
You could try turning the engine over by hand with a socket/ratchet on the main crank bolt and see what it 'feel's like? You should be feeling 2x compression per 1x crank revolution.
If problem still exists after new starter I would be getting each cylinder compression measured.

FYI starter motor part numbers:
For my car 184 manual:
Starter
For vehicles with start-stop D >> - MJ 2015
02M911024S 2,0KW VALEO supersedes to 02M911024B 2,0KW DENSO
Genuine prices are £450+! for the Valeo and £570+ for the Denso!

If yours is DSG you may have different part numbers.

Thanks for that. I'm 6 speed manual.

I've got a price from Parkers for their own in-house brand "Holst" for £158.99. Might be worth a punt just to see if that is the issue. Certainly cheaper than anything else.

 

[SuperV8]

The only Holst starter motor I can see is HS6198 but it's only rated at 1.7kw.
The 184 starter is 2.0kw. Maybe Holst have a 2.0kw version? but i'd check the power first.

 

[BillyCool]

The only Holst starter motor I can see is HS6198 but it's only rated at 1.7kw.
The 184 starter is 2.0kw. Maybe Holst have a 2.0kw version? but i'd check the power first.

Thanks. I'm picking it up later so I'll check.

 

[BillyCool]

New starter motor fitted and exactly the same problem.

I'll be packing it off to the garage so they can have a look.

 

[SuperV8]

Did you try turning the engine over by hand?

 

[BillyCool]

Did you try turning the engine over by hand?

No - it get's to a point that I don't want to fiddle anymore. Whatever it is, I can't diagnose/fix it myself, so my local guys can have a look.