1995 2.4L diesel T4 Transporter does not start

[pjstock]

well, this was a surprise.
after 8 months of faultless starting (and after having been driven just yesterday) we jumped in the camper this morning to head off 2 hours in the country and .... nothing.
it cranked and cranked and cranked.
I had the choke pulled (though it usually doesn't need that)
there is fuel (though it is low, but still, one eighth or so.)

I admit this is an utterly mundane situation - a diesel that will not start. , pretty much unrelated to VW vans or campers

but what could have happened overnight?

apparently it is either fuel related (lack thereof) and so I guess I might check the fuel pump?
or it could be due to lack of compression. (but overnight?)

any insights or tips before I have this beast towed to a mechanic?

Peter

[Abscate]

Well, it doesn’t have a choke. So do some reading before diving in.

There is a stop solenoid on the injection pump, if the wire falls off you wiil have a crank no - start as you describe

If your glow plug circuit is compromised that would do the same.
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.ssS!

[TDCTDI]

Pump could be leaking & lost its prime. Fuel shut off solenoid could be bad or wire going to it broke/fell off/chewed off by a fucking rodent (seriously).
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[Zeitgeist 13]

Yeah, the fuel shutoff solenoid system is probably the issue
_________________
Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[pjstock]

[Zeitgeist 13]

Anytime the dashlights are on, the solenoid should be getting 12v. If not, then you have issues with the switch or the wiring between the switch and the solenoid. The solenoid should click firmly when the ignition switch is turned on.
_________________
Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[pjstock]

Hold the Phone!

so then tonight, 12 hours after our "crank no-start" morning, on a whim I jumped into the van and tried it and....

Bingo! it started! just like old times.

but that makes me nervous.

how do I understand what happened and why it would go from no-start to start?

Peter

[Joshwa]

Your switch could be going, which then could affect your fuel cutoff solenoid. Or the relay to the shutoff. You’ll have to wait again until you have a problem and check the voltage at the shutoff as suggested.
_________________
93 Weekender TDI conversion (AHU)
93 MV TDI conversion (1Z)
Weekender rear cot
Late model cabin air filter on 93
Euro spec bumper install on 93

[pjstock]

Curiouser and curiouser.....

So to recap.
Saturday AM I had crank no-start for....30minutes ( til.i gave up and rented a car for our daybtrip.)
late last night the beast fired right up, as if nothing had ever been wrong.

Today I tried again and at first got the crank nostart, then it shifted to a putt-putt-putt...... as if it were just about to combust.
And then finally, on about the 6th try she fires up.

Ran to the hardware store fine. Restarted there fine...

Do those clues add anything?

And about that solenoid question. Does the fuel solenoid always engage when Running? Or just at startup?
Did.always, does thebfactbthat once running she runs fine mean the solenoid is not the cause?

[Abscate]

The time to find out the problem is the 30mminutes of no start.

If the engine doesn’t start in 5 seconds, somethings wrong. Cranking it on and on is just burning out your starter and battery.

Next time it won’t start, leave the key on, go back to the engine , and look for the wire attached to the diesel injection pump, with all the spider legs coming off it heading back to the cylinders. You should have 12 Volts between this terminal and ground.

Snap,a picture of your engine and we can show you where it is.

Other possibles

Bad solenoid (yes, it needs to be on to both start and run the motor. It’s an electrically operated fuel shut off)

Worn out diesel pump allowing air into your injectors. Diesels don’t like this and won’t start if they get air in the lines.

Diesel injectors are dangerous. If you get diesel injected into your skin deep enough, the medical treatment is amputation.

On edit...sorry I forgot to add guidance. The cone amd go nature of the no start is indicative of air in the lines, either from a leak in the injector path, fuel delivery, .or worn pump. The solenoid could be sticky, too.
_________________
.ssS!

[pjstock]

Thank you.
is this the diesel injection pump?

the white plastic bit with the screw off lid?

[Abscate]

It’s going to be in the front of the engine, right side of car

Find the four injectors..a row of cylindrical things about 2 cm in diameter with metal pipes coming of each one. Follow the pipes to where they all meet at a big lump of metal. That’s the injection pump. Look for an electrical connection to ampnother metal thing on the pump..that’s the solenoid.

The pipes look a bit like the ones in your picture but will run right left, one for each cylinder. The pipes in the picture are brake lines


We don’t get diesel T4s here because God only gives nice things to countries that don’t screw up the world, like Canada.
_________________
.ssS!

[pjstock]

in this shot anywhere?

or here (deeper down in the cavity)

Peter

[Abscate]

Those are the injectors - just to show how little I know about your engine, its an inline 5 cylinder diesel, so there are 5 of them

The injectors have hard metal lines to deliver fuel, and then soft rubber lines looped from injector to injector to return excess fuel to the tank - this also cools them.

Follow the hard lines on each down to the injector pump - it looks like it buried down below the intake manifold in your picture.

It has to be near the side of the engine as it is driven by the timing belt.
_________________
.ssS!

[Zeitgeist 13]

The pump is on the rear of the five cyl. engine. It's driven off the camshaft with a very short timing belt. It should reside just below and to the left of the coolant reservoir--near the radiator fan. You probably need to get the grille into the service position (pulled forward and away from the engine.) in order to access the pump.
_________________
Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[pjstock]

I "think" this must be the distribution pump.
Yes?
From Below:

From above:

Now, where is that Solenoid?
and where would I test for voltage?

[TDCTDI]

Yes, that's your IP.

The shut off solenoid is on top of that rust colored square section of your pump that the injection lines come out of.
This is from a TDI but the solenoid is the same.

It's possible that the drive belt for the IP broke. While most people replace timing belts for the cam/crank, very few know to replace the IP drive belt or that it even exists.

Get a 17mm open end wrench & loosen one of the pipe union nuts, either on the injector end or the IP end (whichever is easiest for you to get to) and have someone crank the engine.

If fuel spurts out while cranking, then your problems are elsewhere. If nothing comes out, then the solenoid is bad or the IP drive belt has broken/stripped.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[Abscate]

READ ALL THESE!!

1 You can test this without any tools by listening/feeling for the click of the solenoid when the ignition goes on. The definitive way is to test for 12V on the very top of that electrical connection - don't let the lead touch any metal anywhere else or you will pop a fuse.

2 Find the source of that oil on the pump - where its dark black. I think that is engine oil from somewhere else, if it is diesel, that might be your problem

3 YOU NEED TO BE REALLY CAREFUL AROUND DIESEL INJECTORS.

If you accidentally spray diesel into your skin, the medical treatment is to amputate.
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.ssS!

[pjstock]

I loosened 3 of the injector line nuts and on cranking it fuel did gurgle out.

So, can I conclude that A) the solenoid is good and B) I am getting fuel?

iif so, next steps?

[TDCTDI]

It should be far more than a gurgle while cranking, were talking money shot.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.