Audi A4 Diesel Engine Rebuild/does Not Start

RViji · August 28, 2014

Hello friends,

We did an engine rebuild for our car when reparing an oil leak.

Audi A4 ,AJM engine 1.9tdi diesel, year2000

changed items:

valve seals,valves,gasket,piston rings,crank bearings,bigend bearings

4 cylinders were re-sleeved using same pistons with new rings

everything is back together now,but the engine does not start when starter moves.

the Baas did a full scan with a Launch scanner and no error codes were revealed.

and diesel is coming to the injector lines(Pump injectors,not commno rail).

it was working fine before the repair,except for oil leaking from one crank bearing.

Bass is coming up with new theories,ECU is burnt or IMMO unit is locked.but i see no lights on the dashboard.

Any expert ideas where to look for problems?

thanks in advance.

VVTi · August 28, 2014

Has the timing been adjusted? The new maka baases cant take a dump without a scanner now.

RViji · August 28, 2014

timing was set according to this link

for AJM 115PS engine.

without the special tools of VW,I hope it is correct.

If the timing is at fault, does it not show on the scanner?

Edited August 28, 2014 by RViji

The Don · August 28, 2014

The imobiliser being locked is a valid scenario, particularly if the battery has been disconnected. The VWS of that era had this issue. The problem is we don't know how sophisticated this guys scanner is because on the more sophisticated ones you even get the option to reset them.

If the ECU is burnt, its fairly obvious. You start getting weird error messages.

Is this guy a VW specialist or is this the first VW engine he has re built?

RViji · August 29, 2014

thanks for the comments.

The scanner is Launch X431,high-end(but generic) scanner.

but if the IMMO is locked,the light on the dashboard should be ON,right?

according to this link,if the IMMO or ECU is kaputt I will be in some trouble.

http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index.php/Immobilizer#Immobilizer_Generation_4

since I do not have the PIN anymore,the dealer has to connect the car to the VW plant in germany that manufactured the car to unlock the IMMO or something?(sorry ,no clue)

today the Bass and I opened the engine ECU and checked,there were no visible damages like burnt PCB track/components.

This engine seemed very simple to rebuild,with only 3 sensors(Crank,CAM and temperature) unlike petrol EFI engines.

all the parts came from a well known shop for EU parts in P'Watta.

I did not feel that a VW specialist is required.And I do not want to take it to the "specialist' Agent Sen*k ,for obvious reasons.

How to check if the above 3 sensors are working,if the scanner does not give any errors?

I really liked this car because it was economical and powerful at the same time.And it did not need superdiesel like most JAP commonrail engines.

Edited August 29, 2014 by RViji

pug306xsi · August 29, 2014

On 8/29/2014 at 6:52 AM, RViji said:
thanks for the comments.
The scanner is Launch X431,high-end(but generic) scanner.

but if the IMMO is locked,the light on the dashboard should be ON,right?

according to this link,if the IMMO or ECU is kaputt I will be in some trouble.

http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index.php/Immobilizer#Immobilizer_Generation_4

since I do not have the PIN anymore,the dealer has to connect the car to the VW plant in germany that manufactured the car to unlock the IMMO or something?(sorry ,no clue)

today the Bass and I opened the engine ECU and checked,there were no visible damages like burnt PCB track/components.

This engine seemed very simple to rebuild,with only 3 sensors(Crank,CAM and temperature) unlike petrol EFI engines.

all the parts came from a well known shop for EU parts in P'Watta.

I did not feel that a VW specialist is required.And I do not want to take it to the "specialist' Agent Sen*k ,for obvious reasons.

How to check if the above 3 sensors are working,if the scanner does not give any errors?

I really liked this car because it was economical and powerful at the same time.And it did not need superdiesel like most JAP commonrail engines.

Seriously?

There are other VW independent specialists other than Sen*k.

Before you buy new parts or do any trial & error stuff why not go to a specialist get an opinion?

Edited August 29, 2014 by pug306xsi

RViji · August 29, 2014

On 8/29/2014 at 8:36 AM, pug306xsi said:
There are other VW independent specialists other than Sen*k.
Before you buy new parts or do any trial & error stuff why not go to a specialist get an opinion?

I really doublt this is some electrical fault,these cars are known for their simple but reliable electricl system.

and when checking with a line tester(LEDbulb),pulsing voltage was seen at the injector supplies.

the car is in Galle,but I guess no VW specialists in this area?plz PM me if you know someone.

Edited August 29, 2014 by RViji

The Don · August 29, 2014

When I mentioned specialists I did not mean the agent, but to be honest they are one of the friendliest outfits in town. Their tech guys might be willing to help you out over the phone, so its worth a try particularly as you are in Galle. Of course no gurantee.

After the rebuild was the whole unit compression tested?

If its the imobilizer, usually the key icon tends to flash on the dashboard.

There is this liquid called quick start or something which the break down guys use to start cars which won't start. This can be used to eliminate fuel delivery problems as when you spray it in the vehicle would normally start.

The other issue is timining .......

Is your fuel pump an electronic, electro mechanical or completely mechanical unit? Usually the imobiliser is on the fuel pump if that helps.

Euros might look simple on the outset the are quite sophisticated in their design both mechanically and electronically. They have their own little quirks that you would only know if you have a bit of experience with them. To say otherwise is well.......................... lets not get to that.

RViji · August 29, 2014

Hi,this is a PUMP injection system,no hi-pressure fuel rail(common rail) ,hi-pressure fuel pump,catalyst.

http://vwts.ru/engine/ajm/ajm_eng.pdf

the only pump is inside the diesel tank,and it sends fuel to the diesel filter when IG is turned ON.

the pressurization of fuel to 2000bar,is done inside the injectors itself.

since there is no pump,Bass has not sure where to check fuel pressure,

and where to insert the compression gauge,glow plug holes or injector holes?

ps:I tried asking the Agent first about replacement parts,he sounded quite sarcastic wondering why I wanted to rebuild the engine(his words were,"oowa hadanne naa").and none of the engine parts I asked about were available,and he said it takes few weeks to bring them from S'pore!so I got in touch with this shop in Watta(D@rsana motors) and they were quite fast when I brought them my removed engine parts to find them inside the shop.

Edited August 29, 2014 by RViji

pug306xsi · August 29, 2014

On 8/29/2014 at 8:47 AM, RViji said:
I really doublt this is some electrical fault,these cars are known for their simple but reliable electricl system.
and when checking with a line tester(LEDbulb),pulsing voltage was seen at the injector supplies.

the car is in Galle,but I guess no VW specialists in this area?plz PM me if you know someone.

Sorry mate not in galle. My friend took his Audi( he is specialist in VW/Audi) to Vishwa Motors and they did a pretty good job. I think his # was in the forum. If you want i can ask him and let you know.

The Don · August 29, 2014

On 8/29/2014 at 9:23 AM, RViji said:
Hi,this is a PUMP injection system,no hi-pressure fuel rail(common rail) ,hi-pressure fuel pump,catalyst.
http://vwts.ru/engine/ajm/ajm_eng.pdf

the only pump is inside the diesel tank,and it sends fuel to the diesel filter when IG is turned ON.

the pressurization of fuel to 2000bar,is done inside the injectors itself.

since there is no pump,Bass has not sure where to check fuel pressure,

and where to insert the compression gauge,glow plug holes or injector holes?

ps:I tried asking the Agent first about replacement parts,he sounded quite sarcastic wondering why I wanted to rebuild the engine(his words were,"oowa hadanne naa").and none of the engine parts I asked about were available,and he said it takes few weeks to bring them from S'pore!so I got in touch with this shop in Watta(D@rsana motors) and they were quite fast when I brought them my removed engine parts to find them inside the shop.

The guy who needs to see this thread is my felow moderator Supra Natural. You just need to get a lead in Senok or of a VW/Audit specialist. Let me see if I can buzz him.

RViji · August 29, 2014

thanks guys,fingers crossed.

Devinda_Z · August 29, 2014

On 8/29/2014 at 9:52 AM, pug306xsi said:
Sorry mate not in galle. My friend took his Audi( he is specialist in VW/Audi) to Vishwa Motors and they did a pretty good job. I think his # was in the forum. If you want i can ask him and let you know.

+1 for Vishwa Motors

They used to carry out routine maintenance & repairs on an A4 1.9 Tdi B5 (AVG) for over three years - very happy to recommend them

Their work is good & they've been handling VW Audi group cars for long enough to be able to fix things without having to "figure things out"

You really don't want someone who is unfamiliar with a car like that flailing about without clear direction

Nipun Tan · August 29, 2014

Unit injectors are pressurized by the engine's camshaft,if the unit injectors are receiving diesel and not starting,either there is a problem with the injectors,or there are not actuated by the ecu or not being pressurized by the camshaft.

Sine your engine has been rebuild,why don't you show it to the agent and get their advice,may be you have installed the pump duse camshaft (unit injector camshaft wrongly).

Also get your unit injectors checked and serviced by D*MO Bosch service center.

The Don · August 29, 2014

On 8/29/2014 at 1:06 PM, Nipun Tan said:
Unit injectors are pressurized by the engine's camshaft,if the unit injectors are receiving diesel and not starting,either there is a problem with the injectors,or there are not actuated by the ecu or not being pressurized by the camshaft.
Sine your engine has been rebuild,why don't you show it to the agent and get their advice,may be you have installed the pump duse camshaft (unit injector camshaft wrongly).

Also get your unit injectors checked and serviced by D*MO Bosch service center.

The problem is the guy is in Galle and the car isn't running. Only wait to get to either place it to put the car in a car carrier.

Since you seem to know a little about the issue, are the injectors electronically or mechanically activated? I think what has not been established is that if the injectors themselves are being activated and the combustion chamber is receiving fuel.

Edited August 29, 2014 by The Don

Supra_Natural · August 29, 2014

Call ruwan at Vishwa Motors 0773099281

Kavvz · August 30, 2014

On 8/29/2014 at 8:47 AM, RViji said:
I really doublt this is some electrical fault,these cars are known for their simple but reliable electricl system.
and when checking with a line tester(LEDbulb),pulsing voltage was seen at the injector supplies.

the car is in Galle,but I guess no VW specialists in this area?plz PM me if you know someone.

Err no.

We run a 1.9 TDi currently and while I stand by it as one of the most pleasing cars I've owned; you have only to scroll through the Audi / VW TDi forums to see the myriad of negativity surrounding the electrical system / wiring harness on these cars.

In this case however, I do agree with you that it doesn't seem like the electrical system, and that the fault lies elsewhere. Since the timing belt was changed without the Audi locking kit etc. I bet that's where your problem lies. Or it could be that the ECU just needs to be reprogrammed / reset after the overhaul. But really its just speculation at this point, and as far as my 2 cents are concerned: I think its time you took it into the dealer. You don't have to get it fixed there, just get it trailered in and ask them for their diagnosis. IMHO its worth taking the car in and getting it evaluated from the dealer, where I'm assuming they'll have the appropriate scan tools and some level of expertise with this particular engine.

RViji · August 30, 2014

thanks for various comments.

I forgot to mention that we had the tapper cover open,so we could see the injectors were getting pressurized by the rocker arm attached to the cam shaft.and injector wires were giving electric pulses.

Yesterday we noticed that the RPM meter does not rise during cranking,so upon further searches on internet ,it pointed to a crank sensor problem.

And it was also confirmed by inspecting the inductive sensor .

another similar working sensor(Hyundai),showed a voltage when a metal piece is moved towards the sensor tip.

with our sensor it did not.

The cable at the sensor end seems to be damaged.the two wires inside are embedded into the insulation,and one is mesh-type.

So I see no chance of repairing.since it seems like it needs to be replaced anyway,now waiting until the new sensor arrives.

Edited August 30, 2014 by RViji

RViji · September 1, 2014

new crank sensor was fitted today.

now RPM needle moves when cranking,but still not starting the Engine.

Today the bass suggested feeding diesel from a bucket(with a Hiace KDH200 tank lo-pressure pump),directly near the filter and see if anything changes.apprently it has worked before in a Hiace before,but that is commonrail engine.

has anyone tried this method before?will it damage the engine?

I kind of want to try available non-destructive methods,before towing it to the dealer.

Edited September 1, 2014 by RViji

The Don · September 1, 2014

On 9/1/2014 at 7:03 AM, RViji said:
new crank sensor was fitted today.
now RPM needle moves when cranking,but still not starting the Engine.

Today the bass suggested feeding diesel from a bucket(with a Hiace KDH200 tank lo-pressure pump),directly near the filter and see if anything changes.apprently it has worked before in a Hiace before,but that is commonrail engine.

has anyone tried this method before?will it damage the engine?

I kind of want to try available non-destructive methods,before towing it to the dealer.

The thing is what does it prove? You said diesel reaches the injectors already right? The question is if cranking is activating the injectors.

The method suggested by the bass will eliminate a fuel pump issue. I don't think trying it will damange the engine. But by the sounds of it your crank sensor was damaged by the mechanics on removal, so I'm not sure how much I will trust the guy to do the right thing by the car.

Did you phone the specialist Supra gave you the number of?

RViji · September 1, 2014

On 9/1/2014 at 9:40 AM, The Don said:
The method suggested by the bass will eliminate a fuel pump issue. I don't think trying it will damange the engine. But by the sounds of it your crank sensor was damaged by the mechanics on removal, so I'm not sure how much I will trust the guy to do the right thing by the car.
Did you phone the specialist Supra gave you the number of?

sorry for the confusion.

what I meant is that fuel is coming out of the hose from the fuel filter attached to the engine durin IG ON.

But no way to check if it is reaching the injectors (like common rail you dont see fuel pipes reaching the injectors,the whole fuel supply is inside the engine head),without opening the cylinder head again(means new gasket required).

Ruwan also suggested to tow it to his workshop,and said maybe that ECU flash memory has been deleted after 3+months without battery supply.

guess I will try this diesel bucket challenge before finally calling the car Carrier...

Edited September 1, 2014 by RViji

The Don · September 1, 2014

On 9/1/2014 at 10:48 AM, RViji said:
sorry for the confusion.
what I meant is that fuel is coming out of the hose from the fuel filter attached to the engine durin IG ON.

But no way to check if it is reaching the injectors (like common rail you dont see fuel pipes reaching the injectors,the whole fuel supply is inside the engine head),without opening the cylinder head again(means new gasket required).

Ruwan also suggested to tow it to his workshop,and said maybe that ECU flash memory has been deleted after 3+months without battery supply.

guess I will try this diesel bucket challenge before finally calling the car Carrier...

Really sorry to hear about this whole episode. This is unfortunately typical of the things that happen in SL though. Many cars are ruined by mechanics trying to fudge their way through things via trial and error. What is sad is all they need to do is to consult a technical manual on the assembly and disassembly of these engines, and the rebuild procedure and restart.

And don't feel too bad. I found various instances of this issue on my old car, which is a Jap where mechanics have done things without understanding what they are doing. I'm still spending money to put things right.

I'm sorry, I'm not very familiar with this engine. If the diesel filter is after the fuel pump, and fuel comes out of that, then its safe to assume fuel is reaching the head, but perhaps not the injectors. Problem is this chap probably doesn't even know how to check that.

Hopefully the car starts, but I suggest even if it does, best take to the specialist or the agent to check it all out.

RViji · September 2, 2014

Today we tried with feeding the diesel directly from a bucket at the front,and guess what? on the 2nd attempt it started!!
and idled for about 10mins until the bucket ran out of fuel.
The same procedure was repeated for a few times with increasing RPM only upto 3000 since the engine is newly built.
but when we tried to start again normally,it did not.
The pump was replaced with a hiace KDH200 tank pump,and then it starts normally!and test drive showed a noticeable increase of response and reduction of noise/vibration compared to before the rebuild.

So the problem seems to have been also with the lo-pressure pump in the tank(may be not delivering enough fuel flow to start after many months of inactivity).
maybe the direct diesel solution got rid of any air stuck between the feul filter and the pump duse injectors.
a Scan afterwards,revealed no error codes(but same as before,so I am skeptical)

I guess I will run this for a while,before taking to the dealer for a scan.
Going to them in the first place would have not helped anyway,I do not think they do complete engine rebuilds.(they did not even have the parts available for such repairs.)

but In SL, we have no choice but rebuilding to keep these dark horses running.
And I hope the pain was worth it.

Edited September 2, 2014 by RViji

The Don · September 2, 2014

Well that was some result I guess! So the issue was a faulty fuel pump. Would have been helpful to know the correct pressure and check it in the first place.

The agent does do rebuilds, and so does the specialist we mention. I don't they have the full Audi kits in stock, so best get it down yourself as its cheaper anyway.

Happy this story had a happy ending and no expensive car carrier was required.

Its personally my opinion that with European brands you should stick to specialists. I'm fairly handy with a spanner but I rarely try to work on my BMW and last time I worked on an Audi I broke two water pipe connectors, not knowing the correct removal process and I pulled a little too hard and the whole thing came off. Thankfully it was a £16 replacement part, but the car was down for 2 days while the dealership ordered the part in. So lesson learned. Have to read the service manual and follow correct removal procedure for anything.

The European engineering philosophy is very different to the Japanese, and to be honest as a DIY enthusiast I love Japanese vehicles as they are so much easier to work with, and more obvious in its design and approach. Modern European cars use a lot of plastic to save weight, and things are hidden under panels deep inside, and some of their techniques are not obvious. A friend of mine cracked my engine cover by accident performing an inspection for an oil leak..... Little things like that, a specialist will never do....

Thats my two cents. Enough said.

RViji · September 2, 2014

On 9/2/2014 at 8:58 AM, The Don said:
Well that was some result I guess! So the issue was a faulty fuel pump. Would have been helpful to know the correct pressure and check it in the first place.
The agent does do rebuilds, and so does the specialist we mention. I don't they have the full Audi kits in stock, so best get it down yourself as its cheaper anyway.

Happy this story had a happy ending and no expensive car carrier was required.

Its personally my opinion that with European brands you should stick to specialists. I'm fairly handy with a spanner but I rarely try to work on my BMW and last time I worked on an Audi I broke two water pipe connectors, not knowing the correct removal process and I pulled a little too hard and the whole thing came off. Thankfully it was a £16 replacement part, but the car was down for 2 days while the dealership ordered the part in. So lesson learned. Have to read the service manual and follow correct removal procedure for anything.

The European engineering philosophy is very different to the Japanese, and to be honest as a DIY enthusiast I love Japanese vehicles as they are so much easier to work with, and more obvious in its design and approach. Modern European cars use a lot of plastic to save weight, and things are hidden under panels deep inside, and some of their techniques are not obvious. A friend of mine cracked my engine cover by accident performing an inspection for an oil leak..... Little things like that, a specialist will never do....

Thats my two cents. Enough said.

Hi thanks for the support and greetings.added about 100km today, i hope this happiness lasts for a while.

I think nowadays most car makers are using Engine parts from plastic(even cylinder head unit) to stay cost competitive and save weight, regardless of Japanese or European.

That is one reason why I decided to rebuild this engine and run for a while,this Engine is old-school with no known troublemakers like DPF Catalyst,Common rail injectors which need super diesel etc...

Even the hi-pressure pump is divided in to 4 parts and integrated in to the Injectors itself,so if one fails,the engine still runs with the other 3(although no pleasure to drive or hear).