[robinofbristol]

2002 Audi A3 1.9 TDi sport (115 bhp I think).

I have seen dozens of postings relating to the same issue... had a nasty incident, when my power steering pulley flew off at speed, engine cut out imediately and wouldn't restart. Replaced the pulley and charged the battery (was flat) and on the turn of the key it turns over very nicely but no brum brum. I have seen the imobilisor light come on a couple of times (never seen that before) but really need to know what I can check and do before spending loads of money. Obviously I am worried that something got damaged when the pulley came off (heck of a bang) or that taking the battery off to charge it means I have lost some important code.

Has anyone ever made a checklist... like pilots use before they fly the plane.

 

[Seatman]

Something else must have happened down there, I can't think why the engine would cut out because of the power steering pulley, is there a crankshaft sensor down that end that could've taken a hit?

welcometomyturbodies

 

[chittychittybangbang]

Does it sound like it's turning over normally like if you are getting fuel? Was anything else at all damaged?

 

[robinofbristol]

no damage underside

Just risked life and limb.. crawling under the car at the side of the main road outside my house...double decker busses inches from my head. I can say with confidence nothing seems damaged by the pulley flying off...no wires or tubes cut, nothing dangling. So back to the original issues....cut out as soon as the pulley came off, battery quite flat, took off to charge and replace...now turning over freely but no life. Imobilizor light shown a few times, even oil light came on once, but no joy.

Can I check to see if fuel is getting through?

How will I know if it is an imobilizor issue?

Any other ideas?

 

[chittychittybangbang]

If your car is a pumpe duse, turning the key to ON should produce a squirt of fuel when it primes. If you disconnect the fuel line at filter, see if it squirts. If your car is not a PD, your car does not have an electric fuel pump so the easiest way to check for fuel flow is to crack open a fuel injector nut and wrap a rag around it. Crank a few times. If wet, you're getting fuel.

Definitely not an immobilizer issue because the immobilizer still lets the engine start completely fine, it just shuts it off after a second. See the immo FAQ for more details.

Check the anti shudder valve. This is the intake manifold (see the mk4 intake manifold FAQ article for pics) valve and it can be closed and cut off air.

 

[robinofbristol]

ideas

Thanks for that...I will jump right on it in the morning...its 9.30pm here and very dark right now. Another thought I had...when the pulley and belt came off I wonder if something might have blown a fuse like a surge from the alternator... just a thought. I am still stuggling to make sense of the sudden death of the engine at the moment the pulley came off.

Now I am getting frustrated...I can't find the anti shudder thing or know what I am looking for if I find it (is it the silver hat on top of the engine with a thing like a throttle lever beghind it). I went out and had a really good poke around, nothing out of place. I think mine is the pumpe duse. I pulled off a pipe at the fuel filter and it pumped diesel when I turned the ignition on. I went looking for injectors which were no where to be seen so I am becoming convinced this must be a Pumpe Duse? This thing is a nightmare, it's like doing open heart surgery, there are pipes and tubes and wires going everywhere. How about spraying easystart... The battery is getting tiered again...I will pull it off and charge it again. Is there some kind of sequence I am suposed to follow when I put it back on again?

 

[robinofbristol]

I hate being beaten

That's it I give up... I have called the mechanic with his computer... sorry gov, royal wedding today, bank holiday monday.. I will come on Tuesday. Oh well it gives me time to charge the battery good and proper.

 

[Seatman]

Hi bud, it's deffinitely a PD engine you have, the ASV (anti shudder valve) sits in the intake, if you pop of the big fat pipe going to the intake manifold you should see it sitting in there. There shouild be some big fuses in the engine bay too that you could check, most are on top of the battery but being an audi yours probably aren't. There's a lift pump in the tank on yours which you should hear when you turn the ignition on but you might need to lift the back seats to hear it. The other thing is I've read on some of these forums that the pd has taken a severe amount of cranking to get it to fire back up if it has cut out while driving. Not the best time for trying to get hold of a mechanic today that's for sure.

 

[Keithuk]

Welcome to the forum. welcometomyturbodies

Hi bud, it's deffinitely a PD engine you have, the ASV (anti shudder valve) sits in the intake, if you pop of the big fat pipe going to the intake manifold you should see it sitting in there. There shouild be some big fuses in the engine bay too that you could check, most are on top of the battery but being an audi yours probably aren't.

I've just had a look for the anti shudder valve fuse but there isn't one listed for a Audi A3 (97-03) 1,9D TDI PD 2001-03 Engine code: ASZ or the later ones.

 

[robinofbristol]

Thanks guys, I will go and have another poke around in the morning...I found the fuses, as you say, on top of the battery...all OK. I can't recall ever hearing a pump from the rear before...I will lift the seat and spare wheel cover and give it a go...but as fuel was pumping at the fuel filter I suspect the pump will be OK. The engine really was turning over very well...more than fast enough to start it normally.

I wonder if there is some kind of decompression to stop the engine when the ignition is turned off..because that would give all these syspmtoms if it was stuck open. Too much thinking time for some beer (best wishes Will & Kate).

 

[Seatman]

No nothing like that I'm afraid, that was mostly on old diesel cement mixers lol. It might be worth checking to see if there's a UK site that you could put a request on for someone with vagcom in your area, I use the Seat site

http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/index.php

 

[almir]

that "hack of a bang" that you mentioned could be more than just the PS pulley. The sound of engine turning over faster than usually worries me. I would remove the top timing belt cover and see that the camshaft is turning when engine is cranking. I am sure that if the timing belt was broken you would hear all kinds of strange metallic sounds, but maybe somehow you just got lucky.

 

[robinofbristol]

Almir wins the prize

The cam belt is not turning.... we assume the teeth have been rubbed off at the bottom pulley, Maybe when the PS Pump pulley came off and hit it hard.

OK, well at least I know what to do next...I will start disassembley...and then turn the cam by hand to see what is moving and what isn't. I may well be in the market for another head... or be looking to refurbish this one if it seems viable. First things first...I need to get this thing off the road and somewhere safe to work on it and then search this forum for a tutorial.

Thanks again everyone...my next post will be head or cam related I'm sure.