UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

Hi all

Was wondering if anyone has any ideas on the following:

I went to start the car this morning. the engine started firing and then cut out immediately. After a couple of tries i put my foot down once it had started. the engine spluttered for a few seconds before i held it at 2,000rpm for a few seconds. after this it idled o.k and drove okay.

the only thing i can think of is that it was slightly colder this morning (and it did happen before the summer too)

is there anything that 'goes' quite often on polos in the starting system? some kind of cold start circuit?

thanks!

well, i had a kinda similar problem, cept mine wouldnt fire at all for ages, and then would if you jiggled the key - turned out to be the ignition switch. Anyways, your problem doesnt seem to have the same symptoms as mine.
Sounds a bit like the fuel system to me... Doubt the cold would have any effect on ignition, ive started mine at about -5° no probs - less you live in iceland or somethin...
I had a similar problem in this old metro i used to rag around the fields - turned out it was leaking fuel, but the point being that not enough was getting to the engine.
Hope thats some kind of help....

no, bristol is a bit milder than the arctic haven't noticed any leaks or stains on the driveway, so i don't think there are any leaks. will have a look anyway though.

a colleague reckoned it might be the cold start valve/sensor. his reasoning was that the ECU takes the temperature of the block into account to set the injectors. if the cold start sensor is broken, it won't tell the ECU when it's cold, and therefore the car tries to start as if it's a warm morning (i.e. as normal, instead changing the injection...).

therefore it would have the same effect as not using a manual choke on a cold morning (in an older car) - and the car would cut out, as mine did.

any other ideas?

could possibly be the battery.. especially if you have a sound system wired up to it... Thats my guess bcos it kept happening to my mate untill he changed his battery to a more powerfull 1.

check for water in the dizzy cap, a crap start might be due to condensation forming there too.

mystery boy: only have the sound system, and the battery looks fairly new

david b: might be worth a look. just remove it and clean/dry it?

aye, just a couple of clips holding it on - then remove it and clean it with a cloth and some wd40. wd40 is the saviour of electrical problems because it removes water.