UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

Ive just bought a 1997 1.9 Deisel Polo but I am have problems starting it from cold. I would like to run the symptoms past a few of you before I jump in with both feet and change the glow plugs...

The car starts perfectly from warm, so there is no issue with starter motor or anything like that.

From cold, its quite hard to start, it turns over and doesnt really sound like it going to go! I often switch of the ignition, and then let the glow lamp come on and go off again in the hope this may furthur heat the cylinders... Usually it will fire within 1 minute but clearly this isnt quite right.

Now the following may be related, or maybe not, but often (usually) when I turn the key from cold the glow plugs light doesnt come on at all, but if I switch the ignition off, and then click it back on again it always lights the second time. This is odd? I never try and start the engine without the light having been on so either the light not coming on first time is a non-related fault, or it is the cars way of telling me there is a fault!??

Either way, even after letting the lamp come on, and go off a few times, it still isnt a great starter from cold.

your help would be greatly appreciated.


Also, looking at the plugs they look a bit*h to get out! - I think they are quite long, and there doesnt seem to be space to extract them?

Ta.

Mine is a 1998 1.9DL. Usually mine fires first thing on a morning without any glow plug light unless its been frosty. Like you say if it doesn't fire and you try again the glow plug light always comes up and then it fires immediately. I wouldn't worry too much as I thought mine was odd and now seems I'm not the only one. Think you can get glow plugs off eBay cheap anyway if you want to do them for peace of mind.

Hope this puts you at ease :L

Sam.

Hmm, now Im confused!

Can I clarify a few things?

1) My glow plug light often doesnt come on at all in a morning, only coming on after i turn the ignition off, and then on again. Is this normal? I thought if the engine wasnt hot it would need the plugs? Maybe I am mistaken and they only come on if it is very cold?

2) Even after I have let the plugs glow (by turning the key off, then on again) ... sometimes even after a few cycles of this, the car still deoesnt start particuarly easily.

What could be wrong? - If the light isnt coming on first try of the ignition, maybe this is becuse its not cold enough for the plugs to be required, in which case it shoudl be fireing first time?

I own a 97 1.9D polo as well. The glow light is not coming on because the polos start heating the heater automatically as soon as the driver's door is closed. Maybe you're giving it enough time to heat before turning the key.

I had a problem with starting in cold, and then I changed the heater plugs but the problem persisted. I only solved it when my mechanic changed the starter motor pinion. Now it's starting first time!