would almost no oil cause a car to not start?

MossyUK

MossyUK

MossyUK

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disclaimer: I no nothing about cars, other than how to drive them + put in diesel + inflate the tyres.

my car, golf mk4 gt tdi, is regularly failing to start without about 30 seconds of turning the ignition. when it does start, its fine.

i have just checked the oil and there was about 1mm of oil on the dipstick. I have now put in a litre of oil but as the problem only manifests when its cold / first thing in the morning, im wondering if this will have solved the problem.

also today the engine oil warning light thing came on when i tried to start the car - that was my first clue the oil was broken.

so, has my car skillz fixed the problem do you think?
 
Check for any fuel leaks...sounds like the diesel is draining back to the tank and thats whats causing the problem...
:)
 
thanks jon.bda, thebug and third opinion. i did hazard a guess at glowplugs (well, i thought spark plugs but you get the idea).

and at the other two replies, thanks for making overclockers motor forum a friendly and welcoming place. :rolleyes:
 
It does sound like glowplugs. Buy a haynes manual becasue if you can wire a plug i'm pretty sure you could manage to change them yourself.

Does it smoke (possibly a lot) when it does catch? If so thats another sign that the fuel isn't being burned properly and points to you having a glowplug or two blown.

Oil.

First rule of owning a car is if the oil warning light comes on just stop. Go no further until you have put some more oil in. A friend of mine had a Zafira and her oil light came on so she popped into the garage, bought some, but then drove to my house without putting it in and her engine seized right outside my drive. So now she won't own a vauxhall because they are unreliable for the want of a minuite to add a litre or two of oil to get a few miles.

Always keep the oil at or barely under the max mark on the dipstick. It's not only a lubricant it's a coolant too and the more you have in the less heat there is going round.
 
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The Edge said:
First rule of owning a car is if the oil warning light comes on just stop. Go no further until you have put some more oil in. A friend of mine had a Zafira and her oil light came on so she popped into the garage, bought some, but then drove to my house without putting it in and her engine seized right outside my drive. So now she won't own a vauxhall because they are unreliable for the want of a minuite to add a litre or two of oil to get a few miles.
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Your friend sounds like an idiot.

She failed to maintain the vehicle so it is all Vauxhalls fault?

lol
 
[TW]Fox;11942622 said:
Sounds like glowplugs. What oil did you put in it?
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castrol gtx 10/40 - i think thats the full name, the bottles in the car.

its probably due a service by now actually. would the glowplugs cause any other problems between now and replacing them if they are faulty?

thx
 
No, just a pain to start. Diesel engines need a bit of heat to ignite the fuel properly. Glowplugs give it a boost while starting and for about the first 10-20 seconds, hence why if they are not working you have starting problems and/or smoke.

Might be worth checking the fuse to them too.
 
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