Long crank when warm and white smoke for a few seconds
- Make and model
- Volkswagen Golf VI
- Year
- 2011
- Engine
- 1.6 TDI (CAYC)
- Fuel
- Diesel
- Mileage
- 178,000 km
Customer complaint
After a short stop the engine cranks for 4–5 seconds before it starts, then white smoke for a few seconds and a shake at idle that clears after about a minute. Starts normally from cold in the morning.
Fault codes
| Code | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| P0266 | Cylinder 2 Contribution/Balance | Stored |
Measurements and live data
| Parameter / measurement | Measured | Expected |
|---|---|---|
| Injector quantity correction, cyl. 1 | +0.4 mg | ±2.0 mg |
| Injector quantity correction, cyl. 2 | +2.9 mg | ±2.0 mg |
| Injector quantity correction, cyl. 3 | −0.3 mg | ±2.0 mg |
| Injector quantity correction, cyl. 4 | +0.2 mg | ±2.0 mg |
| Rail pressure while cranking, hot | about 180 bar after 3 s | well over 250 bar within 1–2 s |
Tests performed
- Leak-off test, warm idle, 2 minutesCyl. 1: 8 ml, cyl. 2: 26 ml, cyl. 3: 7 ml, cyl. 4: 9 ml
- Compression testAll cylinders 27–28 bar, even
- Rail pressure hold after switch-offPressure falls much faster than normal
Solution
Root cause
Injector no. 2 worn internally: too much leak-back while running and dripping into the cylinder after shut-off.
Repair
Replaced injector no. 2 with a new copper washer and clamp bolt, coded the injector to the ECU and cleared the adaptations. Hot starts back to normal and all quantity corrections within ±1 mg.
Parts
1 × injector, copper washer, clamp bolt
Labour time
1.5 h
Lesson learned
Run the compression test before condemning an injector: a weak cylinder gives the same high correction value.
Training case: the usual fix for this fault, not a confirmed repair on a specific car.
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