1.8T auto not starting - solved

[LeRich]

I've recently had two issues with my 75 not starting which have now been resolved. I thought I'd record this in case anyone experiences similar issues.

The car is a 2004 1.8T with the auto box, 75k on the clock.

The first episode of non-starting was in January. The engine cranked strongly but wouldn't fire. Coincidentally a rodent had made home under the bonnet over Christmas which I initially assumed to be related. This turned out not to be the case. Investigation found that the issue was related to fuel supply. No blockage found in the fuel supply pipe. The pump could be heard priming and was found to work strongly when bench tested, so eyes turned to the fuel filter module. This was rebuilt with a new filter (the old one was quite dirty), new seals and the FOC. Problem sorted.

Two weeks later, after various successful journeys, the car failed to start again. This time no cranking: no reaction to turning the key to Pos III at all. Plenty of charge in the battery and the immobiliser was disarmed. I suspected that the gearbox starter inhibitor may be the issue as I'd had this exact issue previously when trying to start the car with the gearbox in Drive. However on this occasion the lever was in Park, this status reflected in the indicators by the lever and in the IPK. Moving the lever fully through the gait several times then starting the car resolved the issue.