Golf 4 TDI Repair Issues

[diy-boy]

Greetings fellow forum members, and non-members,

I am DIY-Boy and i live in South Africa; i have a few issues with my vehicle which i will get into discussing shortly.

First off: I have a white 2001 Golf 4 TDI which is still stock standard, it has about 200 000km's on the clock but runs fine, my CAM-Belt is due for a service(Which i will be doing) and upon the last service(Dealership) i had the standard routine service done with the exception of requesting for my glow plugs to be replaced due to a delayed or not as quick as i would like cold start.

The Problem: As of late my vehicle will not cold start and ends up draining the battery to the extent where the status information and milage doesn't even show up, it completely empties the battery; however if i roll start the vehicle it starts and drives normally; after about five minutes of driving i can turn off the vehicle and start it again(Warm/Hot start) but after 3 hours exactly the vehicle won't start; it just cranks till the battery dies.

The Solution: Is it possibly the relay switch that is defective or a fuse that has blown? As seeing that a dealership service in South Africa is highly expensive, especially for the labour i would like to replace what ever may be defective myself - as seeing that buying parts is hugely inexpensive where a CAM-Belt costs about R12 - 1 Pound; i'm guessing a Relay Switch or what ever else might be the problem will be cheap.

Added Note: If possible, could you give feedback about what else might be causing the vehicle not to cold start and what the solutions could be; could information about where the relay switch is located be given aswell and any tips with replacing it.

Thank You - DIY-Boy

[MPalm]

It could be the temp sensor, it's located at the back of the engine (between engine and gearbox), a square connector with 4 wires. Unplug it and test if the car starts better.

If not, does it crank fast enough?
The TDI needs 250rpm to start fueling, so if your starter runs a bit on the slow side you can crank it forever but it just wont start.

Make sure the battery is in good shape (they tend to last 3-5 years) and clean the wire connectors at the battery and starter. Don't forget the ground connection under the battery.