Cold staring problem

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by ythan, Oct 11, 2004.

  1. ythan

    ythan Guest

    I have a Vauxhall Combo van 1995 manufacture (Opel really), registered in
    1998. It has a 1.7 Isuzu diesel engine.

    It used to start instantly at the first turn of the key (after the glow plug
    light went out) but quite suddenly it has started taking a long time to
    fire.

    New battery, new starter motor, new glowplugs. It is only a problem when it
    has been left for a few hours, such as overnight, the rest of the time it
    bursts into life instantly.

    It starts eventually, after much turning over.

    Any thoughts?
     
    ythan, Oct 11, 2004
    #1
  2. ythan

    mike Guest

    could honestly be 1001 things
    check the voltage along the glowplug train wire
    have you checked the injectors? particularly the one with the sensor wire on
    it?

    maybe pulling the codes might help also.

    mike
     
    mike, Oct 11, 2004
    #2
  3. ythan

    ythan Guest

    mike

    The RAC guy checked the glowplugs and said they were fine, drawing the
    correct power.

    I'll check the injectors, what am I checking for? ;-) What does the sensor
    wire do?

    Thanks for your help.

    ythan
     
    ythan, Oct 11, 2004
    #3
  4. ythan

    mike Guest

    i have no wish to dispute the rac, but get an ohms meter and check they are
    individually less than 20ohms.
    as for the sensor wire, it gives a sensor reading about firing etc back to
    the ecu/pump.
    if that one is blocked / not spraying correctly it will screw the whole
    thing.

    there are other things it could be , but i'll let others will think of them
    my mind is a bit fuzzy.

    mike
     
    mike, Oct 11, 2004
    #4
  5. ythan

    Me2 Guest

    Have you had your valve clearances checked. If the gap has shrunk than the
    valves don't shut all the way and you loose compression so poor starting
     
    Me2, Oct 11, 2004
    #5
  6. ythan

    Bilko130 Guest

    Hi,
    My initial thought's were as, prior postings but, after close
    examination of your engine details I remembered a few snippets:-
    Injector positioning into the cylinder head is crucially
    important. You must make sure you have the pointer on the cylinder
    head pointing to the green dot on the injector collar and, the
    injector lined up to the the collar. This is to line up the pintle
    (spray head or nozzle) to ensure maximum burning of the fuel injected
    into the cylinder(s)
    Next thing to check (And probably the easiest on this engine) is
    an actual supply and, glow plug operation. Remove the wire supplying
    the glow plug rail and, remove the rail from each glow plug. Now,
    connect a multi-meter or a test light to the wire supplying the rail.
    Switch on ignition. If the light works (Or 12vDC+) the feed to the
    glow plugs is O.K. Next, check all plugs are O.K. How?... Take a piece
    of wire from the feed, to each of the glow plugs and "scrape" it along
    each of the contacts for the rail contacts. If you get a spark, the
    plug is "Using a current" therefore working.
    If you do not get a voltage, you have a feed problem. If you
    have NO plugs working, read on.
    No voltage from the feed wire to the rail usually means the fuse
    has blown on the glow plug relay.(Or faulty relay) The relay is found
    behind the "Kick Panel" on the O/S of the drivers compartment. Look at
    the accelerator pedal. Move your foot to the right, the panel you
    touch is the panel you need to remove. Once removed, you will find
    (Use a torch, etc) a relay, there will be a fuse you must
    check/replace. (Cannot remember exact size of fuse), is a "large
    capacity fuse" You must correctly verify, a known good feed to the
    glow plug feed wire.
    If you get 1 plug working, the rest must be faulty. Replace as
    necessary.
    Hard starting, Smoke on start up can also point to incorrect cam
    shims. AFAIK inlet valves wear. You will need to correctly "Shim" your
    camshaft. This "should" be done on service at Vx dealerships. However,
    If you haven't paid for "Shim's" on your invoice, It's not been done.
    (Can't remember service schedule, Every 20k I think)
    To do this, you need to accurately measure the gap you currently
    have between your cam bucket and your camshaft lobe. RECORD THIS
    MEASUREMENT. Next, remove the shim on top of the cam bucket. Clean it
    and if it's not too worn, you will see a measurement stamped on the
    underside. This is the shim size. If no measurement, you need to
    measure the thickness of the shim with a micrometer.RECORD THIS
    MEASUREMENT.At this point, add the previously recorded measurements
    together. SUBTRACT the required gap. This will give you the correct
    shim size you need.Replace the removed shim with the correct size you
    have calculated and all should be well.
    If you have ANY doubts, do not attempt the above procedures. Buy
    a "HAYNES" manual. This will give you the correct measurements you
    WILL need.
    Hope this helps
    Bilko130.
     
    Bilko130, Oct 12, 2004
    #6
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