Surprise! Diesel starting problems

[White-Noise]

Hello all,

Can I pick your brains for a moment please?

I am driving a 1995 Corsa LSTD 1.5 Diesel. Ive only had it 6 weeks and one day (when it started getting colder) it didnt want to start. Ive managed it after 20 or so seconds of cranking until today, but it doesnt seem to want to know today.

I have done some looking up on google and they mention glow plugs, air problems etc. One thing I dont see reference to is that I managed to jump start it (live on a steep hill). Does this lead to helping diagnose the problem?

Should I get a glow plug checker as first port of call?

Car starts warm fine, runs fine, good fuel economy.

Thanks a lot.

[That Daddy]

Sounds like glow plugs,easy to test disconnect the wire links going to each glow plug then with a short piece of wire put one end on the +pos of the battery then flash the other end over the terminal on the glow plug(dont need ignition on)you should notice arcing/sparking if you do its working,thats the DIY check basic test,failing that borrow a proper glow plug checker quicker and easier in my opinion

[Steve_D]

They are not expensive to replace.
By the time you have dug down through all the other bits of engine gubbins and disconnected it to test you are only a spanner twist away from replacing it.

Most fail and are open circuit so easy to test. Others just don't glow very well. A DIY test will not find this and not having used a tester I can't say if that would find it.
When you have them out you can test it across the battery. It should glow cherry red within 5 seconds.

Steve

[That Daddy]

From what i have seen they either work or dont(yes even when they start to errode) they are heating elements after all and have never seen ones that glow a little rather than a lot,maybe i have been lucky agree with the above about just changing em anyway bout a £10 ea for the good ones NGK for example.

Edited by That Daddy on Monday 6th October 19:27

[White-Noise]

Thanks boys!

Well, got a lift to work and back, stopped off at Halfords on the way home. Got a pack of standard plugs for £30.

Replaced 3 of them piece of cake, one wouldnt come out so didnt want to risk snapping it in the car (couldnt find WD40). Put it back together and put half a bottle of injector cleaner in, took maybe 20 mins in total.

Bang - started with half a crank I would say. Drove sweet as a nut after that.

Proof will be tomorrow morning when its nice and cold, but took it for a 20 minute drive tonight to make sure it was all nice and hot.

Thanks again

[BB-Q]

a word of warning about cheap glow plugs- chances are that you'll be replacing them again within the year. They're well worth spending the extra money on to get OE stuff (assuming you're going to keep the car that long).

[White-Noise]

BB-Q said:

a word of warning about cheap glow plugs- chances are that you'll be replacing them again within the year. They're well worth spending the extra money on to get OE stuff (assuming you're going to keep the car that long).

Ah right thanks for the tip.

Shouldnt be a problem as I am moving abroad in January and I expect it to fail on rust at the next MOT anyway...! See how things play out.

[taz turbo]

White-Noise said:

Replaced 3 of them piece of cake, one wouldnt come out so didnt want to risk snapping it in the car

I wouldn't worry to much about only replacing 3 out of the 4, some 4 pots only have 3 as new! They still seem to fire OK.

Regards,

Chris.

[BB-Q]

The only exception i can think of is the Peugeot/Renault engine. The XUD, is it? That thing needs all four plugs in perfect condition or it won't fire.

[gmtech]

Hi there

Sounds like a glow plug problem, in fact I'm pretty sure.

GMTECH

[That Daddy]

BB-Q said:

The only exception i can think of is the Peugeot/Renault engine. The XUD, is it? That thing needs all four plugs in perfect condition or it won't fire.

Two seperate engines i am afraid (although they look similar)if its the XUD Citroen/Peugeot engine they will still fire up on three glow plugs but struggle on two