Vauxhall 2.0DTi cold start issues...
Discussion
Hi all,
Just bought a 2004 Astravan 2.0DTi a couple of weeks ago and it runs pretty much spot on, doesn't smoke at all when running, pulls really well and generally sounds healthy (touch wood!).
But it seems to be a bit of a slow starter when cold. It doesn't matter if I've left it a week or a day, it still starts but just seems to struggle, especially with the outside temp still hovering around the 0-5 degrees C mark.
The glow plug light seems to stay on for what seems a long time (5 seconds or so) and then you have to crank the engine over for a good few seconds before it fires. Sometimes it requires a second go!
Once it's been started once in the morning or it's slightly warm/hot it starts no problem after that.
Any ideas what I should look at?
Thanks!
Just bought a 2004 Astravan 2.0DTi a couple of weeks ago and it runs pretty much spot on, doesn't smoke at all when running, pulls really well and generally sounds healthy (touch wood!).
But it seems to be a bit of a slow starter when cold. It doesn't matter if I've left it a week or a day, it still starts but just seems to struggle, especially with the outside temp still hovering around the 0-5 degrees C mark.
The glow plug light seems to stay on for what seems a long time (5 seconds or so) and then you have to crank the engine over for a good few seconds before it fires. Sometimes it requires a second go!
Once it's been started once in the morning or it's slightly warm/hot it starts no problem after that.
Any ideas what I should look at?
Thanks!
Probably air leaks - absolutely standard on 6-7 year diesels as the fuel line seals perish.
Where it gets difficult (expensive) is that it could be subtle combinations of a whole bunch of things - air leaks, high pressure pump, glow plugs, swirl flaps (if fitted). Friend of mine just spent £3500 on a 2004 VW Touareg with same issue - both VW and a recommended indie said they could spend many hours diagnosing it and getting nowhere and the best thing to do was to change everything, so he did.
Avoid parking it facing uphill!
Where it gets difficult (expensive) is that it could be subtle combinations of a whole bunch of things - air leaks, high pressure pump, glow plugs, swirl flaps (if fitted). Friend of mine just spent £3500 on a 2004 VW Touareg with same issue - both VW and a recommended indie said they could spend many hours diagnosing it and getting nowhere and the best thing to do was to change everything, so he did.
Avoid parking it facing uphill!
powerstroke said:
If you get a fair bit of smoke when it does start= glow plugs.. no smoke then most likley sucking air (leak off pipes/return or leaks on the filter or fuel lines) so it has to prime again before it gets enought fuel to start...
Yeah it blows a cloud of reek out once it fires after a struggle, but runs clear after startup.We do lots of these, The fuel leak off pipes are a very common failure and allow the pump to drain back so you are trying to prime the system.
The diesel pipes do not fit directly to the injector. They fit to a cast arm that bolts down across the top off the injectors and a this point there is a special seal which also fails. Can easily be tested by putting a vacuum gauge on each leak off pipe in turn. Best to go direct to the leak off point on the injector arm. Should obviously hold vacuum. Then fit your new leak off pipes and re test for vacuum, them fit return to pump.
Do check glow plugs first.
The diesel pipes do not fit directly to the injector. They fit to a cast arm that bolts down across the top off the injectors and a this point there is a special seal which also fails. Can easily be tested by putting a vacuum gauge on each leak off pipe in turn. Best to go direct to the leak off point on the injector arm. Should obviously hold vacuum. Then fit your new leak off pipes and re test for vacuum, them fit return to pump.
Do check glow plugs first.
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