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No idea

I'm no mechanic - just want to know the problem before I go and get it fixed by someone from a garage who might try and screw me over -

My Renault Clio (1995) 1.9 diesel is making a meal of it starting up in the mornings. Its been reasonably cold, but I've spotted some kind of pattern in that when the engine's warm it starts fine or when the tank has got around

3/4 full, its starts after a few seconds perfectly fine.

Whenever its less than 3/4 full it seems to really take its time (10 seconds sometimes longer) which coincides with when its coldish too.

What's likely to be the problem? Oh and it spews out a ton of fumes from the exhaust when it does this for the first 30 seconds or so too : (

Reply to
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Glow plugs

Reply to
Sandy Nuts

The message from contains these words:

Some diesels have glowplugs in the top of the cylinders, next to the injectors. These glow orange hot while starting and for a up to a minute or so afterwards. If your engine is the sort with these fitted (and someone will be along in a bit to tell you if it has) then the chances are that one of them is no longer glowing.

They're easy to test. There's a wire running to each, sometimes a single wire for each plug, sometimes they're all connected in-line like a daisy chain. Whichever, disconnect them and see if they conduct to the engine block. You can do this with a bulb and wire from the positive terminal of the battery. If the blub lights it's almost certainly OK.

If any plugs need replacing, DO NOT buy the really cheap plugs, they're crap and often only last a few months.

If it's not glowplugs then it's either the injectors have got dirty and the spray pattern isn't very good (likely) or the compression is low (less likely).

Reply to
Guy King

The cold weather is making your fuel contract. When it does this the fuel creeps away from the injectors and sits shivering in the tank until such time as it can be persuaded by sufficient churning of the starter motor to creep down the fuel lines.

Either that or glow plugs.

Reply to
Malc

OK people - thanks a lot for the interesting info - my dad said exactly the same too - funny thing is, is that he had the glow plugs replaced only a few months ago and I'm sure they wouldn't have been the cheapo ones - out of interest, how long should a good set of new glow plugs last when the weather has been chilly like it has been this winter?

Reply to
<nospam

The message from contains these words:

Several years if you're lucky.

What makes you think they wouldn't have been cheapies?

Reply to
Guy King

Its quite possible the glow plugs arn't getting any power to them,so worth checking they're getting a live feed rather than just assume the glow plugs are the fault.

Steve

Reply to
steev

I had an 80A fuse blow on my glow plug circuit for no good reason...

It had me foxed for a while :-)

Tom

Reply to
Tom Burton

The message from "steev" contains these words:

A good point and well made.

Reply to
Guy King

Had this on a diesel woofer, the glow plug relay had sooted up inside and stopped the glowplugs from working. Stripped it down,cleaned the contacts with a sliver of paper, al OK.

DPH

Reply to
Paul Hubbard

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