106 Diesel Starting Probs

Dave, Glowplugs can last anything from 1-5 years, replace them all at once.

It is most definitely your Glowplugs, and try to avoid easystart, it can cause engine damage.

If you are feeling a little strapped for cash, remove each one in turn, and try it against the battery terminals and see if it glows, or check the resistance with a multi-meter.

GSF car parts are very cheap for these, do not buy Halfrauds home-brand, I had some of these last 6months in a Polo SDI - The Bosch replacements outlasted the car.

Andy

It could also be air leak/ingress. Any air in fuel at low temperature normally needs lots of cranking. Check all unions, esp around filter housing. Put on vaseline and see if it improves. If you have a priming bulb, try squeezing it till hard.

Alec

Thanks for the info guys,

I am an electronic tech by trade so checking the resistance won't be a prob. Any idea what sort of resistance I should be looking for? Do I need any special tools to replace them?

Will also check for leaks (I presume you mean the fuel filter?)

Easy Start is the only thing that'll get it going on a cold morning! - I know it's not ideal (I didn't even think you could use it on a diesel until I read the can) but it'll have to cope until it gets fixed properly (which hopefully will be rather rapidly).

Cheers Dave

Bugger all. Certainly no more than an couple of ohms. You would probably find it easier to check the current - my plugs take 8A each.

Wouldn't have thought so but copperslip the new ones going in. Buy decent plugs and you won't have to swap them for ages and ages by which point getting them out can be tricky.

First thing to check is that the plugs are getting a 12v supply, and that the timer keeps them on for long enough (about 10sec i'd imagine from cold). If they're the same as my 205 each plug should be drawing about 12A if its working correctly (or 48 if you hook it up whilst all connected).

If you have to change them, its not hard. Take the nuts off that hold the wires. The undo the plugs with a spanner and twist them out. Easy peasy!

Easy Start is great. Unfortunately, engines become addicted to it and after a while won't start without it. I jest not.

Rob Grahm

According to

they're £8.50 each.

It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Robin Graham" saying something like:

Helluva bang on the piston and might bugger the rings.

I've heard of a few valve clearance adjustment problems with the 1.5D engines resulting in poor starting.

My old AX 1.5D suffered from poor starting at about 45,000 miles, checking the glow plug system, injectors etc showed up nothing. Then when revving the nuts off it for its' first MOT some time later an ominous noise started!

Adjusting the valve clearances with the appropriate shims solved both problems, and it continued to give good service until I flogged it at 87k.

Following my last post a Googe here

this from "Sean" in 2001: Thanks to everyone who helped me understand and eventually fix the cold start problem I was having with my Saxo 1.5D (TUD).

For other folk's benefit, so that they can search for my solution if they need it, here is what the symptoms, problem, solution was:

Symptoms:

• diesel engine requires a lot a cranking in cold weather

• glow plugs working fine

• battery very good

• no air eaks

• injectors good

• injection pump good

Problem was:

• inlet valve clearances were tight (actually in my case they were 0 or even VERY slightly) negative. Starting was difficult because this compromised the compression, especially so in the cold weather. If and when it did fire, then it ran quite well. Presumably this was because the piston (rising) velocity is so high when it is running, compression can be achieved quite well even with a VERY VERY small leak due to the inlet valve not closing properly. The slighlty poor closure of the inlet valve would be more significant with the lower piston (rising) velocity when being craked with the starter motor.

Solution was:

• simply replace the valve shims with the appropriately reduced sized ones to return to the specified inlet valve clearance.

• TIP: don't bother, just don't bother trying to remove the shims with the camshaft still in place. Haynes manual (spit!) says it can be done. Removing the camshaft is dead easy anyway. Just be sure to lock all the TDC markers in place.

Result:

• Now starts & runs perfectly.

And the people of news.admin.net-abuse.email (where you posted the reply) need to know you killfiled the bozo in alt.autos.peugeot because???

William R. James