OK so a glow plug tester would be easy to use! (as long as the glow plugs come out)
I have noticed the starting is not as good as my 205 whose engine was excellent. (could be glow plugs or compression I guess)
I have not checked valve clearances yet - I expect they will be out - i dont think the previous owner would have checked them - I was hoping a compression test may point out if they were out though (or other mechanical issue e.g. worn rings). If the compression was good I was going to leave everything. If it was not good I may do the valve clearances and if that doesn't improve it consider what to do with the car (sell it?). I did the valve clearances on my 205 and several exhaust ports were a long way out some had no clearance when cold! But changing them made no difference to the running or fuel consumption that I noticed.
If the ignition is not on I can't crank the car unless I short the starter motor which I dont think is a good idea so perhaps I can jam the solenoid shut?
Yes clean air filter, new oil.
Have you noticed a difference using injector cleaner - I used a batch in my 205 and I noticed a slight difference it would run a bit smoother at very low revs but made no difference anywhere else or with fuel consumption so I was thinking it was a waste of =A320.
I can try and clear the exhaust out - I do occasionally thrash it to
5,000 rpm on the road but not that often most runing is less then 2500 rpm.
As for low speed running is it really more efficient to have higher revs and be using the turbo - mine starts to kick in at 2,000 rpm where a lot of time I cruise at 30 - 40 mph at 1,500 rpm?
Thanks in advance for the advice.