Cold starting issues

[MettyMatty]

Hi,

My 2001 dw8 has recently started giving me grief when starting on cold mornings.  It only happens first thing and is fine once its warmed up.  Ive read the various threads about the glow plug relay and cold start stat but my first fix was going to be new glow plugs which I've had to order.  

The terminals on the glow plug relay look good to me but I don't notice any audible click from it although I get a kind of relay chatter sound that appears to be coming from the pump area and coincides with the dash glow plug light. - Is this normal?

My motor idles at just below 1000rpm and doesn't seem to change much when up to temp so I'm guessing the stat may be shot?

The only other fault I've noticed is a hum or whine that I think may be vacuum related and is coming from the sensor with 2 small pipes at the rear of the egr canister thingy to the right of the engine. I don't think this is related to the starting issue but I'd like to know why its whining as it carries on for a while after the engines been shut off and its irritating if nothing else.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading.

[Jed Clampit]

The first thing you need to check is the valve clearance how many mile as she done if it's around 100'000 mile's that's the first thing to look at as they close up on high miler's

[MettyMatty]

Thanks Jed,

The old girls done 166k miles so the valves will probably need doing.
The thing is its only started doing it for around the last 4 weeks. It was virtually as soon as it was back from its MOT. I did put some diesel magic in the tank to help pass the emissions but I don't think its related?
I was thinking of doing the idle control stat as I think mines gone but I've just noticed that the bleed on the rad has previously been broken and is now held together with some sort of silicon/mastic muck. - Great!

[MettyMatty]

Still struggling with this and car-less at the moment..  

Progress update;  I changed the plugs thinking it was cold related as it started happening pretty much the same time as the first frost.

New glow plugs didn't make any difference, still a pain to start first thing.

Glow plug relay checked with a multimeter and getting voltage to the plugs etc so ruled that out.

One morning it wouldn't start at all even after trying to bump start it.

I noticed the hand primer on the fuel filter was 'soft' so attempted to prime it and it stayed soft despite pumping 30 - 50 times.  Also fuel started weeping from around where the primer 'button' presses into the housing so I suspected this was the problem and was drawing air into the fuel line.

I sourced a 2nd hand fuel filter housing and have fitted that.  It does prime better than the old one but won't make the button go totally solid under pressure and I'm still getting a little bit of weeping if I go too mad with it. - Is a little weeping normal on these intergrated primers? - I've only worked with the rubber bulb/grenade types in the past like on my old 306 TD. 

I attempted to start it yesterday after the replacement filter housing (in the wind and rain) and it showed signs of smoke/unburnt diesel from the exhaust but refused to fire up, then the battery started to go from my previous failed attempts to start.

The battery's been charged over night and I'm about to give it another go.

Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks for reading.

[MettyMatty]

It's definately not priming as I can see bubbles being drawn back to the filter housing. 

My replacement filter housing primer has the same fault as the original - DOH!  

Are there any quick, get out of trouble fixes for this?  (I tried cable tieing a finger from a rubber glove over it but it just sucked the primer plunger down so I couldn't prime it.)

If I can do a 'heath robinson' on it, I can drive to a scrap yard for another.

[Jed Clampit]

You don't say weather you have checked the valve's or not the other thing is have you changed the fuel filter of late this can sometime's make them hard to start when cold ?

[MettyMatty]

You don't say weather you have checked the valve's or not the other thing is have you changed the fuel filter of late this can sometime's make them hard to start when cold ?

The fuel filter is relatively new and looks clean.

I haven't checked the valves.  I've spoken to a couple of mechanically minded people locally and they've said that it wouldn't have deteriorated so rapidly and that I wouldn't be getting the smoke out the back like I am. - Their opinion not mine so please don't flame me for it.

Ive got another fuel filter housing to try tonight (in wet and dark) so will report back in due course.

[MettyMatty]

You don't say weather you have checked the valve's or not the other thing is have you changed the fuel filter of late this can sometime's make them hard to start when cold ?

The fuel filter is relatively new and looks clean.

I haven't checked the valves.  I've spoken to a couple of mechanically minded people locally and they've said that it wouldn't have deteriorated so rapidly and that I wouldn't be getting the smoke out the back like I am. - Their opinion not mine so please don't flame me for it.

Ive got another fuel filter housing to try tonight (in wet and dark) so will report back in due course.

[Jed Clampit]

LOL There will be no flaming from me we're here to help each other out some time's with a bit of humour not to put people down 

[MettyMatty]

LOL There will be no flaming from me we're here to help each other out some time's with a bit of humour not to put people down