Cold start difficulty

[jj9]

An HDi engine should start pretty normally without any working glow plugs, even if it's cold, yes it may run a little lumpy for a few seconds but that's about it.

Test the voltage at the glow plugs just after starting the cold engine, there should be power to them for a couple of minutes. I prefer to use a test lamp for doing this rather than a multimeter because a test lamp will show if there is any power behind the voltage.

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[FadedRedBerlingo]

An HDi engine should start pretty normally without any working glow plugs, even if it's cold, yes it may run a little lumpy for a few seconds but that's about it.

Test the voltage at the glow plugs just after starting the cold engine, there should be power to them for a couple of minutes. I prefer to use a test lamp for doing this rather than a multimeter because a test lamp will show if there is any power behind the voltage.

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This morning it's 1 to 2 deg C, turned on the ignition and power is indeed going to the glow plugs, as measured by the multimeter. In my excitement at getting a power reading, which I wasn't expecting, I neglected to see how long the power was going to the plugs once the engine started.

Anyway, I assume that the difficult starting might be a fuel related issue ???, so I await the arrival of a new fuel filter to fit this weekend.

[jj9]

Yes, as other members have advised change the fuel filter and see what happens, if it's still the same my next step would be the priming bulb, it could be that the none return valve inside it is causing a restriction.

Only ever change one thing at a time so you can identify the cause of the problem.

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[FadedRedBerlingo]

Yes, as other members have advised change the fuel filter and see what happens, if it's still the same my next step would be the priming bulb, it could be that the none return valve inside it is causing a restriction.

Only ever change one thing at a time so you can identify the cause of the problem.

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Hi, thank you for your reply, I think you might be on to something regarding the primer bulb: I notice that I can keep squeezing it, it doesn't fully harden up, which could indicate that the non-return valve is not fully working. Unfortunately I had no time the on the weekend to change the fuel filter, so it's something I am going to leave until Christmas week, given that the car does run.

[FadedRedBerlingo]

Yes, as other members have advised change the fuel filter and see what happens, if it's still the same my next step would be the priming bulb, it could be that the none return valve inside it is causing a restriction.

Only ever change one thing at a time so you can identify the cause of the problem.

.

Hi, thank you for your reply, I think you might be on to something regarding the primer bulb: I notice that I can keep squeezing it, it doesn't fully harden up, which could indicate that the non-return valve is not fully working. Unfortunately I had no time the on the weekend to change the fuel filter, so it's something I am going to leave until Christmas week, given that the car does run.

Ok, so I've changed the fuel filter, followed by the air filter, followed by the primer bulb, all to no difference. I now am considering the starter motor, as I feel it is cranking slower than it used to, maybe worn brushes? I've checked the battery and my Noco battery charger tells me that my battery is fully charged and in good health, it's now one year old. As the car still starts, I'll realistically only take the starter motor off in the spring, when the weather warms up.

[saskak]

If I were you I would be a bit wary about the age/condition of the battery. The noco might have charged it to full, but this is only the max the battery can accept. That max could be well low, say 60% of the original capacity, despite it being only 1 year old.

I only speak from my own experience. I bought a new super duper S05 bosch battery. I have a battery health device that I use to monitor the health of the battery (state of health, resistance between cells, etc.). Even from new, the battery was ~80% of the CCA. I suspect in my case the battery had stayed in the shop for rather long and had sulfated beyond repair. Since then, the battery now has dropped to ~72%. So, even brand new battery could be pretty bad.

[FadedRedBerlingo]

If I were you I would be a bit wary about the age/condition of the battery. The noco might have charged it to full, but this is only the max the battery can accept. That max could be well low, say 60% of the original capacity, despite it being only 1 year old.

I only speak from my own experience. I bought a new super duper S05 bosch battery. I have a battery health device that I use to monitor the health of the battery (state of health, resistance between cells, etc.). Even from new, the battery was ~80% of the CCA. I suspect in my case the battery had stayed in the shop for rather long and had sulfated beyond repair. Since then, the battery now has dropped to ~72%. So, even brand new battery could be pretty bad.

 
Thank you for that information; my one year old battery is a Halfords 4 year battery that I was given by my local Halfords to replace a Yuasa battery that failed four years into its five year warranty - the RAC had come out for a home start and had assessed the Yuasa as failing. However, the Halfords where I got the replacement battery from was my local one that was in the process of shutting down and the only 096 they had left was the one they gave me. I did wonder at the time if this battery had been sat on the shelf ... so maybe it might not be as good as I think it should be.
I am assuming that a simple check could be to jump start my car, as the power from the other vehicle's battery ought to crank my starter at a faster rate, if indeed my battery is under-performing.

[saskak]

Yes, the cheapest test, without buying a device to check it, is to jump start it and see if the starter is going quicker or starting easier.
I assume that it is a sealed battery, have not seen non-sealed ones in a while. It is only a myth that these do not evaporate, but there is not an easy way to check/top them up.