Well I'll run this past you guys and gals for your views.
Going back in time I had the occasional lumpy start on my Croma. Turned over, fired MOST times but sometimes idled with slight vibration.
A while later the glow plug failure warning occured and I replaced all four plug.
However I was still sometimes, even often getting the occasional missed start and lumpy idle.
This carried on till one recent cold morning the car turned over, kicked and died. Ignition off, back on and NOTHING. No dash lights and completely dead.
Put a smart battery charger with 80A boost strat facility and the dasg lights came back and the car started but then settled into its lumpy idle till revved a little.
Fitted new battery (old one was 6 years old) and what a difference. Cranking speed is no different but fires every time AND no lumpy idle.
I don't think any of this is a coincidence and have concluded that a dying battery after start seems to produce a lumpy idle. I may be wrong but I assume once the dash glow pud light goes out the glow plugs are also de-energised? or do the plugs run on for some time after the light goes out.
If this is the case then it could explain the intitial lumpy running as the battery is struggling to provide power to the glow plugs and at the same time the alternator is running completely maxed out at idle rpm. When the revs get lifted then the alternator is capable of delivering more juice.
I guess I could test the glow plug dash light and glow plug current but putting a current clamp meter on one of the glow plug leads and observing it and the dash light, but as we all know once a problem is resolved it is difficult to drum up the time and enthusiasm to start doing extra tests and profiling.
Anyway. There you have I what I'm thinking / concluding.
Going back in time I had the occasional lumpy start on my Croma. Turned over, fired MOST times but sometimes idled with slight vibration.
A while later the glow plug failure warning occured and I replaced all four plug.
However I was still sometimes, even often getting the occasional missed start and lumpy idle.
This carried on till one recent cold morning the car turned over, kicked and died. Ignition off, back on and NOTHING. No dash lights and completely dead.
Put a smart battery charger with 80A boost strat facility and the dasg lights came back and the car started but then settled into its lumpy idle till revved a little.
Fitted new battery (old one was 6 years old) and what a difference. Cranking speed is no different but fires every time AND no lumpy idle.
I don't think any of this is a coincidence and have concluded that a dying battery after start seems to produce a lumpy idle. I may be wrong but I assume once the dash glow pud light goes out the glow plugs are also de-energised? or do the plugs run on for some time after the light goes out.
If this is the case then it could explain the intitial lumpy running as the battery is struggling to provide power to the glow plugs and at the same time the alternator is running completely maxed out at idle rpm. When the revs get lifted then the alternator is capable of delivering more juice.
I guess I could test the glow plug dash light and glow plug current but putting a current clamp meter on one of the glow plug leads and observing it and the dash light, but as we all know once a problem is resolved it is difficult to drum up the time and enthusiasm to start doing extra tests and profiling.
Anyway. There you have I what I'm thinking / concluding.
