have just aquired the above which is fitted to a knaus motorhome.
1. When i start the glow plug light comes on and off within a second, click from relay, but does not seem to "hold"
2. May be associated with the above, after starting the engine white smoke for about a minute, once warm, no problem.
Advice please. 71,000 with a full history.
Thx

it seems to suggest that the relay has gone faulty it should stay on for longer ..does it start straight away or does it turn over for a while then start?

I have a 1995 2.5TDi and it does exactly the same. I'd just assumed this was the way it was supposed to work since there's never been an issue starting.

I've owned other diesels and where there's been a genuine issue with the glow plugs the first symptom has been difficultly starting.


It's started at well below freezing (not immediately mind you) and i can't believe it would have done this with a seriously defective pre-heating system?

Anyway its all guess work on my part. Maybe someone with the same model can confirm it should work differently and and the pre-heat stay on for n seconds?

Thanks

shake said:

have just aquired the above which is fitted to a knaus motorhome.
1. When i start the glow plug light comes on and off within a second, click from relay, but does not seem to "hold"
2. May be associated with the above, after starting the engine white smoke for about a minute, once warm, no problem.
Advice please. 71,000 with a full history.
Thx

Click to expand...

My van is a '98 2.5 tdi, which i first started to use in february when the weather was colder. If the ambient temp was really cold and the vehicle was unstarted overnight the relay gloplug lamp would remauin on for several seconds then it would begin to flash and finally go out. Starting the engine would be instant, and also followed by white smoke. The first mile would be driven with white smoke from the exhaust, increasing with increased pressure on the accelerator pedal. After about a mile it would change to a lesser amount of black smoke then would clear altogher by two miles of running.
Now the weather and outside temperatures are high, the gloplug lamp goes out almost instantly and the van motor starts instantly with no or very little smoke at all.
I consider this to be normal behaviour from the system and am not concerned about it at all, BTW, my van has done 206,000 miles more than yours!!

Doorman

Thanks, looks like nothing to be concerned about then!
you know how it is when you get a new "something" you just have to see how it all fits together....
All in all though a really sound bit of kit, Thx again
C

just forgot...started after 3 days tonight. 1st turn, then a lot of (white) smoke for a minute or so. I had wondered if the injectors may be a bit tired, leaking after shutdown and bribbling onto the crowns? Do you think that it may be worthwhile having them reconned? I gather that they are available at about £25-30 each.....:idea:
Crispin

HI

On my ducato 2.5 L TDI 1994 it's the same problem, when the waither is " hot" it's start instantly but when it's cold ( less than 10 ° ) it's difficult to start and the gow plug heater lamp on dash board flashing during 10 second.

I've tested the gow plug with a wire between the battery and the gow plug, no heater, i think the gow plug is out ( dead ) it's a BERU GF 974 , but when i decide to look for this problem, and will looking at the heater relay , ( just above the battery ).

see you later.

I've looked a little more into the so called 'flame start' system on the 2.5TDI. The beru website (who make the plug) has an excellent technical paper.

It would seem the flame glow plug fitted in the inlet manifold firstly heats up to temperature. Then some seconds later when the plug is hot and you start the engine the solenoid next to it is activated to divert some diesel into the plug. This ignites creating the flame.

This is all generic howver since i don't have the actual ducato manual. I'd be interested if anyone could confirm this. The logic flow diagram on the beru website is fairly complex and this ties in with all the wires feeding the relay unit above the battery.

By the way - i'm interested because mine doesn't work - the relay quickly blinks on and off even in the coldest weather.

sidney said:

I've looked a little more into the so called 'flame start' system on the 2.5TDI. The beru website (who make the plug) has an excellent technical paper.

It would seem the flame glow plug fitted in the inlet manifold firstly heats up to temperature. Then some seconds later when the plug is hot and you start the engine the solenoid next to it is activated to divert some diesel into the plug. This ignites creating the flame.

This is all generic howver since i don't have the actual ducato manual. I'd be interested if anyone could confirm this. The logic flow diagram on the beru website is fairly complex and this ties in with all the wires feeding the relay unit above the battery.

By the way - i'm interested because mine doesn't work - the relay quickly blinks on and off even in the coldest weather.

Click to expand...

As you can see from my post I have the same worry! I have never had a commercial diesel before and my old Passat was no different to a petrol car. I think Sydney, we are worrying too much! My van (Swift Motorhome) has just been MOTed so I would hope the emissions were OK. Still worried though about cloud of smoke over someones breakfast when leaving early from a campsite!

sidney said:

I've looked a little more into the so called 'flame start' system on the 2.5TDI. The beru website (who make the plug) has an excellent technical paper.

It would seem the flame glow plug fitted in the inlet manifold firstly heats up to temperature. Then some seconds later when the plug is hot and you start the engine the solenoid next to it is activated to divert some diesel into the plug. This ignites creating the flame.

This is all generic howver since i don't have the actual ducato manual. I'd be interested if anyone could confirm this. The logic flow diagram on the beru website is fairly complex and this ties in with all the wires feeding the relay unit above the battery.

By the way - i'm interested because mine doesn't work - the relay quickly blinks on and off even in the coldest weather.

Click to expand...

your assumptions are corect , i had same problem and then i fitted a direct switch onto the relay / solenoid so now i can 1. push button to heat plug and spit some burning fuel into mainfold and then 2. i can turn the key and start engine

)