Never had a problem starting, now its let me down twice.

First time freezing cold evening first start of the day. I think in my rush I cranked the engine before the dash heater light went out. Then engine turned but not a glimmer of firing up. Called breakdown out, they hooked up...started OK after a few turns. Been OK since till again today. First start of the day again. I had the battery on charge all night and yesterday when I finished gunned the engine before cutting it to ensure fuel in the cylinder chambers (Is this a good idea?) Again it would not start, just kept turning over. I put some jump leads on to another (engine running) vehicle. After two tries with the engine turning for some time it eventually started.

I am thinking along the lines that the battery although with enough power to crank the engine it just has not the oomph to fire it too...That perhaps when I put jump leads on the old battery it is reducing available power until after a few minutes when its charged up to acceptable level?

I am thinking and hoping a new battery will cure-but old one is only 18 months old but still seems good at all other times. Do not want to go to expense of this if its down to another problem? Comments/thoughts welcome!

get your battery checked but i would say starter not winding over fast enough try giving it 3 heats then turn it over and see if it fires

r masters said:

try giving it 3 heats then turn it over and see if it fires

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I had the same problem a couple of nights ago with my '04 2.0JTD. This morning, I turned the key, waited 'till the glowplug light went out, then switched off and repeated - the engine fired up quite well.

tried the 3 glows before starting...3 times over...still nothing-battery might be drained more now...will leave it a while and try on a jump start.

if u have a lazy starter murder to start on cold mornings but once started usually ok i would try jumping it off another car to see if it starts if not probably starter lazy

Andycabs said:

Never had a problem starting, now its let me down twice.

First time freezing cold evening first start of the day. I think in my rush I cranked the engine before the dash heater light went out. Then engine turned but not a glimmer of firing up. Called breakdown out, they hooked up...started OK after a few turns. Been OK since till again today. First start of the day again. I had the battery on charge all night and yesterday when I finished gunned the engine before cutting it to ensure fuel in the cylinder chambers (Is this a good idea?) Again it would not start, just kept turning over. I put some jump leads on to another (engine running) vehicle. After two tries with the engine turning for some time it eventually started.

I am thinking along the lines that the battery although with enough power to crank the engine it just has not the oomph to fire it too...That perhaps when I put jump leads on the old battery it is reducing available power until after a few minutes when its charged up to acceptable level?

I am thinking and hoping a new battery will cure-but old one is only 18 months old but still seems good at all other times. Do not want to go to expense of this if its down to another problem? Comments/thoughts welcome!

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This sounds more like glow plug failure to me.

Started now...thanks for advices chaps...REALLY APPRECIATED!!!

I had a new starter motor not many miles ago so that's unlikely culprit

Glow plugs...hope not!

Battery? It seems to turn the engine easy, does not sound totally deadums...but tired after about 3 tries...semms most likely:idea:

Had my sons Merc, he left it parked beside on the drive (silly boy Hehe!) tried with that jumped over....nope...did not want to know that either:bang::bang: Voltage across terminals only ever got up to 13.4 even with both battery's joined, methinks should be around 14.4 with a decent alternator?...memories that if two batteries joined together the good one will revert to state of the duff one. Maybe I am surrounded by duff batteries that do not like the cold!

Had my very good mate from local factors deliver me a new BIG king battery £80 and a can of easy start , It started on second crank! :slayer::slayer::slayer::slayer:

I have to proceed now with the thought it was the battery Kaput and while it was in circuit any jump battery would have efficiency reduced thus buggering all big time. Those are my thoughts with the rose tinted, but very much aware Glow plugs, as Big Dong suggested might be shot away. Easy to replace? expensive?

The morning/afternoon tomorrow will be the testing time...will keep you posted:worship::worship::worship:

if u got new battery u shouldnt need easy start it should fire straight away if it was battery

r masters said:

if u got new battery u shouldnt need easy start it should fire straight away if it was battery

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Yea, you are right, just me being safe (desperate?) to have it start. thought maybe the New Battery was not full charged off the shelf??? But now reading some of the comments of what Easy Start does to injectors I wish I hadn't! The next first cold start will tell!

If it does end up its the Glow plugs I see they retail around £10 each-so £40 the set... would not be the end of the world....
But seem to remember reading somewhere they can be a pig to remove, often snapping and leaving a new thread to be drilled into the cylinder head "IF" the old can be removed....shall not go there if it can be avoided!

Andycabs said:

If it does end up its the Glow plugs I see they retail around £10 each-so £40 the set... would not be the end of the world....
But seem to remember reading somewhere they can be a pig to remove, often snapping and leaving a new thread to be drilled into the cylinder head "IF" the old can be removed....shall not go there if it can be avoided!

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Changing the g/plugs is best done with the engine as hot a you dare work on it, just be carefull not to burn yourself.

Thats it chaps...looks like job done with new battery...started OK today...though it was nowhere near as cold as it was then????? Hopes eternal.

The Saga continues. No start today-very reluctantly sprayed some easy start in the Air intake pipe...it fired OK after a few turns.

Now I am wondering if I am at fault here. Today, same as the first time I was in a rush and just turned the ignition key straight to start without waiting for the glow plug light to go out. This is where I need your advice gents, can a diesel engine be flooded with unburnt fuel in the cylinder the same way a petrol engine does. If so I would imagine diesel having a lower flash point it would evaporate away even slower than petrol thus making it harder, longer for that explosive air mix to start??? What are your thoughts of this thinking?

Having bought a new Battery. 80AH big beast there is certainly plenty of ooomph! I think I am just searching for alternatives to replacing the glow plugs

Andycabs said:

Having bought a new Battery. 80AH big beast there is certainly plenty of ooomph! I think I am just searching for alternatives to replacing the glow plugs

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I think this is the correct answer.

it should still start as big dong says glow plugs

Got a guy coming over with the full Doggys do das of diagnostics, an expert in diesel I am told...this should sort this and a few other niggles :slayer:

Meanwhile back at the ranch another issue has raised, pot hole 5 foot by 4 foot and 10 inches deep on local dual carriageway might have taken out the front and rear offside wheels at 40 mph. Drives OK, rims tyres look...reasonable. But getting a low thumping clang from back now when turning. Off to the Garage the morrow to hear the bad news....:bang:

Andycabs said:

Meanwhile back at the ranch another issue has raised, pot hole 5 foot by 4 foot and 10 inches deep on local dual carriageway might have taken out the front and rear offside wheels at 40 mph. Drives OK, rims tyres look...reasonable. But getting a low thumping clang from back now when turning. Off to the Garage the morrow to hear the bad news....:bang:

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No bad news...Garage MOT tester tells me everything is fine, noise from back has quietened, they could not hear it...I am still concerned though??

No bad news about Engine either...chap came around while I was still asleep, did thorough testing, glow plugs and injector pressures in particular, left a message with Mrs Andy no problems found!

The pessimist in me still says there is damage somewhere under the back end from that pothole...will find out no doubt when its too late to make a claim

Good news about the rear end after the pot hole, parking sensor control box mounted above rear OS wheel arch had come adrift and hanging by wires...unbelievable how it mimicked a heavy suspension clonking! :slayer:

I hope you reported the pothole to the council (there's a "report a pothole" website somewhere you can use.

Even if you can't claim (if it's already been reported, you may be able to), someone else will then be able to.