Technical marea jtd cold starting problem

[taffitalia]

Hi, I'm wondering if anyone can help I've always had problems cold starting, I changed all 4 glow plugs, still wont start, voltage from plug lead to earth when key is turned to illuminate light is 11.4 volts when relay clicks drops to 0 volts on starting with engine running I get 14+ volts, I don't think there should be any volts.
I hope that made sense?

 

[EI4GGB]

Hi,

jtd's dont rely so much on glow plugs for cold starting, which is why you'll notice the glow plug light goes off after a few seconds from cold. The glow plugs do come on for a minute or two after starting, to help smooth combustion until its warmed up a bit. its called post heating. Does the engine start up instantly when warm, and is the engine cranking fast enough ?. A good battery and starter are essential. If cranking is ok, check filter and fuel lines/fittings for leaks which may be causing airlocking. another thing to check is the fuel rail pressure on cranking. The engine driven high pressure fuel pump produces just enough pressure on cranking to allow starting, and if this is low it will cause hard starting. causes can be either the fuel pump itself or a faulty injector. A check with diagnostics would be a good idea here..

 

[taffitalia]

Thanks for the reply, in the past when it has failed to start, and I've used jump leads it starts straight away, this would point to my battery not cranking fast enough, incidentaly after it has started it fires on 1st turn every time til the next cold morning. don't know if that tells you anymore.

Cheers

 

[mountainmachine]

Could be the battery then, whats the voltage accross it 1)engine off, 2)when the cars switched on, 3)when its switched on with lights heaters etc all on. Just to rule out alternator.

 

[EI4GGB]

that points straight away to the battery/connections or starter. try a new or known good battery, and if that doesent help, check the battery leads and connections and the earth strap. the battery connections on the JTD are a bit flimsy, and if they are at all weak or broken they will cause poor cranking. replace them if necessary, you can use battery clamps from a motor factors and put the extra wires onto one of the screws. If none of the above helps, get the starter reconditioned, as it could well be lazy..

 

[mountainmachine]

Also check the Amp rating of your battery, diesels need quite high ampage to start, someone was having problems in another car and it turned out just to be an under capacity battery causing the probs.