Technical Problem starting - preheater?

[toodlepip]

Having some problems starting both from cold and warm on my 2000 Uylesse 1.9D

From cold the preheater light doesn't come on, temperature gauge goes up to maximum and back three times and then settles down at cold, crank engine, nothing happens.

Maybe do this three of four times, engine may fire up.

Sometimes a click, preheater light flashes on, and then goes off, a buzzing noise, wait a few seconds a second click and I may be lucky and it starts up. If not repeat the process until it does.

Once warm a bit of cranking and it starts, temp gauge doesn't go up and down.

Unfortunately getting worse. Any suggestions please?

Done 171000 miles, I thought it might be the glowplugs, but the fact that the preheater light is not coming on for any length of time makes it think it is something else, but what?

Any help appreciated

 

[Brittleware]

Sounds like the engine temperature sensor may be faulty. The glow plugs may be getting told not to bother by the ECU 'cos it thinks the engine is already warm...? The sensor is cheap, about £12 from memory. It's relatively simple to change. (Without draining all the coolant if you swap it quickly!)

 

[toodlepip]

New sensor fitted this morning, just over £21 from a local parts place. Speed over price in this case, and it took about ten minutes to fit including finding it.

Preheater light comes on now and works correctly in time with the sound of the glowplugs working. Starting is improved so that must have been the fault then.

Thanks for that good advice.

:worship:

 

[Brittleware]

It'll help with fuelling too. The BSI relies on that sensor for quite a lot of things!

 

[toodlepip]

Ah, that's interesting, it has been fluctuating between 41 and 45 mpg recently. I have been commuting to Wales to see my Mum recently and the journey is all M4 from door to door with a constant speed and I couldn't account for the variation in the mpg. So perhaps that's it.

I do miss a car with that gadget that tells you how much mpg you are doing at any set moment. My favourite - 99.9 mpg when going downhill !

 

[toodlepip]

Might have been shouting victory a bit too soon. Something is happening because the engine is running cooler but the starting problem has reared its head again.

The curly preheater light does not come on at all now, but I can hear the preheater working when the little light that looks like a letter k comes on. When that goes out the engine will start. Problem is it doesn't come on all the time, I have to fiddle with the key until it does.

Possible duff sensor ? or something else ? I disconnected the battery on the earth side to try and reset the esu that doesn't appear to have much effect.

It was better, now its back to how it was before.

Any other suggestions please.

 

[FRANTIC FRAN]

The click & buzzing sound you describe if often associated with a relay. Sometimes just cleaning the terminals helps if not replace it.

 

[toodlepip]

Ok, where are the relays located please, I have never seen quite the birds nest of wiring and fuse boxes as there is on this vehicle, and it always seems to be the case they put the bit you want on first, and then built the rest around it !

Hopefully somewhere easy to get at.

 

[FRANTIC FRAN]

I would home in towards the buzzing, on my citroen dispatch (same as Scudo) there are quite a few behind the glove box and the steering column cowling

 

[toodlepip]

Looks like we have the problem fixed. After a month and visits to two garages, neither of whom really wanted to do the job, I got the car outside the house and took the ecu out and sent it away for a check.

They found it basically knackered, redid the pcb and various other bits and I got it back this morning and was on the move within the half hour, first turn of the key.

Engine sounds different, runs better.

I can recommend ECU Testing (http://www.ecutesting.com/). They charge £35 for testing it, and then the cost of repair if faulty. Mine was £250 with a lifetime guarantee, and there and back in six days, including the weekend, and communicating at all times, especially before doing the repair.

If you look at their website and follow the links through to the Uyllsse it can be seen they suffer from exactly what my problem was. So, a well satisfied customer, and boo to both those garages who only played with it and really didn't try hard enough. Luckily they didn't charge and looked relieved when I eventually got it started and drove away.