General The terrible cold starter

[rafsteve]

Hi guys
I dont know if it is just my bravo but she is terrible at cold starts, i wait for the coil light to go out andshe gives a little ururururur then fires up with alot of smoke out the back, white/grey colour and then runs fine, abit of smoke comes out on hard acceleration to, its the 2.0 diesel. Ive never owned a diesel before so i dont know whats normal or not.
Do i need a glow plug change or is it something worse?
:aditional: the engine coolant keeps dropping to its minimum after a long drive never lower just around the min.. os this another problem?

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Sounds like there might be a glow plug issue.

Next time try flicking the ignition off after the coil light goes out, then back on until it goes out again (and runs another glow plug cycle) and see if it makes any difference

 

[Rigby]

If it is the glow plugs its a very easy fix. I changed mine, also a 2.0, and it took me 10 mins and £60 for all 4.

 

[rafsteve]

If it is the glow plugs its a very easy fix. I changed mine, also a 2.0, and it took me 10 mins and £60 for all 4.

cheers for the reasurance

May sound silly but how do you remove the orange caps off the glowplugs? Pull them off or do you pop the plastic clips.. was too scared to pull them off

 

[Rigby]

Tbh I can't remember 100% but I think I pulled them, they were stiff but did come off

 

[rafsteve]

Cheers ill give it ago

 

[F123C]

If the engine is slow to turn over (urururur) I'd check the battery is good,i.e. holding a full charge and that all terminals and connections between battery and starter motor are free from corrosion, are clean and tight. How is it starting when engine is still hot? Not saying it couldn't be a glowplug problem, just that it might also be battery/starter. jmho

Al.

 

[rafsteve]

If the engine is slow to turn over (urururur) I'd check the battery is good,i.e. holding a full charge and that all terminals and connections between battery and starter motor are free from corrosion, are clean and tight. How is it starting when engine is still hot? Not saying it couldn't be a glowplug problem, just that it might also be battery/starter. jmho

Al.

When the car is hot she starts on the first key turn straight away no problems

 

[neilshep]

Wait a couple of seconds after the glowplug light goes out, then start the car. The fuel pump needs time to pressurise the common rail. If the radio is off, you can just hear the pump whine, then shut off when pressure is up.

 

[rafsteve]

Wait a couple of seconds after the glowplug light goes out, then start the car. The fuel pump needs time to pressurise the common rail. If the radio is off, you can just hear the pump whine, then shut off when pressure is up.

i will give that a try, tried the 2 glow plug cycle was no difference going to give it a good clean soon, took the egr valve off and everything was cloated in thick black clumps even the intake manifold, might take that off and give it some tlc when i change my plugs
Cheera for the help

 

[neilshep]

i will give that a try, tried the 2 glow plug cycle was no difference going to give it a good clean soon, took the egr valve off and everything was cloated in thick black clumps even the intake manifold, might take that off and give it some tlc when i change my plugs
Cheera for the help

If you've given 2 glowplug cycles, then my solution is unlikely to work, but worth a try anyway.

It does work for me though. If I try to start cold immediately the glowplug light goes out, the engine turns over roughly and struggles to start. If I wait 2 seconds, it starts perfectly.

 

[F123C]

When the car is hot she starts on the first key turn straight away no problems

Then that probably rules out a battery/starter/cable problem
(unless the weather is cold )
Al.

 

[Insomnia]

Sounds like glow plugs if it starts up fine when warm.

 

[kyle96]

Sounds like glow plugs if it starts up fine when warm.

the diesels need a lot of cranking power hence the larger batteries, so a battery check is worth it, a cold start from morning is a lot more straining that a warm start. The tappet noise for the first 5 secs on my mjet is horrible!

I've had the problem happen to me a few times, doesn't seem to happen barley since I put some good oil in it, probarly just coincidence though.

Happens to a lot of people so you're not alone, in regards to your comment about the egr why don't you just block it off and do your inlet manifold a favour, then run a can of egr cleaner spray through it. if you don't want an eml then make an 8mm hole in a blanking plate, they're 3 quid off ebay.

 

[F123C]

The coolant level shouldn't drop normally. I'd check for any signs of leakage at radiator all hoses incl heater and under car when engine is left running to the point where fan cuts in. Sometimes you can smell a sort of sweet smell (some types of anti-freeze) under the bonnet or see a powdery colour stain on rad., hoses or connections. Alternatively you can ask a garage to do a cooling system pressure to check for leaks and a 'sniff test' at the expansion bottle to check for a slightly leaking head gasket as this is a possibility if no other leaks are found.

Al.