poor starting

suzie · Post by **suzie** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:11

hi everybody,just bought my first diesel car a few days ago and generally i'm really pleased with the way it goes.it's a xantia 1.9td sx,'94.when i went to buy it the guy had already warmed it up and it drove fine,however i'm having trouble starting it on these cold mornings.i am waiting until the glow plug light goes out as instructed,but it takes about 15 attempts to start it.looking through the posts on this board i'm guessing that it's the glow plugs that need replacing,but as i say i'm new to diesel cars,so any advice would be much appreciated.thanks.

mezuk04 · Post by **mezuk04** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:16

Good luck in changing them, what is suppose to be a 4 hour job turned into 2 days for mine, i broke a piece of a cooling bit of the engine block. If you can get a cheap cheap quote from someone who knows what their doing get them to do it, it really does save the stress and swearing

fastandfurryous · Post by **fastandfurryous** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:18

Dead glowplugs are the most likely cause. Usually a 1.9TD engine will start fine on 3, sometimes even 2 glowplugs, so I wonder if in your case either they're all dead, or the glowplug timer is dead.

If the engine is warm, does it start properly? If so, then it's almost guaranteed to be plugs. They are cheap, but a bit of a swine to change.

In the meantime... try running the glowplugs several times before starting the car. This often helps a lot.

mezuk04 · Post by **mezuk04** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:22

I had two glowplugs out but i still managed to start the car fairly reliable, just took slightly longer and a bigger poof of white smoke

yangreen · Post by **yangreen** » 27 Nov 2005, 19:25

Do the Xantia's have that bulb in the fuel line so you can prime it? If that is softy soft, suggests a fuel line problem. If it's rock hard, glow plugs is a good suggestion.

Ian

fatboyslimfast · Post by **fatboyslimfast** » 27 Nov 2005, 20:14

If it has had glow plugs chances are the one behind the fuel pump has never ben changed - it is pretty awkward to get to. Do a amp draw test or resistance test across the plugs - you should get about 60 amp draw if they're all OK. Failing that the fuel pipe is prone to splitting just above the steering rack.