Glowplug lifespan?

This is the Forum for all your Citroen Technical Questions, Problems or Advice.

Moderator: RichardW

Post Reply
Xantiargh
Posts: 35
Joined: 26 Feb 2003, 16:09
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars:

Glowplug lifespan?

Post by Xantiargh »

Xantia 1.9 TD LX 1995 M
Ok. Beginning to get annoyed with Glowpugs.
Cold starts, car catches first time, splutters, emits white/grey smoke, then calms down and idles. From that point forward, its fine.
Warm starts, car catches first time always.
Every time the car does this I buy it new glowplugs. I have now tried the following makes:
NGK
Beru
Champion
Bosch
(had car about 16 months and done 15,000 miles)
The car will then start perfectly for a while. The Beru and Bosch lasted longest, but even then only a couple of months before the car starts to splutter again.
Do glow plugs really die so quickly, or should I be looking elsewhere for a problem? The battery is quite old (4 years+ if I recall).
Apart from that, the car has sailed through its second MOT, needing only a windscreen. The emissions are in the 0.8->1.1 region with a legal limit of 3. It doesn't burn any oil, returns 38mpg ish.
Any ideas?
Mike
User avatar
Kowalski
Posts: 2557
Joined: 15 Oct 2003, 17:41
Location: North East, United Kingdom
My Cars: Ex 05 C5 2.0 HDI Exclusive 145k
Ex 97 Xantia 1.9TD SX 144k
Ex 94 Xantia Dimension 1.9TD 199k

Post by Kowalski »

A sticking glow plug relay can mean your glowplugs are on all of the time rather than just when the engine is cold. This makes them last months instead of years.
Robin
Posts: 485
Joined: 01 Jan 2004, 18:45
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars:
Contact:

Post by Robin »

Mike, even though the emissions are OK for MOT purposes it is possible that the injectors are faulty too. Have you noticed if the same plugs go down each time? The spray pattern is set to avoid impinging on the plug tip and causing erosion, overheating and failure. When the injectors wear the pattern can change and the plugs get damaged as a result.
Kowalski is right with the relay and you can check for this by taking a voltage reading across the plugs when the engine is first started up and then see when it drops off - if at all!!! when warm. Good hunting.
RichardW
Forum Treasurer
Posts: 10812
Joined: 07 Aug 2002, 17:12
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars: MK2 '17 C4GP 1.6 BlueHDi 120
'13 3008 1.6 HDi GripControl
x 983

Post by RichardW »

If the glowplugs stay on all the time they generally knacker the alternator too...
On the 1.7TD as fitted to the BX, the glowplugs only ran at 11V, and a special relay was used to achieve this. I wonder if something similar applies to the 1.9, and if the relay on this vehicle has been changed and is supplying too high a voltage?
Either way, they should last about 10 years / 100,000 miles...., not just a few months. On the other hand it could be that you have poor compression, and a slight drop off in plug performance is causing poor starting.
JohnD
(Donor 2022)
Posts: 2632
Joined: 14 Mar 2001, 23:41
Location: Epsom, Surrey
My Cars: 2010 Citroen C5-X7 tourer
1998 Citroen Saxo 1.5D
2018 Citroen C4-B7
1998 Peugeot 306. 1.9D
2011 Citroen C1
x 72
Contact:

Post by JohnD »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Xantiargh</i>

Xantia 1.9 TD LX 1995 M
Cold starts, car catches first time, splutters, emits white/grey smoke, then calms down and idles. From that point forward, its fine.
Warm starts, car catches first time always.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
In this case, I wouldn't rule out a slight air leak. Before starting, give the fuel line a pump up. See if it makes a difference.
rg
Posts: 280
Joined: 23 Nov 2002, 02:02
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars:
Contact:

Post by rg »

Sounds exactly like the air leak on my XM.
rg
Xantiargh
Posts: 35
Joined: 26 Feb 2003, 16:09
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars:

Post by Xantiargh »

If it was an air leak, why would replacing the glowplugs cure it? On changing the plugs, the spluttering and smoke disappears for a month or two...
TO test the glow plugs to see if they're permanently on, can I just wire a testlamp between the -ve on the battery and the glowplug wiring, (I can't get my mitts on a multimeter, and I'm tight) or will that not work, or result in a glorious electrical fire and a need for some marshmallows?
User avatar
Kowalski
Posts: 2557
Joined: 15 Oct 2003, 17:41
Location: North East, United Kingdom
My Cars: Ex 05 C5 2.0 HDI Exclusive 145k
Ex 97 Xantia 1.9TD SX 144k
Ex 94 Xantia Dimension 1.9TD 199k

Post by Kowalski »

A multimeter would be best, but failing that the bulb will do, providing its a 12 volt bulb you shouldn't have any unexpected problems.
Xantiargh
Posts: 35
Joined: 26 Feb 2003, 16:09
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars:

Post by Xantiargh »

Phooey. Its an air leak. I haven't had a chance to check the glowplugs yet, but today it wouldn't catch at all. Pumped the primer about 10-15 times til hard then tried again. Broom, broom.
Oh well. Looks like I'll be popping the bonnet every morning and evening until I get a chance to find the leak...
Joy.
Mike
Still, at least I won't have to change the plug behind the Bosch pump again.
paranoid
Posts: 770
Joined: 08 Jan 2004, 18:32
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars:

Post by paranoid »

Top of fuel filter was sucking in air giving same symptoms as yours, replaced filter and carefully cleaned where the lid and rubber seal sits, there was some hard crud in mine so it wasn't sealing properly.
No visible leak but if with the engine off you squeeze the bulb really hard, filter housing would start to dribble, took about 10 minutes to fix, and starting has been instant ever since.
jakeuk
Posts: 48
Joined: 24 Nov 2003, 21:12
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars:

Post by jakeuk »

i think we may have just solved my suspected glowplug problem,...will report back i a few mins cos she's cold right now[:D]
jakeuk
Posts: 48
Joined: 24 Nov 2003, 21:12
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars:

Post by jakeuk »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by jakeuk</i>

i think we may have just solved my suspected glowplug problem,...will report back i a few mins cos she's cold right now[:D]
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">bloody marvelous car aint been started at all today so went out full of anticipation,pumped the primer@10 times&bosh,it took the usual 3or4 turns of the engine and when it started there was the tiniest puff of white smoke[:D] instead of the usual plumes.
Is there a permanent solution to this air leak problem[?]
User avatar
Kowalski
Posts: 2557
Joined: 15 Oct 2003, 17:41
Location: North East, United Kingdom
My Cars: Ex 05 C5 2.0 HDI Exclusive 145k
Ex 97 Xantia 1.9TD SX 144k
Ex 94 Xantia Dimension 1.9TD 199k

Post by Kowalski »

How about finding the airleak and fixing it?
If the pump can draw air in, you can probably force diesel out through it by pumping hard with the bulb. Once you've got it to leak some diesel you'll find it easier (although maybe not easy) to find the leak.
The fuel filter is the most common suspect, second is probably the connecting pipework.
JohnD
(Donor 2022)
Posts: 2632
Joined: 14 Mar 2001, 23:41
Location: Epsom, Surrey
My Cars: 2010 Citroen C5-X7 tourer
1998 Citroen Saxo 1.5D
2018 Citroen C4-B7
1998 Peugeot 306. 1.9D
2011 Citroen C1
x 72
Contact:

Post by JohnD »

After you've checked the filter housing, take a look at the crimp clips either end of the primer bulb - and even the bulb itself.
jakeuk
Posts: 48
Joined: 24 Nov 2003, 21:12
Location: United Kingdom
My Cars:

Post by jakeuk »

what i'm wondering is, at what stage of the fuel pumping process should i start checking for air in/fuel out?
Post Reply