My 306 Diesel, non turbo started coughing and spluttering a couple of weeks ago. It's steadily got worse until yesterday. Now it's almost impossible to start and keep running. If started, it runs very roughly for a few seconds before stalling.
Over the last two months, the glow plugs and fuel filter have been changed, any ideas anyone???
Peugeot 306 won't start
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CitroJim
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Hi and welcome to the forum 
This sounds like you have a massive air leak on the fuel supply to the pump resulting in lots of air getting into the pump.
Favourite suspects are the priming bulb, filter housing or the pipework in between. A good method to see what is going on is to replace the fuel line from the top of the filter to the pump with transparant pipe. You'll then be able to easily see if air is the cause.
Note that because the supply side is under suction, you'll rarely, if ever, see diesel leaking.
The other reason for this behaviour can be a fuel line blockage. A favourite here is a blocked fuel strainer on the tank pickup. Moulds and microbiological life can live in diesel and grow a slimy mould across the pickup. yet another cause can be the use of veg oil as fuel which can have a scouring effect on the tank and fuel lines and release a lot of rubbish that has built up over the years and cause blockages.
Check also your fuel return line back to the tank is not blocked.
This sounds like you have a massive air leak on the fuel supply to the pump resulting in lots of air getting into the pump.
Favourite suspects are the priming bulb, filter housing or the pipework in between. A good method to see what is going on is to replace the fuel line from the top of the filter to the pump with transparant pipe. You'll then be able to easily see if air is the cause.
Note that because the supply side is under suction, you'll rarely, if ever, see diesel leaking.
The other reason for this behaviour can be a fuel line blockage. A favourite here is a blocked fuel strainer on the tank pickup. Moulds and microbiological life can live in diesel and grow a slimy mould across the pickup. yet another cause can be the use of veg oil as fuel which can have a scouring effect on the tank and fuel lines and release a lot of rubbish that has built up over the years and cause blockages.
Check also your fuel return line back to the tank is not blocked.
Jim
Runner, cyclist, time triallist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...
Runner, cyclist, time triallist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...
None of the above.
I removed the sender unit and ten years of gunge in the inlet filter. The pipe to the filter housing has been cleaned.The filter housing has been cleaned. A length of transparent pipe has been fitted between the filter housing and pump, but no air bubbles present. Started car, but it's as rough as ever. Shall I shoot it or does anyone have any more suggestions for a cure?
I can get it to start,with difficulty, but it won't idle. To keep it going I have to keep my foot flat to the floor. When my foot is on the floor it revs fine for a few seconds then struggles to keep going, then ok for a second or two then struggle. The engines rocks back and forth a lot as it struggles to keep going. There is smoke, but it's not gushing out even at full revs. Smoke colour is a lightish blue, but certainly not black.
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CitroJim
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That's a bit of an odd problem.
This needs a bit of locical tracing now. The first thing to check is that the pump is receiving an adequate amount of fuel. This can be done by slipping off the feed pipe to the pump and squeezing the primer bulb and ensuring plenty of fuel issues with each squeeze and that fuel keeps flowing with each squeeze.
Given that is OK, you need to ensure the fuel return line back to the tank is clear. Blow down it.
Then, after bleeding through the fuel system by switching on the ignition (to operate the stop solenoid) and squeezing the primer bulb a good few times, try a start. If the engine still wants to cut out and not idle, try rapidly squeezing the primer bulb. If the engine keeps running, you still have a fuel starvation/supply problem. Note that to effectively bleed a Lucas pump it is vital the ignition is switched on. With a Bosch pump it does not matter.
If this has not identified the problem, then there are a couple more things to check. The Stop Solenoid may be the cause. I'm assuming it's a Lucas pump you have and if so, the stop solenoid can be checked by carefully removing it and carefully removing the cylindrical plunger and spring (careful, the spring is easy to miss/loose) and replacing the solenoid without these. This'll effectively disable the stop solenoid but before you do this, ensure you know how to operate the emergency stop lever on the pump - push it to the left to stop the engine. Note that later pumps are armoured in the vicinity of the stop solenoid to prevent this simple operation "hotwiring" the car. Removing the stop solenoid will also show if the pump is full of fuel as some will spill out of the hole when you remove the solenoid.
If not that, you may have a totally choked exhaust or inlet tract. If the engine cannot breathe, it won't run. Yoy should be able to feel a good suck on the inlet when the engine runs and similarly, a good blow out of the tailpipe.
If all else fails, you have to suspect an internal problem in the pump although this is rare unless it's a Lucas pump that has at some time had a taste of vegetable oil. They really don't like it at all.
EDIT: Last thoughts, are you sure the fuel is OK. A bad/old batch of diesel can give these symptoms, as can an accidential fill-up with petrol.
This needs a bit of locical tracing now. The first thing to check is that the pump is receiving an adequate amount of fuel. This can be done by slipping off the feed pipe to the pump and squeezing the primer bulb and ensuring plenty of fuel issues with each squeeze and that fuel keeps flowing with each squeeze.
Given that is OK, you need to ensure the fuel return line back to the tank is clear. Blow down it.
Then, after bleeding through the fuel system by switching on the ignition (to operate the stop solenoid) and squeezing the primer bulb a good few times, try a start. If the engine still wants to cut out and not idle, try rapidly squeezing the primer bulb. If the engine keeps running, you still have a fuel starvation/supply problem. Note that to effectively bleed a Lucas pump it is vital the ignition is switched on. With a Bosch pump it does not matter.
If this has not identified the problem, then there are a couple more things to check. The Stop Solenoid may be the cause. I'm assuming it's a Lucas pump you have and if so, the stop solenoid can be checked by carefully removing it and carefully removing the cylindrical plunger and spring (careful, the spring is easy to miss/loose) and replacing the solenoid without these. This'll effectively disable the stop solenoid but before you do this, ensure you know how to operate the emergency stop lever on the pump - push it to the left to stop the engine. Note that later pumps are armoured in the vicinity of the stop solenoid to prevent this simple operation "hotwiring" the car. Removing the stop solenoid will also show if the pump is full of fuel as some will spill out of the hole when you remove the solenoid.
If not that, you may have a totally choked exhaust or inlet tract. If the engine cannot breathe, it won't run. Yoy should be able to feel a good suck on the inlet when the engine runs and similarly, a good blow out of the tailpipe.
If all else fails, you have to suspect an internal problem in the pump although this is rare unless it's a Lucas pump that has at some time had a taste of vegetable oil. They really don't like it at all.
EDIT: Last thoughts, are you sure the fuel is OK. A bad/old batch of diesel can give these symptoms, as can an accidential fill-up with petrol.
Jim
Runner, cyclist, time triallist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...
Runner, cyclist, time triallist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...