406 wont start when cold

[channon]

hi all summer my 1999 406 td started fine until november when ive had to keep turning it over until battery nearly flat but eventually it starts while its turning puffs of grey smoke comes out then when it goes after a good rev white smoke followed by black then the car runs all day fine until next morning when it all starts again.
had heater plugs changed and battery even had a mate one morning help with jump leads from his car but still just kept turning over until it kicks in the nieghbours dont need an alarm clock anymore at 7.30 every morning i have the street up with the noise of the car trying to start.
When its going it starts the rest of the day no probs any ideas would be great.

[myglaren]

Have a trawl through the forums for similar instances but the most probable cause is air ingress into the fuel supply.

If there is a clear pipe between the diesel filter and the pump, check it for air bubbles.
Presuming that you have the primer bulb, squeeze that a few times. If it starts out soft and gets hard after a few squeezes there is a hole or tear somewhere letting in air while the car is stood over a longer period. If it doesn't get hard it is the same cause, just worse.

Initial suspects would be the injector leak-off pipes, common problem they harden and split over time and the end stop sometimes drops out.
Replaceable from Halfords and most motor factors and diesel specialists.

If not the leakoff pipes then it will be the pipes between the fuel tank and the filter, the filter housing itself or the primer bulb.

[channon]

i did squeeze the primmer bulb a few morning until it was hard but made no difference

[myglaren]

Does the starter run slowly?

[channon]

during the day no kicks in straight away but mornings not as fast turns but as battery drains gets slower

[Peter.N.]

Is it an Hdi?

[myglaren]

The HDis have a problem with starters but not aware of that occurring on the TDs. Guy over the road just had one fitted to his 407.
Try running the preheat twice before cranking.
Although you have replaced the glow plugs they may still be the problem. There are lots of variations and sometimes unsuitable ones are fitted in error.

I was in a friends workshop one evening where he had a 306 that wouldn't start and suggested glowplugs.
He pulled them out and there were three different makes, two unsuitable ones and the other two completely dead.
£37 later and a set of the correct Beru plugs and he was sorted.

The other thing to look for is corrosion on the terminals and earthing points reducing the current to the starter. Something I need to check on mine, new battery didn't solve anything.

I'm sure that someone with better insight into this will be along shortly so don't give up hope just yet.

[myglaren]

Is it an Hdi?

It's a TD Peter.

[channon]

i park the car on a slope at night in case the fuel was running back and primed it serveral times but none of this worked just puffs of smoke as shes trying to start and eventually it starts with a plume of white smoke

[Peter.N.]

Check for voltage at the glow plugs, connect a meter between the any glow plug connection and earth, switch to the glow plug position and you should have 10-11 volts for about 15 seconds assuming the glow plugs are OK, anything near 12 volts and you have one or more plugs failed.

Peter

[Dippy]

Does the starter run slowly?

Similar prob. with our ( 1.9 TD ) Syn. 3 weeks ago'.fitted new glow pugs ( beru) - existing ones replaced 3 years since. and still like new in both appearance and testing , but since they were out it seemed prudent to replace with new again - touch of copaslip grease on threads helps future removal immensely.

No change - still slow to start on very cold mornings ..... Hmmmm

Battery / Charging all above spec. on multimeter - then Fitted extra earth strap ( from a previous 406) from engine block direct to battery earth terminal , definite improvement in cranking speed - but still not as it should be .

Now convinced battery was failing under Cold / Load and priced up a new one , took car to battery shop and the guy tested it with a proper drop tester - despite being 5 yrs old He declared the Battery just fine - including the cold - cranking Amps .
Decent Guy - He could have just sold me a new one !

I remembered somewhere in this forum that an HDI starter was possibly superior in amperage ? the starter supplier's list appeared to confirm this .

Fitted exchange starter ( HDI type - Valeo ) the supplier was happy to accept a none HDI as an old unit , or indeed any starter as an old unit .

A replacement starter was fitted 4 years ago - Bosch - as original , which co - incides with other Cits / Pugs I have owned with Bosch Starters . none lasted more than 4 years on 1.9/2.1 TD's

Total transformation - glow plugs as normal then 1st touch of the key - this Valeo starter feels like it could spin the engine off it's mounts ! time will tell as to how long it lasts buts it's got loads more beans than the Bosch - even when the Bosch was new .

Another bonus is the ( or this ) HDI starter is shorter in lenghth , allowing it to be wangled in / out easier by my long - suffering assistant . Sorted.

I can forgive Synthia 2 x starters in 12 + years .and since the battery Guy was so up - front I purchased a replacement leisure battery from him for our tin - hut .

[Peter.N.]

I concur regarding the starter, in about 12,000 miles and last winters freeze I have never had to wait for the glowplugs on the Hdi, it starts instantly and I put it down to the rate of knots that the engine turns over.

Peter

[channon]

a mechanic i talked to a while ago recons i need shims for compression but its costly job a starter seems a better option what sort of price was the hd starter dippy?

[myglaren]

They have them on eBay for sixty quid.

[RichardW]

Assuming that the plugs are working and in good condition (I suspect they are as a 1.9TD will not start even in summer without the plugs working) then I would tend to think your mech is right - on higher mileage engines the exhaust valve clearances close up - to the extent where they are held just slightly open when the engine is cold - this reduces compression making them hard to start. Fitting an HDi stater which may turn a bit faster may help, but it is only really masking the problem. Sadly, adjusting the valve clearances means taking the camshaft out (more than once if the initial clearance is zero or less!) so it's a big job - reckon on a day's labour I should think, plus the shims - which are not cheap from PSA...