hi,
posting for a mate of mine, he has a 406 2.0 hdi rapier 03 plate....it is really struggles to start first thing,rest of the day he has no problems...he has had new heater plugs fitted, new fuel filter,and new heater relay unit.......he says it's fine once it's going but first thing it doesn't want to start, so just asking on here as he has spent a lot on trying to fix it already with no luck so hopefully the experts on here might come up with some suggestions....cheers..........
Is the starter motor turning fast enough. 3 or 4 years ago mine became difficult to start. Diagnostics said the fuel pressure was too low. A change of starter cured it.
The HP diesel pump is a favourite for poor starting but that is even worse when hot, so if its OK when warm it probably won't be that. I would agree with JohnD that maybe the engine is not turning over fast enough, could be the starter or the battery, these engines should really whip round when all is well.
The only other problem I can think of is air ingeress to the fuel system, if it has a hand primer try pumping this until its hard and the starting.
gave my friend the advice and he is still having trouble starting his car. He did say,after pumping the hand pump for ages,it still didn't go hard?? also, when he switches on his ignition,should he hear the pump start up? cos he says he can't hear anything when he turns the ignition on?? he is going to get it on a diagnostic machine this week..........
When he turns the key you should be able to hear the lift pump in the tank working. It only stays on briefly then switches off. They are known to fail. Sometimes they can be brought back to life by hitting the bottom of the tank.......................... But if after starting, it's OK for the rest of the day, then I don't think its likely to be the lift pump.
If it's got a hand primer then it will be Siemens injection and won't have a lift pump in the tank. Does it make grey smoke when cranking, and then burst into life with a cloud of smoke, or does it start cleanly when it finally decides to? If the former, suggests injection OK, but down on compression or something. If the later then suggests problem with fuel supply (ECU won't start injection until pressure reaches 128 bar). Could be worth getting it on a diag computer and seeing what the fuel pressure is doing. Does it run on when switched off? This can point to faulty fuel pressure reg on the HP pump. Otherwise, leak off test on injectors might be in order to see if one is leaking excessively and causing rail pressure to drop. HDis can be fussy on battery voltage and be difficult to start / keep running if the voltage is low - check by jumping it or substituting another battery?
cheers richard, i'll ask him about the starting and whether it smokes, I will also advise jump starting from mine to see if it starts any better, just a matter of eliminating stuff eh? Thanks again everyone for the input,dean....
Both the C5 and Berlingo do this. I have been told it's the starter motor not spinning fast enough in cold temps. I have a spare starter here, but nowhere to fit it yet. C5 worse than Berlingo...
