2L hdi 90 starting from cold issue

[Timmo]

hey guys,
been up with mother this weekend, her 307sw has a bit of trouble starting from cold at the mo, i advised her to get a new battery as its taking 3+ attempts to start, but seems to have not made all that much difference,
engine regularly serviced, has 87k on it (53 plate), returns good mpg, drives lovely, plenty of go, just a pain to start on cold mornings, even 7 seconds post glow plug light out makes no difference, it gets regular clearing through as mum uses most the revs!
So, rather than ask her garage to look at it as i dont really rate them, i thought i would call on the collective hdi peeps!!! what should i be looking at?? glow plugs/injectors?? deisel magic through it?? any tips and pointers gratefully received as its the only thing that lets it down!!

ta muchly in advance guys,

[Hell Razor5543]

I would suggest that the next time the car is started, feel how hot the battery leads are. The leads are known to break down over time, which means their electrical resistance starts to go up, which means they get warm, increasing the resistance further, and so on. There is a post on the forum about it;

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... =3&t=38273" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Timmo]

Brilliant, thanks for that, will start a list of bits and bobs to check,

[Peter.N.]

On the same theme does the starter sound as though its turning the engine as quickly as it should? You really need to compare it with another one. The pressure regulator on the HP diesel pump can cause all manor of problems including poor starting.

If you take it anywhere I would go to a diesel specialist rather than a garage, they usually know what they are doing.

Peter

[Timmo]

Well, it doesnt turn over as quick as my xud td does, but mine fires first turn, I had contemplated popping a good relay in the starter line to give it full welly, but as its at mums its not so easy as she's 3 hours up the road! Hence the making a list, up there for new years so can have a look then, if I can sort it for buttons effectively then thats what i'll do, rather than a hefty garage bill!

[Hell Razor5543]

I just checked Gracies' leads, and they are cold after starting her. The only times she has been slow to start is when the weather is very cold, and I don't give her a few seconds for the glow plugs to take effect.

The problem with the leads beginning to fail is that once they start to fail, the failures accelerate.