Diesel Starting problems - Fuel Pipe Connections?

[Sloppysod]

I tried to start my car the other morning and hey-ho it did not, initially,
I am not sure why as I did not want to start fiddling under the bonnet at 6:40 on a cold morning,just before I went t take the wifes car I gave it one more go and i started
History - the car had been sitting on my drive and not started for 4 days. When tried to start it, it fired, ran for less than 3 seconds then stopped, eventually started after about 1minet of cranking (not continuous)

At first I thought it was the heater plugs getting tired, but then I remembered it done a similar thing last year when parked backwards on a steep slope, the gut feeling then was that the fuel had drained from the fuel filter into the tank overnight. Now my drive is flat but the more I think about it the more I am thinking the reason why it didn't start straight away last week was the same.

The question, like the reports on some Vauxhall forums, do diesel Citroens typically suffer from leaking pipe connections, particuarily those under the bonnet either sied of the fuel filter? I am thinking of letting air in and not fuel out, could it seal itself when under pressure.
cheers
Stu

[Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur]

Daughter's 106D used to have similar issues when parked facing uphill.

It had a bypassed fuel filter / thermostat assembly as they commonly allow air in... you could hand-prime it and see the fuel pee'ing out.

I suppose we could've / should've given it a proper new assembly, or a one way valve, but what actually happened was she stopped parking it facing uphill and there was never a problem again (it never leaked)...til it was sold and I omitted this little nugget of wisdom

NB: anyone know of a simple check I can do to confirm that the cause of very slow cold cranking is a nearly knackered battery? A new one is an expense I could do without. Thankfully the old girl starts quickly with only a brief turn of the starter.

[ekjdm14]

NB: anyone know of a simple check I can do to confirm that the cause of very slow cold cranking is a nearly knackered battery? A new one is an expense I could do without. Thankfully the old girl starts quickly with only a brief turn of the starter.

Most fast-fit type places will do a free battery health check this time of year in hopes of gaining your business if it's knackered, you could get a voltmeter across the terminals and check what it's like after standing overnight too but it's less telling than a proper load test. If you do check with a meter, you ought to see over 12.7 volts at rest with nothing switched on, not dropping to less than 9v during cranking. (bit harder to check that with such a good starter, I suppose you could crank it for a few seconds before allowing the glow plugs to heat up)

[Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur]

thanks ekjdm, I'll be out there with the Multimeter next cold morning.

and congrats on the recent revival of the Xant and long trip detailed elsewhere on the boards. Only this afternoon reviewing photos taken in your approx' neck of the woods last year, Errwood Reservoir.

[Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur]

you ought to see over 12.7 volts at rest with nothing switched on, not dropping to less than 9v during cranking.

News is slight better than I'd anticipated: a slightly low but not completely woeful 12.15 Volts at rest and a low of 9.07v cranking (didn't wait for the glowplugs).
Reasonably happy, new battery can wait at least til next year.

[ekjdm14]

Sounds to my mind like it's just got a bit discharged over winter, a good overnight trickle charge would probably sort that as long as it stays somewhere around/over 12.7 a few hours after it's been taken off charge. I wonder if you're suffering the weak battery terminal/corroded cable issue that afflicts the Xantia, the 405 being it's contemporary?

Not been to Errwood I don't think, but we were up around Rainow the other day exploring an abandoned quarry up there, complete with at least 3 mostly complete International excavators and a big pile of V8 and V10 Deutz air cooled diesels, pumps, gearboxes etc amongst other interesting things. (also a large old Oxford welder and an even larger diesel powered, trailer mounted genset/welder). Crazy how that sort of thing can still exist and not have been totally wrecked by scrappers. I guess the remote location helps but even so it was pretty surreal walking round the place. Must have been shut at least 15 years I would say by the way the machinery has settled in.

[Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur]

...as long as the Battery stays somewhere around/over 12.7v a few hours after it's been taken off charge.

looks like the Battery is weak, I gave it a charge (its charged every few weeks in winter on a standard 240v charger) and tested across it immediately after removing the charger. I had 13v at 6pm, but by 10am next day, with it disconnected, I had only 12.57V.... so 'tis clear the Battery's not in the best of health; but it'll do me for this year.

I'm losing a very acceptable 0.02V a day with the + terminal removed and the 'Drain' is a similarly acceptable 0.1 ish bridging across the Battery + and Disconnected Terminal.

I am getting a slightly 'high' 0.2V per day, with the battery connected up, but its not enough that I'm going to look at it any further, I'm simply disconnecting it if I think the car won't be used for at least a couple of days. If I have to have the centre panel out anytime, I'll disconnect the little red 'Alarm' LED on the Dashboard that flashes 24-7, that's probably taking a fair bit of that 0.2v.

This is all aggravated at the mo by a dead Glow-Plug; I'm putting off doing that til we get back from NL in April, just in case it all goes horribly wrong..... I had resistance of 0.15 Ohms and thereabouts on three of em and 620 (!!) on No. 4 so that's a total no-brainer (Timing Belt end, behind pump, so access is quite good); I've successfully had em out on my spare ZX lump, with a very severely blown HG, but this'll be the first time I've attempted it 'for real'.

Errwood's really pretty. Will put a memo in my Catalogue regarding Rainow, sounds well worth a visit, thanks !