Diesel cold start problem

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andyturner
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Diesel cold start problem

Post by andyturner »

When I try to start my Xantia 1.9TD 1995 from cold it is reluctant to start and give off a lot of unburned diesel white smoke. Heaters are new and drawing correct current for correct length of time. Problem has been around since at least 12000 miles. Any ideas?
apt
JohnD
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Post by JohnD »

Hi Andy - Before doing your next cold start, try giving the bulb in the fuel pipe a few sqeezes until it becomes hard. If the car then starts, it would indicate that air is leaking into the system overnight. Then it's a matter of finding which joint is at fault.
andyturner
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Post by andyturner »

I have been down the leaking fuel return pipe road before. A split pipe was causing diesel to drop back to the tank which meant the engine had to turn over many times to pull it back to the pump. It is not the cause this time. But ta anyway.
apt
Dave Burns
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Post by Dave Burns »

Hi,are you sure you have the correct type of heater plugs fitted, turbo's and not 19D's, I have recently fitted some bosch plugs, the new resistance was less than 0.5 ohm, they typicaly draw about 12 amps apiece, have'nt got the clobber to test the actual current drain, not many folk have, I once put some 19D plugs in a ZX turbo not knowing the difference and they buggered the relay up, that mistake cost fifty odd quid, can really only be two things, fuel or heating, whats the mileage on it and has it had injectors though even worn ones wont cause bad starting on this scale, what does it run like when it's going and how soon does it settle down after starting.
Dave
andyturner
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Joined: 13 Jul 2001, 20:35
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Post by andyturner »

Hi Dave,
I have just had a new set of Beru plugs fitted as I suspected the old ones and there is no difference. The car has done 40000 miles, the white smoke during cold start has occurred since I bought the car on 12000 miles. The white smoke stops after about 10 seconds and runs perfectly after. Plugs are drawing correct current. Fuel economy is suspect, I get 400 miles to a tank round town, 500 on a run. (1.9TD)
apt
JohnD
(Donor 2022)
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Joined: 14 Mar 2001, 23:41
Location: Epsom, Surrey
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1998 Citroen Saxo 1.5D
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2011 Citroen C1
x 72
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Post by JohnD »

Hi Andy - Has the cambelt been off, and more to the point, is it fitted correctly?
Dave Burns
Posts: 1915
Joined: 14 May 2001, 05:30
Location: United Kingdom
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Post by Dave Burns »

Hi Andy, 40000 miles it's only just loosening up, if it was getting the correct supply of fuel for cold starting it would put out loads of black smoke when it finaly fired after being cranked for a while, so it looks like a case of finding out why there is'nt enough fuel getting through, air is the number one cause usually but you say you have explored that possibility, does your Xantia have one of those automatic bleed valves by any chance, though neither my present td or previous n/a Xantia had one, the ZX that I run does have one, this valve caused big problems and had to be replaced years ago on the ZX when it belonged to another family member, it is shown in the Haynes Xantia manual but you can't be sure if it's a photo from an actual Xantia sripdown or just a stock photo, the valve is between the pump and the filter and on the zx the leakoff pipes go into the top of it, the only way to see how much fuel is getting through is to loosen an injector union, pack some rag round the injector to catch any diesel and get someone to crank it while you watch, there should be a good pulse of fuel at the outset, if you try this loosen the union off enough to prevent spray, if the fuel can get out easily it will just run down the injector and into the rag, keep hands clear of pipes though just incase.
Good luck
Dave
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