volcane dturbo slow starting woes again

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stubbsy
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volcane dturbo slow starting woes again

Post by stubbsy »

i posted on the old site about 3 months ago about this.slow starter turn over.i changed the battery and at the same time i also gave her a service.evry thing was as good as new .well that was then! a few weeks ago i then started to notice that the old girl was yet again starting to turn over not as quickly as she should.so i gave it another service.spot on no problems yet again back to normall. NOW last week,yes the same problem,SO yesterday i just replaced the fuel filter (after only 3 weeks) and yes u guessed it ,all is well :shock: :shock: now it seems to be whenshe starts to turn over a bit slower than usual and i go near the filter housing ie replacing the filter,the problem is cured.any ideas???? air in system somewhere??? thats all i can come up with.one thing i did notice was before removeing the 4 allen bolts from the filter housing i un screwed the drain plug from bottom of housing and no diesel came out,UNTIL i started to undo the allen bolts on top.is this normal.ive spent £40 on a battery that i didnt need in the first place :( :( :(
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Post by Peter.N. »

If the engine is turning over more slowly, the most likely culprit is the starter its self. But first check that you havn't a poor connection on the battery or engine earth. The easiest way to test for this is to connect a voltmeter across the battery and check the voltage with the starter turning, it should be about 9 volts, then connect the meter between the live connection on the starter and a good earth poind on the engine, the voltage should be approximatly the same, maybe 1/2 volt lower. If it is then the fault is most likely the starter, if not, you have a bad connection somewhere.
stubbsy
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Post by stubbsy »

peter i think you replyed to my origional post with the same response.if it wasnt you then i appolligise.the starter has been checked and all terminals cleaned and a liberal dose of copper grease applied as agood measure.the battery is new (and tested). i wont go through all the symptoms as they are posted above. if everytime i changed the fuel filter or removed and replaced it,then why does this problem cease,then return GRADUALLY 3 to 4 weeks later? it is deffo not electrical. :roll:
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Post by drpau »

So is it slow turning over or does it turn over at the same speed but take longer to start? Any white smoke on startup? (does that make sense? Im tired!)
Re the fuel thing - you would expect that as it would be held in by the vacuum - happened to me when I did it on my xsara.
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stubbsy
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Post by stubbsy »

no white smoke :D .it turns over slower and takes longer to start.(which sounds like an electrical problem),battery is NEW and has been tested.AS ABOVE :evil: WHEN FUEL FILTER HAS BEEN REMOVED AND/OR REPLACED CRANKING SPEED IS AS SHOULD BE and fires on the first turn of the key
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Post by fastandfurryous »

what happens if you pump the primer like mad before trying to start the car... or have someone pumping the primer while you crank the engine? If this fixes the problem, then I would say you've picked up a batch of crappy diesel from somewhere, and it's clogging up the filter and injection pump.
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jeremy
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Post by jeremy »

If its fuel/air I'd expect the engine to crank at the same speed all the time. I know its all been checked etc BUT I cannot think of any reason why the engine cranking speed should be different unless it is something electrical.

The cranking speed could be affected by connection quality, battery condition/charge, or even a defective starter. or the operation of the glow plugs.

The reason I say glow plugs is that they take about 45 amps at the same time the starter is operating and will noticeably slow it. The supply lead is in the vicinity of the fuel filter and so while working in this area you may well move the lead which could improve the electrical connection if it is loose. However the cranking speed is the opposite of what would be expected if this were the case.

Bad conections (earth etc ) can be simply checked by connecting a voltmeter in parallel and then operating the component. So for example to check the engine earth connect positive lead to the engine, negative lead to battery negative terminal, operate starter and you should get a tiny reading. If its approaching 1/4 volt you've found a problem. You can of course go on and check all the connections without dismantling them. This also checks the integrity of all parts of the cable and the crimped on connectors.

Have a look at the filetron the car and think what you touch/move while working on it. This may give a clue. If the starter is turning severely slowly the problem is probably a sticking brush - in which case striking it smartly may free the brush and help you eliminate the probem.

I think you have a long and frustrating hunt - doing one thing at a time and seeing if it makes any difference.

jeremy
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