2.0 HDi glowplugs

[maxxo]

Hi all,

So as some of you may know i have a 2005 xsara picasso with the 2.0 HDi engine

Cold starting has been a little iffy for a few years but always starts up, now today as it was freezing cold i got a chance to properly listen to it starting
Now this morning the glowplug light did it's less than 2 second glowing and i waited a few more seconds afterwards, however the engine took about 6-7 seconds worth of cranking before starting (smoothly albeit) with a big cloud of smoke.

so i suspect i either have knackered glow plugs or the glow plug relay has failed, due to the smoothness of the cranking i'm leaning more towards the relay.

Can anyone offer any advice on this? there is a fault code on lexia about preheating however i forgot to check it out

[lexi]

Well you can take the plugs out and check them across a battery. Beru plugs are good. You should be able to check relay with a multi meter somewhere. It should show certain voltage and then drop off after start as the relay changes after a warm up period.

[GiveMeABreak]

Hi all,

So as some of you may know i have a 2005 xsara picasso with the 2.0 HDi engine

Cold starting has been a little iffy for a few years but always starts up, now today as it was freezing cold i got a chance to properly listen to it starting
Now this morning the glowplug light did it's less than 2 second glowing and i waited a few more seconds afterwards, however the engine took about 6-7 seconds worth of cranking before starting (smoothly albeit) with a big cloud of smoke.

so i suspect i either have knackered glow plugs or the glow plug relay has failed, due to the smoothness of the cranking i'm leaning more towards the relay.

Can anyone offer any advice on this? there is a fault code on lexia about preheating however i forgot to check it out

The code is important, as it might give a clue as to whether it is the relay or the plugs.....

[Hell Razor5543]

If you are going to test the glow plugs there are a few things to remember. First, they get hot very quickly, so it would be best to mount them in a vice before powering them up, and keep any flammable materials well away. Second, the tip of the glow plug should glow (if the glow is not at the tip it is faulty).

However, the HDi engines are very good at starting, even in the cold, so the glow plugs are not needed that much. However, they have to be spun up to the right speed (I think it is 800RPM) before the ECUs will allow fuel to the injectors, so if the starter motor is on the way out it can take a few seconds (or, in the case of bad motors, a few goes) before the engine starts. If the starter motor is on the way out you can get a reconditioned one from GSF for around £120, and if you return the old motor in the same packaging they will give you something back for it (when I did it was around £60).

[Activa TCT]

Change battery, that's the cheapest fix there is. Esp. if it is quite old. If engine spins too slow, ecu won't open injectors.
If rpm counter doesn't lift from the resting position, there's not enough rpm's to start engine.

[Michel]

Change the starter motor as James mentions above. I've had 4 cars with this engine now, all have exhibited this symptom, and each was resolved by replacing the starter motor. It's a common problem, which usually suddenly gets worse in winter.

Ebay has a selection of them You want the "high power" version. About £70 . I'll root out a link in a while when I'm properly awake.

I changed the battery on one before I read about this problem. It made no difference whatsoever