Club 80-90 Forums

Lately when I go to cold start my van (1.6TD JX) it turns over for a few seconds, starts to run for a few seconds, then cuts out. I have to repeat this a few times before it will run, and even then I have to keep the starter spinning far to long to make sure it continues firing before it will run smoothly. It will be fine all day after the initial problem, unless the engine gets cold again.

The glow plugs are all brand new, glow relay & sensor are functioning correctly & power is going to the plugs, new fuel filter, timed the fuel pump accurately yesterday with a dial gauge, put fuel dry & biocide additives in the tank, cold start lever working correctly.

Please help as I'm running out of ideas!

Possibly air in the fuel line? I've had similar with mine on two occasions, first was perished line from tank to filter, looked fine but when squeezed was wet with diesel. Also check all clamps are tight and use proper fuel line clamps, not jubilee clips. Second time was (and still is until i fix properly!) a worn seal in the pump which allows fuel to drain back to the tank hence air in system. Quick fix for this is to fit a one-way check valve in the fuel feed just before the pump, holds the fuel in the pump and once started it pulls through from tank anyway. Check valve is couple £ from most motor factors or spend a bit more as i did and get in-line primer (as fitted to a lot of Peugeots) which has check valve incorporated, helps if you get fuel draw issues in future and also when priming system after working on it rather than cranking on the starter, again not at all expensive.

As above. Drive shaft seal in front of pump slowly letting air in. A common fault, needs pump removal and new seal.

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Thanks for the replies. I'll try the one way valve/primer bulb first, as I'd been considering fitting a primer for some time in any case. If it does the trick looks like that pump seal is next.

You should also check the braided rubber leak-off pipes between the injectors, including the little blanking cap on injector 4. In fact, if you haven't changed these in he last three years, it's probably time to change them routinely. I change mine every time I change the cam belt.

Leak off pipes were changed when the injectors were overhauled last year so are still in good shape.

Does anyone know the size of fuel pipe between the filter and pump so I can order a primer bulb?

Not sure on internal pipe size, think outlets/inlets are 8mm though so pipe will be slightly less If you have a Eurocarparts place near you pop in there, that's where i got mine, just ask for inline primer as fitted to Peugeot diesels. If not, this one should do the job http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UNIVERSAL-8MM ... 0958609028" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The pump seal has arrived, but primer bulb is still in the post, so contemplating changing the seal this weekend, as the van is getting progressively harder to start.
Is there a certain method to extracting the old seal, as I have a spare pump here & the front face of the old seal is metal, so the usual levering out with a screwdriver won't work in this instance?

2 holes for suitable self tappers across diameter, insert same, plenty for leverage then.

Thats what I thought too, but there is only a couple of mm of metal width to play with. Even if I drill a tiny 1mm hole, as soon as I put a self tapper in it breaks open the metal at the side of the hole & tries to bite into the shaft
Lucky I have a spare knackered pump to play with, as I really don't want to damage the one on the van

Once you have the 2 holes you just need to fashion 2 small hooks to go in and it should just pull out. Once the metal has split it shouldn't grip so tight and should come out easily.

They will have to be very thin to go into those holes, but I'll see if I can find something strong enough.

At lunchtime the primer bulb arrived, together with an extra glass bodied fuel filter, so I can see if the fuel is getting through.

I put them all on & it started up nicely Then I took it for a spin to Halfords for some extra fuel pipe clips & it was a bugger to start hot

Drove across town, stopped for half an hour shopping, tried to start again & it was a bugger again. Turned over for about a minute before it caught & clouds of white smoke from unburrnt fuel when it did get going.

Any ideas? Could the new fuel filter being tie-wrapped to the coolant hose be causing problems? I wouldn't have done this with a petrol engine but thought it would have been ok on a diesel?

Why the second fuel filter? I'd be inclined to remove it, stick the primer in that section of the fuel line (the closer to the pump the better) and connect back to the original cannister filter. See how that goes. Primer shouldnt cause the issues you've now got so i'd go with the new filter being the issue

Why put another fuel filter a few inches from the standard one?

As stated earlier I added the glass bodied filter so I could observe the fuel is getting through (& also if there were any air bubbles)

What I cant understand is when it does start there is a lot of unburnt fuel smoke, so its obviously not short of fuel?

To summarise, warm engine, fuel is getting through, timing is spot-on, its spinning over quickly, so why isn't it firing up unless its spun over for a minute??