Club 80-90 Forums

Hello All

I'm having trouble with cold starts in my 1988 1.6 turbo diesel Westfalia T25. I am waiting for the glow plug light to go out before turning the engine over, but it just cranks and cranks for 20-30 seconds before starting. Other than that the engine seems to run well and pull strongly.

What are the likely causes of this cold starting problem?

Thanks

Chris

are you using the cold start lever which advances the timimg for cold starts??

I am using the lever, but I'm not sure how far to pull it out. It doesn't appear to make much difference whether its out half way or all the way. It still takes a fair bit of cranking to start.

Take a look at the WiKi - https://club8090.co.uk/wiki/Di ... d-Starting
This will give you a start (or not in your case).

I had similar trouble with my t25 1.6td when i first got it and it starts no trouble now because i no longer wait until the glow plug light goes out because when i do the motor struggles to start
My recommendation is to wait 10 seconds then try to start the motor if that doesn't work try 15 seconds and so on until you find the optimum time

First of i'll assume the compression of the engine is good okay? Next most important thing are the glow plugs. All 4 must be working properly. If you can get your hands on an ammeter it is easy to test them by either testing it dead cold or by disconnecting the temp sensors to trick the relay into thinking the motor is cold. With the ammeter on the large wire that goes to the glow plug buss bar, have someone turn on the ignition . At first the amperage should climb up to 50-60 amps. It will then slowly settle down. The value the meter give just before the relay shuts will tell you how many glow plugs are working. If it's very cold-i.e. near 0oF each plug will draw 12 amps .If the motor is warm or hot each one will draw as little as 6-7 amps. Take this into consideration when reading those values. So for example, with a cold motor , the test shows 40 amps= 4 good plugs,30 amps =3 good ones etc. If no amperage then perhaps the relay or fuse has failed. If you don't have access to an ammeter then you will have to remove each one to be sure they are good.
Next thing to check if they are all good if fuel flow. Has your fuel filter been replaced recently ? With an old filter that is full of crud,mice and water it will freeze/block as the temp drops near 0oF.
How is your battery ? If it's weak then the motor won't fire. A diesel motor has much higher compression than a gas engine so a battery that would be okay for a gas motor may not be strong enough for your diesel. Have you tried to start it with either a boost from another car or a booster pack ?
If all these things are good and it's very cold [not UK cold but cold like where i am ] do what i do . Turn ignition on, wait for glow plug lamp to go out. Repeat. After the light goes out the second time, then crank the motor. Just as it's seems it's going to catch, only then pull out the timing advance lever [ the square knob that pulls out], while giving a small amount of throttle. It should start. If it still doesn't you will have to find a mechanic to look at it for you.

Thanks for your advice about glow plugs and timing lever. I'll check things out and let you know how I get on.

Cheers

Llamapup

Okay..... I had my camper to a garage to weld my exhaust hanger and asked them to try and diagnose my cold starting problem. They said they took out the two easiest to get at glow plugs and they seemed to be working, but having got the camper home I'm not so certain as I'm still struggling to get her to start without loads of cranking for about 30 seconds.

So, unless I'm prepared to shell out for having someone else do the work, I think I need to take a stab checking and installing and replacing the glowplugs myself. The thing is that I'm not brilliant at undertaking mechanical repairs. The most complex repair I have ever done is to replace the alternator on my Triumph Dolomite. So I'm not afraid of getting my hands dirty but I do need some decent instruction and the right tools.

So the question is, how do I go about replacing my glow plugs? What tools do I need? What are your top tips? I have a look at the bits on the Wiki, but I'm stil uncertain of the process or the tools reqiured.

Thanks

Llamapup

Looks like a clown garage again.Why take two out in there opinion the easiest.All they had to do is remove the metal fuel injection pipes access to the glow plugs copper 12volt strip undo the nuts then unscrew the plugs.Test each glow plug check the temp senser switch screwed in located rear of the cylinder head.It might be the glow plug relay faulty .

Yipee. The camper is starting great now.

Thanks for all your help and advice on this thread. On closer inspection some of my glow plugs were okay and others were not. I have replaced all four of them and the engine is starting really well from cold.

Cheers

Llamapup

errr I feel stupid for asking but what's this "cold start lever"??

I've got a 1.6TD as well but since owning in Nov I've not had any problems starting in the cold, so I'm intrigued as to what this is? There's something by my right knee (LHD) that looks like it could be pulled but never tried. A picture would be great!

DanO wrote:errr I feel stupid for asking but what's this "cold start lever"??

I've got a 1.6TD as well but since owning in Nov I've not had any problems starting in the cold, so I'm intrigued as to what this is? There's something by my right knee (LHD) that looks like it could be pulled but never tried. A picture would be great!

I'll let more technically minded explain the intracacies of the cold start lever, but I understand that it aids in starting the engine from cold by advancing the timing. I don't think it changes the fuel mixture like a choke would.

So, yes by the sounds of it you have cold start lever, and although you may not need to use it to get your engine to fire up, you may find that the engine runs a bit less lumpy when started from cold if you use the lever.

That is the lever. It has a square knob. pull it carefully the first time in case it's sticking etc causing it to break. If the lever and pump are working properly , when the engine is running and the lever is pulled, you should hear a little more rattling from the motor. That is because it's advancing the pump timing. remember cars from the 20's and 30 's . They had the timing adjustment on the steering wheels.

DanO wrote:errr I feel stupid for asking but what's this "cold start lever"??

I've got a 1.6TD as well but since owning in Nov I've not had any problems starting in the cold, so I'm intrigued as to what this is? There's something by my right knee (LHD) that looks like it could be pulled but never tried. A picture would be great!

dont try it,its only supposed to be used in proper cold countries, like norway or poland/russia,etc.where its minus 20-30 odd for days on end ,and the wedges have much thinner oil in em too, ide leave it be,