Oops! Just realised I needed to update my profile!! I am no longer a Glasgow girl, but back to being a Galloway lass.

Thanks anyway Tony

So a further update.... the problem persists :? fuel filters changed, banjo filters looked at (there wasn't one), pipes checked for blockages, connections checked, glow plugs replaced (and the voltages tested), the cold start throttle adjusted, a valve has been introduced in case fuel was draining, ...

*no level of understanding in my brain*

Would that not mean that it wouldn't start at all though?

Hello again!

A further update... we (my dad) changed the glow plugs.

The problem persists

It's getting steadily chuggier as it starts and has conked out a couple of times after starting, until the revs climb.

Things are being eliminated, but I'm not sure what to look at next?

AH ok, I did wonder. Will there never have been one? So, i've checked the things I am able to check and it's not the fuel cap and there is no banjo filter to clean. What would the next sensible port of call be before handing it over to a mechanic? Going back to this comment It starts perfectly, it j...

So, my Dad got back from his holiday and yesterday helped me get in at where the banjo filter should be. But wasn't. Nothing was in there, no spring, no filter.

Is this unusual?

bridge end garage in dumfries did all my bongo work. excellent place. Oh, local! Nice. Have you given them any challenging problems to solve? I'll be trying to have a look at some of the DIY suggestions tomorrow, the bongo banjo at least. See the glowplugs, can they be tested? Or is it just somethi...

Lol. My check list is getting longer. But this is all sooooo much better than the blank eyed helplessness of my local mechanic. I'm at the fuelcap has been washed stage now, and bongo did behave a whole lot better on a test drive. Normal even. But that is just one day.... so monitoring! I forgot to ...

Well, typically it wasn't quite as deathly as previously on starting on my "controlled test" sequence, so not maybe a perfect experiment. Test 1. Fuel cap on. Sluggish, but not a huge wait. Not smooth revving though. sluggish then shot up. Test 2. Fuel cap off. Quicker. Normal I'd say. I r...

Interesting. Oh, yes, the gauge is reading empty permanently. I need my dad to get back from his holidays :lol: then I may try fixing the fuel sender earths. The fuel gauge was an intermittent problem, and now permanent. It starts perfectly, it just then doesn't rev up. As in no power for ages, 30 s...

I only seem to check in when theres a problem with the old boy, and there sure is a problem. My usual garage can't help and their go to diesel guy doesn't know where to begin. It seems I have a problem with: the injectors / fuel pump / fuel sender unit. This is as specific as I've got, and its total...

Thanks all for the tips and tricks!

I am now accepting the relay ain't fixed and turning my mind to more fun things and heading off for the Cairngorms.... just as soon as I've had another coffee or two

I think I got lost at point 1) relay binding posts!! Actually, I'll print that out and go and have a look see if it makes sense to me then. I have actually followed Dave abers advice and reverted to the starter battery, so i currently have a redundant leisure battery. I might actually leave it that ...

corblimey, if only I had spotted you offered that sooner!! My "problem" is not resolved, as everyone suggested Martin does indeed provide good aftercare and duly posted the replacement part on Friday. Unfortunately Royal Mail have failed to try and deliver it despite me waiting in, so it's...

As far as In can see, the Nagares RL/180-12 is just a relay - what Martin does is add the 'voltage sensing' circuit and an indicator LED - so an off the shelf version won't work. Have you got a battery charger you can take with you and use with your "mains cable with a socket thingy"? If ...