Another "not starting" thread...

[IWM]

Morning all,

Our automatic diesel has started playing up lately. Before Christmas we had a few problems with her taking a bit longer to catch first thing then belching out white exhaust fumes. Diagnosed quickly as a glow plug problem so we got new glow plugs fitted by a Mazda garage. No problems after that until this weekend.

Parked up overnight down a fairly remote Scottish glen, great day on the hill then returned in the evening to find that she wouldn't start. Turning the key in the ignition it turns over but nothing catches. A mechanic was called out (thank god we had phone signal) who scratched his head a bit, then managed to get it going by spraying some starter spray down the air intake. He said it could be a leak in the fuel lines letting some air in, or it could be the cold. It ran fine once going but subsequently hasn't started again.

My questions are (from a fairly non-technical background)
1) If its air getting into the system how do I isolate the leak?
2) If it's just "the cold" what is actually happening? Is it water condensing in the fuel lines?
3) Has anyone else had this problem and is there an alternative diagnosis to throw into the differential?

Thanks in advance!

Iain

[321Away]

i would ,replace the black fuel hoses with clear temporarily to see where or if you get an air bubble.
What year is your vehicle? could be the fuel pump seal failing and allowinf the fuel to run back?
What brand of glow plugs were fitted?
slacken off an injector pipe before trying to start and see if fuel is present or how long it takes before it is?
Ive seen an incorrect fuel filter cause similar issues as it didnt quite seal correctly

Julian

[g8dhe]

Are the Glowplugs actually receiving power, having a short from the glowplug busbar to the engine itself is a known problem depending on the length of glowplug installed, if it does short then the fusible link blows and no more heating;
Fusible link location;

[IWM]

Thanks for the replies so far. Got it started again spraying some cold start down the air intake pipe. It belched out lots of black smoke and after leaving it ticking over again for a while is restarting ok. From what I'm reading it sounds like a job for a mechanic as I wouldn't be confident repairing or replacing the fuel lines myself...

Iain

PS it's a '99 T reg 2.5l diesel

[Coradia63]

Hi Iain,

Easy start and similar products are not a good idea to use unless absolutely necessary you can do more damage than good to the engine it is know to damage valves, glow plugs etc some people claim your engine can become addicted to it!

[Coradia63]

I think my laptop must of just had a shot of it and overdosed on posting !

[westonwarrior]

sorted that for ya Coradia63

[teenmal]

Thanks for the replies so far. Got it started again spraying some cold start down the air intake pipe. It belched out lots of black smoke and after leaving it ticking over again for a while is restarting ok. From what I'm reading it sounds like a job for a mechanic as I wouldn't be confident repairing or replacing the fuel lines myself...

Iain

PS it's a '99 T reg 2.5l diesel

It might be a good idea to physically check the glow plugs.

[Simon Jones]

This might be of use to all you smokers out there

http://www.dieselsmoke.com.au/

Black smoke is the most common smoke emitted from diesel engines. It indicates poor and incomplete combustion of the diesel fuel. There are many causes, including…
Incorrect timing
Dirty or worn injectors
Over-fuelling
Faulty turbocharger (ie not enough air to match the fuel)
Incorrect valve clearance
Incorrect air/fuel ratio
Low cylinder compression (eg sticking piston rings or worn components)
Dirty air cleaner
Restricted induction system (eg system too small or kinked inlet piping)
Other engine tune factors
Poor quality fuel
Excessive carbon build up in combustion and exhaust spaces
Cool operating temperatures

[Northern Bongolow]

my money is on geoff's reply. when the rail is left touching it takes a couple of weeks to rub through the plastic coating, then it shorts out and can take out the relay or the fusible link etc.