2.5td cutting out when cold

[Alkers]

Had a nightmare drive with my van this morning in busy traffic.
Van started fine but once I got going, the first time I slowed down the van cut out. Got it restarted after an attempt or two but I cut out twice more in the next ten minutes. It would keep cutting out when I was slowing and I couldn't rev and brake at the same time so I had keep changing to neutral and burying the accelerator to keep the revs up or it would die. I found braking with my left foot impossible so had to use the hand brake to slow down while doing this.
After ten mins or so it was fine and all was well slowing down or left to idle.
I've just gone to move the van again now and had it cut out after a few hundred metres and I'm not wanting to go out in traffic again.
This has happened once before a few months ago and the consensus was that when fuel is low, there can be an issue with air not getting into the diesel tank and starving the engine of fuel but I have a half tank of diesel now and that explanation doesn't explain why it does start again eventually and why it disappears once the engine is warm ( long before the coolant gauge even shows at c).
I'm going to try moving it now with the fuel filler cap off and see if there's any improvement but anyone have any other ideas?

[Alkers]

Just to follow up on this, we've found the vacuum hose to be split.

The vacuum solenoid apparently increases the revs during cold idle so this sounds exactly like what could be causing the symptoms. Having a bit of hassle sourcing a replacement hose though.

[Merlot man]

Hello alkers
I had a similar problem myself a while back but the bus never stopped ( in warm summer driving ) I broke off one of the little pipes coming off the cold start solenoid .
All the vacuum pipes around there are brittle and hard now with age , I wonder if anyone knows where to get a length of that pipe to replace the lot .
I got the solenoid from bongo spares
Brian

[Alkers]

Did you get the symptoms after the hose broke or you had it and then broke the hose and it was ok?
I've just ordered a replacement valve but no joy on the hose.
Is your van running ok now with a broken hose after replacing the valve?

[teenmal]

Did you get the symptoms after the hose broke or you had it and then broke the hose and it was ok?
I've just ordered a replacement valve but no joy on the hose.
Is your van running ok now with a broken hose after replacing the valve?

You should be able to purchase vacuum hose from any decent auto parts store or eBay/Amazon / Halfords /Eurocarparts etc. All you need is the ID size.

[Merlot man]

It only really came to light when the weather got cold as it is the cold start relay .
I replaced the relay with a used one from bongo spares , you can now hear it kicking out when the engine warms up.
I still have a bit of cold starting issues first thing but I'm hoping it's a mixture of weak battery and possibly a poor earth but we will see , it only is an issue very first thing on a cold morning , it's more embarrassing than anything
I only said about the vacuum pipes as they have to be past their best at this stage , would it be mad to wrap them all in heat shrink ?
Brian

[teenmal]

Don't think the FICD is your problem and You should be able to purchase vacuum hose from any decent auto parts store or eBay/Amazon / Halfords /Eurocarparts etc. All you need is the ID size.

[mikeonb4c]

No idea what an FICD is but my cold start solenoid hasnt worked for some time and she runs fine, the only consequence being a slightly lower (but healthy) tickover starting from cold. Same situation when aircon switched on. Alkers- was the engine running lumpy at all when it kept cutting out. Any smoke? Engine missing when you put your foot down?

I often find myself thinking you have to start checking stuff (simplest first) and hope at some point you'll get an improvement. So filler cap (done), filters (including banjo), battery, glow plugs and relay, pump and injectors might be line to take. But i'm no techie so hopefully they can help more! Good luck & keep us posted.

[Alkers]

Alkers- was the engine running lumpy at all when it kept cutting out. Any smoke? Engine missing when you put your foot down?

I often find myself thinking you have to start checking stuff (simplest first) and hope at some point you'll get an improvement. So filler cap (done), filters (including banjo), battery, glow plugs and relay, pump and injectors might be line to take. But i'm no techie so hopefully they can help more! Good luck & keep us posted.

Van started pretty normally but with a bit of a judder but was idling fine, reversed out of the driveway and set off down the road, slow speed but didn't notice anything. Then cut out when I first slowed down for traffic. Would not start then for a couple of attempts but eventually did, lots of cranking left in the battery so I'm happy that's ok, same for the next two times it cut out until I got the hang of using the handbrake to slow and keeping the revs up while slowing down.

Once started again it was sluggish in gear until the revs picked up but would accelerate normally once revs away from idle speed and in neutral would rev cleanly. After less than ten minutes, the van ran absolutely normally.

Once I get the solenoid replaced and try source a new vacuum hose, if that doesn't work I'll investigate filters, pump, injectors, glow plugs and battery in that order in terms of what I feel are working ok.

[teenmal]

No idea what an FICD is but my cold start solenoid hasnt worked for some time and she runs fine, the only consequence being a slightly lower (but healthy) tickover starting from cold. Same situation when aircon switched on. Alkers- was the engine running lumpy at all when it kept cutting out. Any smoke? Engine missing when you put your foot down?

I often find myself thinking you have to start checking stuff (simplest first) and hope at some point you'll get an improvement. So filler cap (done), filters (including banjo), battery, glow plugs and relay, pump and injectors might be line to take. But i'm no techie so hopefully they can help more! Good luck & keep us posted.

Mike, Just to Jog your Memory a wee bit, thank god you were not one of my apprentices

by mikeonb4c » Sat Nov 29, 2014 10:04 am
teenmal wrote:
You also need the check the FICD...this controls the cold start RPM and also (when used)compensates for the Air con compressor Load .

FICD= Fast Idle Control Device.


Good Luck.
Am I right in saying there are separate controllers for each and that you can swap them over as a way of checking if one of them is duff? Can't remember exactly where they are located but someone will advise, or else search threads for 'idle' perhaps as its been discussed many times.

What rpm does it tick over at once warm?
I Bongo, therefore I am...
Bongoing, BonGoing, BonGone

[mikeonb4c]

2014 teenmal and my ageing grey cells can't remember what i had for dinner last night

But seriously, as I was taught, it is better to (as you did in 2014) explain an acronym the first time its used in any piece of writing - it can save a lot of confusion.

But thank you, I now know (for today at least ) what an FCID is. And, returning to my original question of 2014, am I correct in saying there are actually 2 FICDs/relays- one for when engine cold, and one for when aircon compressor load wants to drop idle speed? Also that these relays can be swapped over if need be?

[Alkers]

So not having had any issues with the bongo for months including a trip to Glastonbury, with the arrival of the cold weather yesterday this problem raised it's unwelcome head again.

Van started normally and was driving ok, when first came to a stop in traffic after a few hundred meters, van cut out and was hard to restart. Eventually started it and drove it home. Tried starting again last night and was turning over perfectly but I had to press the accelerator to the floor for the engine to catch and it was very lump on tickover and would vibrate and cut out unless I held the revs up over 1500rpm.

I will start it again tonight and leave it warm up before driving and see if it performs any better.

I have one mechanic that I know to be pretty reasonable but there are no BONGO specialists in ROI that I know of so any advice as to what might be causing this would be much appreciated.

[Chris Bongo]

Hi Alkers,

getting the same. Van hadn't been started for 4 weeks, then I took it for a drive and it did exactly the same as you mention. Left the van 2 weeks, started it and I had the same but 10x worse. White smoke, had to put it in neutral at lights and rev, lots of white smoke.

Van starts fine (like yours) and is absolutely spot on when warm.


Took it for a good run at an indicated 75, un-did the fuel cap expecting a large hiss but nothing, added fuel (mine was on around 1/8th).


My idle has always been rubbish (around 660-700). It needs raising but as I've got cruise control, it's not straight forward. I'm pretty sure my cold start stuff has been bypassed.


I originally put it down to a poor battery. I thought this because of the the glow plug cycle occurring when cold and on low RPM, the surge in power and the battery not being able to cope, producing white smoke from unburnt fuel.


Glow plug history on mine is unknown, battery was second hand 2 years ago but has served me well. Temperatures were around 11-15 on both attempts of driving the van. Van had previously done 1700 miles in France in 30 degrees (so doubt glow plugs were being used too much).


I know it's been two weeks since you've posted but have you had any more issues like this?


Thanks,

[Chris Bongo]

Just taken the van out, idle fine. Ran wipers, radio, heaters, lights and tried all my other accessories. Van idle'd just like usual (around 660) and didn't stall once.


How strange.

[Alkers]

I still have the same issue, occurs sporadically although only when the outside temperature is cold. I have found that if I start the van and don't rev it at all and leave it to idle for 5-10mins to warm up then it will be fine. If I start driving before it warms up it will likely cut out when I first slow down. If I rev the engine at all when it's still cold, it tends to cut out when the revs come off or else it will shudder and jump.

I am sure it is related to the cold start solenoid etc but I haven't had the chance (or the weather) to investigate it properly yet, never mind to repair it.

It does sound that your case is happening in warmed weather than mine, unless it's low single digits, mine is fine.

The glow plugs are only related to heating the diesel before it starts as far as I'm aware so if the van is starting then you should be able to rule them out. That being said mine are also of an unknown age and I've had my van five years.