Start up and idle question

Lovejoy · Post by **Lovejoy** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 9:40 am

Hopefully this is normal behaviour and not a sign of something going wrong:

When I start up Bongo for the first time in the morning and sit with it idling while I fiddle with radio, take a phone call, pick nose or whatever, it starts to misfire a bit and idle roughly and chucks some grey smoke out the back.
I'm talking about a 1-2 minute period.

As soon as I give it some throttle it clears and is fine and drives off smooth as anything.

If I start it up, put it straight into gear and set off within 30 secs to 1 minute, there is no problem at all.

It also only does it on the first start of the day, any other time it will sit and idle fine.

Is this normal ? Anyone else have it happen ? If it is a sign of a possible looming problem anyone know what it might be ?

Thanks

haydn callow · Post by **haydn callow** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 10:07 am

You might have a duff glow plug. The glow plugs switch on/off for a couple of mins at least after startup even though the warning "coil" light is off.
Mine dosn't do it.

Lovejoy · Post by **Lovejoy** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 10:12 am

Thanks. If it is just that it sounds like a cheap repair.

I had an escort van once which did a similar thing sometimes but did it as soon as it started - a real lumpy idle with a loud knocking and smoke from the back.

It usually cleared after switching it off and giving it a couple more bursts of heat to the plugs.
I cured it with a new battery and 4 new plugs in the end.

But this is different in that the engine fires first time the second the key is turned, and only starts getting lumpy if left to idle.
So I hadn't linked the two.

Thanks for the tip, i'll get some new plugs fitted anyway (or tested).

bigdaddycain · Post by **bigdaddycain** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 1:53 pm

I had exactly the same problem a few weeks back lovejoy.

It turned out to be my glowplugs, although they all worked,two of them were "lazy".

£35 supplied and fitted

brorabongo · Post by **brorabongo** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 2:10 pm

bigdaddycain wrote:£35 supplied and fitted

Two plugs or all four, plus did you DIY?

bigdaddycain · Post by **bigdaddycain** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 2:22 pm

Me?... Get my hands dirty?

That's a full set of four (longer version) Supplied and fitted.

The price is slightly approximate, I had my NICK SKIDMORE E.G.R. removal kit fitted at the same time,which took it to 3 hours labour altogether,the glowplugs are £24 per set,plus an hours labour (£10).

I wouldn't recommend just replacing the worn plugs, you have to remove them to test em!

Stick a new full set in,that way the weakest old plug isn't under too much strain.

Lovejoy · Post by **Lovejoy** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 5:30 pm

bigdaddycain wrote:I had exactly the same problem a few weeks back lovejoy.

It turned out to be my glowplugs, although they all worked,two of them were "lazy".

£35 supplied and fitted

Thanks, I'll get Peter onto it before they start giving me starting problems in the Winter.

Nice to know that not all repairs are stupidly expensive

haydn callow · Post by **haydn callow** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 5:34 pm

If !!! Thats what it is !!!
Doom & Gloom

Lovejoy · Post by **Lovejoy** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 5:45 pm

haydn callow wrote:If !!! Thats what it is !!!
Doom & Gloom

I'm sure it is, I'm on a roll at the moment.

Fitted my new rear shocks this afternoon (finally, they've been sitting in the hall for weeks reminding me of a job that needed doing) without any hassles - procomp es9000's in white. £85 for the two including delivery - bargain. Thanks to being pointed in the right direction by some kind soul on this forum.

Also finally got around to looking at why my rear window wiper was not working, and that turned out to be simply a screw on my lower curtain rail which was shorting a cable. As soon as I took the screw out all was working again, so put a pop rivet in its place and all OK.

Oh, and my little Combo van passed its MoT in the week with no work needed - which surprised me on a 9 year old 156,000 mile well used van.

So I am touching wood that things are going my way at the moment. Shouldn't have said that should I

kawasaki kid · Post by **kawasaki kid** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 7:43 pm

I go by the if it`s going to happen it will theory as I touched wood too often and all I got was splinters

prb007 · Post by **prb007** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 2:22 pm

After a cyl. head change, mine was doing the same thing, so replaced one duff plug and its' BETTER but not RIGHT - will replace the other three b4 the winter sets in (did we have a summer?)

bigdaddycain · Post by **bigdaddycain** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 3:16 pm

That new plug will show up the wear on the other three PRB... The other three wont be quite as efficient as the new one.

prb007 · Post by **prb007** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 5:01 pm

list of jobs to do is mounting up........
glow plugs.
cab heat/cool fan is kaput.
top hose has a pinhole.
filters need changing.
oil change.
Day off Thursday is taken care of then...............

Lovejoy · Post by **Lovejoy** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:01 pm

What you going to do after lunch on thursday then ?

prb007 · Post by **prb007** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 12:27 pm

bleed coolant system,
dispose of spent oil and filters at local tip.
take van for test drive,
then head off to Nantes on Saturday,
to watch Wales in the RWC next weekend!