HDi 90 poor starting (still!)

[ZilogJones]

I'm still having trouble with my car starting in the mornings. It often takes about 3-10 seconds of cranking for it to start, accompanied by a cloud of white smoke. If it's warm (15+ degrees) and left out in the sun it seems to start ok. Starting after the engine is warmed up is never a problem.

I got the glow plugs checked out, apparently the wrong ones were fitted but this made no improvement with starting - kinda makes sense seeing as they pre-heat for <0.5 seconds when it's above 0 degrees.

I got the starter motor reconditioned and it seemed to be turning over a bit faster, but it's still not much of an improvement.

Battery seems fine, although I don't have a proper load tester so have only been looking at voltages.

I don't have any problem with fuel consumption or smoke during driving so surely the injectors and all that are ok? Fuel filter was replaced recently, and it's a Siemens system so no lift pump.

I have noticed my trip computer is consistently incorrect - it always thinks fuel consumption is higher than what it actually is. Could this suggest a problem with the MAF since AFAIK it calculates fuel consumption based on this and engine speed? But could a faulty MAF even cause the starting problems I am having?

Anything else I should look at?

[lozz]

Hi,
Maf couid be possibly be faulty,
you couid try unplugging it see if the cold start problem improves, altho M.p.g will decrease if left unpluged,
also it may add a fault code,

if you know anyone with a code reader,it might be a good thing to try see if any codes have flagged up,

[ZilogJones]

I think the codes were checked when the glow plugs were replaced as it was complaining about them, don't recall anything else.

If I unplug the MAF and it logs a fault code is it going to complain about this ("STOP" or EML light or whatever) until it's reset, or is it something that'll only be picked up by diagnostics?

[Bailes1992]

Sounds very much like you have air in the fuel.
There is a clear pipe between the filter and the pump, rev the engine and see if any bubbles pass.

The fuel filter housings usually should be replaced after a certain time, they are only £50 or so.

I have air getting in mine but you only notice then the car is parked uphill.

Pump the primer before you start the car and see if it improves things. Just pump it until it goes hard, also if you pump it it mmay show up any leaks.

Bailes.

[rwb]

cf. Air Leak / Fuel Filter Housing and 2003 56K Siemens Hdi90 poor slow running.

[ZilogJones]

Pump the primer before you start the car and see if it improves things. Just pump it until it goes hard, also if you pump it it mmay show up any leaks.

I've tried this a good few times and it doesn't seem to make any improvement. It usually only requires two or three pumps before it goes firm - I thought I heard somewhere that this is normal enough?

Leaving the car for several days doesn't seem to make things any worse than being left overnight - if there was an air leak wouldn't it continuously get worse the longer it is left?

It seems more related to temperature than anything else - it seems worst on a clear (cold!) winter morning when left in the shade.

[spawngti]

Was this sorted? I have the exact same problem.

[steve_earwig]

With new injectors and everything? The white smoke will be unburned diesel, with the fuel line pressuring up with the bulb it's pointing back to the glow plugs as I think it should at least try to run even if the maf is goosed.

[spawngti]

Might be speaking too soon, but i think mine is sorted. Reconnected egr, replaced fuel filter, air filter and then sprayed a whole bottle of inlet cleaner through the intake.

[ZilogJones]

My car has been absolutely fine all summer - no trouble starting it and no smoke. I kinda forgot about the problem soon after my last post in this thread.
But now it's getting cold again and the problem has returned. I've moved since last winter so now the car is mostly parked underground as opposed to up on a hill exposed to the elements, but if it's cold enough it still takes a bit longer than normal to start, with white smoke.

I haven't done anything with my EGR, I assume it's still connected. Got it serviced a few weeks ago but fuel filter was done last winter. As said before using the primer bulb doesn't seem to make any improvement.

Could the MAF still be a problem? Could it be the injectors?

[rwb]

white smoke will be unburned diesel, with the fuel line pressuring up with the bulb it's pointing back to the glow plugs as I think it should at least try to run even if the maf is goosed.

so you're obviously getting diesel into the cylinders, it just isn't igniting.

IIRC the glow plugs may run even if the dashboard light doesn't come on, so I'd want to be certain that the glow plugs work.

Note that not all fault codes cause EML or message. Therefore there may be codes logged that you are unaware of.

When the engine is cold and running the EGR is open (this is why they're a bitch to drive when they're cold). I'm not sure how a faulty (stuck open) EGR would affect starting -- take it off and check it's closed!