scaab problems

[FarmerPug]

a friends 04 saab 9-3 2.2 tid has a problem where it can be hard to start its ok if only stopped for a few mins to go to a shop but if the car is left sitting for over 2 hours it can be difficult to start. at this stage it just cranks over but wont fire up. i thought of the pump under the back seat but apparently these cars dont have one. anyone have any ideas?

[sirwiggum]

I've heard of Saab diesels needing new glow plug relays. Straight forward fix, though would this be the case as the temperature is not too cold at the moment?

[FarmerPug]

The glow plugs are all new, and the relay is ok, there is no messages coming up on the MFD or engine lights either.

[grasmere59]

I wonder if the fuel is draining back to the tank,i once had a Golf to work on for a friend and it had the same symptoms and there was an air leak on a fuel union and it was letting the fuel run back to the tank for some reason and it had to crank for ages to self prime again if left for any length of time.

[Bailes1992]

Does it have an intank pump?
May be dying/weak.
Could be worth trying leaving the ignition on for a few seconds to give it time to prime before starting the engine.

[FarmerPug]

Apparently the 2.2 doesn't have a lift pump in the tank, On my cousins clio dci it was having similar problems not starting after sitting a while but it was because diesel was heading back the way a valve in the hand primer had failed.
But according to the saab owner he took it to a mechanic and all the non return valves have been renewed but to no avail it still has the problem.

at a saab breaker today the man suggested cleaning the EGR and MAF sensor but would they affect starting in such a way.

[Doggy]

That'll be a vauxhall 2.2 lump, (must be the very last of them ). Might be worth scouring the Ashtray/Vespa/Smega forums?