Frozen Fuel??

[DiscoPol]

Anybody else having problems starting their HDIs in this cold snap we are having?

It got down to -14.3 c here last night , and this morning she just wont start,

before starting i checked the hoses under the bonnet from the rad, i really didnt want to try start it with a frozen water pump and this was the easiest way i could check the antifreeze was doing its job. also checked the oil and that was just about still liquid but when i tried to start up i just got a few splutters and it did catch for about 3 seconds but then died,

since then it is just plain old dead, sounds like fuel starvation so im guessing that the diesel has gelled up and waxed over the fuel filter hence starving the engine of fuel, now the gel point of diesel is about -9.5c from what i can find on the net and as i said it was down to -14 round here last night,

anybody got any ideas on how to get her started or am i just waiting till the weather warms up, got the battery booster on charge as we speak ready to have another crack at it later but im just hoping its nothing more than frozen fuel.

i know i can rely on you guys to feed my paranoia so come on give it your worst

Dan

[puggy]

Hi there ... had the same problem yesterday , jumped in turned the key engine turned
over coughed a couple of times didn't start , tried again same thing then had a thought ,
i have never had to wait for the heater plugs to do their job as normaly the light goes out
more or less instantly . So i turned key to on and watched the heater plug light it took several seconds
before it went off i then turned the key to start and it fired , hope this helps

[DiscoPol]

Cheers for the fast reply puggy,

but tried leaving the key till the glow plug light went out and still nothing

its turning over but just sounds like no fuel as not catching or spitting out any smoke at all, i have warmed the fuel filter housing up with an electric fan heater and by its close location to the fuel filter the oil filter too had a blast of warmish air for a good 20 mins too but still nothing, battery is still good ish with a reading of 12.5 v after a few cold cranks,

Im thinking and hoping its just frozen or gelled fuel in the lines from the tank, sadly where i park on my drive the car wont see any sun today so im hoping that later today the ambient temps might just lift above the -7c it is at the moment on my drive

maybe a call to the breakdown cover i pay for but have never had to use in the last 3 years, sad thing is my other motor starts fine but have just SORNed it and hence no insurance

love the mpg this pug gives me but my love of petrol over diesel has been proven right again

in the vain hope i get it started today anybody know any good fuel additives to stop this happening again?

[HimBigChief]

I've had no issues with my 2.1TD starting in the morning. Had to start it a few times when the temp display was showing -13C. I just turned the ignition on and off 3 times to allow the heater plugs to work and it's started everytime so far!

Had to start the missus HDI in similar temps the other day and did the same, glow plug light on and off 3 times then started straight up.

Is 12.5V on the battery not a little low?

[DiscoPol]

hi chief

the battery at 12.5v it is a little low, hence putting the booster pack on charge. the reading was taken straight after my hamfisted attempts at starting so it had done a few cold cranks in temps of minus 11 at the time.

the temp outside now is rising fast so i am hoping that a few more hours of this and i will start again with the booster attached, though its not forecast to get above -2c here today

if everything is fine when it warms up, then i am going to put the blame on cheap supermarket fuel and possibly a little water in there too, if it was warm enough i could check that now with the filter drain off but guess what, its all bloody frozen

[Welly]

Maybe the in-tank pump is unhappy?

My Petrol car started up first turn this morning

[totaleclipse]

having a lot of bother with my 2.1TD, my dad is having trouble with his 1.9TD dispatch, and my mate has given up and parked up his 54 plate 2.0 HDi dispatch. Guy accross the road from me couldn't get his 55plate Audi A3 2.0TDi S-line quattro started this morning either.


at first i thouht it was my glowplugs, but after buying a new set that were the wrong ones, i tested my old ones and they are all perfect, so just got my money back for the replacements.

i'm starting to think maybe frozen fuel in the lines, as diesel has a small amount of water in it. Even if not frozen, be willing to bet it gets pretty thick when its been minus whatever for the last 3 weeks.


anyways, i got mine not to bad, let it heat the plugs about 4 times, foot straight down on accelerator, let it crank for a good 30 seconds, foot of the gas, let go of the key and away she went, soon as it starts i can turn it off and start it straight back up, its just that initial 1st start that does it.

[Doggy]

Maybe the in-tank pump is unhappy?

My thoughts too....

Can you hear it running - should run for about 10 seconds when you turn on the ignition.

Check for fuel at the filter?

[DiscoPol]

My Petrol car started up first turn this morning

mine too that's the frustrating thing, wishing i had just forked out on the tax and kept the BM insured over the winter, my thought pattern was along the lines of "i cant do another slippy winter in the 7 series it will kill me" but right now i would rather be doing donuts and arse out joy than sat here cursing my sensible self.

though if im honest with the DSC traction control on the BMW it would have been all or nothing in the 7 series, either all on or all off, both would end up with me sat still, either spinning my expensive rubber or trying to get the buggers to start turning

its got to be fuel starvation, i can hear the pump running on key turn but without taking the filter housing apart i cant bleed it as the bleed valve seems frozen and i dont want to risk cracking the housing till i can have another ready on stand by.
I do have the worlds clumsiest hands when the need is for a precision and skill all i can muster is brute force and ignorance

[Doggy]

Can you undo one of the quick-release connectors on the top of the filter to check?

[DiscoPol]

Doggy,

Im a bit wary about disconecting the pipes as im on my own and cant see into the engine bay when i turn the key also if i do the quick release and all goes well (ie i dont massacre it)and there is fuel there i cant bleed the air out as the bleed valve wont budge at the moment

but this is probably what i need to do just to confirm there is fuel getting thru, and if so then i should whip out the filter and replace? would be my plan if i didnt have the nipper sat with me,

what age is it fair to expect him to wield a spanner?

[totaleclipse]

what age is it fair to expect him to wield a spanner?

my 6 year old has this year started helping out at the garage

[steve_earwig]

I think I was handing tools down to my dad just after I learned to walk

[DiscoPol]

Damn thats 4 years away, hes only 23 months

he can do passing now and knows the different names for the basics but i want to put those little hands to use my big daft hands are only good for the tough stuff.

[DiscoPol]

well a bit of an update.........



its still dead, and now i have fully killed the battery so on charge it goes, anybody know how long i can safely take the battery off for?