300 Tdi, _Cold_ Start Issue

Hi Guys,

I'm a series motor, petrol head mainly an I have a diesel givin' me grief! I have found it will start no problem at all as soon as it's warm. The problem is first start of the day, especially if it's been left for a couple of days. The temperatures here are getting down to -10C most nights just now.

Initially I had a weak battery, it's been replaced and although the new one seems a little lacking in oomph, so I suspect I may have a voltage drop before the starter, it is cranking. The engine seems to take one hell of a lot of cranking, there is a paraffin smell when it's doing it. It seems to make no effort to start at all. When it did start this morning, having been jump-lead charged by the GF's little french car , the engine seemed to start on 2 or 3 cylinders. There was a lot of smoke too, but I'd been trying for a while....

Now I have recently filled up with Sainsburys' diesel, so I would expect it to be winterised. However, to me this all sounds like waxing. Does anyone have any experience of this? Do I need to add something to my fuel? Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Cheers,

Rob

check the GPs, check the BIG earth cables from battery to the chassis and if it gets REALLY cold add a bit of petrol to your tank

-10 isn't really cold though

sounds just like the problem i had last year... brought a starter motor, fitted, happy days..

The bushes had worn down to the wire..... since then the starter has been fully refurbed and could be for sale

Try glow plugging the engine about 3 times before starting to see if that helps. It works for me even though I replaced the glow plugs recently, it can be hard to start just glow pluging it once.

You may be down on compression a bit depending on the engine mileage so you need a little more heat on cold mornings.

i had exactly this problem, had to heat the glow plugs 4 or 5 times to start the car 1st thing in the morning. £22 set of glow plugs and it now starts 2nd crank when its -6 and 8am.

sprintmaker said:

Try glow plugging the engine about 3 times before starting to see if that helps. It works for me even though I replaced the glow plugs recently, it can be hard to start just glow pluging it once.

You may be down on compression a bit depending on the engine mileage so you need a little more heat on cold mornings.

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Yes, I agree with this one. Mine takes two or three goes on the glow plugs then starts immediately. If I try starting it then it will crank for ages. The glow plugs are only a year or two old and all have the same resistance so I think they are ok.
I've cleaned up the earth point from the battery to the chassis, next on the list is the one from the chassis to the starter motor and then the starter motor itself. But until the weather warms up I will put up with having to give it a few shots of glow plug heat.

i have the same proplem and it under revs aswel for a few mins. i put a bit of petrol in and thats helped quite a lot

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the suggestions. As I'm run off my feet just now I decided to just give it to the local garage. They tell me the Glow plugs were kapput, and in trying to get No1 out it broke off in the hole, so now it's a head off job.... Grrrrr.... In the mean time I am pushing on with trying to get my SIII back on the road, it's always been scared of snow but this time it at least has the excuse that I took the rear floor out of it voluntarily!

I still personally have my doubts about the starter motor, but they assure me it's most likely the glow plugs and that would account for the paraffin smell. I dunno if it really accounts for the battery not lasting long on crank, despite being a new one. We will see... Meantime I will strive to get the old faithful SIII petrol back out on the road.

Disco starter motors.... you can't take the brushes out to check em without strippin the whole thing down!?!?!? On an off-roader with no crank-handle! Fix that in the bush! Jez!