P38 diesel 2001 auto Starting problems

Since the engine issues last year all has gone ok, cold start on the button, hot start a bit of cranking but not over excessive, last week during the hot weather with 90% full tank I noticed it needed a bit more cranking when hot, then on Wednesday when really hot it ran ok in the morning towing a trailer but as the day went on needed more and more cranking to start. One time I am sure I saw smoke from the left of the steering wheel while giving it a long crank to get it started.
Next morning it wouldn't start at all, I took the fuel filter off which was full but no fuel came through when ignition was on position 2 or even when cranking, changed relay and checked fuse still no fuel, so I was thinking tank pump as its done 145k miles.
Today during a break in the rain and much cooler I loosened the filter off and jumped the relay base contacts and fuel flooded out. Didn't have time to refit relays and check again. Think the tank pump may still be suspect but still wondering if I saw smoke from the dash area while cranking it for a long time, is there anything that I could have overheated inside the car?

Depends what the smoke smelt of. Plastic burning can be overheating wires or frayed on plastic. Dirty linen or sweaty socks can be the AC Residue in the vents. Lots of smoke can be from the Jamaican Rasta you ran over the previous night still smoking Manjewanna. Better still a little babwee field mouse awwwwweeee.

What age is this car?

Starter is by the bulkhead so if smoke came out of that I guess some may have found a way through?

Amount of fuel to expect in 30 seconds is in a How To by Wammers in the Technical Section. 180ml?

Check your black pipes in under the bonnet are secure

RangeRoller dt said:

Check your black pipes in under the bonnet are secure

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Do you mean the Leak off pipes? Certainly leaking leak offs can affect starting.

Datatek said:

Do you mean the Leak off pipes.

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I meant the black ones as in all of them

Leak offs, air ducting connected/not delaminated internally. I’d check all the black ones ,even the coolant pipes while I’m there, are connected and secure, they can slip off and cause smoking/running issues. Takes two minutes to see if something is off

vtwin said:

Next morning it wouldn't start at all, I took the fuel filter off which was full but no fuel came through when ignition was on position 2 or even when cranking, changed relay and checked fuse still no fuel, so I was thinking tank pump as its done 145k miles.
Today during a break in the rain and much cooler I loosened the filter off and jumped the relay base contacts and fuel flooded out. Didn't have time to refit relays and check again. Think the tank pump may still be suspect but still wondering if I saw smoke from the dash area while cranking it for a long time, is there anything that I could have overheated inside the car?

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Sounds like you have the exakt symptoms that my car developed during my vacation.
Excessive cranking like the in tank pump isn't running.
As soon as I put a jumper wire instead of relay 12 between 30 and 87 it starts almost immediately while cranking.
The relay clicks and all. Tried two other four pin yellow relays from the window heat but still the same.
I refuse to believe three relays are duff when I know for sure the window heat worked last winter.
So I wiggled the relay around a bit, pulled it up and whadda ya know? It worked. So in my case either pin 30 or 87 in the fusebox has a bad connection.
I'm gonna try and see if I can bend the sockets back together for better connection.

Had a chance to spend some time on the car today, bridging across the relay terms as mentioned did get the pump working and the right amount measured, still wouldn't start, checked the glow plugs and no power, found the fuse on the glow plug relay was blown, fitted my spare relay and fuse and away we went. I reckon the smoke I saw was from the fuse through the back of the bonnet and I saw it through the windscreen. Started it a few times and all seems ok, not sure why the fuse went? I will see what happens over the next few days but it does not look like getting as hot again for a while. Are the fuses available separately from the relays?

Glad you tracked it down

Well done

vtwin said:

Had a chance to spend some time on the car today, bridging across the relay terms as mentioned did get the pump working and the right amount measured, still wouldn't start, checked the glow plugs and no power, found the fuse on the glow plug relay was blown, fitted my spare relay and fuse and away we went. I reckon the smoke I saw was from the fuse through the back of the bonnet and I saw it through the windscreen. Started it a few times and all seems ok, not sure why the fuse went? I will see what happens over the next few days but it does not look like getting as hot again for a while. Are the fuses available separately from the relays?

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One of my glow-plugs fell in half. Maybe something like that?

vtwin said:

Had a chance to spend some time on the car today, bridging across the relay terms as mentioned did get the pump working and the right amount measured, still wouldn't start, checked the glow plugs and no power, found the fuse on the glow plug relay was blown, fitted my spare relay and fuse and away we went. I reckon the smoke I saw was from the fuse through the back of the bonnet and I saw it through the windscreen. Started it a few times and all seems ok, not sure why the fuse went? I will see what happens over the next few days but it does not look like getting as hot again for a while. Are the fuses available separately from the relays?

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You may have a dodgy glow plug that shorted and took out the fuse.