p38 is this correct

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roddy4

New Member
Posts
664
Location
banbury,oxfordshire
i have a 1995 2.5 diesel p38,it has a hot start problem,i cannot remember but i am sure someone said getting them chipped or remapped solves this problem is this true?
 
Hi mate,
Yes you do need the hot start fix. I have a 1998, P38 2.5 DSE with 147000 on the clock and the engine is beautiful but the hot starting was getting a pain.
Simple solution go on to ebay. I bought one from tawpark4x4 for £29.95.
Simple to fit in about 30 mins and believe me it's cured mine. The system consists if a small black box that you attach on the side of the ECU casing with 4 wires. When you put the ignition on when engine is hot it fools the ECU into thinking the engine is cold and the glow plugs are activated and the fuel mixture is richer. Mine had worked wonders and now fires within 3 turns.
I hope this helps.

Edit.forgot to say if you cant find it on ebay use this link www.tawpark4x4.com
 
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One thing to remember when fitting this unit is to make sure you have good quality glow plugs. They are used for every start, not just when engine is cold so poor quality ones wear out quicker.
 
I keep reading about these hot start fixes.
Surely the proper procedure would be to buy a glow plug timer relay and a head coolant sensor and that would fix it once and for all,instead of adding something to the system that only masked the situation? Or am i looking at this the wrong way?
 
the proper procedure is to replace the diesel pump for a new one, although thats a bit dear. another way to get round the hot start and to give an increase in power is to have bigger injector tips and lower break pressures, works wonders and the powers very nice too.
 
I keep reading about these hot start fixes.
Surely the proper procedure would be to buy a glow plug timer relay and a head coolant sensor and that would fix it once and for all,instead of adding something to the system that only masked the situation? Or am i looking at this the wrong way?

There is no glowplug timer relay, it's all controlled by the engine ECU. BMW in there wisdom apparently failed to provide any fuel enrichment for hot starts, thus when the FIP is a bit worn the mixture is too weak to start. The hot start fix provides the cold start mixture enrichment:D
 
There is no glowplug timer relay, it's all controlled by the engine ECU. BMW in there wisdom apparently failed to provide any fuel enrichment for hot starts, thus when the FIP is a bit worn the mixture is too weak to start. The hot start fix provides the cold start mixture enrichment:D

So judging by the above explanations i WAS looking at it the wrong way. But the diesel does have a glowplug timer relay,its at the side of the ECU behind the battery.The glowplug preheat time is regulated by it,and the preheat time is dependent on engine temperature,it then sends the preheat time signal to the ECU.But like i said i obviously viewed it differently and stand corrected.
 
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