Smoky starting 97 2.5DSE

Heyo, car might sometimes be a bugger to start, and when it is a bugger, its making a fog cloud for 5 seconds and its clear skies (jk i live right outside Bergen, rains 80% of the year)

When i say bugger, i mean it sounds its at idle RPM, but if i stop holding the starter it will die.

Now, im pretty sure my intercooler haven't been flushed for ages, as when i took of my inlet manifold whilst checking on some stuff, there were abit oil in it (removed now, and very low amount, just the sidewalls being smuggy)

I assume this oil, might make the start up slow/ hunting start? explains white smoke too?

I read my battery to 11.94Volt, after a day standby. (ignition off, but doors open aka interior light on)
It's a 100AH 860CCU silver calcium.

I just find it abit odd that this happends very few times. Maybe 1/40 starts, no joke..

It does by the way not use coolant or a significant amount of oil.

Might i have a bad alternator? I believe i sat around 13.5volts whilst car running.
My pulleys/drive belt squeeks as high as a donkey 24/7, going abit less noisy when cars hot.

I am awaiting the pulley holder tool to undo my viscous.. i have the spanner but it was a bugger trying to get off, so not changed belts/pulleys yet.

I hope to do as much as i can before it reaches sub zero Just to clarify, the temperature was 7celsius, so i assume it shouldnt be the glow plugs.
I've got spare 6x febi glowplugs anyhow

Cold to wrench outside/not insulated garage!

I've found 2 potentional batteries. a 120AH 870CCU for 215£ or a 110 AH 750CCU for 172£
They both meassure 34,9cm x 17,5cm x 23.5cm i assume theese will fit?

If im not wrong i must for sure replace my battery? If not i'd just eat my alternator i guess?
And up for a intercooler flush?

Cheers
And damn, i hate waiting for parts??? cant just be me

synchro said:

Heyo, car might sometimes be a bugger to start, and when it is a bugger, its making a fog cloud for 5 seconds and its clear skies (jk i live right outside Bergen, rains 80% of the year)

When i say bugger, i mean it sounds its at idle RPM, but if i stop holding the starter it will die.

Now, im pretty sure my intercooler haven't been flushed for ages, as when i took of my inlet manifold whilst checking on some stuff, there were abit oil in it (removed now, and very low amount, just the sidewalls being smuggy)

I assume this oil, might make the start up slow/ hunting start? explains white smoke too?

I read my battery to 11.94Volt, after a day standby. (ignition off, but doors open aka interior light on)
It's a 100AH 860CCU silver calcium.

I just find it abit odd that this happends very few times. Maybe 1/40 starts, no joke..

It does by the way not use coolant or a significant amount of oil.

Might i have a bad alternator? I believe i sat around 13.5volts whilst car running.
My pulleys/drive belt squeeks as high as a donkey 24/7, going abit less noisy when cars hot.

I am awaiting the pulley holder tool to undo my viscous.. i have the spanner but it was a bugger trying to get off, so not changed belts/pulleys yet.

I hope to do as much as i can before it reaches sub zero Just to clarify, the temperature was 7celsius, so i assume it shouldnt be the glow plugs.
I've got spare 6x febi glowplugs anyhow

Cold to wrench outside/not insulated garage!

I've found 2 potentional batteries. a 120AH 870CCU for 215£ or a 110 AH 750CCU for 172£
They both meassure 34,9cm x 17,5cm x 23.5cm i assume theese will fit?

If im not wrong i must for sure replace my battery? If not i'd just eat my alternator i guess?
And up for a intercooler flush?

Cheers
And damn, i hate waiting for parts??? cant just be me

Click to expand...

Glow plugs, all six..
Take the inlet manifold off and test each glow plugs résistance.
If there are one or more with a different reading replace them all.
Bosch or beru.
As for the battery, the Hankook mf31-1000. Nothing else comes close to it.

Your alternator is probably fine, but set to output 13.6v. calcium batteries require 14.6v for proper charging.
A better test for your battery is to fully charge while disconnected then check the resting voltage an hour or so later. Also measure the volts during the cranking phase

kermit_rr said:

Your alternator is probably fine, but set to output 13.6v. calcium batteries require 14.6v for proper charging.
A better test for your battery is to fully charge while disconnected then check the resting voltage an hour or so later. Also measure the volts during the cranking phase

Click to expand...

good point there kerms, the alternator could do with the regulator mod upping it to 14+ volt output. My replacement alternator last year or so came updated.

Mark Piercy said:

Glow plugs, all six..
Take the inlet manifold off and test each glow plugs résistance.
If there are one or more with a different reading replace them all.
Bosch or beru.
As for the battery, the Hankook mf31-1000. Nothing else comes close to it.

Click to expand...

I don't think i can get that brand that easily in Norway.

Most batteries i find are Exide.
How do i test the glow plug resistance? I've tested the voltage on them before, and had them out to check if they were worked, and they did. Red hot.

synchro said:

I don't think i can get that brand that easily in Norway.

Most batteries i find are Exide.
How do i test the glow plug resistance? I've tested the voltage on them before, and had them out to check if they were worked, and they did. Red hot.

Click to expand...

If you have digital volt meter, go onto the 200ohms setting and find a good earth on the engine and touch each glow plug head in turn and compare the results.

kermit_rr said:

Your alternator is probably fine, but set to output 13.6v. calcium batteries require 14.6v for proper charging.
A better test for your battery is to fully charge while disconnected then check the resting voltage an hour or so later. Also measure the volts during the cranking phase

Click to expand...

That sounds well, because when car is on it reads 13,5-6
I use the car for a daily so my testing in weekdays are limited if it could leave me stranded, and i can't figgle early in the morning before i go to job, its pitch dark anyhow.

Mark Piercy said:

If you have digital volt meter, go onto the 200ohms setting and find a good earth on the engine and touch each glow plug head in turn and compare the results.

Click to expand...

Whilst the glow plug lights are on i assume? Or ignition off, or ?

No ignition and the plugs unplugged.

synchro said:

That sounds well, because when car is on it reads 13,5-6
I use the car for a daily so my testing in weekdays are limited if it could leave me stranded, and i can't figgle early in the morning before i go to job, its pitch dark anyhow.

Click to expand...

Leave the bonnet up, ignition off and doors closed for 5 mind. It should be asleep then, to get a Roth idea of the resting voltage

Mark Piercy said:

No ignition and the plugs unplugged.

Click to expand...

Ok, cheers. will do this.
It's smart to copper grease the threads before getting the gluw plug back inn aswell i guess?

synchro said:

I don't think i can get that brand that easily in Norway.

Click to expand...

Try Hankook in the search engine for your country maybe?

synchro said:

Ok, cheers. will do this.
It's smart to copper grease the threads before getting the gluw plug back inn aswell i guess?

Click to expand...

It Bloody is mate.

Mark Piercy said:

Try Hankook in the search engine for your country maybe?

Click to expand...

We have hankook tires, but sadly not a smug of batteries from them.

synchro said:

We have hankook tires, but sadly not a smug of batteries from them.

Click to expand...

How about numax? They do an identical equivalent?

Numax c31-1000

Mark Piercy said:

How about numax? They do an identical equivalent?

Click to expand...

Nope, can only find Exide and Sonnak/Sønnak.

and then theres like tractor batteries etc, from varta.

300£, is that not abit hefty?
I can obviously buy it, but is it not perhaps a overkill?

synchro said:

300£, is that not abit hefty?
I can obviously buy it, but is it not perhaps a overkill?

Click to expand...

Not at all, it's identical to the numax c31-1000ca and the Hankook mf31-1000ca.