Starting issue 300 TDi

I have had my disco for 4 years now and it has always started first turn of the keys no matter what the weather. But about 6 months ago that stopped and it now take 15-20 seconds of cranking before it will start. It then chucks outa a load of white smoke which is the desiel that has not been burnt. Once it has started first time there is then no problem for the ret of the day even if I stop it straight away. It only has this problem when left over night.

So far I have done the following

New glow plugs
New fuel Lift pump
new spillover clear so I can see fuel in them.
new filter. Run a bottle of Desiel cleaner through the lines and tank.

There is no water in the oil or oil in the water so I don't think I have a cracked head.
No change in performance of fuel economy.
No visible or smellable leaks in the engine bay.

Any other things I can try.

Help :crutch:

do the clear pipe between the filter and the injector pump as well.
check for air bubbles when your issue recurs.

also consider an immobiliser issue.

Dutchroger said:

I have had my disco for 4 years now and it has always started first turn of the keys no matter what the weather. But about 6 months ago that stopped and it now take 15-20 seconds of cranking before it will start. It then chucks outa a load of white smoke which is the desiel that has not been burnt. Once it has started first time there is then no problem for the ret of the day even if I stop it straight away. It only has this problem when left over night.

So far I have done the following

New glow plugs
New fuel Lift pump
new spillover clear so I can see fuel in them.
new filter. Run a bottle of Desiel cleaner through the lines and tank.

There is no water in the oil or oil in the water so I don't think I have a cracked head.
No change in performance of fuel economy.
No visible or smellable leaks in the engine bay.

Any other things I can try.

Help :crutch:

Click to expand...

White smoke is usually indicative of low compression in one or more cylinders; or coolant in the exhaust gases. Unburnt diesel is more usually black smoke.

Mine did this . The head had cracked above the exhaust valve . Every time exhaust valve opened some water went in to cylinder the rest burt off as steam . I had no water in oil or oil in water . But i kept loosing water

white smoke is water.
Blue is oil
black is unburnt fuel

lol
white smoke is unburnt fuel or water or both. can be grey.
blue smoke or a haze of blue would be oil
black smoke is excess or too much fuel, or not enough air.

is there a feed to the glow plugs

I am not losing water and can smell that the white smoke is desiel. I have thing about the glow plugs but it was happening before I figured new ones. But they may of been the problem else where in the circuit.

How do itest them safely. The thought of buffering about with hot glow plugs worries me.

How good is your battery?
Try a jumpstart from cold and see if there is a difference.
I had an 18 month old battery which just wouldn't turn the engine fast enough from cold but then would start all day instantly after the initial start up.
Some thing else to check before getting expensive

cheers

Jim A------------------
2002 Disco 2 auto
1996 300Tdi auto(gone)