starting problem

up untill recently my td4 has started faultlessy first turn of the key(one of the few things its done faultlessly),however last week it needed to be cranked for 10-15 seconds before it started....then it had a day or two when it was ok again.
then yesterday after a 20 mile trip it had been switched off for about 10 minutes and it refused to start,cranking over but not firing at all.the guy i was visiting had a can of easistart in his shed and a quick squirt it fired up and ran perfectly all the way home.it was stopped for 5 minutes and would not start again(easistart got it running again).
its been parked overnight and will not start again this morning...so its not just when its hot,its not starting when cold aswell. any tips what direction i should be looking please?

after a search i have checked the connections on the feul sensor on the filter head and i have frozen the cam sensor for a while but its still not starting

Had the same on my TD4 and it was an injector. Mine got worse exactly like yours did until it would only start with easi start. Once running it would run all day and I did a lot of driving without turning off the engine, however once off it wouldn't start without easi start.

I'd say check injectors.

Jodsclass said:

Had the same on my TD4 and it was an injector. Mine got worse exactly like yours did until it would only start with easi start. Once running it would run all day and I did a lot of driving without turning off the engine, however once off it wouldn't start without easi start.

I'd say check injectors.

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Try and check fuel pressure also.

Its a hard one to diagnose: all you can tell is that fuel is not getting ion for some reaosn. Fuel pump, blocked filter, blocked pipe, dodgy sensor (crank) dodgy iinjectors - you should get the codes read as you can spend a lot of money chasing things that are not actually a problem...

lenny1234 said:

Try and check fuel pressure also.

Its a hard one to diagnose: all you can tell is that fuel is not getting ion for some reaosn. Fuel pump, blocked filter, blocked pipe, dodgy sensor (crank) dodgy iinjectors - you should get the codes read as you can spend a lot of money chasing things that are not actually a problem...

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surely if any of these faults existed it would not run perfectly once its started?
no fault codes in system according to my code reader?

surely if any of these faults existed it would not run perfectly once its started?

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quite possible for an injector to run fine once the engine has started
whilst also being the cause for a difficult to start engine

if one injector suffers from excessive back leakage then the pump cannot deliver
the required minimum pressure for the starting operation ..
once started .. the pump can deliver the pressure due to higher rpm ..

xamtex said:

surely if any of these faults existed it would not run perfectly once its started?
no fault codes in system according to my code reader?

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There are a couple of things that only affect starting - camshaft sensor is one.

Mmm. No fault codes.

check crankshaft and camshaft sensors and wiring. Camshaft wiring failure quite common I believe

Sounds like a fuel pump issue. Mine did the same a few years back. Eventually wouldn't turn over at all.

well i changed the cam sensor and it was still the same.so ive been starting it on easistart all week.this morning was going to do an injector leak back test so i fired it up and drove it round the back to my garage, it cut out as i pulled on the drive and i cannot get it to run since..well it fires on easistart but stops as soon as it uses it.
the tank pump is running,the underbonnet pump is running,if i crack number 1 injector pipe and switch the ignition on feul comes out,if i fire it up on easistart the feul shoots out about 3 foot in front of the bonnet.
the leakback check i did showed no leakage at all.
the mil light is not on.
any more suggestions would be welcome?

xamtex said:

well i changed the cam sensor and it was still the same.so ive been starting it on easistart all week.this morning was going to do an injector leak back test so i fired it up and drove it round the back to my garage, it cut out as i pulled on the drive and i cannot get it to run since..well it fires on easistart but stops as soon as it uses it.
the tank pump is running,the underbonnet pump is running,if i crack number 1 injector pipe and switch the ignition on feul comes out,if i fire it up on easistart the feul shoots out about 3 foot in front of the bonnet.
the leakback check i did showed no leakage at all.
the mil light is not on.
any more suggestions would be welcome?

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tried the crank sensor?

If the fuel is there, it must be getting there at the wrong time

xamtex said:

well i changed the cam sensor and it was still the same.so ive been starting it on easistart all week.this morning was going to do an injector leak back test so i fired it up and drove it round the back to my garage, it cut out as i pulled on the drive and i cannot get it to run since..well it fires on easistart but stops as soon as it uses it.
the tank pump is running,the underbonnet pump is running,if i crack number 1 injector pipe and switch the ignition on feul comes out,if i fire it up on easistart the feul shoots out about 3 foot in front of the bonnet.
the leakback check i did showed no leakage at all.
the mil light is not on.
any more suggestions would be welcome?

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Hi Xam,

On the leak back test, when you disconnected the fuel tube, sealed it (clamped it) and just turn to power on position, does fuel slowly emerge from the first injector? If so (and if fuel DOESNT emerge from the other three injectors) then that first injector is leaking back to tank and therefore not allowing enough pressure on start up (from warm).

I just found this on my own td4 so now just to save for an injector

lenny1234 said:

tried the crank sensor?

If the fuel is there, it must be getting there at the wrong time

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would a crank sensor fault not put the mil light on?

xamtex said:

would a crank sensor fault not put the mil light on?

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I dont have an answer for that, no idea.

update...its on borrowed time now...the gas axe is being warmed up as i type.
its had a new cam sensor,new crank sensor...hawkeye says no fault codes.
it now starts only with easistart...hawkeye shows the low pressure feul at 57-58 psi at 800.....2500 rpm
the high pressure is 4156 psi@800 rpm...6019 psi at 2500 rpm.
if i go past 2500 rpm up towards 3000 rpm the revs fluctuate between 2500 and 3000.
injector leak back test ignition on and cranking shows no leakback.
im running out of ideas now...HELP!!!

it could be your fuel filter/pump.

xamtex said:

update...its on borrowed time now...the gas axe is being warmed up as i type.
its had a new cam sensor,new crank sensor...hawkeye says no fault codes.
it now starts only with easistart...hawkeye shows the low pressure feul at 57-58 psi at 800.....2500 rpm

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I thought low pressure fuel should be about 180-300psi???

And that you had already fitted a new fuel pump/filter?

the high pressure is 4156 psi@800 rpm...6019 psi at 2500 rpm.
if i go past 2500 rpm up towards 3000 rpm the revs fluctuate between 2500 and 3000.
injector leak back test ignition on and cranking shows no leakback.
im running out of ideas now...HELP!!!

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lenny1234 said:

I thought low pressure fuel should be about 180-300psi???

And that you had already fitted a new fuel pump/filter?

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180-300 psi from the LOW pressure pump???

Your low fuel pressure is ok (should be 350kpa) so 57psi is fine.

Maybe the immobiliser needs to be resynced?

td4van said:

Your low fuel pressure is ok (should be 350kpa) so 57psi is fine.

Maybe the immobiliser needs to be resynced?

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how can i do that?

now changed the feul filter again just in case,put another low pressure pump on just in case...still the same.