Starting Problems on my P38 DSE

Hi Guys,
This has happened twice in 3 months...so i need some advice.
I went to start up from cold this morning, put the key in, 2 pre heats like normal, started up fine,ran for 2 seconds then cut out. preheat again but would not start,kept firing and firing but would not catch up, the check engine light had gone out so i think there's nothing major wrong.. so i left it 5 minutes tried again and it started (took about 30 secounds of winding over). now normally it starts fine but like i said this has now happened twice so it needs sorting out.
so do you think the usual glow plug change will sort it out?....or could there be something more sinister going on?
thanks guys

Have the top cover fiisher thingy ma bob off the engine and have a look at each injector. If any of them look 'wet' then you have leaking leak-off pipes. When the pipes are beginning to degrade they also seem to appear 'wet' with diesel as well.

See what you find, also check the pipe going from the 1st injector back to the FIP.

Lastly check the clear pipe from the fuel filter to the FIP, are there any bubbles in it??

Im doubting glow plugs as it started and ran ok for a few seconds and then died.

-Wills

ok thanks for that, will check it out, ta

I might as well change all of these pipes whilst my hands are dirty, does anyone know what size fuel pipe i need to buy when i go to my local car parts store?.
cheers guys

go to a Vauxhall dealership, get them from there, a lot cheaper and the same size

IIRC the correct diameter pipe is (Internally) 3.2mm. However my local car place only had 3.0mm stuff so I bought 2 meters (you don't need that much but good to have some spare for the future) of it and cut it to length myself. The 3.0mm stuff seems fine and I have had no ill effects or problems.

Once changed it can take a good 15-20secs of cranking to get it to start up again. As you change the pipes you let air into the system and you can see this run back along the clear fuel pipe into the filter. This is what happens when the pipes crack and perish hence difficult starting.

The pipes are easy to do, simple pull off push on affair, I didn't bother with the last one on the number 6 injector which has the stopper thing on it as it was too difficult to get to without openning the bonnet straight up, it also wasn't leaking so I crossed my fingers and left it! Depending on how bothered you are you can either leave that one too or replace it.

Wear old clothes and have some gloves on hand though otherwise you will stink of diesel for the next 2 days

Let us know how it goes...

-Wills

Got some pipe today, removed the plastic covers and found everything covered in diesel,on closer inspection i found the most of the leak off pipes were shot. fitted the new ones,cranked it over a bit and it started fine. hopefully thats sorted it out.
thanks a lot guys