TD5 Disco Glow Plugs

Hi,

My Disco TD5 (04 plate) has about 80k miles on it, and I run on some pretty dodgy fuel brews, using quite a bit of recovered oils, and old engine oil.

Is uses these fine on about a 50-50 mix with pump fuel (I NEVER use red diesel) but a recent lot of recovered oil has had too much petrol in it, and the TD5 doesn't like that. It was very slow to fire up, and smoky, but once wrmed up and cruising, it drove along very nicely.

Today I decided to swap the glow plugs for 4 new DENSO DG-182

The job was a bit fiddly but not too bad. I started at the front. Got the wire off, and after a bit of wiggling to and fro the plug came loose and out. It had been fitted dry. It LOOKED PERFECT.
It is a BERU 0 100 226 255

It had not been leaking, and the tip appeared intact. I began to regret going to the trouble of taking it out.

Then I measured it on a leccy meter it was DEAD --- d-e-a-d.

So I fitted a Denso with some copper-grease, and then did the other three.

All four Beru plugs that I pulled out LOOKED the same; they LOOKED fine, but all four of them are open circuit, as in electrically DEAD. No Glow.

I will post tomorrow if it starts any better, and if the smoky first minutes are any better. Tomorrow I am also going to check that return pipe from the fuel filter head back to the tank.

CharlesY

never use the plugs on mine. straight on and it fires

T1G UP said:

never use the plugs on mine. straight on and it fires

Click to expand...

Indeed, but all I was doing was pointing out they can be there, and look OK, but that doesn't mean they heat up.

Engine controller unit can't tell if the plugs work or not.

CharlesY

If you had an amp meter fitted you'd see if they were drawing current. By taking off the wires and refitting one at a time it would be a rough and ready way of seeing if they are open circuit. Just because they draw current does not mean that they glow hot enough to be useful though.

Shifty1962 said:

If you had an amp meter fitted you'd see if they were drawing current. By taking off the wires and refitting one at a time it would be a rough and ready way of seeing if they are open circuit. Just because they draw current does not mean that they glow hot enough to be useful though.

Click to expand...

Quite right Shifty, but at over 80k miles I wanted to see what they looked like.

I've seen some badly burned glowplugs that still worked even though they looked wrecked at end. My ones looked like they had done about 80 miles, never mind 80,000, but all four of them had electrically failed inside.

So there are four brand new Denso plugs in there, and we shall see what happens in the morning.

CharlesY

Let us know what difference they made.

Shifty1962 said:

Let us know what difference they made.

Click to expand...

Hi Shifty,

Not a lot. Still poor to start this morning.
But that may be at least partly due to dodgy fuel.
Now hear this .

Discomania and I jacked up rear right and took off the wheel.

Then using a 19mm spaniard slackened the REAR OUTER pipe nut, that's the one on the LEFT looking at it, and nearest.

Undo it completely, and catch the copper washer.

Now examine the end of the pipe. Jammed into it is a small nylon plug thing with three holes in the end of it. Under the three holes is a small flat filter.
Under that is the AIR BLEED HOLE.

All the time the TD5 fuel pump is running, any air in the filter head SHOULD vent THROUGH the little filter then through the little bleed hole, and be dumped back into the fuel tank through the far left connection.

So ... if the little filter in the nylon plug bleed device is blocked with dirt, NO AIR BLEED especially on a first start.

So what I did was carefully to prise the nylon plug thing out of the end of the pipe. It is held in by a small O-ring that comes out with it. Then I SPLIT the end off the thing using a sharp knife, and scraped off the filter thing which is there ONLY to stop the bleed hole from getting blocked - so the filter blocks instead!

The car was parked at about three o'clock, and it's quite cold here. It is now 21.45, and I just went out to start it up. It started better than it has done for WEEKS.

TD5 drivers ...be aware there's a automatic air bleeder hiding in the fuel filter and it can cause poor starting!

If anyone else looks at this, please post findings and news.

Charles Y

CharlesY said:

Then using a 19mm spaniard ............
Charles Y

Click to expand...

wot did yo last slave die of ?

Dont suppose you took any piccies of the offending article ???
Something to bear in mind though.

Shifty1962 said:

Don't suppose you took any piccies of the offending article ???
Something to bear in mind though.

Click to expand...

Damn ... the greasy Spaniard says his camera battery was flat.

It will be a few days before I get time to repeat the exercise unless of course the thing breaks down meantime.

Charles

Shifty1962 said:

Dont suppose you took any piccies of the offending article ???
Something to bear in mind though.

Click to expand...

Britcar (UK) Ltd > WJN500110 VALVE AIR BLEED ASSY TD5 DEF-DIS2 (G)

spot the little o-ring, but the nylon plug thing isn't obvious.
It may be there, inside the wee black O-ring, but not very clear to see.

CharlesY said:

Britcar (UK) Ltd > WJN500110 VALVE AIR BLEED ASSY TD5 DEF-DIS2 (G)

spot the little o-ring, but the nylon plug thing isn't obvious.
It may be there, inside the wee black O-ring, but not very clear to see.

Click to expand...

To continue this thread ...

My TD5 Disco runs as good as new, BUT starting up is still a problem.

After it has sat overnight, if I jump in and turn the key to starter right away it WILL NOT START.

Then I have to use the INJECTOR PURGE procedure - key OFF, hold the throttle to the floor and turn the starter for 20 - 30 seconds till it runs.

BUT ... After it has sat overnight, if I jump in and turn the key to IGN ON only, and wait 20 - 30 seconds the fuel flow seems to bleed the air out of the gallery in the cylinder head, and then it fires up perfectly.

Anyone with TD5 bad starting after sitting a while might want to try this.

CharlesY

I always turn my IGN on and wait for the glow light to go out before cranking. The fuel pump is doing its thing during this time and mine always fires on the first turn.
I'm also using some decidely dody fuel brews as you know. Occassionaly it coughs before No.5 cylinder kicks in but only for a second or two. I never use the throttle pedal whilst starting.

Shifty1962 said:

I always turn my IGN on and wait for the glow light to go out before cranking. The fuel pump is doing its thing during this time and mine always fires on the first turn.
I'm also using some decidely dody fuel brews as you know. Occassionaly it coughs before No.5 cylinder kicks in but only for a second or two. I never use the throttle pedal whilst starting.

Click to expand...

I think that is very good advice.
There should be a timer to stop the starter from running till the fuel is primed so that clots like me don't try too soon.

In a TD5, holding the thottle down then attempting to start will probably "flood" the cylinders with fuel and make it VERY hard to start. If this happens, a TOW start is best, towing in 3rd gear with the IGN key ON from the start but NO THROTTLE

TD5 REMINDER!
Holding the thottle down then attempting to start is ONLY to be used to prime injectors if it ran out of fuel or got air in the system.