Starting troubles

[Danterzza]

My 1995 1.9d na with the amazing Lucas pump is a proper pain to start after it has been layed up overnight or when it's left all day in the works car park.

If it's run then re started a hour or two later it's fine and fires up first turn like it used to, it's just when it's left for say 9,10,11... Hours. So I think air is getting in somewhere. I have replaced the priming bulb with a spare I had and the feed from filter head to pump as it didn't look to healthy.

And it did the same this morning. I also took the filter out checked the seal and looked ok. No obvious leaks from anywhere. I pump the bulb and it gets hard after a couple of goes, should it stay firm overnight?.

Any suggestions would be great as it's a pain in the arse cranking it over for 30 odd seconds in the morning at quarter past six waking the street up lol.

I don't think it's the plugs as with mine even on a summers day they need a heat, and even when it was fine if it ran and you switched off for half a hour it wouldn't re start first thing without them and it's the same now so that hasn't changed just when it's left for a long period of time.

This also just started last week one day, all other times it has been starting first time no probs.

[Tom]

They always need heat to start straight away. Check your getting 12v to your glowplug rail for the first like 20seconds of ignition on, if the plugs look old change them. Also with regards to fuel lots of people ditch the standard filter housing and go to an inline filter so its just 2 joins as opposed to a million on the housing!

[strictly_perv]

When it starts does it start really lumpy?

[Danterzza]

No once it starts it's fine.

[strictly_perv]

Sounds like air ingress I think. Had this before and it was leaking from the fuel filter housing on the left, there's like a little round cap kinda thing at the bottom left, you can probably only notice a slight weep after some priming

[Danterzza]

It was not as bad last week when it was a bit warmer??? and is slightly lumpy only for a tiny bit when first start. Not really done it before.

Then today freezing and it was a nightmare to start, might re check the glowplug voltages etc

Does everyone else get a bit of a buzzing when the ign is on for the glowplugs??

It has always done it though, is that the glowplug relay??

Apart from that done 900 miles this week in it and its perfect.

[andywhy]

If it's not as bad when warm then it's definitely pointing to the glow plugs. If you want to check them then take them out and put them on power. See how much of the plug glows and how quickly. The whole end should glow after no more than 5-8 seconds. If it doesn't, it's probably time to replace.