Vauxhall/Isuzu Diesel Cold Starting

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
View Threaded
Sat 7 Dec 2002 16:58
Vauxhall/Isuzu Diesel Cold Starting - Dizzy {P}
There have been a lot of discussions here about poor cold-starting of Vauxhalls fitted with the Isuzu diesel engine and many answers have been attempted.

A friend of mine has suffered this problem for at least two winters and tried 'everything'. Everything, that is, except having the valve clearances checked. Someone recently told us here that re-setting the valve clearances on his engine was the answewr (sorry, I've searched but I can't find the relevant posting) so I suggested to my friend that it was worth trying.

He had his valve clearances checked during the week and it was found that valve seat recession (sinkage) had led to some valves being held open slightly. This made cold-starting very difficult because he wasn't getting full compression but once the engine started and warmed through a bit it was fine, except that it smoked terribly immediately after starting.

The clearances were reset and the engine now starts immediately. It turned for less than two seconds this afternoon (on a very cold day) before firing on all four. Apparently valve seat recession on Isuzu diesels is well known within the trade for causing cold-start problems.

Another success story for the forum!
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 7 Dec 2002 17:32
Vauxhall/Isuzu Diesel Cold Starting - googolplex
Had a similar problem with same engine about 100K miles ago. Same diagnosis and no starting problems since. (Trouble is, the same Vauxhall garage seems to mention the same diagnosis for most other faults despite there eventually being other things to blame.)
Its worth your friend being wary of the starter motor now since I think the strain of turning over the engine caused mine to go. These are not particularly cheap in this diesel being a "geared device", so I am led to understand.
Splodgeface
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide

Will you have to pay the low emissions charge?

Use our ULEZ checker to find out if your vehicle is subject to ULEZ charges. Simply enter your number plate into the Honest John ULEZ checker to see if you will have to pay to enter the London Ultra Low Emission Zone.

Check your vehicle