Zafira A 2.0DTi - Glow plug issues and cold start trouble

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
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Sun 16 Aug 2015 19:17
Zafira A 2.0DTi - Glow plug issues and cold start trouble - stuartl

I posted on here a while ago about this car that I had bought and discovered that the previous owner had conveniently forgotten to tell me that one of the glow plugs had been snapped off in the head. Today I have finally got round to replacing the three remaining and have tested the ones that have come out and they all glow nicely. The cold start issue remains. My feeling is that no power is getting to the plugs. When the key is turned to IGN I no longer get the glow plug symbol for a few seconds. (I did when I first got the car even though its always been a pig to start from cold). According to the Haynes manual the glow plugs on the turbo models are controlled by the injection system ecu. Could that be at fault?

Thanks in anticipation of any help or advice!

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Sun 16 Aug 2015 19:25
Zafira A 2.0DTi - Glow plug issues and cold start trouble - stuartl

Just a thought. Could it be the fact that the plug for the snapped-off glow plug is not connected to anything that's upsetting something?!

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Mon 17 Aug 2015 08:29
Zafira A 2.0DTi - Glow plug issues (or is it??) and cold start trouble - stuartl

Since my original post I think I might be barking up the wrong tree with this. I have read more than once that unless the inside engine temp is less than 5 degrees the glow plugs wont kick in anyway.

Leak off tubes leaking perhaps?? Euro car parts do a set for less than £4 so must be worth a punt.

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Mon 17 Aug 2015 09:15
Zafira A 2.0DTi - Glow plug issues (or is it??) and cold start trouble - elekie&a/c doctor

Glow plugs only operate at low temps.Leak off pipes would certainly cause poor starting,but by far the biggest issue on these,is injector seals leaking.This is a common problem on this engine,but access requires removal of the rear camshaft.

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Mon 17 Aug 2015 10:59
Zafira A 2.0DTi - Glow plug issues (or is it??) and cold start trouble - Peter.N.

If this is an Hdi engine it doesn't need the glow plugs to start - unless you live in Sibera. It could be that the engine is not turning over fast enough due to a duff battery or starter.

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Mon 17 Aug 2015 13:41
Zafira A 2.0DTi - Glow plug issues (or is it??) and cold start trouble - elekie&a/c doctor
Not common rail or hdi on these,but electronic pump.
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Mon 17 Aug 2015 14:45
Zafira A 2.0DTi - Glow plug issues (or is it??) and cold start trouble - Railroad.
Not common rail or hdi on these,but electronic pump.

Even so they're still direct injection, and should not need glow plugs for cold starting. In fact they don't even switch on for preheating unless the outside air is less than 2 degrees celcius. Their primary purpose is for noise and emission reduction during cold running.

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