Vauxhall Diesel Starting Problem

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
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Wed 27 Apr 2005 22:03
Vauxhall Diesel Starting Problem - OAP

A neighbour of mine has difficulty getting his van started most mornings and says that it is addicted to ‘Coldstart’ which I presume is a WD40 type product.

He has had the glow plugs checked and was told that they are ok.

I suspect that most of the time it is doing *very* short trips…(his trade is window cleaning). It has done only 80,000 miles in twelve years which averages no more than twenty miles per day. I doubt whether it has ever been given the regular welly which HJ recommends.

Bearing the above in mind, do you think that it is a bit late in the engine’s life to expect any benefit from giving it regular short bursts at high revs?

Might suggesting an ‘Italian Burn-up’ do more harm (not least to other components) than good? Could there be something else causing the problem?

Suggestions (other than replacing the van!) would be welcomed.






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Wed 27 Apr 2005 22:12
Vauxhall Diesel Starting Problem - Rishab C
If the glowplugs are OK, most likely it is poor compression or fuel starvation (such as a leak at the engine end allowing the diesel to drain back to the tank).

I don't think an 'Italian tuneup' would make any difference to starting. Also, Cold start is not recommended on diesels, as it can accumulate and cause the engine to run away on it, or fire at incorrect timings.
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Wed 27 Apr 2005 22:38
Vauxhall Diesel Starting Problem - mjm
He has had the glowplugs tested, but was it on the car or off? It could be that the plugs are ok but the control unit/timer/relay to drive them is faulty.
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Wed 27 Apr 2005 23:04
Vauxhall Diesel Starting Problem - Clouddz
I have a similar prob. Anyhow if this engine is the Isuzu Engine see if the Valve clearances have been adjusted? i.e the shims as the inlets close up. What Glow plugs are in it? must be from a rep. manuf. or they burn out quickly. check relay, fuel filter change, air gettin into the fuel. and offcourse check the compression.
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Thu 28 Apr 2005 14:14
Vauxhall Diesel Starting Problem - Roly93
I can see why someone would say their engines accicted to cold start/ezistart etc. If their engine is in such poor shape, a shot of what is basically ether WILL be the only way to get that initial combustion.

I used ezistart years ago in the winter to get farm-tractors started, it is quite violent stuff, and when the engine does catch, it knocks like mad for quite a few seconds until the ether dissipates. This is obviously not good for the engine, but hey if you have to use this stuff in the first place the end is usually nigh anyway !
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