Peugeot 306 (1993 - 2001) - 1997 1.9TD Terrible Starter

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Sun 10 Aug 2008 17:23
1997 1.9TD Terrible Starter - gary923
Car : 1997 Peugeot 306 D-Turbo.

Hello there, I have owned this car for around 8 months and of late has become terrible at starting. It wasn't the best at starting when I first bought it but replacement glow plugs cured this.

Now confession time........approximately four months ago I started using veggie oil (around 5/6 litres per tankful) and the car continued to run normally. About two months ago though and hearing that Lucas fuel pumps don't like the stuff, I quickly ditched the veggie oil idea.

The problem I seem to be now having though is that the car is taking longer than it should to fire up. The fuel filter was changed a month ago which has made no difference.

I thought that it might be an injector problem so I have used some Redex Diesel injector cleaner additive. This was half a tank ago but no improvement has been seen.

Regards,

Gary.

Edited by Dynamic Dave on 11/08/2008 at 00:36

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Sun 10 Aug 2008 17:47
1997 1.9 Terrible Starter - Peter.N.
Try pumping the primer until it is hard before you try to start it, if that works, you have an air leak somewhere. Failing that, connect a volt meter between any of the glow plugs and earth and check that you have about 10 or 11 volts for 20 seconds or so after turning the ingnition on.
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Sun 10 Aug 2008 18:21
1997 1.9 Terrible Starter - gary923
Thanks for that Peter. I have already tried pumping the primer but doesn't make any difference. I'll get hold of a tester and check the glow plugs.
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Mon 11 Aug 2008 00:27
1997 1.9 Terrible Starter - dieselhead
IF it checks out ok for glow plugs and air leaks i would get the injectors cleaned and set up - from experience it makes a big difference to starting on these.
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Mon 11 Aug 2008 01:50
1997 1.9 Terrible Starter - gary923
Just a quick update. Havn't had time to test the plugs yet but have been out in the car tonight and on three occasions the engine has not fired until about 30-40 secs of constant turning over. One thing I have noticed is that previously when the glow plug light has gone out on the dashboard, there is usually a clicking noise from the internal relay/fusebox area.

The light comes on as normal and extinguishes after the usual 7-8 seconds, but there is no clicking sound.

Just wondered if this is linked to the problem, and whether a dodgy relay might be the problem.

Regards,

Gary.
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Mon 11 Aug 2008 13:37
1997 1.9 Terrible Starter - RichardW
First check you have 12V on the plugs when you switch on - this will give you a hint of whether this is a plug problem or relay problem. The light should go out after 7-8s, the relay should take longer to drop out, maybe 30s.

What plugs were fitted? Anything other than Beru is a waste of time in these engines - they just destroy them.

Edited by RichardW on 11/08/2008 at 13:38

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Mon 11 Aug 2008 15:56
1997 1.9 Terrible Starter - gary923
Thanks for the advice everyone. Took it to a mates garage who tested the plugs and guess what......they were all kaput!

The lucas plugs have been changed for NGK's so i'm hoping that they will last longer than 8 months. I wouldn't care but I live 35 miles from work and the car sees very little short 'stop-start' journeys.

The car now fires up immediately, and i'm a happy motorist once again.

Thanks again,

Regards,

Gary.
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