Vauxhall Astra 1.3 Cdti - Astra j not starting from cold, glow plug voltage

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Mon 4 Nov 2019 05:58
Vauxhall Astra 1.3 Cdti - Astra j not starting from cold, glow plug voltage - Ajc1

My car is difficult to start from cold, cranking speed is ok just taking longer to start.

I suspect the glow plugs and the 1 I have tested has gone I will test the other 3 later.

My problem is that I tested yo ensure I was getting power to glow plugs and found it went almost straight to 11v then dropped to 2v.

I have 4.4v glow plugs and from what I've read it should go to 2v, then up to 4.4v then back to 2v when dash light goes out.

I have replaced the glow plug relay thinking that was the reason for the voltage issue but just tested it and it again went to 11v before dropping to 2v, can anyone suggest a reason for this?

The other thing I have noticed is that since the difficult starting problems it is more sluggish than usual.

Thanks in advance

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Mon 4 Nov 2019 08:23
Vauxhall Astra 1.3 Cdti - Astra j not starting from cold, glow plug voltage - elekie&a/c doctor

This car uses the Fiat multijet engine which is known to have a few issues. Very common for the glow plugs to fail and become seized in the cylinder head ,making them very difficult to remove. The glow plugs only operate when ambient temperatures are below 5 degrees. They are not needed for cold start on a day like today. The glows are 11 volts ,but they all need to be working for the timer relay to operate correctly. The bad starting and running problems are due to faults elsewhere.

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Mon 4 Nov 2019 09:06
Vauxhall Astra 1.3 Cdti - Astra j not starting from cold, glow plug voltage - Ajc1

If the flows are 11v, why do they have 4.4v stamped on them?

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Mon 4 Nov 2019 09:51
Vauxhall Astra 1.3 Cdti - Astra j not starting from cold, glow plug voltage - elekie&a/c doctor
It depends on the age of the car . Some are 11 volt , some are 4.4 volt . You need to check you have the correct type . Functions are the same, whatever the voltage .
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Mon 4 Nov 2019 10:39
Vauxhall Astra 1.3 Cdti - Astra j not starting from cold, glow plug voltage - Ajc1

If they are 4.4 volts then shouldn't voltage to them be 4.4v otherwise they would burn out quicker

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Mon 4 Nov 2019 15:25
Vauxhall Astra 1.3 Cdti - Astra j not starting from cold, glow plug voltage - elekie&a/c doctor
You may see 12 volts on your meter , but it’s the current they draw that’s important. This is probably regulated from the glow relay . Please check that you have the correct parts for your car .
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