just recently my 1995 escort diesel has become awkward at starting in the mornings. its not the battery that turns over fine. the car just seems to hang on the battery turning part for ages, doesnt want to cath .this morning after 3 long tries it finally started. when it does eventually start it sounds awful for a few seconds then becomes the trustworthy machine it always has been.
Have tried turning the key on and off a couple of times to warm glow plugs more but made no difference. I am totally new to cars with regards to repairs or problems
any ideas as to why? and advice greatly received
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Glow plugs burn out so you need to test each one dosconnected from the supply. You will need a good meter to measure the resistance as they can be as low as 0.7 ohms. You could disconnect the plugs and put a head light bulb in circuit between the plug and the +12V from the battery the bulb should be bright. The other possibility is that you have air leaking into the fuel system. Try priming for 1 minute then fire thet car up, if it works than there is your problem, now you been to find the leak. pipe fitting, fuel filter or the primer itself. Regards Peter
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the escort has only done over 58 thousand. how often should glow plugs be replaced?
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sorry posted before i meant to. many thanks for your advice. can i ask thou what is priming?
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Further to Peter D's excellent advice.
There is a known problem with wiring routing under the bonnet of these cars. I'm not sure if it affects the glow plugs or the feed to the injector pump. Although it was a common fault, I haven't re-worked one myself, but some of my ex-colleagues who are still in the trade have done. Perhaps a helpful backroomer with access to Ford data would be able to find the technical bulletin that describes the fault and the rework?
Peter's suggested method for testing your glow plugs one by one with a headlamp bulb in series is an excellent tip - a brilliant idea Peter!
For priming, there may be a hand pump as part of the fuel filter assembly. To prime the system, undo the bleed screw(s), and pump untill no more air comes out. Under normal operating conditions, there should be no air in the fuel. If there is air, you need to find the leak which allowed the air in. The rubber diaphragm of this pump can fail and allow air into the system.
It is also possible that you have poor compression, which may be because of general engine wear, or because the valve clearancs have closed up.
I hope that helps,
Number_Cruncher
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reading the original post where upon it eventually starts and sounds like a bag of nails is a classic glow-worm symptom,if you are mechanically minded and have some long reach sockets then they are fairly easy to take out,however 58,000?miles and never been done before?may mean they will shear on removal,as i say if you are not competant i would let a good local independant do it for you,specify bosch oe not cheap copies and give the engine a birthday while its there and get the oil and filters changed at the same time.
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My '95 Escort van is similar, in as much as it turns a wee bit more than I'd like before it starts.
I replaced the glow plugs last week, and whilst doing that the glow plug wire came apart in my hands - it was rotten.
I suspect that may have had just as much to do with it as the plugs.
A replacement wire was around £10 from Ford.
For the record, I'm not sure that it starts that much quicker - I think I may be expecting a little too much from it!
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Escort original equipment glowplugs were BERU.
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"specify bosch oe not cheap copies and give the engine a birthday while its there "
I once tried the Halfords brand in my Escort I had, and I had to leave it till well after the glowplug light on the dash went out before I could start it. I've used NGK plugs with good results.
But which ever brand you use, you must ensure they are Rapid heat, as the Halfords one's did'nt as I found out.
I don't think the engine is worn enough to cause starting problems at 58k as mine had done 140k and still started OK.
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Hi there, new to this website but well impressed with the info being shared
I am have the same problems with my 1.8TD 1996 Escort. I have ordered a new set of glow plugs as i am pretty sure that this is the problem. Looks like I have also drained the battery trying to get started which is another story!.
My question is - where are the glow plus located - im quite happy to attempt to replace them myself, I just have no idea where they are, also any tips would be great
any help appreciated
cheers
Barry
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Straight across the front of the engine,just below the injectors and above the injector pump-a piece of wire(usually red)joins them all together.
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jc - thanks for this
is it quite easy to do?, I have heard they can be fragile and that can cause problems
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Hi there I wonder if anyone can help.
Was replacing the glow plugs last night and for access to the last plug I had to remove something that was partly covering it
However when I reconnected it and started the car - the revs just go right up (sounds as is the car was going to take off!) although I have not even touched the pedal. I quickly had to turn the engine off last night!
Does anyone have any idea what this is called.
There is a spring at the bottom with a metal piece that goes over it. finally another metal piece goes on the top - this is linked to the throttle cable i think
cheers for any help
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Mine has a CAV pump.Under #1 glow plug is a device which on my engine is linked to a control on the other side of the engine compartment.This controls fast idle and is also a "throttle kicker" which ups the idle speed when reverse is selected-it was called the "driving school fix".
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there's another method to test a glow plug you have to remove them from the head, put a battery live feed to the top of the plug and a neg to the body of the plug and see if it "glows"
ONLY DO THIS FOR ABOUT 5SECS THEY CAN BURN OUT give it a go?
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