Hi,
My Galaxy diesel took six attempts to start this morning - at only 6 degrees C. Initially I thought it was a tow to the
garage job, but I kept on trying and it did start eventually.
Can diesels (Ford 2.0 TDCi in my case) get flooded by themselves?
I know about not starting modern petrols for a very short time as that
can cause them to flood, making later attempts to start them a problem.
I took the car to the garage and they found no fault codes, but did update the 'engine software' for me. A bit
worrying as I've only had the car for about 2 months.
Maybe I'm worrying uneccessarily!
Thanks
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Did the engine run roughly for a brief period after it was started?
I'm just guessing here but i wouldn't think a diesel is as sensitive as a petrol to flooding due to the diesel not requiring a fixed air-to-fuel ratio to burn. But thats just a wild guess
About 4 years ago there were loads of posts on here with mondeos taking many goes to start. I've copied one of the threads for you but its probably not that relavent as your car must be completely different.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=5842
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Thanks sine,
Read the thread and there are some similarities. I don't think it's time to call on Cust Services yet.
It's very cold this morning, so I'll see how things go. They did load new software, maybe that is all
that was needed.
Gx
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I don't think they can. I've got a Peugeot 405TD that had dead glowplugs. It took ages to get the thing started and all the time whilst turning the engine over it would pump more and more diesel into the system. When it finally did go, there was a fog warning issued by the met office....
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Diesel vectras have a known problem in the excess fuel return from the injectors.
The pipes became pourous and let air in, but can be changed easily.
The solution is made worse by pointing uphill, so I rolled the car until it was on the level.
I got this info from this web site
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Are you saying that your Galaxy is only 2 months old or that you have only owned it for 2 months?
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Thanks for your replies, more info.
The engine never started until it finally did, if you see what I mean. It normally starts after
about 3 or 4 turns. I let it turn for about 6 first time before releasing the key. It did think about
starting about the 4th time but stopped as soon as I released the key.
The Galaxy is only two months old.
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Well you'll just have to see how it goes. If the software update doesn't do the trick you will have to go back to Ford again and get them to sort it out properly. You have plenty of warranty time left so I wouldn't worry too much at the minute.
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Probably known to you, but just in case, when starting a diesel:
Always wait for the glow plug warning light to go out (light may not appear if temperature is above approx 10C)
Under no circumstances touch the accelerator pedal when starting the engine. (This is also true for a modern petrol injection vehicle)
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If your vehicle has the VW PD unit (was fitted to earlier Galaxies - not sure about the latest) you have a problem. My 130 PS VW unit is an instant starter even at the lowest temperatures so far reached this year (-5 deg C). In fact, I tried provoking it by cranking straight away without waiting the 2 secs needed for the glow plug light to extinguish - it still started on the first compression.
659.
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It might be the EGR throttle sticking shut. This is used as an anti shake on shutdown throttle to brake the engine, on shut down. Then it is released one or 2 secs after engine stopped, ready for next start. the engine will not start if this throttle remains closed. Vibration caused by cranking might just release it, as it is spring loaded to open.
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If this happens on a regular basis it could be an air leak in the fuel system. But then again if it has a electric fuel pump that primes the system when the ignition is turned on that's unlikely to be the problem.
---
Xantia HDi.
Buy a Citroen and get to know the local GSF staff better...
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