ADUK Archive

Hi everyone,

Just wondered if anyone could give me some advice - recently, my car's developed a starting problem, which it's had in the past due to worn out glow plugs. It's developed the problem again over the past couple of months or so, ie, taking more than one go to get it started, but once it's been run for even a short time, it starts no problem. Also get a large cloud of smoke coming out of the exhaust, and it idles badly, but only for a few seconds and then it's ok. A friend of mine only changed the plugs at the end of April this year. Could the plugs have burnt out this quickly?? I do quite a high mileage, (15,000+ per annum) and I drove to Scotland and back in June - could this be a factor?

Any advice or suggestions as to what else it could be if it's not the glow plugs would be much appreciated.
Laters,

Ursula

I'm no mechanic but I wonder if a bit of 'Easy Start' squirted into the air intake will clear the system a bit - I used to do that with LGVs.

Don't try it until an EXPERT comes along with better advice than me.

Can I ask what make/model car it is?

It sounds to me like this is a diesil. This might be due to a clogged fuel filter.

Have you checked the fuel filter and if necessary drained any water from it? If that fails I would consider changing it completely.

More Information needed.

What type of car?

What fuel?

What total mileage?

How old?

Consider changing plug leads.

Ah, right - it's a Vauxhall Corsa 1.5 Turbo Diesel, done about 140,000 miles, it's 14 years old and generally pretty reliable.

If it was the fuel filter, any ideas on how much it would be to get it repaired/replaced? Obviously I know you can't say for definite, but any rough estimates? Thanks for your help so far

Ursula

Pretty sure the Corsa has an Isuzu derived engine and they suffer from this sort of issue when the valve clearances go out of spec.

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/ ... tm?t=27701

Chris

Valve Clearances..........too tight prob. Exhaust

Just humor me for a moment and try this......Turn on the ignition, let the glow plug light go out then crank the engine briefly, literally no more than a couple of seconds. Then turn the ignition off, then turn it back on and try and start the engine. See if that works. It should start immediately on the second attempt.

Red Herring - thank you for the suggestion, I tried it this morning...didn't work, I'm afraid! Hm...well, I'm going to book it in to the garage, anyway, so hopefully they should sort it.

Thank you all for your help/suggestions - I'll let you know the outcome!
Laters,

Ursula

Oh well, it was worth a go. I used to have a diesel Astra and that had the 1.7 Izusu engine in it. That behaved exactly as you described and what I suggested was the fix I lived with for nearly three years. The fault turned out to be some kind of relay/switch that was supposed to trip when the glow plugs went out, but wasn't. Good luck.

It could be drawing air into the fuel system somewhere. At that age there may be a rubber pipe that is perished, possibly at the tank or just before the engine. It would be worth changing the fuel filter (<£10) annyway as the o-ring seal may be leaking.

Aaaagh, I'd booked my car in to get new brake pads/discs today, and the garage people said to diagnose the starting problem they'd need to have the car for two days to strip the parts down in order to see what parts they need to order. Is this normal for the valve clearances?? Looks like I'm gonna be stuck with the starting problem for a bit longer now.

Still, at least the brakes are done - kind've important..!
Laters,

Ursula

Have you tried Googling for any Vauxhall forums - online owner's clubs are often a good place to ask questions and get advice from others who've experienced similar problems.

At the least they might be able to recommend a local garage that has done good work for them.

regards
P.

Sru_1980 wrote:Aaaagh, I'd booked my car in to get new brake pads/discs today, and the garage people said to diagnose the starting problem they'd need to have the car for two days to strip the parts down in order to see what parts they need to order. Is this normal for the valve clearances?? Looks like I'm gonna be stuck with the starting problem for a bit longer now.

Still, at least the brakes are done - kind've important..!
Laters,

Ursula

2 days seems a bit long, unless they have a problem acquiring the pallet shims, you get 0.8 hrs to check and adjust the clearances, but the car will have to be cold for that.