Diesel Astra - Trouble starting in the morning

[Astraman]

Hi,

I have a 1997 TD Astra Estate - fitted I think with a low blow turbo?

A couple of months ago my cambelt snapped - water pump had seized - £600+
later it was fixed & the car seemed fine.

Now that the cooler weather is here it seems to have a small problem - it
doesn't like starting first thing in the morning - a bit like its owner.
Once I have got it started its fine throughout the day - even after being
left in work for 7+ hours.

Read a few of the threads in this group and it seems that the glow plugs
could be the cause. Out with the amp meter - all of the glow plugs are
taking between 20 - 30 amps each - bugger not that then.

Tried pulling the wires off of the temp sensor - near the thermostat - this
makes the orange glow plug warning light come on - does this also turn on
the glow plugs themselves? No difference in starting - still a pain in the
ass. Left the plugs running for about 20 seconds - with the outside air
temp reading 10c.

Now I'm at a loss as to what to do next - can someone come up with anything
else I can try?

Cheers

Ian

[AstraVanMan]

"Astraman" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:kPecd.75691$ay5.3561@fe1.news.blueyonder.co.u k...
> I have a 1997 TD Astra Estate - fitted I think with a low blow turbo?
>
> A couple of months ago my cambelt snapped - water pump had seized - £600+
> later it was fixed & the car seemed fine.
>
> Now that the cooler weather is here it seems to have a small problem - it
> doesn't like starting first thing in the morning - a bit like its owner.
> Once I have got it started its fine throughout the day - even after being
> left in work for 7+ hours.
>
> Read a few of the threads in this group and it seems that the glow plugs
> could be the cause. Out with the amp meter - all of the glow plugs are
> taking between 20 - 30 amps each - bugger not that then.
>
> Tried pulling the wires off of the temp sensor - near the thermostat -
this
> makes the orange glow plug warning light come on - does this also turn on
> the glow plugs themselves? No difference in starting - still a pain in
the
> ass. Left the plugs running for about 20 seconds - with the outside air
> temp reading 10c.
>
> Now I'm at a loss as to what to do next - can someone come up with
anything
> else I can try?

Just thought I'd reply as you have a similar screen name to me :-)

But then thought I'd better chuck in a quasi-useful comment. You know the
type - semi-useful, the diet coke of useful - one calorie,
not useful enough.

So here goes - it might be worth taking it to someone with the right
equipment and checking that the timing is bang on.

Peter
--
"The truth is working in television is not very glamorous at all. I just go
home on my own at night and sit alone and eat crisps."

[Chris Street]

On Sat, 16 Oct 2004 19:41:04 GMT, Astraman wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I have a 1997 TD Astra Estate - fitted I think with a low blow turbo?
>
> A couple of months ago my cambelt snapped - water pump had seized - £600+
> later it was fixed & the car seemed fine.
>
> Now that the cooler weather is here it seems to have a small problem - it
> doesn't like starting first thing in the morning - a bit like its owner.
> Once I have got it started its fine throughout the day - even after being
> left in work for 7+ hours.
>
> Read a few of the threads in this group and it seems that the glow plugs
> could be the cause. Out with the amp meter - all of the glow plugs are
> taking between 20 - 30 amps each - bugger not that then.
>
> Tried pulling the wires off of the temp sensor - near the thermostat - this
> makes the orange glow plug warning light come on - does this also turn on
> the glow plugs themselves? No difference in starting - still a pain in the
> ass. Left the plugs running for about 20 seconds - with the outside air
> temp reading 10c.
>
> Now I'm at a loss as to what to do next - can someone come up with anything
> else I can try?
>
> Cheers
>
> Ian

Is it an interference engine - did you clout the vavles with the piston?
I'd want to bung a compression tester on to make sure it's getting up to
pressure first.

[Moray Cuthill]

"AstraVanMan" <****Off@WithThanks.com> wrote in message
news:Unpcd.6$4S2.0@newsfe2-gui.ntli.net...
> "Astraman" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
> news:kPecd.75691$ay5.3561@fe1.news.blueyonder.co.u k...
>> I have a 1997 TD Astra Estate - fitted I think with a low blow turbo?
>>
>> A couple of months ago my cambelt snapped - water pump had seized - £600+
>> later it was fixed & the car seemed fine.
>>
>> Now that the cooler weather is here it seems to have a small problem - it
>> doesn't like starting first thing in the morning - a bit like its owner.
>> Once I have got it started its fine throughout the day - even after being
>> left in work for 7+ hours.
>>
>> Read a few of the threads in this group and it seems that the glow plugs
>> could be the cause. Out with the amp meter - all of the glow plugs are
>> taking between 20 - 30 amps each - bugger not that then.
>>
>> Tried pulling the wires off of the temp sensor - near the thermostat -
> this
>> makes the orange glow plug warning light come on - does this also turn on
>> the glow plugs themselves? No difference in starting - still a pain in
> the
>> ass. Left the plugs running for about 20 seconds - with the outside air
>> temp reading 10c.
>>
>> Now I'm at a loss as to what to do next - can someone come up with
> anything
>> else I can try?
>
> Just thought I'd reply as you have a similar screen name to me :-)
>
> But then thought I'd better chuck in a quasi-useful comment. You know the
> type - semi-useful, the diet coke of useful - one calorie,
> not useful enough.
>
> So here goes - it might be worth taking it to someone with the right
> equipment and checking that the timing is bang on.
>
> Peter
> --
> "The truth is working in television is not very glamorous at all. I just
> go
> home on my own at night and sit alone and eat crisps."
>
>

I'd second that suggestion. Have seen one with the timing out (think it was
3 teeth), and it would run, albeit a bit smoky with lack of power.

[DuncanWood]

Check the valve clearances, they tend to close up on the exhausts that
makes cold staring tricky.

[SimonJ]

"Chris Street" <venus.ngfb@chris-street.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:19orbvcy1hkjw.1soh0f0w4pgr1.dlg@40tude.net...
> On Sat, 16 Oct 2004 19:41:04 GMT, Astraman wrote:
>
> > Hi,
> >
> > I have a 1997 TD Astra Estate - fitted I think with a low blow turbo?
> >
> > A couple of months ago my cambelt snapped - water pump had seized -
£600+
> > later it was fixed & the car seemed fine.
> >
> > Now that the cooler weather is here it seems to have a small problem -
it
> > doesn't like starting first thing in the morning - a bit like its owner.
> > Once I have got it started its fine throughout the day - even after
being
> > left in work for 7+ hours.
> >
> > Read a few of the threads in this group and it seems that the glow plugs
> > could be the cause. Out with the amp meter - all of the glow plugs are
> > taking between 20 - 30 amps each - bugger not that then.
> >
> > Tried pulling the wires off of the temp sensor - near the thermostat -
this
> > makes the orange glow plug warning light come on - does this also turn
on
> > the glow plugs themselves? No difference in starting - still a pain in
the
> > ass. Left the plugs running for about 20 seconds - with the outside air
> > temp reading 10c.
> >
> > Now I'm at a loss as to what to do next - can someone come up with
anything
> > else I can try?
> >
> > Cheers
> >
> > Ian
>
> Is it an interference engine - did you clout the vavles with the piston?
> I'd want to bung a compression tester on to make sure it's getting up to
> pressure first.

For £600, I would hope that the garage replaced any damaged valves!
Anyway, low compression would mean poor starting all the time, not just when
cold.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember DuncanWood <freenews@dmx512.co.uk>
saying something like:

>Check the valve clearances, they tend to close up on the exhausts that
>makes cold staring tricky.

<tries icy glare>

You're right.
--

Dave
SE6a

[DuncanWood]

On Sun, 17 Oct 2004 21:16:16 +0100, Grimly Curmudgeon
<grimlycurmudgeon683@hotmail.com> wrote:

> It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
> drugs began to take hold. I remember DuncanWood <freenews@dmx512.co.uk>
> saying something like:
>
>> Check the valve clearances, they tend to close up on the exhausts that
>> makes cold staring tricky.
>
> <tries icy glare>
>
> You're right.


The other tedious one on those is if the main relay pack starts playing up
the first syptom is difficulty starting.