My wife's car is a little fiat Panda 1.3 diesel. About a fortnight ago it simply refused to start. The AA sent out an agent who first of all plugged it in to his diagnostic machine, and showed no faults. I asked if it was likely to be the glow plugs, and he said very unlikely, with this engine it was almost certainly the injectors because if it was the glow plugs it would of showed up on his monitor. Anyway with a new battery that I had the car just about started and I started pricing up injectors, ouch!
Due to the price I was planning to wait until payday, and found if you timed pressing the throttle right could just about get it to go. Once started the car would then restart fine.
However the starting got worse so I thought I'd fight the glow plugs out( near enough had welded themselves in the head) and the results were instantaneous, so it goes to show that modern mechanics shouldn't always rely on computers, sometimes old school methods are the best,and sometimes it's worth replacing the cheapest parts first.
Always check the obvious first.
Moderator: Robsey
Re: Always check the obvious first.
Totally agree.
On modern diesels, it is almost always one of two things...
1 - glow plugs failing
It should put an engine or emissions light on. But not always.
2 - egr valve sticking or blocked with soot.
Usually in cooler damp conditions.
Engine or emissions light usually comes on, but the vehicle often appears to run normally.
I have had similar issues...
On our 2005 Vectra 1.9 CDTi, we had a pronounced mis-fire.
AA man said EGR valve.
Not convinced, I limped it home the 35 miles from Sheffield and looked through my notes on potential faults.
Quickly turned out to be wires breaking down on the No 3 injector.
New wires soldered in, and -
hey presto, back to full service and rude health.
By the way - this isn't "Knock the AA patrol man".
He / She can only go off what the diagnostics reader or symptoms tell him.
I am fortunate to build up a mental encyclopedia for the few vehicles that I have run throughout my life.
The patrol man has hundreds of makes and models to contend with. And not all diagnostics are intuitive or obvious.
On modern diesels, it is almost always one of two things...
1 - glow plugs failing
It should put an engine or emissions light on. But not always.
2 - egr valve sticking or blocked with soot.
Usually in cooler damp conditions.
Engine or emissions light usually comes on, but the vehicle often appears to run normally.
I have had similar issues...
On our 2005 Vectra 1.9 CDTi, we had a pronounced mis-fire.
AA man said EGR valve.
Not convinced, I limped it home the 35 miles from Sheffield and looked through my notes on potential faults.
Quickly turned out to be wires breaking down on the No 3 injector.
New wires soldered in, and -
hey presto, back to full service and rude health.
By the way - this isn't "Knock the AA patrol man".
He / She can only go off what the diagnostics reader or symptoms tell him.
I am fortunate to build up a mental encyclopedia for the few vehicles that I have run throughout my life.
The patrol man has hundreds of makes and models to contend with. And not all diagnostics are intuitive or obvious.