Hard starting TD42

[MyGQ]

Ok well i have a bit of a mystery

up until about 2 days ago, my GQ started in less than 1/2 to 1/4 cranks of the starter motor, both cold and hot starts were the same

Now i am getting quite a few problems, its taking like 6-7 cranks to get it to fire, if i drive to the servo and filler her, she starts just about instant, leave it for like 20-30 mins and she is back to 5-6 cranks to start her,

Wondering what might be causing this. my thoughts are the glow plugs cause the light is going out quicker than ever, even when cold.

[azzad]

Check ur glow plugs, glow plug relay and fuse feeding ur glow plugs.

From memory it is a large fuse under the bonnet.

[joelt]

i've been having the same problem. replaced glow plugs and fuel filter. it's slightly better but still takes quite a few cranks. i have a feeling mine is to do with the injector pump, cos mine is leaking. my sister used it the other day and it wouldnt start got the racv in and he said it was the alternator but i'm not so sure. check your injector pump to see if its leaking.

[marko]

If the pump is leaking, the fuel may be running back to the tank due to drawing in air from where the leak is. Also it maybe taking a while to build up internal pump pressuer(50-60psi)maybe pump the priming pump one morning and see what happens with the starting

[MyGQ]

mine i don't think is leaking cause i haven't seen any diesel around the pump or that, might be internal leakage, might get a new pump as well while i am at it,

[MitchellBros4x4]

The glow circuit is possible, but not likely because there will be heat still available inside the head to aid combustion. Try pumping the primer to get pressure before you start her, if she starts first go, your problem will be the diaphragm not holding pressure. Get rid of the standard primer unit and replace it with a Racor 230r2 that will filter down to 2 microns, keeps everything nice and clean.

[eighty8]

I know that my fuel tank breather is blocked and as the tank level drops it creates a back draw , causing a slow start and rough idle when cold. When it happens opening the fuel filler cap loose's the vac pressure and up come the rpm.
The fuel pump is now leaking from the rear seal so this week it will be getting a rebuild.
Think l'll fix the blockage to, it's only been a year or so...

[ausoops]

I know that my fuel tank breather is blocked and as the tank level drops it creates a back draw , causing a slow start and rough idle when cold. When it happens opening the fuel filler cap loose's the vac pressure and up come the rpm.
The fuel pump is now leaking from the rear seal so this week it will be getting a rebuild.
Think l'll fix the blockage to, it's only been a year or so...

same here. the little plastic breather thats hangs in the rhr wheel well was clogged, i ripped it out and ran a new 1/4in fuel line to the engine bay and wacked a 2 dollar fuel filter on the end. now no issues.

[MyGQ]

will see how we go thanks for the info, hope its not the pump

[MyGQ]

1 last question for you guys

while doing a bit of inspecting i noticed the hose that runs from the fuel return on the injector pump back to the tank, the rubber hose is loose, if left for time with air getting into that area, will it let air into the pump and cause problems like i am describing or is it a 1 way system that won't let air in that way?

[Dzltec]

Yes, that can allow fuel to drain away from the injector pump. Fix it and see what happens.


Andy

[MyGQ]

did that today, no luck

going to change the lift pump (one on top of the fuel filter) to see what happens, if that does nothing, i am going to have injector pump overhauled. its 250,000 on the clock

[outback_pootrol]

i got 460,000 and still going strong,
common cam, you know what you need to do
5L, or sell me that turbo system in your lounge room and use the money to overhaul the pump, your gonna need to do heaps of computer repairs to pay for an overhaul
i will be around in a few days

[big bundy]

did that today, no luck

going to change the lift pump (one on top of the fuel filter) to see what happens, if that does nothing, i am going to have injector pump overhauled. its 250,000 on the clock

isn't that just a primer pump for the filter?

[MyGQ]

yeah she is just a primer, but i have been told they can leak back. if it don't work thats it, gunna have to do pump

[its aford not a nissan]

if it was sucking air it would have big dead spots under aceleration
hard starting would be glow plugs, pump timing out , low compresion or stuffed pump possibly
i would start with the glow plugs then compression then check the pump timing

oh just a thought what year model is it as some later models have a small filter inside the injector pump and this can clog up

[MyGQ]

mine is a 92 GQ

i have noticed no loss in performance, it goes beautiful when going.

If it was plugs, it wouldn't do it when its hot, if i turn it off when hot and leave for 5-10 mins, (go into a shop and come back out) it takes 5-6 cranks again to start her, so i doubt its the plugs.

will see what i can work out, i have also noticed its cranking over slower than normal, changed the battery and earth lead, still not luck, going to look at the starter voltage line and see what i can work out. going to look at everything.

[MitchellBros4x4]

Have you had the truck in water recently?? Like river crossing or mud etc etc

[MyGQ]

nope, no water what so ever.

one morning it was fine, next it was screwed

i did a degrease of the motor but i checked air cleaner b4 i started, dry as. its got a snorkel and its sealed properly

[MitchellBros4x4]

Degreasing the engine, can hurt components. I only ask this because, my GQ was suffering and over time (3-4 months) the starting was becoming ever increasingly more difficult. The problem: The brushes/contacts in the starter had become corroded and were seizing and it started to sound like the battery was on the way out, you know, the lazy sound when she is low on amps. We overhauled the starter, took like 3 hours from go to whoa, mainly cleaning time. Now she is good as gold.

How did you go with the primer pump on the filter?? Is it leaking back??

[MyGQ]

Degreasing the engine, can hurt components. I only ask this because, my GQ was suffering and over time (3-4 months) the starting was becoming ever increasingly more difficult. The problem: The brushes/contacts in the starter had become corroded and were seizing and it started to sound like the battery was on the way out, you know, the lazy sound when she is low on amps. We overhauled the starter, took like 3 hours from go to whoa, mainly cleaning time. Now she is good as gold.

How did you go with the primer pump on the filter?? Is it leaking back??

mate u may have just fixed my problem, mine is sounding "lazy" as you stated. Sounding like the either the battery or one of the wires are screwed, Done the wires and the battery, might be the starter. it has been though mud in the past, and water, but having the snorkel has prevented any water in the engine, there is no smoke from it,

I might just see if i can get hold of a starter to test it out, if that solves the problem, then u mate are a ledgend. glad i have shopped at your store for brake lines in the past, so i know u know your sh*t mate.

[MitchellBros4x4]

No probs, just try pulling yours down, clean it up and chuck it back in. A 2nd handie will set you back a few hundred bucks, and a newie aftermarket will be around $750, new from Nissan around $1300. Pull yours down and service it.

[MyGQ]

no worries,

hope its jsut this damm starter, would be such a bonus

[steel]

did you find the problem yet?

[MyGQ]

Not quite, going to look at borrowing a starter tomorrow and see what happens

[steel]

Righto, would be interested to see what you come up with. Does it blow any smoke?

[MyGQ]

Nah absolutly no smoke at all, at start up when cold it chuffs the tiniest amount of black smoke, no white, grey or blue smoke, under load it doesn't blow any either, so i dunno if its the pump or starter.

[MyGQ]

ok guys well today was D-Day

Had the patrol put in though a friend of mine (you know him well Kenzo) down at West Gosford. Explained my problem to him, he hooked his multimeter up the the terminals and had me crank the engine over, well the look on his face when the figures came in gave me hope that the starter was the cause.

after he pulled it out of the car and stripped it down, the cause was clear, the bush holder was absolutely rat sh*t. It has rusted, burnt out and cracked everywhere along the bushes and PCB.

After 2 hours of finding something to do, got a call from Tony to come down. Well when i got there he cranked the motor over, and in 1/4 of a crank she fired up like the beast i remember. Starter sounds good now, no flat battery sound anymore. Even when stone cold. went round a mates place to test drive his 4.2TD 80 series and a few hours and dinner latter went out and cranked her again, started in 1/4 of a crank, man i never though that sound would bring a tear to my eye.

Sucked in kenzo, don't have to sell off the turbo to pay for an injector pump overhaul, the pump is A1

But if your on the Central Coast give Tony a call at Active Auto and Marine Service on Manns Road West Gosford on 0402 202 547, this guy not only knows his stuff, but makes sure it is A1 before it goes out the door.

[Dzltec]

Next time you ask for advice, please list all the symptoms, it makes it a lot easier to help. You never mentioned flat battery slow starting at the start. This would have made things quite a lot easier as you have found out there are a lot of items in a diesel that can cause a hard or extended crank problem.



Andy