Soldato
- Joined
- 22 Aug 2004
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Fuel injector issue?
- Thread starter Rroff
- Start date
Will do but with my work schedule over Black Friday, etc. not going to get to taking it to a garage very soon.
Still haven't had a chance to either try and get to the plugs myself or have a garage look at it - wanted to do it today but it started raining when I had time 
I noticed since last posting though that the times that it struggles to start a glow plug symbol flashes on briefly for like 0.5 seconds but in a different place to where the glow plug symbol used to come on for a few seconds which still doesn't happen (both of them orange) - weird.
Doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it though - the other day it struggled when I'd just been driving for 30-40 minutes before hand, was 11C and had only been sitting for a few minutes while one night when it was below -2C - probably more like -5C with wind chill and it had been sitting there for hours it started instantly.
I noticed since last posting though that the times that it struggles to start a glow plug symbol flashes on briefly for like 0.5 seconds but in a different place to where the glow plug symbol used to come on for a few seconds which still doesn't happen (both of them orange) - weird.
Doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it though - the other day it struggled when I'd just been driving for 30-40 minutes before hand, was 11C and had only been sitting for a few minutes while one night when it was below -2C - probably more like -5C with wind chill and it had been sitting there for hours it started instantly.
I kept the details kind of brief as I and/or a garage had done a lot of testing to eliminate other factors - which will make for a very long post.
This is my Nissan Navara Outlaw - 3.0L V6 V9X engine.
Possibly - the way it tries to start (though it does so successfully just delayed) is the same as the videos on YouTube where people try to start them in very cold weather when it is starved of fuel (but obviously other stuff can do that as well). On that note they replaced a sensor relevant to the fuel sender unit under warranty when I bought it so wonder if there is a bigger problem there or they did a **** job.
A friend had a quick look today and thinks the glow plugs and relay are OK from a rudimentary check but he doesn't think the glow plugs are coming on long enough he got the impression they were coming on and going off again almost immediately - but without getting it in to have a proper look he can't be sure (but he was fairly certain they are actually working to some extent).
My Focus glow plug light comes on and off almost instantly and I read up that they only come on as you say when temp is low - I thought they didn't work and had to look in handbook to find where it was on dash. I was looking at this because like yours it occasionally didn't start on first press of button - second press fine.
What I have read in between from then is try turning ignition on - wait 10 sec - turn on headlights which they said leave on but I turn them off after 10 sec -wait another 10 sec then try starting and to be honest it's worked 9 out of ten times.
The reason given for this is to let the ECU come awake- sort of like letting your PC start up. There is so much electronics in today's cars and so much stuff to check that giving ECU time sounded logical to me - Whether true or not I don't know.
Mate over the road has a diesel Mondeo and he also had same problem and he replaced the "MAF" sensor (or the other one )on intake tube and that cleared his slow starting.
I managed to get my OBD working to my android radio yesterday and found one code PO2E1 which is drivetrain but now know the engine. - So my next thing will be MAF/MAP sensor as it seems to be a easy fix.
What I have read in between from then is try turning ignition on - wait 10 sec - turn on headlights which they said leave on but I turn them off after 10 sec -wait another 10 sec then try starting and to be honest it's worked 9 out of ten times.
The reason given for this is to let the ECU come awake- sort of like letting your PC start up. There is so much electronics in today's cars and so much stuff to check that giving ECU time sounded logical to me - Whether true or not I don't know.
Mate over the road has a diesel Mondeo and he also had same problem and he replaced the "MAF" sensor (or the other one )on intake tube and that cleared his slow starting.
I managed to get my OBD working to my android radio yesterday and found one code PO2E1 which is drivetrain but now know the engine. - So my next thing will be MAF/MAP sensor as it seems to be a easy fix.
Definitely best off on this truck giving the ECU a moment or two to "boot up" it kind of sits between generations in terms of computer/tech sophistication.
Annoyingly between working nights and being more busy than usual due to time of year I'm not getting much of a chance to book it in somewhere to have a proper look at it as the places I know of that will at least do a reasonably competent job like to have vehicles booked in all day.
EDIT: After my friend had a poke around yesterday so far the glow plug symbol has been coming on for a couple of seconds or so every start since... but too soon to tell if it is any different in terms of intermittently struggling to start. Maybe there is/was a loose/dodgy connection or something.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI8TvXaU9G0
Annoyingly between working nights and being more busy than usual due to time of year I'm not getting much of a chance to book it in somewhere to have a proper look at it as the places I know of that will at least do a reasonably competent job like to have vehicles booked in all day.
EDIT: After my friend had a poke around yesterday so far the glow plug symbol has been coming on for a couple of seconds or so every start since... but too soon to tell if it is any different in terms of intermittently struggling to start. Maybe there is/was a loose/dodgy connection or something.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI8TvXaU9G0
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Got the OBD to check MAF sensor yesterday and it was reading 2-6 -seems 1-7 is fine on tickover so further inspection.
We did have to call out breakdown once and it was duff earths - he cleaned two under the drivers door kick plate -since then I have cleaned up two more.
My glow plugs are right down the back of the engine.
Hope you find the problem.
We did have to call out breakdown once and it was duff earths - he cleaned two under the drivers door kick plate -since then I have cleaned up two more.
My glow plugs are right down the back of the engine.
Hope you find the problem.
Hate the way they are often so difficult to work around especially as they often don't come out easily :s