406 2.1TD Horrible to start first thing in the morning

Hi all,

This is my first post and I'm sure with most ppls first posts it's a bad
problem.
The thing is when I first start my car (when it's cold) it takes ages to
get going. I turn the key and it just struggles to start. Once it does
start a great plume of smoke comes from the exhaust and it then runs fine
from then on!!!
Also the stop light on the dash flickers on and off every now and
again?!?!?

Any help would be much apprieciated

Kind regards

Sy

 

If it's a diesel are you sure you're waiting for the glow plugs to do their
stuff? Also, how old is it - my current 307HDI is the first oil burner I've
driven which doesn't need the accelerator to be pushed to the floor when
turning the engine over.

Based on my experience of diesels, the plume of smoke when starting is
normal

 

Hi,

I've
Or are they good ?

Strange, it wasn't necessary with all Diesels I've driven (I could post a
list of all cars I've even driven if you're curious).

Not easy to quantize - just a little may be normal, having a black stain on
the floor after a start may well be a proof of excess

 

First of all you are waiting for the glow plug light to go out first.
Assuming this, you probably have had one or more glow plugs fail. Presumably
it starts OK hot.
What you describe is typical of glow plug failure.
To check, remove the wire connecting all four together, and check the
resistance of each one, from the connector to the cylender head. They are
quite low resistance, but the faulty ones will be open circuit. If you don't
have the kit to check this then you will have to get your friendly local
repairman to do it.

If all four plugs are OK, then either you have a fault in the preheat
circuit, or low compression.
The former you can check by putting a voltmeter between the heater plug
connector wire and the head. Turn on the ignition, and you should see around
12 volts showing. might be a little less. If you get no volts there even
though the preheat light is on, then you have a fault in the preheat
circuit, possibly the relay/control box.

Brian.

 

Thanks for the replies.

My car is a Preg 406 2.1TD Executive and is my first ever diesel! I always
wait for the plug light to go out. I even turn on the ignition and when the
light goes out I do it again just incase. It's fine the rest of the day.
I'll check out the glow plugs with a garage. I hope that's it.

Thanks for your speedy replies.

Kind regards
Sy

 

Just for interest sake. years ago I was involved with a fleet of diesel
vans which invariably had inoperative heater plugs. The recognised (and
recommended) way to start in winter was full throttle and run the starter
continuously. When the engine started to fire you still kept the starter
running until it began to rev, Then you let go of the starter. It was
noisy, caned the battery and produced prodigious amounts of smoke, but it
worked every time.

Keith Willcocks
(remove .nospam from address to reply)

 

Just out of curiosity... Is it normal that the fans turn on after the
ignition has been switched of???

Regards
SY

 

Do you mean the main cooling fan? I haven't noticed it on my 406 but when
I had a 405 it would run on for several minutes after you had turned off,
and indeed locked the car and left it.

Keith Willcocks
(remove .nospam from address to reply)

 

I have the very same car, with over 140,000miles on the clock, and it starts
first time every time (Quickly) without any smoke....

I did have this problem once, a new set of glow plugs sorted it.

Andy

 

This is perfectly normal in most modern cars, in fact most cars even have a
warning sticker under the bonnet telling you it could turn on at any time.

Andy

 

My list'll be similar to yours GT and I've never felt the need to touch the
accelerator to start Pug diesels.
If they don't start first turn I get the heater plugs sorted.

Jim.

 

Having had an XUD in both a 309 and a citroen ZX I agree. The 309
needed the water draining from the fuel filter quite frequently in
winter otherwise it wasn't happy starting (but extra gas didn't seem to
help) and the ZX needs 2 goes on the glowplugs if cold, but then starts
a treat.

In the OP's case I would say swap out the glowplugs (but check there is
12V reaching them) a routine service might help (fuel filter as above,
fresh oil etc.) if it's overdue.

Chris

 

Thanks for that guys

My anxiety has been put to pass!

A new set of glow plugs it is.

Forums.....gotta love'm!

Kind regards

Sy

 

Hi,

It is the classic fail... A friend of mine had the same problem with his '97
205D, it became quite hard to start (but always at first try), and smoked a
lot more than normal, and after removing glow plugs he found out that 3 out
of the 4 were worn

Come on, it was so easy that even a frenchie was able to give the correct
answer

Regardsn
G.T

205 Diesel & turbo-Diesel : http://205d.fr.st