D40 giving me trouble to start when cold

[brian0307]

Hi guys new to the forum I've got a 2007 diesel d40 never given me any major problems. About two weeks ago I was coming back from Bathurst when she began to over heat about 3/4 of the way on the gage so I ended up getting towed as I didn't want to risk damaging the head. Upon inspecting the car I noticed one of the heater hoses was leaking & also the nipple on the radiator which connects to the hose running to the expansion tank was leaking this in turn was broken which meant I had to change the radiator which was a prick of job. In the process of doing this I had remove the battery & one of the turbo hoses near the battery to get to the radiator I also had to disconnect the diesel filter in front of the firewall to get to the heater hose. Once I changed and put everything back together the car began to give me trouble starting it when cold it's been about 1 week since I've changed everything water levels seem fine temp is good only problem is it's hard to start when cold & heater does not seem to be heating unless motor is reving...please can some one help me with this one

 

[Old.Tony]

Welcome to the forum.

First possibility with the starting is air. It might not simply be "when cold" - it might be a case of "when the engine has been left sitting idle for long enough". Too often we are told of hard starts which ultimately turn out to be caused by air leaking into the system after some "down time". You can immediately tell if this is your problem: go give the primer bulb some squeezes until it goes hard. 1-2 squeezes = you've just shut the thing down, why are you trying now. 5-6 squeezes = perfect. 7+ squeezes and you're getting air in the system.

Now, air in the fuel system often happens after the filter's been removed. There's a little o-ring inside that has to sit perfectly or it allows air to be sucked in. Also, under-tightening or over-tightening the hose clamps can cause leaks (through lack of grip or pinching the hose). Check the primer - if you get 7 softies in a row (could be a bad week if we weren't talking about fuel primers) then you're looking for where the air's getting in.

You won't see it as a fuel leak, because that's the suction side and being higher than the tank, it'll make air seep in rather than have fuel seep out.

Another thing to suspect after doing anything like you've done is electrical connections, and particular attention to the glow plugs. Take a squiz at the relay (side wall in behind the battery). Pop out the glow relays (in the large box behind the battery) and reinsert to make sure the electrical contacts are ok (who cares which one is which, do them all).

Also pay attention to the EGR valve (consider putting a blocking plate in on the intake side of the tube).

Heater issues like you've described are sometimes due to the thermostat being installed the wrong way, or being faulty.

Good luck!

 

[brian0307]

Thanks old tony...will have a look at it tomorrow cheers !!

 

[Black Beautie]

Check your compression, you might have a warped head.

 

[4 naving]

when you refilled the radiator did you use the air bleed valve on the heater hoses. this gets any air out of the system and in particular the heater lines.

 

[doc]

Regarding the heater, must be coolant related. The heater core is fairly low, so I'd be surprised if there's an airlock - would more likely be a flow issue. Are any hoses pinched? Are you CERTAIN you reconnected the hoses correctly?

Starting - what's the symptom/s? Saying "...began to give me trouble starting it when cold..." - more info required. Eg - does it crank for how long before firing. Once fired, does it have reasonable cold-start power, or do you have to idle it for how long before putting it under load. More info please.

 

[brian0307]

Thanks guys for the info ended up getting it inspected & yes unfortunately the head gasket was screwed...Emissions getting into the radiator in the process of getting it repaired now.
Fingers crossed all works out well

 

[Black Beautie]

WHAT DID I SAY ! Head gasket problem . Will you at it check the timing chain.

 

[brian0307]

I got the gasket changed, head was ok they just machined it or shaved or something changed water pump& thermostat & while I was at it changed the timing chain..what do you reckon a job like that is worth ? Took them 4 days

 

[doc]

I'll take a stab.

3 and a half grand.

 

[brian0307]

$2400....was pretty cheap

 

[4 naving]

That price seems pretty good. where was it done....

 

[brian0307]

They are an engine reconditioning mob out at Auburn in Sydney all they do is rebuild motors & specialize in repairing heads....if anyone needs any work done I'll find their details and post them on

 

[doc]

$2400....was pretty cheap

Nice. Glad you got a good result out of it too mate.