MattH Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Hi all, just wanted to pick the collective brains before I start testing and changing the glowplugs on my 2001 Disco2. Had a look around the Technical archives and done some searching but drawn a blank. Had a bad experience of the tip snapping off while changing them on my 300tdi and dont want to repeat that! Rave doesnt mention how to take off the wiring, tried pulling one off and it wont budge! im guessing its like a spark plug top? it looks really tight down there, not much room for people with big hands so what do you suggest? I am going to spray some WD40 around them tonight so they have a bit of time to soak just in case they are seized. thanks in advance Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimAttrill Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Pull the leads off with long-nose pliers. To take the glows out the best is a 10mm long socket. If you don't have one, either buy one or don't attempt the job. Test them with a battery and jump leads to make sure they glow quickly, and at the ends, not in the middle. We often find TD5s where all 4 are dud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gkm24 Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 When you change the glow plugs, make sure the engine is warm. When the engine is cold, everything contracts and tightens up. You can test them in place with an ammeter. Just connect the ammeter in line (ie put the red wire from ammeter to batt + and with the black wire from ameter, touch the top of the glow plug) Be careful you dont short it out though. A working glow plug will pull about 20 amps. that way you dont need to take them out to see them glow or get hot. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotal Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 You can also check the resistance of a glow plug using a multimeter whilst it is in situ. If you can't get a reading then the glow plug is duff, if you do get a resistance reading then the glow plug might be OK So the resistance method only proves a duff glow plug it won't prove that one is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 When you change the glow plugs, make sure the engine is warm. When the engine is cold, everything contracts and tightens up. You can test them in place with an ammeter. Just connect the ammeter in line (ie put the red wire from ammeter to batt + and with the black wire from ameter, touch the top of the glow plug) Be careful you dont short it out though. A working glow plug will pull about 20 amps. that way you dont need to take them out to see them glow or get hot. Good luck. Doesn't help you find if the plug is glowing half way up not at the tip, which is not uncommon. Visual inspection is still the best way to be 100% certain it is providing the glow in the right place! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotal Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 Doesn't help you find if the plug is glowing half way up not at the tip, which is not uncommon. Visual inspection is still the best way to be 100% certain it is providing the glow in the right place! The amp test, like the resistance test can be used to prove that they are duff though, a false positive test or whatever! Peugeot 306's are a right pain to get to the last couple of glow plugs, so it's nice to at least know which ones work at all, first change any that are duff, then see how it starts. Not sure how hard the Td5 ones are to do, but the 300tdi are relatively easy, I'm no expert and I can have them all out within 1/2 an hour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 I'm no expert and I can have them all out within 1/2 an hour assuming of course they do not snap off in the head which is not uncommon and takes rather longer to sort out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotal Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 Not had that misfortune yet, although one on the first peugeot I had (don't ask why I had more than one peugeot - I didn't learn the first time!) wouldn't come out it just kept spinning and spinning, luckily you could tighten it up though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally V8 Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 Why do you want to change the glow plugs? - if its not starting properly then something else is wrong,UK cars should start fine without. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattH Posted April 23, 2008 Author Share Posted April 23, 2008 Cheers for the replies so far Why do you want to change the glow plugs? - if its not starting properly then something else is wrong,UK cars should start fine without. It starts OK most times BUT if the temp drops a little (to approx 5`c or below) then it doesnt start easily. Fires on what sounds like 2 or 3 cylinders and runs rough for a few seconds or stalls. If it runs rough it will clear within a few seconds, when it stalls though it needs to be kept on the starter for a few seconds or a good push of the go pedal. Once going it will be fine for the rest of the day! I checked the glow plugs were getting power when these symtoms started and tried leaving it about 20 seconds after the light went out before starting but problem is still there. Done quite a bit of reading on this and have already replaced the manifold temp and pressure sensor, which fixed its sluggishness but not the starting issue. Next area after glowplugs will be the injector seals Recently did an oil and fuel filter change but it was doing it occasionally before that. Away on holiday for a few days soon so I will buy a deep socket and yank them out when I get back. Yep I know that horrible feeling when you hear the plug make a sort of crack noise and it comes out without its tip. In mine it was stuck inside the head by coke, cue head off and no car for a weeek Any other suggestions or ideas on the starting issue ?????????? Cheers Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotal Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 I'd go with glow plugs to be honest, make sure the relay is working well and clean up the contacts on the relay, then I'd test each plug for resistance, if they all came back OK from that test I'd wip them all out, the last car that I did them on was a 53 plate Focus TDCi, it had got hard to start in the winter but was OK if the weather was warmer. I checked the resistance of each plug which told me all 4 had gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimAttrill Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 If it's an early Freelander diesel you are right stuffed. There was an article on it in LRO a while back where you have to take the injector pump off to change the glows Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 Is it a 2001 or a 2002 model year? If it is a 2002 model year that was registered in 2001 (check the VIN number it will have 1Axxxxxx or 2Axxxxxx at the end of it) then there is another possible cause for poor cold starting but if it is, somebody must have been putting up with it for a long time...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattH Posted April 23, 2008 Author Share Posted April 23, 2008 I'd go with glow plugs to be honest, make sure the relay is working well and clean up the contacts on the relay, then I'd test each plug for resistance, if they all came back OK from that test I'd wip them all out, the last car that I did them on was a 53 plate Focus TDCi, it had got hard to start in the winter but was OK if the weather was warmer. I checked the resistance of each plug which told me all 4 had gone. When you say clean the contacts on the relay do you mean the spade type contacts which plug into the loom or take the top off the relay and clean the switching faces? Will whip the relay out tonight and give it a once over with some contact cleaner. BogMonster Posted Today, 12:32 PM Is it a 2001 or a 2002 model year? If it is a 2002 model year that was registered in 2001 (check the VIN number it will have 1Axxxxxx or 2Axxxxxx at the end of it) then there is another possible cause for poor cold starting but if it is, somebody must have been putting up with it for a long time...! From memory its registered in late 2001 (will check VIN tonight ) what can go wrong with the early 2002 models? Bet its expensive whatever it is!! Thanks again, keep the ideas coming Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotal Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 I just meant to clean the spade contacts, I think it's a sealed unit. I just find with mine that it causes problems when they fur up. The glow plugs still work but I guess it doesn't get as much current or something? Not sure if yours is the same but mine also seemed to help by cleaning the MAF sensor plug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 Nope just a "programming issue" - early 02MY had a cold starting problem which was down to the fuelling map which was wrong in the early 02MY engines. It needs 1/2 hour with a computer to sort it out by downloading a new tune to the ECU and is dead easy but should have been done ages ago - if you have had the vehicle from new and the problem has only just showed up, then it almost certainly won't be this as they were almost impossible to start in anything approaching freezing conditions if the vehicle has sat overnight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattH Posted April 24, 2008 Author Share Posted April 24, 2008 Well checked the VIN and its a 2Axxxxxx registered end of 2001. I have only had it for about 14 months, used to be only a problem when really cold but over the last month had changed to doing it at up to 5`c seems that above this temp its OK????? I was thinking of buying a Nanocom in the future as I prefer to do as much as I can on my Disco without resorting to using a garage, will the nanocom be able to tell me if the map has been updated? and if it hasnt can I do it myself? From what I can tell the nanocom could also help pinpoint if any other sensors are dodgy, all this ECU stuff is new to me but rather than stick my head in the sand I had better get out there and learn as isnt going to go away Have pulled the relay and given it a clean but this morning it was about 9`c so started brilliantly. Guess this take a while to sort Thanks again Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 It's a possibility then, though the previous owner must have been very tolerant if it is that! There is no way I am aware of to tell if a vehicle is affected or not, apart from plugging it into a Testbook and dumping a new tune into the ECU which doesn't take long. There are no fault codes listed - it just doesn't start! It will eventually go but sometimes winding away on the starter for 30 seconds or more - once it has been running the affected vehicles are usually fine for the rest of the day. I *think* a Nanocom will let you download a tune from one vehicle and upload it to another so if you can find a newer post-02 Td5 then you may be able to do it - any Nanocom users able to confirm this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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