Duetto Battery Problem

At the moment we are experiencing difficulties starting up our 1995 Duetto.

My partner charges up the battery (which is new) and the vehicle will not start. At the moment the Duetto is in the garage and the mechanic cannot find the fault. I think he has replaced the heater plugs but thinks it could be something to do with the diesel. He has spoken to a friend but unfortunately the vehicle is too high to put on the ramp.

Has anyone had the same problem, or could they suggest what is wrong.

Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers.

Hi there,

With a fully charged battery there are limited possibilities.

If the engine doesn't turn over then:

1. The battery leads are not connected properly so check everything from the battery terminal to the starter motor.

2. A fuse is blown somewhere and needs replacing. (Check what has blown it before replacing it!)

3. The starter motor or solenoid is US and needs replacing.

4. There is something amiss in the Key to Solenoid to Starter Motor wiring.

If the engine turns over but doesn't start then:

1. The fuel isn't getting to the cylinders. (Bleed off the diesel system to ensure that there is a flow of fuel to the engine. Change the fuel filter.)

2. There is something other than diesel in the fuel. (e.g. in order of most to least common - petrol, water, sugar almost anything else.)

3. The glow-plugs either aren't getting any power (check the terminals) or are US (lift one out and check).

4. The injectors are clogged due to something foreign in the fuel (see above) or being worn out (this usually happens very slowly and produces smoke before the engine won't start).

5. There is insufficient compression in the cylinder head and therefore the engine cannot generate sufficient heat to ignite the fuel. (This happens more often in winter due to the cold.) In some cases the application of "Easy-Start" to the air intake will get the engine going BUT BE WARNED - ENGINES CAN GET ADDICTED TO THE STUFF!!

6. Due to severe cold the diesel fuel has "gelled". It happened to me on a regular basis up in the Scottish Highlands but I doubt if it will happen anywhere else in the UK apart from Snowdon!

There may be a few other reasons that I haven't thought of but that lot should keep you going for now!

Best regards,

Hi

What year is your Duetto?
I believe the early ones didn't actually have glow plugs. (Much to my surprise) Mine is a 1996 and falls into this category. If yours is a later model it may require a diagnostic check.
Regards

Blossom wrote:Hi

What year is your Duetto?
I believe the early ones didn't actually have glow plugs. (Much to my surprise) Mine is a 1996 and falls into this category. If yours is a later model it may require a diagnostic check.
Regards

Correct - as I understand it, none of the Transit diesels from '86 to '99 had glowplugs, relying purely on compression. However, there was an optional flame plug which was used where starting below -20 degrees was to be expected. I would guess there is zero probability of yours having that option fitted.

So if the garage tells you they have changed the glowplugs, treat that garage with a good deal of suspicion!

Thanks for all your help. We will certainly look at all your suggestions.

As you say our Duetto which is a 1995 would not have the glow plugs. As my partner thought it was the heater plugs, not knowing what you have said, we assumed that these had been changed. The garage we do take it too we have been using them for many years, so can trust them, they did not say they had changed them, it was only us who assumed they had.

Hopefully we will get the problem solved.

The best place to ask for Transit technical help is over on the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].
Their help and advice saved me £1700 recently.
Please introduce yourself first then post your question in the MK 3,4,5 section.

I had a similar problem when I got our Duetto, the previous replies are right about the glow plugs but i read somewhere, i'm pretty sure it was the owners manual, that you should floor the accelerator pedal on starting, obviously you lift your foot as it fires, it goes against all the modern engine starting techniques but it worked for me never had another problem even on the coldest mornings.

Yeh, it does say that in the owners manual, you should do it hot or cold.
The theory is that because it is a compression ignition engine, you need something to compress i.e. air.
The more air you have the more compression you get the more heat produced and the fuel will ignite.
If you don't have your foot on the floor then you aren't getting enough air into the cylinder and as a consequence not enough heat to ignite the fuel.
Most diesels have glow plugs that heat the air in the cylinder and help to ignite the fuel, therefore the above process is eliminated.
For me though I'd have a good old DI any day.

crumb wrote:i read somewhere, i'm pretty sure it was the owners manual, that you should floor the accelerator pedal on starting, obviously you lift your foot as it fires, it goes against all the modern engine starting techniques but it worked for me never had another problem even on the coldest mornings.

Crikey, crumb! I thought that this ~had~ to be wrong.

But you are right - this is ~exactly~ what it says in the Owners Manual for my Ford Transit diesel (Mk5 TDi).

In all the time I've owned it, I've never once obeyed those (unknown to me until now) instructions and it starts with no trouble, no throttle at all...

Thanks again chaps for the latest bulletins. Got in touch with the garage and the mechanic already knew about putting your foot to the floor he had read the manual.

When your trying to start it for the 1st time Hilda does it seem very sluggish to turn over (even if the battery is fully charged)?

Or, is it spinning away like the battery is fully charged but just not starting ?

Thanks CelticBiker for your suggestion of the Ford Transit site. I will wait to see if they can come up with some suggestions.

Apparently I misunderstood my partner in that it is not a case of the battery being the problem, it is that it is not firing up the amber light comes on and straight away goes off. I do not understand much about vehicles but my partner had a diesel car so he knows what to expect when trying to start up. The chappie at the garage is very good he has been on various sites to try and solve the problem. OK nothing done over the weekend with it being Bank Holiday but we were not planning to go anywhere.

Sorry if I misled you chaps but it is nice to keep you all on your toes.

If this is the case my first port of call would be new air and fuel filters.
Also, remove the fuel line front and back and blow it through to make sure there are no obstructions.

Depending on van year (even then is a bit hit and miss), it could be your lift pump.
The pump may have failed, or more commonly, if the fuel level has been allowed to get too low, the gauze filter in the lift pump can get blocked. It's for this reason, the first thing I do on any vehicle is to fit an in line filter somewhere where it is easy to change.

Check the engine to chassis earth lead

Thought I would update you all on the problem we had. Have now got van from the garage, keep fingers crossed it is starting OK, but then again it is warmer. He has changed the filters and also narrowed it down to the start motor which he has replaced.

As this is now our only vehicle it will be getting more runs so hopefully it should be OK. It started straight away this morning. Again thanks for all your comments:allthumbz:

Number 3 on Dutto's list!!

PB

Gosh yes, just wound back to Dutto's comments and as you say No.3.

Well done that man.

I would definitely recommend this site to anyone with a problem, because there is always someone on here that can help you, without making you feel a fool. Cheers.