Starting problems

Hi guys I wonder if anyone can help me, My Peugeot boxer 99 diesel just won't start. Tried to start her the other day and she would cough but wouldn't fire, tried her to death and think I killed a very old battery in the process. Have since bought  a new 100ah battery and tried to start her again today, immobiliser light went off as normal as did coil light, tried cranking her and once again just lots of coughing and smoke and just will not fire n run. Tried giving the glow plug area a blast of wd40 and left it an hour n tried again but still the same thing, please help, any ideas anyone? Supposed to be taking her away Friday :-(

Hi, now I know it may sound daft but have you checked the fuel, I only mention this because I was a passenger in one of our company vans, when it ran out of diesel, the driver put a gallon in and no matter how many times he turned it over it wouldn't, the AA was called and he simply squirted some easy start into the air intake and it fired straight away, and has run great ever since....try that...cheers Algy.

The gauge is registering fuel and light isn't on, this sounds daft I know but what does the air intake look like? I have no mechanical knowledge lol. the other thought is do I need to use the red master key after a battery change?

From a distance and it is obviously very difficult diagnosing from afar but those symptoms assuming fuel etc are ok sound like glow plugs.
If you can work a meter check you have volts at the glo plugs but otherwise I would get professional help as it may work out quicker and cheaper long term.

Don't use 'Easystart'.............

Could be glow plugs. Try ignition on, wait for heater light to go out, turn ignition off, then on again, wait for heater light to go out......do this three or four times.
Then try and start.

PB

HI , if you have no mechanical knowledge and not sure what an air intake looks like, i would join a breakdown service dead quick.If you are in one call them out.
It could be many things wrong but from a distance its hard to fault find with your lack  of knowledge.
sorry
mike

Which engine do you have? Is it the 1.9TD or 2.0HDi? I think glow plus are unlikely culprits - most modern engines start eventually without them. Air in the fuel system is a possibility with the 1.9 TD which a quick bleed should shift.

Also for the 1.9 engine, the wire to the fuel shut-off solenoid valve (on the injection pump body, I think) could have dropped-off or corroded.

If it's the 2.0 HDi then bleeding should not be an issue and the number of faults of this otherwise generally reliable and highly regarded power unit could be many and varied.

Beyond the basic checks it sounds like time for professional help.

Bartfarst

its the 1.9TD, going to put some more diesel in her tomorrow as i remember when i parked her up the low level light was on but its now registering diesel so that may be a possibility, have also tried with the master key that's been retrieved from my mums but that didn't help either, will also try the glow plug heating a few times without trying to start and see if that helps, failing that I do have the no for a mobile guy that would come out and have a look at her. I have breakdown cover but it does not include home start and im no way going to try and push her for a few miles to get them to come out :-D thanks for all the advice and please keep everything crossed for me

Good luck and let us know how you get on  

Hi Sounds like glow plugs to me, try turning the ignition on when light goes out turn off and repeat, spray some easy start down

the air intake if it fires up it,s the glow plugs which need changing but don't keep using the easy start spray as the engine believe

it or not can become addicted to it, therefore I suggest start it up and drive down the road and then call out the recovery to confirm.

Good luck
Pat 

I have added close to another 6 litres of diesel and done the suggested off and on several times to try and heat the plugs and still no avail. Would someone please tell me where the air intake is???? I know where all the glow plugs are and the bolts and connections are rust free and dry so if they have gone it's the internal bit. The only thing that looked even closely related to some sort or air intake is the air filter canister but didn't particularly fancy spraying anything down into that in case it was the cab air filter rather than for engine purposes

If it is the same arrangement as a 1.9D ( turbo ) you will find that the fuel filter (on the passenger side of the bulkhead) , has a rubber "bulge" . If you pump this bulge until it becomes hard , it will prime the fuel system.
You will be able to tell if the system needed priming if it is easy to pump.
You will then have to discover the reason why priming was needed , if it was low on fuel you don't have a problem , if it was not it is very likely to be the injector bleed off piping (rubber pipes linking the injectors that need replacing every few years)

I know we are all trying to help but I get the feeling it is just getting more and more confusing for you. You really really need someone who knows diesels to have a look as it may be something really simple. As others have said, do avoid easy start as it really is addictive and if the engine isn't starting easily you will likely do more harm than good trying different things without the knowledge. Shame I am not nearer as I would love to help but am down in Bournemouth at the mo.

well I have full instructions on how to change the glow plugs which although fiddly I'm more than capable of doing which is a start. I have picked up some easy start on the way into work tonight even if it only gets her going enough to warm the system through and hopefully clear anything that may be blocking lines etc. the most confusing part is that even when I asked no one thought to tell me that the air intake and the air filter were the same thing lol, I was looking for a small intake valve rather than the rather large canister which was staring me in the face lol. so at least I know where to spray the darn stuff now :-)

Hi I don't expect it to be 4 glow plugs.You need to do electrical checks on the electrical supply to the glow plugs.Its no use going by the light in the panel.
I had this problem 14 years ago. it was water in the electrical lead plug at the bottom of the wiring loom.
I wrote this up in MMM at the time.
You can use easy start its not wrong. Anything to get the engine running.
Its not recommended to keep using easy start ,but to fix the fault.
regards

mike

Hi it won,t be all 4 plugs, as you mentioned before it was coughing which would suggest at least one of them is working which was the case when I had the same problems,
I would also suggest that because they are not that expensive that you change all 4 plugs otherwise you could be back in the same boat another time.

Good luck and let us know how it went.

Pat 

Thank you to everyone for the replies and advice, 
Picked up the new glow plugs, air filter and fuel filter this morning when i finished work (figured I would change the filters at same time) however after matching my vehicle to the parts on the stores web site i still ended up with the wrong filters DOH!!! so they will have to wait, The good news is that the easy start worked like a dream even though it made a god awful noise on start up and black gunk poured out of the exhaust (I have convinced myself now after much googling it was the condensation and crud being sent out the system so not too worried about that) So all being well if she starts tomorrow then I'm taking her away the weekend and will tat with the glow plugs on site on Saturday as worst case my breakdown cover will get me home hahahahaha

well done .A  success story in the end.
regards
mike 

Hi that,s good news but I still think it is the glow plugs, the smoke and noise is caused by the cylinders not being preheated because of a couple

of defective plugs, once it is up and running the heat from the engine is enough to fire up the other cylinders along with the compression,

  Also for what it is worth I would use the easy start when cold at the week end and change the plugs when you are back home as they can some

sometimes prove a problem in removing due to the fact that water can collect over time and cause the plugs to rust, I used a ring spanner and gave

them a short sharp tap with a small hammer just enough to break the seal the rest was pretty straight forward. 

Pat 

Good result   At least you know the engine is basically ok.

Harper22 wrote:I have to say I probably wouldn't of even thought about tackling the job if I hadn't of found some fantastic instructions and photos on [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]ourwanderer.org (apologies if i'm not supposed to post links to other sites especially as their van is an auto-home but still a very useful [/color]
page for boxer owners) so once again to everyone for the advice, Im guessing its saved me a few pennies, also changed the air filter and fuel filter
 while i was at it and feeling a lot more confident about tackling jobs on the "workings" of her now   

Why drop Brian an email thanking him? I'm sure he would appreciate it, he's a nice guy. Give him my regards if you do.

Frank

Glad we could help  

boxerman wrote:

Harper22 wrote:I have to say I probably wouldn't of even thought about tackling the job if I hadn't of found some fantastic instructions and photos on [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]ourwanderer.org (apologies if i'm not supposed to post links to other sites especially as their van is an auto-home but still a very useful [/color]
page for boxer owners) so once again to everyone for the advice, Im guessing its saved me a few pennies, also changed the air filter and fuel filter
 while i was at it and feeling a lot more confident about tackling jobs on the "workings" of her now   

Why drop Brian an email thanking him? I'm sure he would appreciate it, he's a nice guy. Give him my regards if you do.

Frank

Had already planned to Boxerman but thank you for the reminder, The brains a sieve lately  

Experience from always running diesel vehicles has shown me that the simplest cure is to put in new glow plugs.