Oy Vey!
Ok, so today I decided to go after the cruise control issue. I took the actuator motor off and cleaned it up, yadda yadda yadda. There is something more serious going on with that, but I dont care about it now. I started her up with the CC acutator disonnected from the throttle linkage, so I could see what it is, or I should say isnt doing. Anyways, started up just fine, ran just fine for like 3 minutes. I shut her down, and went back to tinkering with the actuator. I thought I fixed the problem so I went to start it up again. Glow for 30 seconds as normal, turn key. Engine cranks... and cranks... and cranks.. and battery dies. I see smoke (very little) coming off the top of the engine. I see smoke coming from the exhaust. It is all burned diesel. I grab the battery charger, throw it on max charge and try again. Same problem 5 times. The damn thing wont start now!
All fuses are fine. All electrical is fine. All vacuum is fine. Full tank of fuel (it is definetly getting fuel as it is burning it). I disconnected the CC Acutator motor from the electrical system to see if that was causing it. Of course it isnt. I am at a real loss here! I didnt do ANYTHING other then look at and clean up the CC actuator. I only started her once during that time. Now she wont start again. What the hell!!!
UPDATE*
Ok, so I wanted to see something. I got in, and just cranked the SOB. I was running it off the battery charger, so there was enoguh juice to keep it cranking. After I guess a minute or so of straight cranking, it started. Now I know the problem lies in the glow plugs (O JOY!). I remember when I was scsrewing with the CC, I heard a pop or two come from the box where the glow plugs elecitrcal lines plug into (a little black box on the dirvers side just below the tachometer device.) So now I am left with maybe a fuse (I really hope) somewhere in there. Or, the box took a crap for some reason ARGH!!
UPDATE* I just checked the strip fuse on the glow plug relay, and it is perfectly intact. This is a definite glow plug issue. I dont have any way to test the plugs and how many ohm's they are pulling. What the hell is going on?? Please dont tell me the relay (which looks relatively new) needs to be replaced!
UPDATE* Ok, well, I found a multimeter lying around the house beleive it or not. I tested everything. I have found that cylinder number 3 and number 5 glow plugs are pulling .6ohm's The rest of the cylinders are dead. So, it is either the plug (which I would think yes), or the wire leading to the plug. Now, my question is this, the engine definetly will not start with just two cylinders having functional plugs?
Last edited by horsessmellfunny : 09-05-2006 at 04:01 PM.
you only ran it for 3 minutes right? did it get up to operating temp? i'm no diesel expert, but i've driven plenty of them, and after the engine gets to OT you don't need the glow plugs. should have started right up.
After I ran it the first time, it didnt get to operating temperature (maybe like 50 C). It also sat for maybe half an hour while I was tinkering with the actuator. As I said, I am pretty sdure I found the problem. It was only running on three glow plugs. I am guessing today another one went. Now it only has two functional glow plugs. I guess it wont start with just two.
That makes sense because I don't know what could get that messed up just in tinkering with the CC. Replace those plugs and you should be fine.
Do you really wait 30 seconds for the plugs to glow? I always assumed the newer relay had much faster glowing periods. My 83 takes less then 5 seconds and same with the 81 euro. My 79 has the old relay and loop plugs and takes around 30 but if this is an 82 I would think it should be much faster.
well the fuses and relay are okay, so what would make them all start failing catostrophically? did you test em with a multimeter? i only ask cause it would be a shame to install new ones and have them give out on you. to me it seems that if one doesnt work then the engine shouldn't start or at least run without that one cylinder with the junk plug. unless the glow plug initially ignites the mixture, there will be no heat soak in the cyliner to cause combustion, aside from the other firing cyliders.
It has the newer relay in it for sure. My reason for doing it for 30 seconds was because if I did it any shorter, it wouldnt start. Now after having these issues today, I came to the realization that the glow plugs that the car came with never functioned properly. Now I should only have a 5 second glow! I am excited. I always sat there in the parking lot for 25 seconds with my key turned waiting and hoping it will start on the first try! Talk about troubleshooting steps! Boy, if I hadnt found that multimeter, I would be in a heap of trouble!
Its been in the lower 70's with a nice cool breeze. I eventually got it started from constant cranking. Like a minute or two of cranking. I am getting 3 new plugs today to replace the dead ones. I can only hope this is the problem! It wouldnt be anything else to me. If it starts, its not fuel related. Every component except for the three dead plugs tested out just fine with the multimeter on the entire relay system.
Alright, well I replaced all but two glow plugs. They are still testing ok. She starts alright. She definetly is in dire need of a valve adjustment. Ok, so replacing the glow plugs is the BIGGEST PITA in the world! My hands are destroyed and that took about 3-4 hours! In the process I dropped a deada glow plug and two of the nuts that screw onto the end of the glow plug to keep the positive lead on, in between the IP and the motor block. I know have to figure out a way to fish them out ugh! Getting those little nuts on the end of the plug is probably the most difficult thing ever!
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