Starting issue still.

[Bashy]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Don't you just love autocowwrecks?

You're right, Neutral and Park are the same except when in Park, a pawl engages with a ratchet on the gearbox output. Given that if you were in Neutral you'd probably have the handbrake on, it makes no real difference.

The inhibitor switch won't have any real consequence on things either as it only interrupts the trigger line to the solenoid to prevent solenoid (and hence starter) operation unless in P or N for safety. As such it has no real bearing on the starter.

Yeah, my thoughts exactly, but there is one thing I've noticed too, if I put it into park before the car stops bouncing back and forth, and it catches, hope ya know what I mean, the engine labours a small amount, perhaps as much as 3 or 4% its not much but I noticed it, its like when you put it in park on an incline, let go of the brake so that Park alone as the braking, there's pressure there on the engine with my jalopy, its hard to explain what I mean, so I hope ya understand, now, having said that, I park on the flat, except for an indentation from the wheels (gravel/soft ground), its where I know when to stop lol, so there's a little rocking back to front if I let go of the brake before inertia has caught up. There is something that puts some strain on the engine, its not much but its enough to hinder, exasperated the other 2 issues, so in effect, I have 3 minor issues, but I do not know what is causing the engine to labour what in park if I don't release that caught up inertia, damn, we is getting a bit technical now and I ain't got a clue lol but there is deffo something causing strain on the engine regarding the g/box and park. Now that on its own, it would be of no concern I think, fixing the other 2 would be enough to resolve the issue, just thought I would throw it out there cause eits a strange one....

[Laird Scooby]

Just a thought - when was the ATF last changed? Also does your transmission have a torque converter lock-up clutch on it?

None of this should make any difference really but it makes me wonder.

[Bashy]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Just a thought - when was the ATF last changed? Also does your transmission have a torque converter lock-up clutch on it?

None of this should make any difference really but it makes me wonder.

I put about 60L through te box in Jan or feb time, not got a clue about the torque converter but I would have thought so

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Bashy

I put about 60L through te box in Jan or feb time, not got a clue about the torque converter but I would have thought so

The ATF should be fairly clean then, as should the solenoid valves etc. but what ATF did you use?

[paddy74]

I'd like to suggest another point of view, if I may.

If you see your LED problem from the other thread not as a different one, despite you take that as another sympthom, you get a good pointer towards your battery.

I'd suggest to fully load the battery outside the car, put it back in and start. Ideally the battery should be the same temperature as the car outside.

As you already ordered the new glow plugs, I'd wait for them and try them with a fully loaded battery. My suspision is, the glow plugs were a little "hungry" combined with a not so new battery, that could explain all of your sympthoms. The dimming LED does draw power from the battery as well, that fits as well.

[Bashy]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

The ATF should be fairly clean then, as should the solenoid valves etc. but what ATF did you use?

The correct number 3309 (I think, sounds familiar) Mannol was the brand, gearbox still not 100% though, I still get the clunk into reverse when its up to temp

[Bashy]

Originally Posted by paddy74

I'd like to suggest another point of view, if I may.

If you see your LED problem from the other thread not as a different one, despite you take that as another sympthom, you get a good pointer towards your battery.

I'd suggest to fully load the battery outside the car, put it back in and start. Ideally the battery should be the same temperature as the car outside.

As you already ordered the new glow plugs, I'd wait for them and try them with a fully loaded battery. My suspision is, the glow plugs were a little "hungry" combined with a not so new battery, that could explain all of your sympthoms. The dimming LED does draw power from the battery as well, that fits as well.

Hi, the battery was new end of last year. The starting issue was there long before I put in the LED's and they are only dim whilst the car is unlocked, I have made a point of not leaving it unlocked since. Also, the draw from those would be far less than starting the car with the radio on, heater blower on low or the headlights on (DRL), My startup routine is as follows so i reduce as much draw as possible,

1, put in key
2, lights set to side only
3, turn off radio if on
4, turn off blower if on
5, put in neutral
6, start cranking

Re fully "loading", I assume that's the same as charging? this I did not such a long time back, ie about 2 months back, I left the side lights on (again) don't ask lol, so it needed charging and it had a good 12hrs. Yes, the turnover was as expected, fast. It didnt reduce the amount of turnovers, just made them quicker, like point

I will add that as a rule, I only go to my dog walk (2 mile round trip) or shopping once a week, 23 mile round trip or a little further if I have to get my prescription.

If I just do the dog run, in the following days the turnover of the car becomes slower, it makes ya think that it might drain the battery if it has to turn over much longer, before actually firing, but, I can resolve that scare by turning the ignition off and trying again and it always then takes on the 1st or 2nd crank without fail. Not sure why that is

If I go shopping, that puts extra juice in the battery thus cranking is much quicker, same amount of cranking mind, just faster at it.

I now do an additional quick 4 mile run on the way back from the dog walk, this makes a difference in the turnover speed. Also putting it into neutral makes a decent difference too, like its taking the strain/load off of the engine, like a clutch would in a manual. With that extra few miles and my starting list, it starts without hiccup, well, depends on your definition, is 4/5 turnovers a hiccup?

I thought I had cured this issue but it was turning towards milder weather, damn thing tricked me.

Yeah, the plan is to wait until the plugs come, see how they perform, then move on to the injector i changed, in the meantime send off my old injector for servicing, forgot to enquire yesterday that needs doing anyway

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Bashy

My startup routine is as follows so i reduce as much draw as possible,

1, put in key
2, lights set to side only
3, turn off radio if on
4, turn off blower if on
5, put in neutral
6, start cranking

I think maybe the problem lies in the above. Try this instead tomorrow :

1. Insert key
2. Turn key to position 2 (warning lights on dash inc glow plug w/light)
3. When glow plug light goes out, turn key to position 0 then back to 2
4. When glow plug light goes off, start cranking.

Leave the lights off, turn the blower off if you want, the important bit here is time for the glow plugs to heat up.

If that improves matters, next day omit #3 and see if it still starts quickly - quickly as in "first pot over the top".

I'm not convinced about Mannol fluids but we'll leave that for now, if you happen to have a spare 0.5L of ATF, add that to the engine oil if there's room. It won't be an instant improvement, takes some miles to have an effect but will make the hydraulic tappets quieter and more efficient, free off sticky piston rings, revive the various rubber oil seals etc in the engine.

[Bashy]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

I think maybe the problem lies in the above. Try this instead tomorrow :

1. Insert key
2. Turn key to position 2 (warning lights on dash inc glow plug w/light)
3. When glow plug light goes out, turn key to position 0 then back to 2
4. When glow plug light goes off, start cranking.

Leave the lights off, turn the blower off if you want, the important bit here is time for the glow plugs to heat up.

If that improves matters, next day omit #3 and see if it still starts quickly - quickly as in "first pot over the top".

I'm not convinced about Mannol fluids but we'll leave that for now, if you happen to have a spare 0.5L of ATF, add that to the engine oil if there's room. It won't be an instant improvement, takes some miles to have an effect but will make the hydraulic tappets quieter and more efficient, free off sticky piston rings, revive the various rubber oil seals etc in the engine.

Morning Dave, thanks for the advice but, I forgot to add, before I remembered to use neutral again, when starting, I would wait until the rear fuel pump stopped whirring, there was a time (less chilly) when doing that twice, it would start straight away, but once it got Colder, that failed to worked and was back to cranking til it starts or realease and try again, it would start on the 1st Crank then. So in effect, I was doing the glow plug warming.

I didn't drop in some lucas Additive a few months back when I thought it was the tappets, but that noise is deffo that injector I swapped out, no wonder it was in ebay, ah, that reminds me, I need to ring up about servicing my spare one, thanks lol

[Bashy]

Damn, he wants £120 + Vat to recondition it, they are only £99 on eBay I was expecting about 50 quid lol