2000-01 C3 diesel with 285000km on the clock. Usually fires straight up, but fades and cuts out if the revs aren’t held at ~3000 for a minute or so. If it cuts out, it usually won’t start up again unless left for 15-20 mins. Sometimes fires up after a few chugs on the starter, though. Once the engine has fired up successfully, it’s fine for the rest of the day. It starts very quickly then, straight off the first turn of the starter.

EDIT it just occurred to me that the glow-plug light isn’t coming on with the ignition lights. I’m fairly sure that it used to…

It’s French, I know; but any other ideas what could be up? Big thanks in advance…

285000km on the clock

It’s tired out!

I’d be investigating glow plugs first, they play a part in igniting the mixture until the cylinder is up to temperature.

This is what I thought. As well as showing when it’s good to start ignition, does the glow-plug light indicate that the plugs are working?

If it starts and then dies it’s unlikely to be glow plugs… It would chug away on the starter and smoke before starting if it was.

I’d look into whether air is entering the fuel line and allowing the fuel to run back to the tank, leaving an airlock in the line before the high pressure fuel pump. After starting the engine would be starved of fuel.

Glow plugs do next to nothing unless the temp is below -5C and even then they will only be on for a few seconds. I’d discount this as a problem.

I guess you have a lack of fuel pressure which can be several things, as Spooky said air leak or blocked fuel filter, worn HP pump or leaking injectors.

Get the fault codes read.

Michael, on modern turbo diesels, glow plugs are used extensively at a whole range of temps for emission controls- and not just for starting.

codybrennan – Member

Michael, on modern turbo diesels, glow plugs are used extensively at a whole range of temps for emission controls- and not just for starting.

Having worked for the aforementioned Manufacturer as a Technical Engineer, I agree some do – for emission purposes. However when doing so they don’t display the ‘Glowplug’ light anyway.

BUT the lack of opperational glowplugs will make F-All difference to the starting/running of the vehicle unless it’s in double digit minus temperatues.