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Cold Weather Starting Issues
Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2017 8:30 am
by poochike
pj_jazzy_janz wrote:Thanks, poochike! I'll look into that.
In the meantime, I attempted another exorcism this morning, only today I tried to get her started with a little more vigor than yesterday. Granted, it was -39 with the wind chill, so the elements themselves were against me...
I had the block heater plugged in overnight, plugged the oil pan heater for 20 minutes, then pumped the fuel filter pump both with and without the bleed screw open, but since I didn't know what to look for with it closed, I have no idea if I did it enough/just the right amount/too much. Then came the test...
I cranked it and floored it until she came to life *insert maniacal mad-scientist laugh* I ran her for about 2 minutes at 2000 rpms, at which point she slowly died. Every time the rpms would dip, I would give a bit more gas and they would pop up again, only to dip further. We danced this dance for a few seconds until she ultimately died. However, today I had more chutzpah, and was not willing to simply abandon her to the icy grip of death. I tried again. She came back to life, ran between 2000~2500 rpms for about a minute and a half, at which point she died, a little quicker than last time. Did I give up? Unthinkable! I tried a third time
yes, a
third time!! She came to life, ran for another minute and a half or so at about 2500 rpms (by now the coolant temp gauge had moved comfortably into the middle-ish between the C and H), at which point, I gently let her down until she ran independently at normal idling rpms. Then I had to go to work, so I returned to the house triumphantly, informing my wife that I had bested the stubborn beast
She informed me that her doctor's appointment had been cancelled the night before and therefore didn't need the van today
so I left the house (in my car) with the van running in the driveway.
Does this sound like typical front seal injector pump issues?
Front seal keeps the oil separate from the diesel to put it simply. If it goes it allows oil into the IP and will cause hard starts and will run for a bit then die. Once you crank your way through the oil it will run fine for the rest of the day. You are dealing with some cold Temps which will make it a bit harder for the oil to burn through hence the 3 tries and flooring it. If it was warmer it probably wouldn't take as long to work through the oil. What colour is the exhaust? If it's blue tinge that's oil, white is cold (glow plugs), black is unburnt diesel (timing, injectors, etc).
Good luck
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Cold Weather Starting Issues
Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2017 6:46 am
by pj_jazzy_janz
Thanks for the insight, guys! I'll hopefully have a few minutes this weekend to poke around and see what I can find.
Have I mentioned that I love this forum?
Cold Weather Starting Issues
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 11:04 pm
by Big-Bird
Where did the glow plugs come from folks? Are they eBay specials or did you pony up for the expensive ones?
Personally I have bought 2 sets of eBay plugs and they were garbage in cold weather. Spent the money on a good set this winter and my cold start issues went away even in -30C.
Cold Weather Starting Issues
Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 7:45 am
by pj_jazzy_janz
I got a second set of glow plugs from Mardy when I bought the van. I don't remember the brand, but they were some fancy-pants, made-in-Italy types. I didn't get a chance to check the fuel filter for that extra metal bit and seal in the center. I put in some stop leak Friday, which seems to have helped over the weekend. Of course, it also got about 30 degrees warmer, so...
Still waiting for some time when the family's not all sick to get under the hood. On a semi-related note, has anyone moved their fuel filter to that space by the brake fluid? How big a job is it for someone who... relies fully on this forum for all his mechanical ability
?
Cold Weather Starting Issues
Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 10:46 am
by carlwiebe
I too am having cold start issues. Used to be a bit reluctant when cold but run smooth immediately on firing up. Glow plugs and power check out. Injector pump seal replaced. A shop which will remain nameless for now then replaced a number of other parts and charged me a great deal of money. Now it won't start at all! I'm in Vancouver and need a good diagnostician. Any suggestions?
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Cold Weather Starting Issues
Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 9:02 pm
by pj_jazzy_janz
So I took the Deli to my mechanic to have the front seal replaced. He said there's no sense in only replacing that seal, might as well do all the o-rings in the IP while I have it out. Makes enough sense to me. He also says he's never seen a front seal go. It's always the other o-rings that go first (to be fair, most of his work is on Land Cruisers, with some Pajeros and Delicas for good measure). And since I don't have a rising oil level, he doesn't think it's the front seal. He's stumped. So am I. Everything I've read sounds like it's front seal. He's been a very wonderful mechanic - extremely honest, never overcharges, just a real good dude. He says he doesn't want to start a 10-hour job that he thinks won't fix the problem. Admirable, I don't want him to, either. But I do want to figure this out and fix it before the weather warms up and I can just ignore it for another summer.
When I mentioned that I had pumped air out of the fuel system with the primer, his eyebrows jumped and he said that's probably what my problem is. I'm going to take the fuel filter out to see if it's got that extra bit in there that lets in air. He thought the primer pump might have a leaky o-ring and would need to be replaced. This seems possible, (and preferable, since I could do that myself!!) but I'm having a real hard time discounting all the scores of people here (and on the UK forum) who say it's the front seal, or have had similar issues and have fixed them with a front seal replacement.
Do I assume that it is the front seal and get him to do it anyway? I'd rather not spend $1000 to not fix my problem.
Cold Weather Starting Issues
Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 10:37 am
by Ralph in Winnipeg
Hey, would you mind sending me a pm of this mechanics name and number. I've heard of him but couldn't track down his contact info.
Looking forward to a spring Mitsubishi meet up!
Thanks, Ralph in Winnipeg
Cold Weather Starting Issues
Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 12:47 pm
by Growlerbearnz
pj_jazzy_janz wrote:When I mentioned that I had pumped air out of the fuel system with the primer, his eyebrows jumped and he said that's probably what my problem is.
Have you considered temporarily fitting transparent fuel hoses between the filter and Injection Pump, and to the IP return line? I say temporarily, because transparent hose isn't usually fuel-resistant, but it'll be ok for a week.
The idea being you can see if the bubbles are originating at the fuel filter or the IP. If you don't see any bubbles, then you'll have to park the vehicle for a bit and try the fuel filter primer in the morning- if the filter's leaking you should see bubbles between the filter and IP. If the IP is leaking you'll see bubbles in the IP outlet only.
Might help pinpoint your air leak without pulling the IP or fuel filter...
Cold Weather Starting Issues
Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 9:12 pm
by pj_jazzy_janz
Growlerbearnz wrote:
Have you considered temporarily fitting transparent fuel hoses between the filter and Injection Pump, and to the IP return line? I say temporarily, because transparent hose isn't usually fuel-resistant, but it'll be ok for a week.
The idea being you can see if the bubbles are originating at the fuel filter or the IP. If you don't see any bubbles, then you'll have to park the vehicle for a bit and try the fuel filter primer in the morning- if the filter's leaking you should see bubbles between the filter and IP. If the IP is leaking you'll see bubbles in the IP outlet only.
Might help pinpoint your air leak without pulling the IP or fuel filter...
I have now...
To be honest, I was pretty settled on the idea that it was the front seal. I will look into the fuel lines. Where does one get something like that? Canadian Tire? NAPA? Somewhere more specialized?
Unfortunately, I just missed the weather window here. It was 5° on the weekend, now we're in the middle of a blizzard warning. Ahh, Winnipeg
Cold Weather Starting Issues
Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 9:45 pm
by Growlerbearnz
Somewhere *less* specialised, usually, like a generic hardware store. Clear vinyl tubing is what you want. It's not fuel- or heat-resistant, but it'll last long enough to see where the bubbles are coming from.
Cold Weather Starting Issues
Posted: Thu May 18, 2017 11:52 am
by swimmerdood
After a number of travels to Japanoid I ended up taking the van to CVI and Butch replaced the original wiring and cleaned it up and but and seems to be working. Started pretty well during the chilly mornings a few months ago. Thanks to all for the input and suggestions. Truly appreciated :)