rough start, high idle...

[Deli of the North]

hello- all !- i've just replaced the fuel filter recently, and added some lucas oil stabilizer to the oil. the van was running great- super-smooth, and noticeably quieter ! - about a week later (coincidence, or not), the van starts extremely hard (it turns- over and catches just fine, but with waay more coughing and belching than normal (it didn't even react this much in the middle of last winter), and once warm. it now idles around 1000 rpm, instead of 750. i've checked the throttle adjustment- the adjustment screw is returning completely, leaving the cable slightlu slack. i've just checked the glow plugs - all reading the same- around .5 ohms, dropping to .3-.4 when held (my batteries may be getting weak in the meter). i didn't remove the busbar to check the glowplugs, though- i'm not sure if this makes a difference or not. i've recently replaced the intake /exhaust gasket, cleaned the egr, replaced the leaking valvecover gasket, and replaced a vacuum hose that broke in the process of repairs (i'm doubting these would be related to the trouble, but...?). i could just adjust the idle speed, but if it hasn't changed up 'till now, i'd like to find the reason for the difference first. if anyone has any advice, it'd be greatly appreciated! thanks in advance, kevin

[DelicaMark]

I know that you said that you checked the throttle adjustment cable and it looked fine, but did you spray some lubricant down the housing? Mine looked okay too and I had a similar high idle issue. It just started happening one day out of the blue. I sprayed some lubricant down the housing and it went away. Just thought I would mention just in case...judging by what you have done to the van maintenance-wise you likely have already done this.

-Mark

[Firesong]

This is after a fuel filter replacement?
Air in the fuel lines?

FS

[Deli of the North]

Hi- yeah, the throttle cable is lubed- that is worth asking, though (thanks). The trouble did start after replacing the fuel filter. maybe i'll try bleeding it one more time... My wife ran the espar (coolant heater) this morning, as it was about 0c, and she said it started fine. Still, I don't think it should cough that much at 0c without the heater, should it? I remember starting it last year cold (no heater), and it might have coughed a bit, but then smoothed quickly- say 10 sec or so- into a nice smooth idle. Thanks for the help! (still not sure why the idle is high- hopefully bleeding the filter will fix, though...)- Kevin

[storm80y]

Checked/reset the manual throttle next to the steering wheel?

[Deli of the North]

Just thought of one more thing... When I was last working on the van, I also removed the belt to the a/c compressor- we don't use it so...,(just trying to squeeze that last mpg outta there) but on the off-chance, I tried pushing the a/c button on the dash- but the rev's didn't go up. I'll try re-installing the belt this weekend (and hope it works!). If not... to be continued.

[TardisDeli]

Hi DotN, definitely sounds fuel related. My suggestions:
Try undoing one of the fuel lines off the fuel pump (put a rag or something to catch it), and let some fuel pump out a bit,while turning the starting key on and off. It might be a goo-ball that just needs to be coughed up (we fixed mine doing that, I couldnt believe it was so simple and it worked, yes Jay was right again).

You mention the vacuum hose broken, absolutely that makes HUGE difference. Notice the hiss when you undo your fuel filler cap -- the system is pressurised. That's why the leaky seals on the fuel pump cause problems until they are replaced on the "newly arrived".

In case you have years of goop in the bottom of the tank now thickening in the cold North. You know you can drain your old fuel out easily, and filter it before putting back in, just undo the bolt on the centre bottom of your fuel tank(s), and empty into big bucket. There is more fuel in than you think so big bucket. Filter through coffee filter. Then pour back in filler tube. Might need to undo the fuel line off the fuel pump again to bleed the air out while turning the starting key (faster than the cute little pump handle on the top of the filter).

Cheers, Christine.

[jessef]

you may have some air in the lines

crack the injectors open a hair to let out the air