2.5 YTD hard starts

I have a Spanish built D40 ,2007 with 267000kms on the clock.
it has had the timing chain mod done about a year ago, no issues since.

In the last few weeks , every so often, the engine acts like it has a hydraulic lock in one of the pistons. The starter 'stalls' and the engine will not crank.
The engine makes a sound like something is being squeezed out . It takes a few 5 second shots at the starter before the engine gets to turn over. Once it does turn over it does start , although for 10 seconds or so it does run rough, on 3 cylinders type of thing.
No smoke of any colour, no signs of water in the oil or emulsion in the oil cap.
There is some water usage that I have not found where it is going. But it is not into the cylinders that I can find (pulled the heaters to check) . I suspect the EGR is leaking , but that is a guess.
The EGR is plated off, snorkel fitted.
No other engine mods.

The engine does have a fan belt type of squeak some times, but the belts are tensioned correctly.
The car is parked at a slight tail down angle at home.

One Google search has suggested injector/rocker cover seals leaking, and I thought of a weeping/leaking injector.

No smoke at all (with the symptoms described) could mean an injector isn't firing at all - that could be electrical (more likely). Electrical could mean injector harness itself (possible) or the engine earth (not so common but has happened) or a poor battery connection (more common than a bad earth). I would suspect the battery before anything else due to the poor starting. I had poor starting performance before replacing my battery and my current battery (Century 910CCA) is an awesome cranking beast.

The loss of coolant is a concern particularly if you have an automatic gearbox. D40 autos have a transmission cooler inside the radiator and if it gets damaged, it's possible for cross-contamination - check the oil in the transmission.

Otherwise, coolant flows through:

* The turbocharger, to cool it. It is possible - but very unlikely - for coolant to find its way directly into the exhaust stream from here, making the leak nearly undetectable. Removal and inspection of the turbocharger is required to determine this.

* The EGR tube. Coolant flows in one hose and out the other, heading in to the firewall and the heater matrix inside. If you have blocked the EGR, you can remove the two hoses from the EGR cooler and clamp a pipe in to join them together (try to make a small flange on each end so the hose has something to grip to).

* The heater matrix. There are two hoses entering the firewall - you can join both together. It means the temporary loss of the cabin heater (not such a hardship at this time of year really unless you're touring Tasmania).

Squeaks in the fan belt are sometimes from the alternator but commonly from the idler pulley that sits near it. My own alternator pulley let go of its shaft, and operated purely through tension in the belt - we were lucky. I have had to lubricate that idler a few times - a squirt of Silicone Lube shuts it up.