ZD30 hard to start - compression lock

[jado78]

Guys I am starting to have some cold starting issues with my ZD30. It is getting what I consider a compression lock up when trying to turn over. After around 10 attempts I will get it to start but it chugs badly for a few seconds similar to when you have stuffed glow plugs (which are new). It does not happen all the time but is becoming more frequent.

I have recently had a mechanic pull the top off the engine and replace the valve buckets and check the injectors. I also had the timing chain replaced. This starting problem has only been since this work has been done.
The battery is also brand new with plenty of cranking power.

I have had a person mention that I may have a leaking injector leaking diesel into the cylinder which may be causing the problem.
Has anybody else suffered a similar problem or could shed some light on what might be causing the problem? Any help would be greatly appreciated
Cheers, Jado

 

[sparra04]

Leaking injector? Is your oil level increasing overnight, has your fuel consumption gone up
my guess is a faulty starter motor

 

[jado78]

Oil level is fine and no noticeable fuel usage increase. I did think starter motor but thought it would be more constant. The rough chugging for a few seconds after starting has thrown me also. Does diesel get pumped in every time the ignition is turned on like it petrol cars? If so that may explain it

 

[sparra04]

The starter could be 'polling out' intermitantly
Its quite common , starters usually play up for a while b4 completly failing

 

[Old.Tony]

If your injector is leaking (and to do the hydraulic lock, it'd have to leak out of its orifice) your fuel rail pressure would drop as the fuel eased out into the cylinder. This would mean the primer bulb will need a fair bit more pumping to get it firm - you could try priming the fuel in the morning before you start the engine, if it takes more than 5-6 pumps before it's firm there's a chance the fuel has leaked out. I'm thinking this may not be the problem though.

First thing I'd do is check the earth connection to the motor, and the terminals on the starter solenoid. If they are clean (you have to take them apart to check properly) then it might be the solenoid or the starter itself.

How does it start when the engine is warm? Same deal?

 

[jado78]

I think the problem may be a cracked head. Reading through some other posts of people with similar problems. I have been loosing a little bit of water and topping up the reservoir every couple of weeks but have noticed no water leaking out. They seem to crack around the injectors which then leaks some water into the cylinder causing the hard starting and hydraulic type locking up when starting. I guess I better go and get a pressure test to confirm........ Not sleeping very well at the moment thinking of this repair!

 

[baylock]

Sounds similar to a problem a mate had with his patrol.
1st, sniff your dipstick, if it smells like oil, or the oil level is rising or getting thinner, then you may have a loose bolt on your injector rail, remove the rocker cover, and it is the zigzag thing on top of everything. (this is not the problem my mate had but is worth checking if you suspect fuel getting into your oil)
2nd, are you getting white smoke when you first start, if so the problem is most likely your glow plug power line, this is easy to check as it runs down the drivers side of the rocker cover, and should not require much work to confirm, remove the nuts one at a time, and clean around the area they screw onto with contact cleaner(remember to clean the nut also), this was my mates problem, he had the hard start issue for a while, when we looked at it, his nuts were loose, this caused a bad electrical connection to the glow plugs, and meant they were unable to do there job. It is also worth following the wire at the front of the line to see if there are any issues with the plug, or the wire that powers the glow plugs.

Hope this helps.

 

[Old.Tony]

You didn't mention the coolant loss, that does change the game and points right at the head.

Now, I think it was NathanD22 who was telling me (and has told us too) about a product that you put in to seal that forever. Nathan, over to you! What's that stuff called again?