Difficult starting

[RebelV8]

When I start the Surf, it starts instantly, then sounds like it's running on 2 or 3 cylinders, I need to rev it in order to get it to idle properly. There's lots of grey smoke as well until it settles to a normal idle. Then it runs great with a constant light wisp of grey smoke.
I've changed the primer pump but it's no different, could it be the glow plugs, too much diesel or too much air?
It idles at 800 to 850 rpm, is this too high and a possible cause or might the TPS need adjusting to get the mix of fuel to air right?
It's also drinking fuel, I know they're not the most economical of things but it seems to be using twice as much as it used to.

[andyverran]

Hi Rebel..

Grey smoke sounds like an excess of fuel, though could be engine oil as well...can you remind me/us what you've changed/tested lately as I've forgotten?

[RebelV8]

Hi Andy,

It's got new injectors in it, the timing has been checked and reset so that everything lines up properly, I've adjusted the injection pump timing marks, replaced a couple of rubber pipes that were perished and split and also adjusted the TPS unit. I'm thinking that this might be the problem, over fueling and drinking fuel like my Charger does, lol.

It's also got a new set of glow plugs in, they came with the Surf and are longer than the ones that were in there by about 5mm, but I'm thinking that the length doesn't matter as long as they heat up correctly

[andyverran]

I'm thinking that this might be the problem, over fueling and drinking fuel like my Charger does, lol.

It's also got a new set of glow plugs in, they came with the Surf and are longer than the ones that were in there by about 5mm, but I'm thinking that the length doesn't matter as long as they heat up correctly

My, that's a serious fuel habit you have there lol.

The 5mm on glow plugs won't matter, they get used to run veg oil any way, will just make it easier to start.
http://www.greasenergy-shop.com/epag.../48304RU2-0001

Have you compression tested along the way?
No fuel system leaks and the primer/filter in good order?
Air cleaner new?

I'm a bit short of ideas really, knowing how much you've done already.

Could fuel be being added from some other source, in the way my knackered turbo dumped engine oil into the intake (obviously engine oil is fuel to a diesel)?

[RebelV8]

My, that's a serious fuel habit you have there lol.

Yeah, lol, 8 to the gallon and worth every penny

I know my turbo has a little bit of play in the shaft but not enough to be dumping oil into the intake. Forgot to add earlier that the fuel isn't running back to the tank overnight either, the filter feed pipe was full when I changed the primer pump.
The air filter is new and clean, compression all seems ok.

Might have a read up on the TPS, see if sheds any light

[andyverran]

Might have a read up on the TPS, see if sheds any light

Might also be worth knowing how the EFI handles temperature measurement, I've never actually looked that up, but if it thought it was very chilly might cause over fuelling (BMW had that propblem with there petrol cars in 1990 - they all thought the UK was an Alaskan winter lol).

[RebelV8]

Alaskan winter, lol. I'll see what I can find out.

[andyverran]

Oh, probably shouldn't over look the new injectors, stuff can fail...
Just something to think about.

[RebelV8]

Ok, I'll check them as well

[J20]

I swapped my injectors as part of replacing the head and it did 18mpg. Having tried everything else, I put the original injectors back in and it now does 23mpg, which is what it was doing before my head started failing.

On close inspection, the tips were a slightly different style to the original injectors - I guess there were internal differences too but there were no markings that I could see to tell them apart.

Are you sure the injectors are correct for your engine? If you still have the originals and you have the time, it might be worth swapping them in.

[RebelV8]

No longer have the original injectors, two of them were completely knackered and all four went back to diesel bob when I got the new ones from him. They are correct for the Surf