HI all , my toyota liteace fxv 2.otd 4x4 has difficulty starting when cold.On normal cold damp days she starts fine at near enough the first turn of the key.but on ice cold frosty mornings she will turn over until the battery is nearly flat but eventually starts.She starts spluttering as if fuel is the problem any quick ways to check this?. Anyother advice would be most helpful.
p.s. great site ,has been more than helpful and has saved me a few pounds and tears ..
- (#7999) Stuart southwest wales, 20 Jan 04 07:13
Water in the fuel/filter? Clogged filter?
Change filter as a first step.
- (#7999) Clive (Bristol), 20 Jan 04 07:41
check the glow plugs.
- (#7999) david miller, 20 Jan 04 08:16
thanks for your quick responce,the fuel filter was renewed about 3 months ago when the vehicle was serviced.my liteace is parked on a slight incline so i was wondering if the fuel was returning to the tank ,but this would be happening all the time and not just on very cold frosty mornings.as for the glow plugs i,ve read the ace answers on this and hope to check them at the weekend.if it turns out to be glow plugs are these available from the factors (partco etc) . p.s. i hope ive sent this correctly as this is really the first time i,ve used this site..
- (#7999) Stuart southwest wales, 20 Jan 04 08:54
Hi Stewart, yes your posing correctly, no problems there.
On the frosty mornings, does the starter motor quickly slow, and the engine just manages to catch before the battery flattens? or does it take much longer than usual to start, thus causing the battery to drain?
If this only happens on frosty mornings, there is a possibility that the battery has a reduced charge. As the temperature reduces, the battery looses some more charge, and could cause a quickly flattened battery. This could be a sign that the battery is old and needs replacing, or that the charging system isn't quite as good as it could be. At the risk of sounding like a stuck record, have you noticed a squealing fan belt recently?
Other than that, it could be that the injectors are in need of reconditioning, or that the fuel pump needs tweaking. What sort of mileage is on the clock?
- (#7999) dave Bright (Bournemouth), 20 Jan 04 09:31
Thanks dave for your quick responce. The battery when i required the vehicle which was 3 months back was replaced as it failed to turn over one cold morning.
Battery was found to have a duff cell.When starting the vehicle with the new battery it turns over fast with no hesitation so i believe the battery to be ok.Belts all ok.As for the mileage there is 84k on the clock which i believe
is 52000 miles.
- (#7999) Stuart, 20 Jan 04 10:03
If the battery was changed 3 months ago, then it could be an issue with its capacity. The recommended rating is 90Amp/Hour and any thing less will struggle to produce enough charge to run the glow plugs and turn the engine. Cold temperatures will reduce this further, hence the question, does it quickly flatten the battery or does it take longer to start. See if you can find a label on the battery that states the rating. Usual car batteries are I believe 30Amp/Hour, and heavy duty batteries are 70Amp/Hour.
I'm going home to no internet soon, so I can't promise another quick response I'm afraid.
- (#7999) dave Bright, 20 Jan 04 10:20
If you think you are losing fuel pressure overnight then you could on a typical 'problem' morning, try pumping the primer on top of the fuel filter.
When there is sufficient fuel pressure it will go stiff, harder to press down.
When the pump is harder it should start first up.
If pumping it solves the problem it indicates a small leak in the pressure side of the fuel system.
Cold weather can often bring these to the surface, with the warming of the engine causing the offending component to expand and close the leak.
Dave.
- (#7999) DaveW, 20 Jan 04 22:24
hi again, thanks all for your input. the battery that is fitted has an 80 amp/hr rateing and does not flatten quickly,just takes longer to start in very cold weather. i,ll be checking the fuel filter housing as sujested the next time she fails to start to see if there is fuel there. just have to wish for another hard frost. thanks again to all ...!!!
- (#7999) Stuart, 21 Jan 04 10:42