glow plugs clicking in and out while engine running and hot

[FalcoColumbarius]

Well, I like to add a little colour, don't you know..... smiles.

By the way Green, I was very suspicious of how I read that post ~ after all I have read of your posts it seemed absurd that you were dodgy at starting a Deli. But then again I have toiled over issues for hours when someone else asks if the mains plug in their hand has anything to do with it .
We have had a serious weather change in Vancouver from hot and almost arid to cold wet rain. I can hear it splatting outside my window as I type this. I am not sure how your weather has changed but wonder about condensation in the tank? Perhaps a drop of methanol in the tank might sort this out?
Or like Mararmeisto suggests about the glow plugs ~ I don't suppose you have those jpgs handy that you took of your glow plugs, do you Mararmeisto? Might help Green determine if that is the problem.

Falco.

[Green1]

I have the same diagrams that mararmeisto has,

I do wonder if it was a compression start, however my experience indicates that at 20c even a compression start shouldn't have been that hard... but maybe I just remember differently

I think I will continue with my plan to replace the temperature sensor after work today, but I will also check the continuity on the plugs at the same time, it does seem possible that if the sensor is gone and has been causing the controller to be over active the plugs could have burned out as a result...

[mararmeisto]

That's partly why I disconnected the ECU from the circuit in mine: I don't want my new plugs to burn out from being overly-active. The little buggers is expensive!

[Green1]

if you have your ecu disconnected then it would stand to reason that you have no glow plugs at all right now... how hard is your starting without them?

[mararmeisto]

if you have your ecu disconnected then it would stand to reason that you have no glow plugs at all right now... how hard is your starting without them?

In the morning it takes about 5 seconds of cranking, then there is a mostly white cloud with a bit of an after-cloud of darker stuff. Later in the day it cranks over in less than 2 seconds, even if it's been sitting long enough to cool off. After warming up, it just starts right up (no discernible delay).

[Green1]

that pretty much confirms it's not my glow plugs causing this part of the problem... because mine is MUCH worse than that... I suspect that mine is air getting in to the fuel system, I noticed that the hose clamps on the fuel lines are quite loose, and also stripped to the point where I can't re-tighten them, so I'm going to get some new hose clamps and try that...

[joostio]

My van starts a little slower now too, I just isolated the one of my batteries (12 volt) to run my fridge, invertor and more. When I crank mine over for start I only get one battery instead of 2. A little slower cranking speed seams to have affected my starting time quite a bit from 1-2 seconds and now 5 or more seconds. I plan to buy a new strong battery for starting and hope it helps. I may also rewire with a mometary switch that will conect both batteries through a solenoid. Then I will have the advantage of 2 batteries for start. So perhaps your problem is related to cranking speed? worth a try. do your batteries have Japanese writing on them?

[Green1]

So perhaps your problem is related to cranking speed? worth a try. do your batteries have Japanese writing on them?

My batteries are in quite good shape, no japanese writing, but I also have no reason to believe they were purchased since it got to north america.
Cranking speed is good, and it will crank for quite a while before finally catching and without running the batteries flat.

As I said, air in the fuel lines is my best guess on that one right now...

[mararmeisto]

...{a}s I said, air in the fuel lines is my best guess on that one right now...

Is your smoke mostly white or mostly black? Once you get it running, and you stomp on the accelerator, that is: mostly white is too much air (which is the case when compression starting, but should that should only take a bit of time - 5 to 8 seconds); mostly black is too much fuel (such as when accelerating).

[Green1]

white, which adds credence to the air getting in to the fuel theory.

Tomorrow I'll pick up some new hose clamps and see if I can fix that part... I don't think that could cause my glow plug issue... but maybe I'm missing a connection somewhere and they actually are related?

[Green1]

Well, last night I replaced the temperature sensor with the one from my old head. I also replaced the hose clamps on the fuel hoses where they enter and exit the fuel filter, and purged the lines.

Today the delica started up perfectly, and after a reasonably long drive I get no glow plug clicks...

I think I've solved it! WOOHOO!!!!

[FalcoColumbarius]

Right On!

[Green1]

#@%!%!@$#&(#$%!@_)$#$!)(&%@#

Apparently I spoke too soon, the glow plug clicking problem hasn't returned (and is most likely solved), but the air in the fuel lines problem is back today (after an unexplained 1 day absence)... so I'll tackle that some more once the engine cools down...

BLAH! I was doing so well I thought...

[magicbus]

i have the same thing happening with my delica.
as i drive i periodically hear the relays clicking....come to think of it when i wait for the plugs to click, the sound seems like it is comming from the drivers side, and when i hear the random clicks, they seem to come from the passenger side....or i could be crazy.
i was told this was a normally thing that occured with the Delicas!
m

[Green1]

i was told this was a normally thing that occured with the Delicas!

It is normal for the glow plugs to click in and out a bit when the engine is still cold, once it has warmed up they shouldn't do this, which was one of the reasons for suspecting the temperature sensor, and it appears that was the problem for me.

now if only I could figure out where the air was getting in!