van not starting in mournings.....help us please...

[jedjen]

if any one out there can help this would be greatly appreciated. we live in B.C. but have been transfered to alberta to work for a year, so our first problem is we can't find anyone to fix our 91 mitsubishi delica...stressful...but for the main problem it is colder here but still not really cold yet, and our van seems to not start in the mourning or after a long period of time of not running, however if we use it through out the day it will start up everytime. people have told us it could be the glow plugs but sometimes ......after along period of time...... my husband will get it started by getting a jump. also don't know if this is related to the problem it is not as big of a deal but we are blowing black smoke, we had just had it tuned up in B.C. a month ago before we left and everything was great, now my husband desperatly needs it for work untill I move here in Nov.......... please help know of a mechanic here anyone?!?....

[dfnder]

First of all "that sucks", where exactly are you located so people will know what area to suggest a mechanic? I have seen people recommend places in Calgary and I know an active poster is from Rocky Mountain House so maybe he has a mechanic there he uses.

Also I think it is strange that when you get a jump start it works yet when you try normally it doesn't. What would be differant? Battery Power? Is it barely turning over? If so then I would say battery but that would be fairly obvious I think. Not sure what else cause my knowledge is limited on glow plugs etc.

best of luck

[robinimpey]

If you are needing to boost your van to get it started I would suggest that you get your battery checked, it may be weak.

What was done when you had your tune up done? Were your injectors cleaned? Were the glow plugs checked? Was your timing set? Injection pressure checked? Big clouds of black smoke would indicate to me that you have bad combustion which could be caused by all of the above.

I repalced my battery last winter which significantly helped with starting and then had a tune up done this spring which was another significant improvment.

Hope this is helpful.

[jedjen]

wow thanks for the response so far, sorry for forgetting to say where exactly we were. we are in edmonton but if need be he will drive to calgary and he will rent a car til things are fixed....
with our tune up we had our filters changed our idoling fixed and we thought a all around check.

....in relation to getting a boost in the mourning it takes a long time for it to happen if it happens it got gradually worse as the week went on. we will check with a new battery but what is weird it will start up everytime if it is in a five hour time block any longer then we try and boost it again..
once again thanks for imput and keep an ear out for mechanics over here if you can...

[marsgal42]

Check all the usual things: battery, alternator, fuel delivery/injection timing, glow plugs. I assume your starting procedure is correct?

These are very simple engines by modern standards. There is no magic here.

...laura

[patty]

sounds like you and me got the same problem

[dfnder]

Ok, I will go out on a limb and say it IS your battery.

this is why I say this,

If, after you get a jump, you can drive it and park it and restart it up to 5 hours later then it suggests that your battery is losing its' charge. So either that battery is buggered or you have an electrical problem that is draining your battery over time. Have you recently put in a stereo or other electrical device and accidently hooked it up to a power source that is always open? (drawing power)

[jessef]

Also test the load on your alternator.

[FalcoColumbarius]

Are your batteries from Japan? If so they could be old ones and thereby dead, sounds like what I went through. When I checked the batteries they had the voltage but they had few amps so if a ran my stereo for forty odd minutes, for instance, then tried to crank her over ~ she wouldn't start. Also, as you may have discovered, it takes a few minutes to run the juice through the electrical system when boosting. In my experience the cold is a classic way of finding out your battery has bit the dust, as it were. Test the amperage on your batteries.

Falco.

[sahdot]

Ok, I will go out on a limb and say it IS your battery.

this is why I say this,

If, after you get a jump, you can drive it and park it and restart it up to 5 hours later then it suggests that your battery is losing its' charge. So either that battery is buggered or you have an electrical problem that is draining your battery over time. Have you recently put in a stereo or other electrical device and accidently hooked it up to a power source that is always open? (drawing power)

I also think it's sounds like a battery problem. I had a similar problem in my old New Yorker only when the weather turned cold and wet. A short developed when the weather changed that would drain the battery overnight. I discovered this when removing the positive battery terminal to try cleaning it and noticing a weak spark jump between the post and clamp. Connecting a testing light between the removed clamp and the post confirmed the short when it lit up even with all accessories and the ignition switch off.

The car was a "Salt Spring beater" so ,instead of finding the problem, I just removed the positive lead every night and reconnected it in the morning. It then started fine and throughout the day. When summer arrived the problem stopped. This probably isn't your problem (just a weak battery), but it's easy to check and rule out. If it is your problem, it's also a way to keep using the van while you trace the short.

-jim

[loki]

not to be insulting but are you waiting for the glow plugs to do both clicks?

[piyeguyo]

I suggest you create a new post with a title like this... "Need Mechanic in the Edmonton area"

You might get advice from somebody in Edmonton. I am sure there will be mechanics there.

Good luck.

Fabio
Calgary

[jedjen]

o.k. you guys are all awesome for getting back to us, we are doing all of the above and learning as we go, we are checking the battery, glow plugs, fuel delivery and checking the load on our altenator, as well good advice maybe the electical problem is draining our battery, we will look into that as well....
we have also discovered it takes a while for the juice to run throught the electrical system when boosting along while, ....so it could be the cold, old battery combo....
......however we are waiting for the glow plugs to do both clicks,
I will keep you all posted on what happens it is a slow process as we are in a hotel for now on the outside of edmonton in the country, my husband is using my rental car and works ten hours a day, and I have a son who is two, so with all our obsticals we appreciate the help.