Hi, I wonder whether someone might have an idea why my 2.5 diesel P38 has suddenly decided to become difficult to restart after turning off the engine for 5 or 10 minutes. It has been fine up until yesterday when it was difficult to restart after being parked for 10 minutes.

The engine was at normal temperature after a 20 mile journey but when I tried to restart it the motor just kept cranking until it eventually spluttered into life. I am fairly sure that I pre-heated before I restarted. I did notice, earlier in the day, that occasionally, on tickover, that the engine would seem to miss every now and again which has not happened before. After spluttering to restart the engine ran smoothly as normal.

Also, something that has never happened before was that the engine suddenly cut out as I moved the gearstick into "Drive". I pre-heated again but I had to crank the engine over for maybe 10/15 seconds before it fired and even then it just spluttered into life. But everything ran fine once it started.

Again, I noticed, this morning, that when being started for the first time today the engine did a couple of missed beats while ticking over, but, again, after a quick rev of the engine it seemed to be OK. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Pierre3.

Sounds to me like a fuel issue, most likely a small leak allowing air to leak into the system, taking time to start would be the time it takes to flush the air out of the system. No idea where to suggest you might want to look though, has the fuel filer been disturbed recently?

Remove fuel filter and tip some fuel out then top up 2 stroke oil ---- pistons in diesel pump getting stuck ---- if no leaks as BrianH said

next time before you start open the bonnet and have look at the clear pipe from filter to the pump get someone to turn the key while you cheack I had a leaking injection pump on mine and was a pig to start took a good 20-30 seconds of turning over to start

Hi, thanks for the advise. It gives me a few ideas of where to look.

BrianH, the fuel filter has been removed for some months. I changed it last April while the weather was good.

I would agree about the issue being a fuel problem. It does sound as if the fuel is falling back to the tank, a bit like old petrol car when the lift pump was working properly. It would make me think that something like a plastic fuel pipe has suddenly cracked or split or something after 20 years, [ I am making the assumption that the clear pipe, mentioned, is plastic].

Thanks again. I will post any resolution back here.

Pierre3.

I asked the question on the P38 Facebook website and a couple of guys have suggested that the problem could be the leak off pipes on the six injectors, as well as the feed pipe to injector 1. Seemingly a give away will be some fuel at the base of the injector.

Just out of interest, does anyone know anything about a unit to make the heater plugs come on every time the engine is started ? I am not sure that this is necessary as the engine has always started first time before. The idea is suggested because, apparently, the engine "brain" detects when the engine is hot and therefore doesn't switch on the glow plugs.

I do suspect, from what people have suggested, that replacing the leak off pipes may be the answer. So, a job for later this week.

Pierre3.

they basically telling you to fit a hot box to the p38 it fools the timing ot the ecu that the engine is cold even though engine is hot thus keeping the glow plug cycle running on every time the engine is turned over
hope this helps

Thanks karlos01, yes, I see what it does now. A guy on the P38 Facebook website has sent me a link to a guy who sells them, down in Devon. At around £48 I might just buy one for the added starting security.

Pierre3.

have a look around the injector pump and the injectors for a sign of leaking first mate
the main places the injector pump leaks is the top seal middle one or the head one the head one is the one with the pipes to the injectors

If it normally starts fine when hot, you don't need the bodge box. It's only really needed if the timing chain has stretched so the injection timing is out.

Or governor & pistons gunked up inside the pump --- steel liner dural piston= piston sticks as does governor causing starting problems by jamming shut ---- I m just trying to save lots of headaches & messing around
It amazes me how people overlook this issue with pumps ---- injectors nozzle assembly can stick too ---- I would do rebuild of mates injectors but can't get parts --- good ol' BMW

Hi, thanks Richard, Symes, even more things to be concerned about !! I thought that I was on the pigs' back replacing the leak off pipes !

I haven't ordered new fuel pipe yet. Richard, is the timimg chain an issue with a diesel, and at 115,000 miles ?

If it is the injector pump then I will have to put it into my local garage guy who is good with the P38. I couldn't tackle an injector pump myself, unless I bought a new one ! I have a feeling that a new injector pump is likely to be hundreds of pounds, if not into a thousand.

Pierre3.

Leak off pipes are simple, it is one of the few things I do know something about on the diesel. There's a lady owner that lives a few miles outside of Paris with a '99 diesel and I get called in whenever she has a problem. I dropped in while passing one day and she commented that it seems to be marking it's territory with something dripping off the front diff. I looked at it and concluded it wasn't coming from the diff but higher up and dripping down. With the plastic cover off the top of the engine even I could see it was pissing diesel out of a couple of the leak off pipes and the plug at the end on number 6 injector. I managed to plug the end with a bit of windscreen washer hose and a 13A fuse that was in my toolbox for some unknown reason. When I got back home I picked up a length of leak off hose and put it in the post to her. It must have been quite amusing for anyone watching as she is about 5 feet tall and admitted that she'd had to use a stepladder to get up there and had ended up laying on top of the engine to replace the pipes. If she can do it, anyone can.....

Thanks for your post, Richard. Unfortunately it is raining here in Ireland at the moment, so I am not venturing out to inspect the leak off pipes. Hopefully the weather will improve over te weekend.

Pierre3.