modustollens
27th October 2012, 01:43 AM
I have been having trouble getting my 2.8 diesel to start. And now that it is below 0 C here it was almost impossible. Since the end of the summer I have been only able to get it to start by spraying quick start fluid into the air intake. Until today! when it started on the first turn of the key after a full night (about 15 hours from last running) outside at -8 without using any starting fluid! Que dancing banana: :bananarock:
I have only high-school auto-shop under my belt for training plus some tinkering and general maintenance with the old man in the lane-way so my skill and knowledge is quite limited. I have read at least 100 threads on this forum too. And given that I am in Kazakhstan and don't speak Russian or Kazakh I am pretty much on my own. Anyway, I looked at the wiring diagram for the glow plug circuit which I downloaded from here and noticed that one of the wires to the busbar was not connected.
http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/
I connected this thinking 'ahh - my problems will be over if I just connect that white wire,' as I reported in this thread: http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?15381-Diesel-Cold-Start-Problem-or-Why-this-forum-is-Useful.
But, alas, I was premature: connecting that white wire did not solve my problem. I researched this forum more. I came across this video: http://www.terraintamer.com/en/4x4-videos/viewvideo/30/4wd-tips-ride-with-allan/glow-plug-change
I decided to follow this procedure to test all the plugs. All the plugs passed the test.
But when removing the busbar and comparing my wiring to what the diagram showed I learned that the red wire was attached to the wrong busbar (as was the white one that I had attached the previous day).
The red wire from glow plug relay 2 in the picture above is attached to the busbar on the right: this is the long busbar that touches every glow plug. But the diagram says that the white wire from glow plug relay 1 goes to the big busbar and the red wire from glow plug relay 2 must go the the short busbar which touches only the rear three plugs. I now have the wires connected according to the wiring schema.
I next tested the relays. Following the instructions in the 2.8td supplement manual I downloaded from here I found that relay number 1 was fine.
Relay number 2 fared not so well. There was no continuity where there should have been and continuity where there should not have been. Further inspection revealed this:
http://www.imagerocket.net/photos/1351262905_20121025_144330.jpg
I soldered the broken wire back to the relay.
http://www.imagerocket.net/photos/1351262997_20121025_160604.jpg
There was still some continuity problems (between 3 and 5) but I stuck it back in the machine anyway. I will need test it again if I have further problems.
I woke up this morning, watched the glow plug light come on, heard the relays snap, waited, then turned the key and zoom! It started on the first crank without any of the big puffs of smoke or rough running. I just started it again after it sat in the cold for about 3 hours (and I always needed to inject starting fluid after a sit of that length): it did not turn over on the first crank but after one cycle of the key to relgow it roared up into life without stuttering or blowing crazy white smoke.
I need to figure out how to test the current at the busbar to see how much power is actually coming into the rails.
I am still looking for the glow plug control unit; it is not in the place is it usually said to be (in the cab near the kick plate):
http://www.imagerocket.net/photos/1351263837_20121025_145458.jpg
http://www.imagerocket.net/photos/1351263880_20121025_145543.jpg
I was wondering what this is and thought it might be the control unit; it is mounted in the engine compartment on the passenger side:
http://www.imagerocket.net/photos/1351263956_20121025_145413.jpg
I have no idea what this could be.
Anyway, thanks to the info here I have made a lot of progress this week and hopefully I will not need to buy more quick start!
I need to figure out now how to hook up the flood lights mounted to the front bumper, drain the fuel filter of water and inspect the filter in the return fuel line (though I am still unclear about the location of the banjo bolt that the manual speaks of). But that is a problem for another day. At least for the now the short term, but major, problem of cold starting seems to have been mitigated - at least until it drops another 40 degrees (which it will do in about 3 months).
Thanks,
MT
I have only high-school auto-shop under my belt for training plus some tinkering and general maintenance with the old man in the lane-way so my skill and knowledge is quite limited. I have read at least 100 threads on this forum too. And given that I am in Kazakhstan and don't speak Russian or Kazakh I am pretty much on my own. Anyway, I looked at the wiring diagram for the glow plug circuit which I downloaded from here and noticed that one of the wires to the busbar was not connected.
http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/
I connected this thinking 'ahh - my problems will be over if I just connect that white wire,' as I reported in this thread: http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?15381-Diesel-Cold-Start-Problem-or-Why-this-forum-is-Useful.
But, alas, I was premature: connecting that white wire did not solve my problem. I researched this forum more. I came across this video: http://www.terraintamer.com/en/4x4-videos/viewvideo/30/4wd-tips-ride-with-allan/glow-plug-change
I decided to follow this procedure to test all the plugs. All the plugs passed the test.
But when removing the busbar and comparing my wiring to what the diagram showed I learned that the red wire was attached to the wrong busbar (as was the white one that I had attached the previous day).
The red wire from glow plug relay 2 in the picture above is attached to the busbar on the right: this is the long busbar that touches every glow plug. But the diagram says that the white wire from glow plug relay 1 goes to the big busbar and the red wire from glow plug relay 2 must go the the short busbar which touches only the rear three plugs. I now have the wires connected according to the wiring schema.
I next tested the relays. Following the instructions in the 2.8td supplement manual I downloaded from here I found that relay number 1 was fine.
Relay number 2 fared not so well. There was no continuity where there should have been and continuity where there should not have been. Further inspection revealed this:
http://www.imagerocket.net/photos/1351262905_20121025_144330.jpg
I soldered the broken wire back to the relay.
http://www.imagerocket.net/photos/1351262997_20121025_160604.jpg
There was still some continuity problems (between 3 and 5) but I stuck it back in the machine anyway. I will need test it again if I have further problems.
I woke up this morning, watched the glow plug light come on, heard the relays snap, waited, then turned the key and zoom! It started on the first crank without any of the big puffs of smoke or rough running. I just started it again after it sat in the cold for about 3 hours (and I always needed to inject starting fluid after a sit of that length): it did not turn over on the first crank but after one cycle of the key to relgow it roared up into life without stuttering or blowing crazy white smoke.
I need to figure out how to test the current at the busbar to see how much power is actually coming into the rails.
I am still looking for the glow plug control unit; it is not in the place is it usually said to be (in the cab near the kick plate):
http://www.imagerocket.net/photos/1351263837_20121025_145458.jpg
http://www.imagerocket.net/photos/1351263880_20121025_145543.jpg
I was wondering what this is and thought it might be the control unit; it is mounted in the engine compartment on the passenger side:
http://www.imagerocket.net/photos/1351263956_20121025_145413.jpg
I have no idea what this could be.
Anyway, thanks to the info here I have made a lot of progress this week and hopefully I will not need to buy more quick start!
I need to figure out now how to hook up the flood lights mounted to the front bumper, drain the fuel filter of water and inspect the filter in the return fuel line (though I am still unclear about the location of the banjo bolt that the manual speaks of). But that is a problem for another day. At least for the now the short term, but major, problem of cold starting seems to have been mitigated - at least until it drops another 40 degrees (which it will do in about 3 months).
Thanks,
MT