Diesel not starting

[TLC42TD]

I have a 24v turbo diesel which idled for about one minute this morning, then shut-down after moving forward about three metres (boy are these things heavy to push).

The engine will turn over on the key, but will not fire. There appears to be enough diesel in the tank. Fuel filter is only two months old.

Orange glow-plug dash light does not appear when ignition is switched on.

Could it be glow plug relay or fuel pump that needs replacing ?? Any comments are appreciated.

[crushers]

gelled fuel?? bad tank of fuel?

[roscoFJ73]

Originally Posted by TLC42TD

I have a 24v turbo diesel which idled for about one minute this morning, then shut-down after moving forward about three metres (boy are these things heavy to push).

The engine will turn over on the key, but will not fire. There appears to be enough diesel in the tank. Fuel filter is only two months old.

Orange glow-plug dash light does not appear when ignition is switched on.

Could it be glow plug relay or fuel pump that needs replacing ?? Any comments are appreciated.

These inj pumps have a fuel cut solenoid and if the wire comes off or if the solenoid dies,it will cut the fuel to the pump.
If its working you should hear a clicking noise from the fuel pump when the red lights on the dash are turned on/off.

If it does not click you can run a wire from the positive terminal on the battery and test the solenoid that way. It can also be left running that way but you will have to disconnect the wire to stop the engine.
If it still wont click ,solenoid needs replacing

Does the orange light come on each time you start it? Mine goes off and only comes back if the engine goes cold.

I dont think it would be the glow plug relay as once it has started it wont need the glow plugs till the engines cold again.

Other things to check is that fuel is reaching the pump and that fuel is reaching the injectors by undoing the inj lines and visually sighting fuel coming through.

[peterdouglas]

I had a similar problem with a 2001 GMC 6.2 litre diesel (non turbo, 15 passenger van). It seemed to happen in colder weather. Sometimes it would idle fine, then when you start to drive, it would die. Or, you could drive for about five minutes then it would gradually start chugging before it completely died. Finally, sometimes it would not even start.

Again, this seemed to happen in winter, when it was cold, and yes we always used a block heater. It seemed the problem was water in the fuel tank (or so the mechanic at the garage told us). Another time, we just let the van sit, and the next day it started and ran just fine. Still a first class mystery as to what it was, unless it really was water in the fuel tank.

[Tapage]

Be sure that you have diesel and no air in the line .. the primer pump its fine ?

[TLC42TD]

Rosco, you are spot on mate... we ran a wire from the solenoid to the battery terminal which permitted us to start the engine. However, while this temporary measure is in place, it is necessry to connect / disconnect the wire to start / stop the engine. A removable 10amp fuse has been installed onto the wire to make this easier.

Question: where does this wire come from, and what is causing this? Does it need a new wire, or is it something more serious inside the ECU ? I'm happy to have a temporary fix, but wonder what the final cost will be.

Thanks to all for the replies.

[roscoFJ73]

Originally Posted by TLC42TD

Rosco, you are spot on mate... we ran a wire from the solenoid to the battery terminal which permitted us to start the engine. However, while this temporary measure is in place, it is necessry to connect / disconnect the wire to start / stop the engine. A removable 10amp fuse has been installed onto the wire to make this easier.

Question: where does this wire come from, and what is causing this? Does it need a new wire, or is it something more serious inside the ECU ? I'm happy to have a temporary fix, but wonder what the final cost will be.

Thanks to all for the replies.

As far as I know it just runs off the ignition relay the same as a petrol engine.
It has a 7.5 amp fuse but I am not sure where it is.


Do you have an alarm or immobiliser fitted? They stop theft by cuitting power to the solenoid and if they are not working properly cause problms like this

[TLC42TD]

Yes it has the original "Toyota Theft Deterrant System 5000" system fitted which is known to be problematic after many years. I will book it into a diesel specialist as soon as possible, and mention this possibility to them during their investigation. Perhaps I could get it completely disconnected because I rarely activate it.

[roscoFJ73]

Originally Posted by TLC42TD

Yes it has the original "Toyota Theft Deterrant System 5000" system fitted which is known to be problematic after many years. I will book it into a diesel specialist as soon as possible, and mention this possibility to them during their investigation. Perhaps I could get it completely disconnected because I rarely activate it.

Sent you a PM