DTi starting issue when warm (not hot or cold)

[James24]

Looking for some advice please.

My DTi has always started fine - until the temperature dropped a week or so ago . Now, it will start fine if it pre-heats (when the engine is stone cold and the outside temperature is below around 5 degrees C) and if it has been run recently (within about the last 1-2 hours).

What it won't do is start properly if it has been left for longer than 1-2 hours but less than overnight. You have to turn the engine over for about 10 seconds or more and a lot of white smoke comes out of the exhaust when it does finally start.

The glowplugs are fairly new and I changed the glowplug controller/relay at the side of the battery once this problem started but it made no different. There are no error lights on the dash or stored that seem to relate) and everthing under the bonnet looks fine.

Thanks.

[James24]

A quick update. Based on some info I read somewhere - probably on here - I disconnected the wiring plug from the temperature sensor in the thermostat housing.

The engine had last been run about 3 hours previously - so it was into the territory where I would expect it to be difficult to start.

I then turned the ignition on and the pre-heat light came on. I started the car after about 5 seconds (because the pre-heat light hadn't gone off and I didn't want to damage anything by pre-heating too much) and it started really easily.

Also the cooling fan came on and so did the car and spanner light . I reconnected the multiplug onto the temerature sensor and the fan switched off and the warning light went off as well.

Does this rule in or rule out any potential causes of my problem?

Thanks.

[bigmac]

Sounds the same as mine i haven't tested mine much since i changed leakoff t pieces and glowplug relay , I was meant to changed thermostat and temp sensor but haven't had the time

[kenp]

Theres a field remedy for the 2.0 DTI about this.. as the car needs softwareupdate to fix it.. Bigmac have som info on this.

[kenp]

ohh there was Bigmac

[bigmac]

Theres a field remedy for the 2.0 DTI about this.. as the car needs softwareupdate to fix it.. Bigmac have som info on this.

There is its in my thread however i was told if i had this problem it would of been from new and plus they want over £100 to update ECU

But i did notice that in the remedy it said to decrease of cold start injection amount and modified preheat phase timing, wonder where that option is in tech 2

[James24]

Thanks.

I have got a new temperature sensor so I'll change that and see if it helps.

I had read about the field remedy as well (reference number or link to Bigmac's thread would be helpful ) but - like Bigmac says, surely this problem would have always been there if that was the problem.

However, I did have the turbo recalibration recall done earlier this year. I wonder if the new software upset something else...

Is the field remedy just for the 2.0 DTi or is it for the 2.2 DTi as well? Bigmac has the 2.0 and I have the 2.2 so maybe it only applies to one of them?

Do I remember Benny saying about the field remedy that it was a new map, so presumably it's downloaded from Tech2 into the engine ECU rather than just changing some setting via Tech2?

[James24]

This field remedy? It only says 2.0 DTi. This that the full text? If so, it must have a different field remedy number for the 2.2 DTi or it's not the problem that I have.

http://vectra-c.com/forum/showthread...=120301&page=5

[kenp]

Don -> shouldt they do it if VX makes the service?

[James24]

Don -> shouldt they do it if VX makes the service?

Not sure if I know exactly what you mean, but if you mean do dealers do field remedies when the car is with them then my experience is usually not.

I have only had one dealer pick up an recall that my car was eligible for (turbo recalibration) when it was with them for some other work doing.

The general rule for field remedies seems to be that dealers only apply the fix if the customer complains about the symptoms, otherwise they don't bother.