Hello All,


having a little bit of issues with my 14 CD with 60k miles
two weeks ago the truck started to have a rough start..

happens on random starts, but it feels the 2-3 first seconds, engine starts weak and shakes a little bit, rpm is low and then bumps up and truck feels normal..

I had the CD at the dealer since Wednesday, I've been putting some pressure to get it checked and finally yesterday I received a called, saying that nothing looks wrong, alternator or electric, but maybe my Escort radar was causing it because it was draining power from battery..

radar detector was in the suv for a couple of days since I have it always in my 911 and after 10 min the power on the CD gets cut out .. radar not an option..
but also service adviser was with my when the truck was doing that random rough start, not sure any help will be great.


thanks

 

The beauty of diesels is their relative simplicity. There is no spark so a low battery has little bearing beyond the first fire. Similarly the charging system has no direct influence on the motor continuing to run.

You don't mention if it is hard to start in these cases. Does the glow plug take longer to do its job than normal? Does it sound like the starter is slow? If neither of those cases is true then their blaming the radar detector is typical dealer BS.

My guess would be an issue with fuel delivery. You're at 60k so the fuel filter needs to be replaced, has that been done? If so, did this issue start afterwards? If so, then maybe it wasn't purged correctly. The dealer should be able to purge the system, otherwise check my DIY thread for the manual procedure.

Next up would be either the pump in the tank or the high pressure pump being the culprits. After them is the ECU.

If it's not related to the fuel filter, how old is the battery? Once batteries start to go (even when they are checking out fine) weird stuff starts to happen in these things. A new battery might be a good test.

If it's not the battery and not the filter, check the pickup in the tank. Maybe there is some debris in there getting picked up sometimes and restricting flow.

The other half of making power is of course air, but that's a pretty straight forward system...

I suppose another alternative is that the DPF is clogged and restricting flow. Do you do lots of short trips? If so get it out for a good cruise to let the DPF run a cleaning cycle or two.

My bet is fuel though.

 

cccc

 

The maintenance schedule for the diesel is to drain the fuel filter every 10k/1yr and replace it every 20k/2yr. If those really haven't been done on schedule, that could be a warranty problem...

Get that filter changed and see if it helps.

Am I understanding your description of the cranking that there is a delay/hesitation only when you have the rough start?

Do you ever have the rough start first thing, or only after you've driven it some? That could lend towards junk in the tank getting picked up and limiting fuel flow from the tank, but it settles when the car sits for a few hours/over night. Are the rough starts after it has sat for a short period (e.g. less than an hour) only?

Given that you have good starts first thing, that kinda suggests it's not the battery as your first start of the day is usually the worst with a power problem.

I'd get that filter taken care of and then focus on the rest of the fuel delivery system if the problem persists (I expect it will).

 

Gnat,

thank you for your help, I always do the maintenance at the dealer, not sure if they are doing it properly draining water or just doing the oil change, I expect they are.

sorry about the explanation, never have the rough start first, after a few miles if I let it sit for 20-30 then I was getting vibration from the engine, my rpm was low, the feel of not enough power from the engine but just for a few seconds, so this could be like you are saying more related to fuel problems..

I haven't had any problems from the past two days, battery or electric out of the question..

 

Ok, based on it only happening after a short period, I think someone needs to look into your fuel tank. That really sounds like something is getting stirred up and gets sucked up to the screens or something.

Before you have the dealer look, however, ask them about how "bad gas" impacts warranty repairs. In some cases it's not covered and if there is debris they'll likely try to blame the fuel source. Make sure you know what work will be done and what it will cost before they start so you aren't surprised with a big bill.

 

thanks Gnat, I'll have the filter replaced today or Monday, past two days haven't had a single problem, like you said, probably fuel related issue

 

If you've been taking it to the dealer for all scheduled maintenance, I'm shocked if they haven't been replacing the filter at the 20k/2year marks. I've heard of them skipping the 10k water drain in some areas due to low risk of water being in there, but not skipping the filter.

The more I think about it, the more your description sounds like what I experienced when I changed my filter and forgot to do the purge procedure (just hoped in and tried to drive off). Scared the hell out of me at first, but after finishing the procedure all was well.

That makes me wonder if you don't have some weird leak in the system that is letting some air into it. Could be something strange like a seal that is getting too hot after engine shutdown, but then the fuel acts as a cooling agent after it starts flowing again.

You might pull the cover out of the engine bay so you can get a look at the filter canister and see if you see any sign of a leak. Rub a paper towel all around it and that should pick up any signs of spilled/leaking fuel.

Maybe the last time they worked with the filter they didn't tighten the bolts correctly? Got some debris on it's gasket that is preventing a good seal?

You better post the results whenever this is solved and not be one of those guys that never closes the case! I'm invested now and want to know

 

follow up, the hard start went away, I think it was just a dirty fuel filter