Hi guys newbie needs help Please. Starting Issue.

[olliebennett]

hey people, i have an 02 1.5 dCI and ive had a starting problem for some time, getting sick of it. The problem is it fails to start first time but 99% of the time it fires up 2nd, starter motor does not struggle and ticks over fine on first try just never fires up which makes me think the battery is good too, the problem persists regardless of if the engine is hot or cold, i initially thought it was a glow plug fault and changed the lot, but it carried on 'as normal' failing to start 1st time, im lost, i cant afford to keep just buying new parts and replacing 1 by 1, relays was my next thought but wasnt sure how to check if it was them, im not really clued up on cars so not sure what else may be the issue.

any help of pics of components welcome haha.

 

[Brian]

Welcome to the club, olliebennett!

 

[scarble]

A week late but here's something you can try to help diagnose.
Firstly, with it stone cold, switch on ignition but don't start. Wait a few minutes with ignition on then try to start, what happens?

As some things happen between ignition being switched on engine starting, primarily glow plugs which you've replaced, now I know nothing about glow plugs but I imagine there is some extra component that drives them, a bit like a coil pack?

Another possibility is fuel pressure.
Your low pressure pump, if any, is likely electric and may or may not turn on as soon as you unlock or open the door or switch on the ignition or it may not start until you try to start the engine but that's unlikely.
Your high pressure pump is driven off the crank so it won't do anything until the engine turns over, this means the starter motor is not only cranking the engine but trying to raise the fuel pressure too and if for some reason part of the high pressure system isn't tip-top it might be slower to build pressure.

Hope that gives you something to work on, assuming you're still working on it.