Right ive just picked up a cheap 04 tdci 1.8 focus with 105K on the clock. Bought it with a cold start problem. When starting for the first time of the day it take 2-3 attempts to get it started and it then runs fine and drives fine. Turn it of and it will start ok but not as quick as it should still take a few secs.

The last owner has replaced the starter/fuel pump (second hand)/crank sensor.

I'm thinking maybe the battery as the one on the car just looks like a cheap crappy motor world type and not a calcium high amp type. Also thinking of the cam sensor or maybe a leak in the system causing the fuel to start to drain away.

There are no DTC's

Ive searched and found quite a few threads but never seen any fix's that have worked yet.


Craig.

Crank it until it starts, if it does the normal turning, turning turning then a kind of quicker chug-chug-chug and then fires up I'll go for glow plugs. The cranking is creating the heat instead of the plugs making it take longer (I had one that took about 30 seconds to start from cold like that)

i'm not convinced its the glow plugs as the car has been like this through the summer when its been hot. its always from cold. Not cold outside but cold engine.

I will check them anyway just to be sure though.

I believe that TDCI and HDI are still really the same thing.

In which case, HDIs need it to be very very cold before the glow plugs even enter into the equation.
Above about -9 -10 degrees, they fire straight up.
My old basket case with an HDI engine only ever used the glow plugs when it was perishing cold in the absolute bleak depths of last winter. Any other time, it just fired.

They do however need mega pressure in the fuel rail before the ECU will fire the injectors.
If the pressure isn't high enough, the ECU won't play.
Maybe check the pressure sensor on the rail ?

Injector leakage ?

Had a similar prolem and it was a glow plug that was not working, they are easy to test take of the copper bar connecting thm together ans then test between the connector and earth, think they should be 8 ohms if there ok.