Citroen 1.9d Dispatch Advice

oldernotsowise

Hi

Have just picked up an old citroen dispatch van 1999 1.9
No service history and has been sitting unused for 9 months or so.
Without great mechanical knowledge i checked oil and water ,tyres etc and battery.
Starting:glow plug goes out after few seconds and then turn key engine has to turn over for quite a while (5-8secs?) before it kicks into life. pumping fuel pedal before or during starting makes no difference.

DO I NEED NEW GLOW PLUGS??
or is it fuel issue?

have driven it for about 150 miles home and apart from a slow puncture all ok except the noise!!

Engine sounds rattly and just like the very early diesels used to my question is this normal or could it mean something wrong inside?
I know that is a bit like how long is piece of string but thought one of you in the know might be able to help

many thanks in anticipation!

mikey72

My fiat 1997 1.9 td always sounds like a bag of nails.
I'd change the oil for a decent one, that helps.
Check the bleed off pipes, they leak and the diesel drains back, gives a poor start and usually lumpy for a few seconds as one or more cylinders spring into life late.

harveybobbles

Turn the ignition on, wait for glow plug light to go off, then turn ignition off. Then turn it back on, wait for light to go out, then start.

oldernotsowise

Hi
Thanks for both replies so far, will change oil and try the starting advice
thanks

benham3160

oldernotsowise wrote: »

Hi

Have just picked up an old citroen dispatch van 1999 1.9
No service history and has been sitting unused for 9 months or so.
Without great mechanical knowledge i checked oil and water ,tyres etc and battery.
Starting:glow plug goes out after few seconds and then turn key engine has to turn over for quite a while (5-8secs?) before it kicks into life. pumping fuel pedal before or during starting makes no difference.

DO I NEED NEW GLOW PLUGS??
or is it fuel issue?

have driven it for about 150 miles home and apart from a slow puncture all ok except the noise!!

Engine sounds rattly and just like the very early diesels used to my question is this normal or could it mean something wrong inside?
I know that is a bit like how long is piece of string but thought one of you in the know might be able to help

many thanks in anticipation!

That's because this is a "very early diesel," it's an XUD engine which has been around for nearly 30 years now. They kept it going so long because it's probably in the top five of the strongest engines ever created.

It's slow, and makes a "hell of a racket" but it's very, very good at what it does. That being a very basic, dependable engine that'll outlast any vehicle it's bolted in to. I've seen these running well past 400,000 miles. Just about every minicabber will have driven one of these until it can go on no more, at some stage in their career.

Could need a new set of plugs, however as ambient temperatures are quite mild at the moment, I'd suggest a new fuel filter as well as checking the plugs. These have a manual priming bulb, give this a few squeezes before starting too, if it fires straight up after you've done that, it could be in need of some new spill-off hoses, which cost pence.

Regards,
Andy

johnnyroper

benham3160 wrote: »

That's because this is a "very early diesel," it's an XUD engine which has been around for nearly 30 years now. They kept it going so long because it's probably in the top five of the strongest engines ever created.

It's slow, and makes a "hell of a racket" but it's very, very good at what it does. That being a very basic, dependable engine that'll outlast any vehicle it's bolted in to. I've seen these running well past 400,000 miles. Just about every minicabber will have driven one of these until it can go on no more, at some stage in their career.

Could need a new set of plugs, however as ambient temperatures are quite mild at the moment, I'd suggest a new fuel filter as well as checking the plugs. These have a manual priming bulb, give this a few squeezes before starting too, if it fires straight up after you've done that, it could be in need of some new spill-off hoses, which cost pence.

Regards,
Andy

agreed the xu pug/cit lumps are bomb proof much rather the xud9 or better still xud11 over the newer hdi stuff that has !!!!!! dmf's and constant problems with anti pollution faults
also cheap and simple to put right should they go wrong.