300Tdi starting poorly and then surging
 

Howdy;

Have a 300Tdi from'96 D1 in my '90RR, and it is difficult to start. I've tested the glow plugs, and all but one get glowing hot, with the remaining one just plain hot. The lift pump seems good and the sedimentor and fuel filter are brand new. It takes about 5-15 seconds of cranking before it starts to fire, and then does so roughly for a few revs before finally hitting on all 4 cylinders. During this rough period there is a hollow, aluminum, pinging bell sound. BTW that sound also happens for a few milliseconds on shut-down too. Anyway, it idles like a champ once it's started! Sounds beautifully smooth at idle. It doesn't matter whether it is cold of hot, it still has to be cranked a long time! I have new glow plugs ordered, and am getting new injectors too. The engine has 50K miles on it. It has not had the timing belt upgrade yet (also ordered). Could it be my fuel pump? Injectors? Timing? Starter motor not spinning fast enough? I adjusted the valve clearances last night and that wasn't the problem. Have not tested fuel pressure.

On top of that, when I drive or even just rev it to about 1500-3000rpm the revs surge back and forth even with the pedal dead still. Is this the turbo waste gate? Actuating rod? fuel boost? Other?

Thanks for your help. Yes I am in America and this is a 300Tdi. A Rover dream fulfilled!!! just need it to behave better now.

Problem Solved!!!
 

:)After some advice from other forums, I most suspected the fuel system somehow. It turns out that I had bled the lower drain on the fuel filter but not the top bleed screw! There was some air trapped in the top of the fuel filter. I bled the air off and now it starts right away. It also took care of the surging problem! Happy day!

Thanks to everyone who read the post and scratched their heads. Hope this helps someone else out there.

Greg Haugen