Beta 20....starting problems......where to start looking??

PaulRainbow said:
Entirely possible, but whatever his start up procedure, it has worked well, as he described in post #1. If it no longer works, then something has changed/deteriorated/broken etc.

Unless of course he's been using the correct procedure for 10 years and has suddenly forgotten what is and no longer applying some throttle, in which case your advise is spot on :encouragement:
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The reason I like to take them out to check is because doing a simple meter check on them can give a false result where a blown one can short out to the exterior giving that erroneus reading. Looking at them glowing says YUP, thats working!
 
skipper_stu said:
The reason I like to take them out to check is because doing a simple meter check on them can give a false result where a blown one can short out to the exterior giving that erroneus reading. Looking at them glowing says YUP, thats working!
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Same here Stu. I might do a quick check in situ, if it shows a blown glow plug due to it being open circuit you know what's what. But just because it passes an open circuit failure test doesn't mean it's definitely good, as we both know.
 
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Is it a big job getting them out (sigma 33) to visually test them? We can access the engine from the front plenty, or climb in where the gear box is which is a bit cramped or starboard side we,ve a hatch 1ft square ??
 
Matata said:
Is it a big job getting them out (sigma 33) to visually test them? We can access the engine from the front plenty, or climb in where the gear box is which is a bit cramped or starboard side we,ve a hatch 1ft square ??
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You can do an in situ check, but just bare in mind that it isn't 100% reliable in all cases and you could be sent on a wild goose chase. If they test open circuit, that's conclusively a failure, but if they test OK for continuity it can be a flawed test.
 
Matata said:
Is it a big job getting them out (sigma 33) to visually test them? We can access the engine from the front plenty, or climb in where the gear box is which is a bit cramped or starboard side we,ve a hatch 1ft square ??
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On my Beta, ideally good access and vision over the top of the engine is best, which I have. Yours doesn't sound too easy, but It's surprising what can be done in desperate circumstances I suppose. Unless you have starting problems, I'd leave well alone, it wouldn't be too difficult to damage a plug or even drop some small bit into the cylinder if you're struggling.
 
earlybird said:
On my Beta, ideally good access and vision over the top of the engine is best, which I have. Yours doesn't sound too easy, but It's surprising what can be done in desperate circumstances I suppose. Unless you have starting problems, I'd leave well alone, it wouldn't be too difficult to damage a plug or even drop some small bit into the cylinder if you're struggling.
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What do you suppose this thread is about ?
 
On the grounds that, if one has failed, the others can't be far off.
VicS said:
I am not suggesting its not good advice, but why.

One of my cars used to eat glowplugs, I never found out why, (I even changed the control relay, to no avail, because I thought they stayed on too long) Knowing what I know now Id say I was fitting the wrong type but I usually bought them from the main agent.

Usually I just changed the failed plug but once changed all four. The three good ones went on the shelf and overtime were recycled. I never found any convincing reason to change the whole set.
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Soz for not getting back to you but haven't been at the boat! I promise to post any news as soon as I can . I think were going to put a new set of heater plugs in for good measure. Ta Nik
 
Just been up to the boat... replaced the original glow plugs with new NGK's... 15 min job. Just got the old plugs home and played with them in the workshop... They all had a resistance of approx 2 ohms give or take... First two glowed cherry red, drawing 7amps initially, quickly falling to approx 4 amps... The third one didn't lite at all !!!! Im not saying its the cause of the sluggish starting but its a good start. Just from looking at a glow plug glowing after 5 secs ( nearly cherry white) I think closer to 6 secs is long enough. Hope this helps . Ta for all the help...I'll keep you posted as the season progresses Nik
 
Soz guys ...take that back!!!! just set up a proper test rig and they are all working......back to the drawing board! Nik
 
I think Paul's initial analysis is correct. If it's not the glow plugs, it is most likely fuel.

My immediate thought was air getting in the fuel, and the "taking a long time to start" is because of getting the air bled through.

It could be something as simple as the fuel filter seal. Have you tried replacing the fuel filters?
 
8 months later....Its always nice to finish a thread...We changed both the primary (10 micron racor 6 years old and maybe 100 hours on it) and the secondary Beta filter...also changed the glow plugs just to feel better...........and it hasn't missed a beat since,back to starting on the turn of the key! Thanks to everyone who chipped in and hopefully this might be of use to someone else..Nik
 
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