[Liamrich93]

I am having starting issues with a recently purchased 2012 Ceed II 1.4 CRDI. From cold it would just turn over ages before firing up. It was quicker once warm, but still not as quick as it should've been. Found all glow plugs were faulty, so replaced. And then replaced starter since it was likely worn out from repeated prolonged starting. Car now turns over slightly quicker, now takes only 2-3 secs to start, and still quicker again once warm, but this still doesn't seem right. I fear I could be wearing down other parts of the engine by continuing like this.

Other (possibly related) issues are:

• When driving in 3rd gear, around 1600rpm or 26mph car may judder slowly backwards and forwards, like the engine can’t decide if it should be delivering power.
• When accelerating hard through the 1500-2000rpm range, engine will give off a whooshing or hissing sound. Noticeable in 3rd or 4th gear.

I have been assured that the battery is fine. I would daresay it's still the original battery. I have also been assured that it's not an issue with the fuel system since it would be a hard start every time, not just when left overnight.

I've never owned a Kia or diesel before so is this just a common quirk with these types of cars? I do wait for the pre-heat light to turn off before starting, sometimes even waiting 5-10 secs longer, but this does not improve starting, neither does running the pre-heat process multiple times. It's been in the garage for that long since purchase I'm close to just taking it back to the dealership for a refund. The above work was done at a local garage and claimed on warranty since the dealership is a bit of a drive away.

Any ideas anybody? Many thanks

 

[Stonie]

I had a similar issue with a Audi A4 a while back before I had my Kia. Who has told you that its not a fuel issue? On my audi the non return valve on the fuel system failed and over night the fuel would seep back towards the tank. Basically the fuel line would be full of air and would take a while to crank the fuel through the line and then hit the injectors.

I'm not sure what system they have on the kia, but could be a non return valve somewhere. Someone might come along and give more pointers on it if there is one. Most diesels have dual pumps now, one in the tank and one in the engine, maybe the tank pump isnt working like it should to push fuel through.

As for the "Hissing" this could be a bad vacuum hose gone and causing a leak. This could then give the issue with lack of power.

 

[Liamrich93]

Who has told you that its not a fuel issue?

The garage that replaced the glow plugs and starter. Seems like they're just doing trial & error. I doubt they actually checked the fuel system at all and merely made and assumption based on the symptoms.

Thanks for your reply. Fuel running back is what family/friends told me the issue likely was. You'd think a decent mechanic would at least check this out, especially since they've had the car twice now.

 

[Stonie]

Hopefully you can narrow it down. Might be worth putting your ear to the rear seat of the car where the tank is and listen for any air rush from the rear fuel pump, if there is loads or no pump noise at all could point to the tank pump. Depending on how you feel with mechanics, you could take the fuel intake pipe off the filter put the pipe in the jar and see if any fuel gets pushed through on pre start when key turned.

I would question why the garage replaced the starter though, as the starters in these cars are hardy things due to the stop start. Only time I ever replace the start is if the starter doesn't move or squeals like a pig. Also have they checked the glow plug rail for power? Its not often all the plugs fail at once.

 

[Liamrich93]

Update on this. Had the car at another garage who did a leak off test on the four diesel injectors and found that two are leaking excessively and need replacing. As I understand it this leak will be causing a lack of pressure making it harder for the engine to reach the required level for ignition. Hopefully this is the culprit, but can't confirm yet as I'm still confirming warranty/payments before the job can be done.

At only 40k miles I'd assume the injectors have failed based on crap fuel and/or maintenance from previous ownership. I wonder if the faulty injectors had caused the glow plugs to pick up the slack and wear out prematurely.

 

[Jack Daniels]

Fuel quality should not be an issue in the UK as long as you are not filling from drums, hand pumps, cans or flooded service stations.
What sort of fuel filter does the car have?
Ideally the element or filtration medium should be replaced yearly.

With the new parts installed, it would be good to start off again with a new filter.

 

[Liamrich93]

Finally sorted the issue. Replaced the two dodgy injectors last month and now the car starts up and runs great.

My advice for anyone else stumped with a similar issue: Don't write-off a fuel problem before actually checking. Get a leak-off test done, it doesn't take long.