Checklist to Diagnose a diesel Delica not starting

sck_nogas · May 7, 2020

Checklist to Diagnose a diesel Delica not starting

Turn Key in the ignition from "Off" through "Accessory" to "On", wait for the glow plug relays to do their magic (you might hear the relay click off), then turn the key to "Start" to start engine
If engine starts, you're done! (Makes the Brmmm! noise) [Boy, that's easy!]
If engine turns over normally (Makes the Rrr-Rrr-Rrr noise) but doesn't start, then go to step #13 to check your glow plug system.
If engine doesn't turn over at all (Makes no noise at all), check to see if your neutral safety switch on your automatic transmission is stuck, by shifting into neutral, and then back into park, then go back to step #1
If the engine still doesn’t start then the neutral safety switch might be faulty, or your battery may be low on voltage. So, first check the battery voltage with a multi meter.
With the multi meter set to measure DC volts, connect the black lead of the multi meter to the negative terminal of your battery, and the red lead of the multi meter to the positive terminal of the battery. If the voltage measured is below 12-13v, then your battery is likely drained, try using jumper cables and another battery or car to jump start your car and go back to step #1
If the voltage measured is above 12-13v, then using the multi meter to measure the battery’s voltage during cranking (while trying to start the engine)
If the voltage measured while starting the engine drops below 9-10v then it's likely that you have a bad battery. Try using jumper cables and another battery or car to jump start your car and go back to step #1
If the voltage doesn't drop at all while trying to start, then it's possible that you have a bad starter or starter relay
To check your starter/starter relay, using jumper cables connect one end of the jumper cable (using one color) to the positive terminal on the battery, and touch other end of the jumper cable (using the same color) to the positive terminal on the starter motor.
If the starter turns when the jumper cable touches the positive terminal, then you likely have a bad starter relay. Diagnose/Replace the starter relay.
If the starter doesn't turn when the jumper cable touches the positive terminal, then you likely have a bad starter. Alternative quick fix option: Tap the starter with a wrench or hammer to see if the starter has gotten stuck and the tapping can free the starter. If this fails, Diagnose/Replace the starter.
If you are at this step, your engine should be turning over normally, did you hear a click noise when you turn the key to "On"? This is the relay for your glow plugs turning on. After a few seconds, you should also hear a second click noise. This is the relay turning off.
If you do not hear any click(s), then go to step #30 to check your glow plug relay(s)
If you do hear one or two clicks, then measure the voltage at the glow plugs with a multi meter by connecting the black lead of the multi meter to the negative terminal of your battery (or a good ground on your frame/engine), and the red lead of the multi meter to the glow plug rail.
When you turn the car to “On” and the relay clicks on, see if the voltage of the glow plug rail is 6v or 12v (depending on your type of engine/glow plug/controller), and see if it turns off after 10-20 seconds?
If after a "significant" amount of time, you do not hear the second click and the voltage does not turn off . Then it's likely that your glow plug relay(s) or controller is stuck ON or have you have a faulty manual glow plug switch. Diagnose/Repair the problem and then test your glow plugs. You may have damaged your glow plugs by having the voltage on too long.
If voltage does stop after the "right" amount of time, is it VERY cold outside? (Usually below freezing)
If it is very cold, then maybe you need to "boost" your glow plugs longer. If you have a manual glow plug switch, try to hold it longer. If not, use a jumper cable to connect the glow plug rail to the positive terminal of the battery for an additional 10-12 seconds and then try to start.
If not very cold, then you may have bad glow plugs or may not have fuel reaching the engine.
Check the fuel level of tank, are you out of fuel? (Hey, it happens)
If you have fuel in your tank, then check for possible air in your fuel lines.
Loosen the bleed port nut on the the primer pump (on top of the fuel filter), and pump the pump until fuel comes out of the bleed port. Tighten the bleed port nut back up. Pump the pump a few more times until the pump gets “stiff” aka will not “squish” like it did with the bleed port open
Now check the fuel at your injectors by using two wrenches to crack loose the fuel line heading into one injector. One wrench holds the injector, the other wrench loosens the fuel line. Turn the engine over for a few seconds to see if fuel dribbles out past the nut.
If after a few seconds, you should have fuel coming out of the fuel line at the injector, tighten the fuel line back up, and repeat the previous step for each injector. If all injectors have fuel then go to step #30
If there is no fuel coming out of fuel lines for the injectors after a few seconds of turning the engine over, stop turning the engine over and check to see if the fuel shutoff solenoid has voltage with a multi meter by connecting the black lead of the multi meter to the negative terminal of your battery (or a good ground on your frame/engine), and the red lead of the multi meter to the terminal for the fuel shutoff solenoid
If the fuel shutoff solenoid doesn't have +12V, try using a jumper lead/wire to apply power directly to it from the positive terminal of the battery and try toe start the engine
If the engine then starts, you have a wiring fault (probably the rectangular connector on top of the IP, the wires tend to get brittle and break internally)
If the fuel shutoff solenoid has power but doesn't click, you'll need to remove the fuel shutoff solenoid. It has a rubber tip that can get jammed, or it might just be burnt out. Diagnose/Repair/replace the fuel shutoff solenoid.
Since, your engine is turning over normally, and you have fuel coming to the injectors, it may be that your glow plugs are not working. First let’s check your glow plug relay(s), located under the driver seat in the air cleaner compartment, take your multi meter by connecting the black lead of the multi meter to the negative terminal of your battery (or a good ground on your frame/engine) NOTE: depending on your configuration, you may have one or two glow plug relays, and also a dropping resistor if you are a 6v glow plug system.
With the multi meter set to DC volts, measure with the red lead on the multi meter, each of the three pins with the ignition key in the "on" but not “starting" position
One pin of each relay (I think it's normally the left side of the relay) is “voltage in”, that should have voltage continuously from the battery. So, measure that.
If no voltage measured on the “voltage in” pin. Diagnose if your fusible links are blown for the glow plugs?
If you do have voltage measured for the “voltage in”, then let’s check the trigger signal for the relay. One pin (Should be the center one) is the “control signal” from the controller, turn the ignition key "off" and then back to “on", you should be able to measure a 12v voltage with is the signal to turn the relay on to feed power to the glow plugs.
If there is no voltage measured on the middle “control signal” pin. Diagnose your glow plug controller to see if it’s functional
If there is voltage being sent to the middle “control signal” pin, then check the last pin which is “voltage out” to the glow plugs. If there is no voltage on the “voltage out” pin, but there is voltage on the middle “control signal”pin, then the glow plug relay is bad and should be replaced.
If there is voltage on the “voltage out” pin which goes to the glow plugs, but no voltage showing up at the glow plugs, then you likely have to replace a broken wire or fix the short in that wire.
So, now we’ve tested the glow plug relays, as a last option we can re-try, if no voltage measured at the glow plug rail, or at the relays, we can bypass everything and use a jumper cable to connect the glow plug rail directly to the positive terminal of the battery for 10-12 seconds then quickly go back to step #1 to try to start.
We've got battery, fuel, glow plugs, starter... Hmmm, Maybe your air intake is clogged or turbo isn't spinning? Disconnect the rubber air hose connection to the front of the turbo, MAKING SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS CLEAR AWAY FROM THE TURBO!!!! Try starting the engine again and see if the turbo spins and is able to get air into it. If the engine starts, quickly shut off the engine to make sure you don't suck anything into your turbo.
If your turbo doesn't spin, then you may have a blocked exhaust and thus the exhaust not able to leave the cylinders. But, it's a guess at this point...
If the engine starts without the air intake to the turbo connected, then you may have a clog in your air intake ducts. Check to see if there is an obstruction in the rubber air hose going to the turbo, air filter, the air filter body, etc...
If the engine doesn't start without the air intake to the turbo connected, then it MAY be that something is clogged downstream of your turbo (but not likely)
So, if you end up here, you have working starter, starter relay, glow plugs, glow plug relays, glow plug controller, fuel being fed to your injectors, your turbo is spinning, air getting to your engine, and you still can't start? Then I am running out of suggestions, maybe you should post a message to the geniuses at the DelicaForum and ask for help?

Checklist to Diagnose a diesel Delica not starting

sck_nogas

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