i30 diesel starting issue ...

[xkxlxm]

2007 i30 diesel ... 211,000 ks ... today it started almost instantly (not quite as quickly as it probably should) but ran roughly for a few seconds before settling down ... excess smoke out the exhaust until it did settle ... elsewhere on the net someone said these are symptoms of stuffed glow plugs. (Subsequent starts on the same day are fine.) This problem has been there for a while now, sometimes not so bad. Battery is strong.

Diesel experts: what do you think? Is it worth just getting a Hyundai service centre to replace the glow plugs? Or should I get them to diagnose the problem first and possibly incur unnecessary expense/wrong diagnosis?

I would almost have a go at just doing it myself; access to the glow plug on one end isn't great and I might need to buy a long socket to fit the glow plugs.

I saw a horror story of a dealer (O/S, I think) breaking one of the glow plugs and the head needing to come off. I don't need that problem.

(If this is the wrong place for this thread please fix for me, moderator/s; thanks)

[11ford11]

Scan for codes to start with
Glow plugs is a good possibility so is fuel filter etc.etc.
Blow grit out from around glow plugs and soak with wd40 as not only do glow plugs break they can also strip threads out due to carbon build up - go slow on them and keep winding them in and out may help

[xkxlxm]

Thanks. The fuel filter was last changed in June 2017 at 166,000 ks.

Elsewhere on the net someone suggested penetrating fluid around the threads first, removal of the glow plugs when engine is warm and replacement when it's cold. (I would clean as best as I can around the plugs first, like you suggest.)

[Yellow_Festiva]

I have a 2013 i30 diesel. Same engine just with a slightly higher tune.

Do a bit of investigating / trouble shooting before you start to swap things over.

As a reference, mine is at 246,000 km and has the original glow plugs.

Sure, it does blow a little smoke when it starts but it starts smoothly and for the last 3 years it has been driven very hard (like courier work) and gets fed only the cheapest no name truck diesel.

It had its factory diesel filter replaced at 230,000km - what a bloody pain of a job.

The thing just won't bloody die...

[Freiherr]

I have a 2008 i30 diesel with 270,000 km. Had a problem at around 80,000 km where one morning the car refused to start. Towed to the dealer and the problem was 3 bad glow plugs. They were replaced under warranty and no problems since then.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[xkxlxm]

Thanks for the replies.

11ford11 suggested to 'scan for codes'. I am very ignorant about electronic diagnosis, by that I mean plugging the car into something and coming up with accurate answers to a problem. What chance is there that a Hyundai service centre can plug my car in and get the correct answer to its starting problem?

[11ford11]

Suggest trying your local auto electrician or mechanic who should be able to scan for codes and check for control relay/module and wiring faults plus check glow plugs themselves

Or Check for power at the glow plugs with a test light when you first turn ignition on with a cold engine
if you have power ,each glow plug needs testing or replacing keeping in mind you may have other issues causing your problem

[Tassie f100]

Originally Posted by xkxlxm

2007 i30 diesel ... 211,000 ks ... today it started almost instantly (not quite as quickly as it probably should) but ran roughly for a few seconds before settling down ... excess smoke out the exhaust until it did settle ... elsewhere on the net someone said these are symptoms of stuffed glow plugs. (Subsequent starts on the same day are fine.) This problem has been there for a while now, sometimes not so bad. Battery is strong.

Diesel experts: what do you think? Is it worth just getting a Hyundai service centre to replace the glow plugs? Or should I get them to diagnose the problem first and possibly incur unnecessary expense/wrong diagnosis?

I would almost have a go at just doing it myself; access to the glow plug on one end isn't great and I might need to buy a long socket to fit the glow plugs.

I saw a horror story of a dealer (O/S, I think) breaking one of the glow plugs and the head needing to come off. I don't need that problem.

(If this is the wrong place for this thread please fix for me, moderator/s; thanks)

Almost certainly 1 or maybe 2 glow plugs not working.The engine will start on 3 cyls and run rough until there is enough heat to run the 4 th cyl.Had exactly same symptoms.Engine would start and run on 3 for maybe 20-30 seconds,then pick up on the 4 th.Had 2 glow plugs that tested faulty,4 new plugs ( not much money) and good for another 2 hundred thousand kms

[roKWiz]

Are these indirect injection diesels as I would have though they would be direct injection with a single heat coil system to start.
With the current temps around I wouldn't have thought it would need the glow plugs ATM anyway.

[Franco Cozzo]

They're direct injection engines, glow plug per cylinder.

I haven't seen a car diesel engine with an intake grid heater, except a 6BT RAM.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

They're direct injection engines, glow plug per cylinder.

I haven't seen a car diesel engine with an intake grid heater, except a 6BT RAM.

Was curious, Mazda / Ford trader are intake pre heated direct injection. Direct injection doesn't usually require the pre heat this time of year.

[xkxlxm]

Thanks for all the replies. It seems like a good idea to replace the glow plugs.

This week I will find out how much Hyundai want to replace them. If it's a reasonable price - and if I think I can be confident that they won't break any of them in the removal process - I will get them to do it. I will see if I can talk to the head mechanic.

Or I might buy the new glow plugs and do it myself - very carefully. I will let you know what happens.

[Tassie f100]

And dealers wonder why most of us DON’T get our servicing and repairs done by them.$750 for less than 2 hours work!

[Tassie f100]

And dealers wonder why most of us DON’T get our servicing and repairs done by them.

[xkxlxm]

I ordered the NGKY527J glow plugs from Autobarn a few days ago and picked them up this morning. $38 each - thanks for mentioning Autobarn, Yellow Festiva. Citroenbender: I prefer to buy over-the-counter, rather than on-line.

The glow plugs need a 12mm, deep socket. I could have bought one socket for $12 at Bunnings but I lashed out and bought a set of 8 sockets from Supercheap for $31 (made in Taiwan). I'll probably never use the other 7 sockets.

Will let you know what happens when I get around to doing the job, but if I break a glow plug you might not hear from me ...

[11ford11]

Originally Posted by xkxlxm

I ordered the NGKY527J glow plugs from Autobarn a few days ago and picked them up this morning. $38 each - thanks for mentioning Autobarn, Yellow Festiva. Citroenbender: I prefer to buy over-the-counter, rather than on-line.

The glow plugs need a 12mm, deep socket. I could have bought one socket for $12 at Bunnings but I lashed out and bought a set of 8 sockets from Supercheap for $31 (made in Taiwan). I'll probably never use the other 7 sockets.

Will let you know what happens when I get around to doing the job, but if I break a glow plug you might not hear from me ...

Were they 12 sided or 6 sided sockets, 6 sided will give a better grip on the glow plug.
Start spraying base of glow plugs now with wd40 or similar until you’re ready to remove them and blow out around them before you actually try to remove.

[xkxlxm]

11ford11: thanks. The deep sockets happen to be six-sided so it's good to know that they will give better grip. I will definitely be putting some lubricant on the glow plug threads. I have a mixture of diesel and ATF that I might use for that. How does that sound for penetrating ability? I will leave the lubricant there for a day or two before I try to remove the first glow plug.

The first thing to remove is a wire connected to one of the end glow plugs, then there are four 10mm nuts holding one long metal bracket/connector onto the four plugs. I might remove the bracket today to make it easier to clean the glow plug thread/cylinder head area below and then apply some fluid.

There are a couple of electrical connections nearby that can be unclipped to improve access for the sockets and a hose on one end can be moved a little bit out of the way by undoing the bracket that holds it.

[Tassie f100]

Be interesting if you can keep a rough log of how much time it takes for you to do the job.

[xkxlxm]

I will be doing it in stages, taking my time and trying to be ultra careful; but I think a trained mechanic might be able to do it in an hour as long as there is no problem removing the old glow plugs. Maybe a mechanic would put some WD40 or similar around the threads and wait for that to take effect before removing the plugs but the customer shouldn't be charged for waiting time. I guess a mechanic might not take the time to clean the area first.

I have removed the nut holding the wire/cable, the four nuts holding the metal bracket and the metal bracket itself. Those four nuts were no more than finger tight. The bracket is aluminium.

I unclipped one electrical connection and undid one bolt to get a bit more clearance for the socket on the nut on the left end (passenger side). Clearance doesn't look like being the problem I thought it would be.

I will do some cleaning this afternoon.

[xkxlxm]

It took me 40 minutes this morning to remove the four glow plugs. I started at 8:08 AM and got the 4th one out by 8:48 AM.

Yesterday I reconnected everything that I had removed on Saturday, because I wanted to drive the car this morning (which I did) to warm the engine up before I tried to remove the plugs.

From 8:08 AM: I removed one nut holding a wire connector, one electrical clip, one bolt, the four nuts holding the aluminium rail and the rail itself. Then I removed the plugs. Initially there was resistance but then I could hear and feel the first bit of 'give'. I had a steel pipe ready to use on the socket handle but that wasn't necessary.

One of the removed plugs shows some pitting and another shows a bit less pitting.

I will wait until the engine has cooled to fit the new plugs. On another forum someone suggested tightening them to 8 Nm. He seemed to know what he was talking about and had possibly done the job himself. The new NGK glow plug boxes say this: M10: 15~20N.m (Probably a stupid question but what's the "M10" referring to?)

And I guess I should not put any lube on the new glow plug threads?

[Citroënbender]

M10 is the thread major diameter. I’d go with the recommendation of the plug maker for torquing, but favouring the lighter end of the scale .

I strongly suggest nickel anti-seize (Loctite brand, at Supercrap, Repco etc) or Würth CU800 lightly applied on the thread and sealing interface.

CU800 is a trade product that everyone should have, it’s the most durable anti-seize under conditions of water exposure, solvent washout, doesn’t run with heat. If you can’t get it easily chase down the local rep and they’ll order a 100ml bottle.

[ozpacman]

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

I strongly suggest nickel anti-seize (Loctite brand, at Supercrap, Repco etc) or Würth CU800 lightly applied on the thread and sealing interface.

+1 on the anti-seize!

[Tassie f100]

Originally Posted by xkxlxm

It took me 40 minutes this morning to remove the four glow plugs. I started at 8:08 AM and got the 4th one out by 8:48 AM.

Yesterday I reconnected everything that I had removed on Saturday, because I wanted to drive the car this morning (which I did) to warm the engine up before I tried to remove the plugs.

From 8:08 AM: I removed one nut holding a wire connector, one electrical clip, one bolt, the four nuts holding the aluminium rail and the rail itself. Then I removed the plugs. Initially there was resistance but then I could hear and feel the first bit of 'give'. I had a steel pipe ready to use on the socket handle but that wasn't necessary.

One of the removed plugs shows some pitting and another shows a bit less pitting.

I will wait until the engine has cooled to fit the new plugs. On another forum someone suggested tightening them to 8 Nm. He seemed to know what he was talking about and had possibly done the job himself. The new NGK glow plug boxes say this: M10: 15~20N.m (Probably a stupid question but what's the "M10" referring to?)

And I guess I should not put any lube on the new glow plug threads?

M10 is the thread size.Metric 10mm

[ozpacman]

Sounds like you're on the right track with it mate.

[ozpacman]

Well done mate - and no doubt very personally satisfying to have done it yourself. They're great little cars. My '08 now has 203000 on the clock so I'm guessing this may be a job in my future.