1.8 Tdci Occational Bad Start

[Red_Dwarf]

basically she starts like a bag of !Removed! recently

First take

been the worse
nasty fuel smell.

mate says check my glow plugs with a multimeter

( no idea how)

be nice if she ran sweet again, sounding awfully like a diesel getting on for 70k, so still a baby 2006

[mick85]

Remove glow plugs test continuity from one end to other and connect up to a battery see do they glow sounds like injectors bad but

Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC

[Darkslider]

I've got a similar issue with my 05 Mk2 2.0 TDCI. On a cold start it fires up quick enough, maybe a tad longer cranking when it's really cold but idles very lumpy with lots of white/grey unburnt diesel smoke for the first 2-3 mins. Drives perfectly when warmed up, smooth with loads of power and starts on the button perfectly when hot with no issues.

Did a leak off test on the injectors first in case a leaking injector was at fault but they were all leaking a minimal amount evenly so assuming they're ok on that front. Not ruled out the possibility of injectors leaking into the bores overnight but can't smell any diesel in the oil and the oil level hasn't budged for months so think it's likely something else.

Checked glow plugs next, but for how much work it is to even get to them I wasn't going to leave the old ones in regardless so put in some new Beru ones once I'd got the EGR pipework out of the way to access them. The ones already fitted were fine and they're all getting a healthy battery voltage for 10-15 seconds when the ignition is first turned on, so that ended up being a waste of time and money!

Not sure where to look next, did notice signs of bubbles in the clear fuel pipes so thinking of replacing the fuel filter and making sure it's sealed properly. If that doesn't sort it perhaps I need to get the injectors sent off for testing and perhaps perform a compression check? Any other suggestions for things I should check?