Another Non-Starting Mondeo Tdci 2002

[abz2005]

Hi folks

So here it is I work with a fella who owned this 2002 Mondeo TDCI for 8 years always maintaining it to a high standard. Last week he was driving back off holiday when it cut out and wouldn't start. He had the car recovered back to his local mechanic.

This past week it's been in 3 different garages the first 2 couldn't get their diagnostic equipment to read the ECU and put it down to a faulty ECU. The 3rd got it running after using easy start although it ran very rough and was very smokey. They diagnosed faulty injectors and quoted £1000+ to repair so he has decided to buy another car. I bought this car off him for next to nothing I do enjoy a challenge but after spending this weekend on it it almost has me beat.

We picked it up from the garage and my work colleage drove it back to mine. I went back to it that evening and it wouldn't start with the dreaded glow plug light flashing. I used a Snap-On Solus diagnostic machine that threw up a few fault codes (can't remember them off the top of my head now) but cleared them anyway.

So far this is what I've done removed the injectors bagged each one with the associated pipes etc and numbered each bag with the cylinder no the parts came from and made a note of the 16 digit code of each. I stripped each injector in turn and cleaned them out thoroughly and put them back together. Each injector was replaced in the cylinder it came from I recoded the injectors using the Snap-On tool. Now I'm not sure if this has worked as it doesn't have the ability to read the codes but apparently can programme the injectors. Once programmed it shows the injector codes as FFFF...... on all injectors but I'm assuming that they actually have the right code its just the diagnostic machine can't read them.

I filled the existing fuel filter with diesel and no matter what I try the car turns over and will not start. Even when I use Easy Start (although I don't want too) and sounds like it wants to fire but once the Easy Start is gone it's back to just turning over. I've cracked off the injector pipes slightly while turning the engine over plenty of fuel getting to the injectors. Tried tow starting it earlier and still no luck.

The glow plug light no longer flashes when I turn the engine over and there are no codes stored in the ECU. Once thing I did notice when I try to start off the key its seems as though the engine is turning over very fast.

Has anyone experienced this or would anyone have any ideas what I could try next?

Sorry for such a long post but wanted to get as much info in as possible.

Any help would be much appreciated/

Cheers

Abz

[jeebowhite]

I suspect its the fact that the ECU doesnt have the right coding for the injectors, this will certainly cause a problem. Often after cleaning the injectors may need a new code and the ECU will likely need resetting.

Your best bet at this point is to get the car looked at by a speciailist with injector skills, they may just need to offer a new code and recode them if you have done a good job on the clean.

[abz2005]

Thank for the reply jeebowhite

A quick update, after trying to tow start the car a couple of times it was having absolutely none of it wouldn't start no matter what.

Yesterday I took the injectors out in again bagged them up and wrote on the bag which cylinder it came out of.

Stripped each injector down lubed them, reassembled and refitted, I primed the fuel filter and guess what?? she fired up, ok sounds like a bag of spanners and absolutely loads of smoke out the back, but the main thing is she fired up on her own without the use of easy start, saying that the car is undriveable but I may know why.....

The first time I took the injectors out I bagged them up and numbered which cylinder it was out of, as I cleaned each one I made a note of the injector code. Now when I came to recode I coded in firing order (the way you should) rather than cylinder order (1,2,3,4 - the way they came out). The mechanic I used lent me his diagnostic scanner/coder but he's away on holiday so I will have to wait until he's back to re-code again.

I will update again when I've done this - hopefully with good news

[jeebowhite]

Fingers crossed!