Hi all, I have a 2006 Focus 1.8 tdci and am experiencing cold starting problems. I have replaced the glow plugs but still needs 4-5 pre-heat cycles to get it close to firing.It eventually starts but with lots of grey/blue smoke.

Any suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

Hi, i recently had starting problem on my focus 1.6tdci 2006. called breakdown and he ran diagnostics for an hour saying i had six faults. i said i have just travelled 200 mile with no problems. he reset the codes and it then pointed to two faults, the egr valve and maf air flow sensor but agreed it should not affect startup. he thought it was fuel related and not electrical. he tried easy start in the intake and after 3 attempts it came back to life. day after i travelled back 200 mile no problems. day after would not start. decided to look at it myself checking for leaks etc. as everyone knows they are terrible to start if fuel pipes are removed. so i bought a hand operated fuel primer pump on ebay £4.95, it has a non return valve in it, and connected it between the fuel delivery hose on the fuel filter. pumped it 10 times or so and turned the key. after a few seconds it started with uneven pulsing and smoke from exhaust. i held the throttle around 2500rpm and after 20 seconds it smoothed out and purred like a kitten. it has been fine since. i read later on a forum that their may be a non return valve in the fuel filter, and if it fails it allows fuel to drain back in the tank. this leaves air in the system and makes it difficult to start. i presume thats what happened to me. so i fitted a non return valve £2.50, on the inlet hose from the tank. the one that joins the metal pipe that runs under the car. its been a great success and easy to fix. might be worth trying on yours considering the little cost and time to fit. P.S. im leaving the primer pump on incase i change the fuel filter at some point. good luck with yours.