Hey all,

Just wanting to ask but does the glow plug light have to always come on when turning the key in ignition? i dont see any glow plug light come on and there was no error codes saying anything about it. the glow plug light does work when i did the diagnostic test. i will be changing the glow plugs however as the car starts and idles rough and smokes for about 10 seconds

No.  These are relatively low compression engines and compared to other diesels and compared to some others the engine/ambient temperature need to be relatively cool before they activate.  Quite clever.

Had my 1.6TDCI for 9 years. I reckon I saw the glowplug light come on only about 10 times each year and then only for a second or two. The glowplugs work even when the light is not on, the light just means wait for them to heat the cylinder a bit before you turn the key. They continue to heat after the light has gone off, and even if the light does not come on at all when starting from cold.

I have heard of them snapping off when trying to get out, and I think they are hard to get to. My brother now owns my 1.6tdci and it is doing what yours does, but he has no intention of doing anything about it until the point that it stops the car from starting (and that might never happen). If I still had the car I would do the same as him.

Some jobs can turn into a job that goes wrong and you wish you never started and end up worse off then if you left it alone. I am not reccomending what you do, just giving you something to think about

4 hours ago, Jethro_Tull said:

No.  These are relatively low compression engines and compared to other diesels and compared to some others the engine/ambient temperature need to be relatively cool before they activate.  Quite clever.

Thanks Jethro, just hope changing the glow plugs sorts out the rough start ups and smoke which comes for about 10 secs

15 minutes ago, isetta said:

Had my 1.6TDCI for 9 years. I reckon I saw the glowplug light come on only about 10 times each year and then only for a second or two. The glowplugs work even when the light is not on, the light just means wait for them to heat the cylinder a bit before you turn the key. They continue to heat after the light has gone off, and even if the light does not come on at all when starting from cold.

I have heard of them snapping off when trying to get out, and I think they are hard to get to. My brother now owns my 1.6tdci and it is doing what yours does, but he has no intention of doing anything about it until the point that it stops the car from starting (and that might never happen). If I still had the car I would do the same as him.

Some jobs can turn into a job that goes wrong and you wish you never started and end up worse off then if you left it alone. I am not reccomending what you do, just giving you something to think about

Yeah, am worried myself when i change the glow plugs mainly because i dont want to snap any. thanks also for the information, this is my first diesel car so still learning about them. im not planning on driving my car until July until my insurance ends for my current car so if anything happens on the feza (god forbid) it wont make me stranded. Also can take a look at the timing belt as the last owner said he changed it along with the clutch and water pump although im waiting till he sends the receipts and the V5 as he went on holiday

Regarding the rough running, before you start the engine are you turning the ignition on and leaving it for 5-7 seconds before cranking?  If not then you aren't giving the glow plugs enough time to do anything and that could be the problem.

44 minutes ago, jmurray01 said:

Regarding the rough running, before you start the engine are you turning the ignition on and leaving it for 5-7 seconds before cranking?  If not then you aren't giving the glow plugs enough time to do anything and that could be the problem.

I do leave the key in ignition for a few seconds before cranking although it still idles rough along with the smoke which goes after 10 secs. when i move it it feels smooth. it was a day after i bought the car i noticed it runs rough at start up. the day i bought the car the last owner came in it with the engine hot and when my dad started it to take it home it started normally most likely because the engine temperature. engine runs very well, no odd noises thankfully

41 minutes ago, zain611 said:

I do leave the key in ignition for a few seconds before cranking although it still idles rough along with the smoke which goes after 10 secs. when i move it it feels smooth. it was a day after i bought the car i noticed it runs rough at start up. the day i bought the car the last owner came in it with the engine hot and when my dad started it to take it home it started normally most likely because the engine temperature. engine runs very well, no odd noises thankfully

To be honest if it starts fairly quickly I wouldn't be worried by a bit of smoke.  Diesels always did that up until recently and even with new glow plugs yours may not be much better.

41 minutes ago, jmurray01 said:

To be honest if it starts fairly quickly I wouldn't be worried by a bit of smoke.  Diesels always did that up until recently and even with new glow plugs yours may not be much better.

It does start up quickly like normal, it doesnt take time for it to start up. my dad used to have a mk1 focus 1.9 diesel which im sure he said would smoke at start up but that happened during the time he was just driving it in and out the garage