Won't start and I'm at the top of a mountain! (1 Viewer)

[pinkie]

Wow! It must have been a bit of a worry today!

Well done you for getting it sorted out, a great effort. And 20 euros, nice touch, I gave £20 to the guy at the Mercedes dealership in London (who spoke German so could read the manual) and put in a new spark plug for my windscreen washers/indicators, even though they wanted nothing. (Although after that he did a very hairy reverse for me in a very full car park full of vans - added bonus!)

Always nice when people help you out, much nicer when you only have to pay £10 subs for the privilege of funster advice for free!!!

Hope you have no more problems until Morocco, but then who cares, when you've got the sun and surf!

 

[Janine]

(Although after that he did a very hairy reverse for me in a very full car park full of vans - added bonus!)

I really should go to Specsavers

 

[Peter & Elaine]

I really should go to Specsavers

Come on janine there must be a song in there somewhere:thumb:

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[Snowbird]

Having driven diesel engined vehicles over several of the worlds continents in just about every type of weather that can be thrown at you, from 30 below to 40 C in the sun. Over the Tatra and Taurus in the midst of winter, there is little I dont know about cold weather and its effects on diesel engines. An old truck drivers trick that those considering skiing is that tyres run warm when running, and if parking up for the night in snow or ice they melt the snow under the tyre as they cool down. When you come to move next day, the tyres have dug a hole in the snow and then its frozen around the tyre, you are then going nowhere for a while. The trick is to slowly drive around until the tyres have cooled to the ambient temperature. The tyres will not sink into the snow, and you will be able to move off next day. If I was taking up skiing, or spending time in climates that are constantly below freezing I would do as I used to do and put a tank heater in the diesel tank, piped from the radiator. I have had fuel filters freeze whilst driving, never mind when the engine has not run for a few days. Only tank heaters will stop this.

 

[cranky]

during the war (said in my best Uncle Albert voice) The Cod war that is, it once got so cold the words froze as we were speaking and we had to heat them in a frying pan to hear wot we wos sayin

 

[electrajohnt]

Bet it's not finished yet

He hasn't done anything to solve the problem. All he as done is start it using a blow lamp on the filter. If it's left overnight he is back where he started. He needs to put in new filter, bleed it and change the fuel or put in an additive. As far as I can tell he has not done anything towards sort it out.

JohnT:Sad:

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[Jph123]

What I've done and plan to do!

Since the last calamity of starting the van up here, I've now moved it to a south facing position, tilted up my solar panels, i leave the bonnet up from 9am til lunch time (gets the sun the whole time), then I start it and run the engine for half an hour over lunch each day. At night I've an old blanket I cover the engine with, then pray she will start the next day ....

So far each day I've managed to get her started in a billow of smoke and sounding like a bag of spanners, but she started.

I'm heading down the valley over the weekend to try and source a new filter, thinner oil and a generator. Plus fill up with winter fuel at another station.

I'm doing my best!

Does anyone know where I can buy a generator near Bourg st.Maurice? It's a long shot but I know what a resourceful bunch you are!

Justin

 

[jonandshell]

Since you are going that way, the fuel station at Les Menuires did good diesel last for us last year!

 

[haganap]

He hasn't done anything to solve the problem. All he as done is start it using a blow lamp on the filter. If it's left overnight he is back where he started. He needs to put in new filter, bleed it and change the fuel or put in an additive. As far as I can tell he has not done anything towards sort it out.

JohnT:Sad:

He has , he has done all below.....all of which resolve the issue.....

It's called experience...

Since the last calamity of starting the van up here, I've now moved it to a south facing position, tilted up my solar panels, i leave the bonnet up from 9am til lunch time (gets the sun the whole time), then I start it and run the engine for half an hour over lunch each day. At night I've an old blanket I cover the engine with, then pray she will start the next day ....

So far each day I've managed to get her started in a billow of smoke and sounding like a bag of spanners, but she started.

I'm heading down the valley over the weekend to try and source a new filter, thinner oil and a generator. Plus fill up with winter fuel at another station.

I'm doing my best!

Does anyone know where I can buy a generator near Bourg st.Maurice? It's a long shot but I know what a resourceful bunch you are!

Justin

If your off to les menuires you won't need a genny it has electric :thumb:

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[haganap]

Jph, can you get stuck again please? It's been boring since you got it going....

 

[champers]

He has , he has done all below.....all of which resolve the issue.....

It's called experience...



If your off to les menuires you won't need a genny it has electric :thumb:

How many can park there Paul and how many ehus... do you think it is safe over the preceding xmas holiday.. as I thought there were several travelllers there (not meaning any offence)

ps still looking for somewhere to celebrate xmas ...

Kath

 

[mitzimad]

i did say several pages back to stick the barby under the engine

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[haganap]

How many can park there Paul and how many ehus... do you think it is safe over the preceding xmas holiday.. as I thought there were several travelllers there (not meaning any offence)

ps still looking for somewhere to celebrate xmas ...

Kath

The aire is large about 80 I think... there are no travelers there kath.. that is a place across the road and it's not travelers iT's staff from across the 3 vals who live in their vans through the winter.

 

[jonandshell]

The aire is large about 80 I think... there are no travelers there kath.. that is a place across the road and it's not travelers iT's staff from across the 3 vals who live in their vans through the winter.

Just as well it isn't travellers Paul!
It would be a crap holiday if you arrived and found someone had pinched all the ski lift cable and weighed it in!

 

[Jph123]

Movement lower has been a good thing!

Got her started again today, usual procedure, but as it's forecast to be -16 tonight I've headed to to La Fecluse site in Bourg and plugged in.

Once I started driving today I had for the first 10 km a cloud of white smoke, enough to even deter locals from over taking into the abyss!

By the time I got to Bourg 30 km it was more a whisp, but it was never there before. Is this something that's going to fade or Has something more permanent unfolded?

Also last nights -12 saw a window winder snap off and the sink tap spout fall off.

By the time I get home she will be a convertible and returning some excellent mpg!

Justin

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[jonandshell]

After your laboured cold starts, your exhaust would have been swimming in unburnt fuel.
It was just that excess fuel burning off!

 

[DavidG58]

I am no expert but would also guess that as most of the journey must have been downhill you would have been on over run most of the time, another load of unburnt fuel into the mix

Glad you are down and sorted though :thumb:

 

[jonandshell]

I am no expert but would also guess that as most of the journey must have been downhill you would have been on over run most of the time, another load of unburnt fuel into the mix

Glad you are down and sorted though :thumb:

Hi, I must correct you, a diesel engine uses no fuel at all on overrun.

-Jon

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[DavidG58]

Hi, I must correct you, a diesel engine uses no fuel at all on overrun.

-Jon

I have no problem being corrected, just hope I can retain the new data so as not to misquote myself again in the near future

Thanks for making me a wiser (temporarily) funster

 

[DavidG58]

Hi, I must correct you, a diesel engine uses no fuel at all on overrun.

-Jon

After thought

If my MH rev counter shows 1500 rpm going downhill, how can it do that without fuel

I have a Hybrid car which literally cuts out on over run, no revs at all, really spooky, just battery at motorways speeds

 

[jonandshell]

After thought

If my MH rev counter shows 1500 rpm going downhill, how can it do that without fuel

I have a Hybrid car which literally cuts out on over run, no revs at all, really spooky, just battery at motorways speeds

Your motorhome going downhill, under influence of gravity, is turning the transmission which is connected to your engine crankshaft, via the clutch or, in the case of an automatic, the torque convertor.
Your motorhome is driving the engine, no need for fuel!:thumb:

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[DBK]

It's all down to modern fuel injection systems and applies to both petrol and diesel engines. On overrun the electronics will turn off the fuel going to the injectors completely. This only holds for common rail diesels, an older engine with a mechanical pump is likely to use some fuel on overrun. I say likely as there may be a few clever ones which won't but most/all will.

 

[jonandshell]

It's all down to modern fuel injection systems and applies to both petrol and diesel engines. On overrun the electronics will turn off the fuel going to the injectors completely. This only holds for common rail diesels, an older engine with a mechanical pump is likely to use some fuel on overrun. I say likely as there may be a few clever ones which won't but most/all will.

Even on old diesels, fuel delivery ceases on overrun. Whether a rotary or inline type FIP is fitted, when you lift your foot, the fuel delivery ceases until the point the engine speed drops below the governer's set idle speed. This is the case whether an all-speed or two speed governer is fitted.
The actual engine speed at which fuel delivery stops and starts at this point can vary by a few RPM due to the hysteresis (internal friction) in the governor linkage. Any hunting at this point is dealt with by a damping system.

-Jon

 

[Snowbird]

Got her started again today, usual procedure, but as it's forecast to be -16 tonight I've headed to to La Fecluse site in Bourg and plugged in.

Once I started driving today I had for the first 10 km a cloud of white smoke, enough to even deter locals from over taking into the abyss!

By the time I got to Bourg 30 km it was more a whisp, but it was never there before. Is this something that's going to fade or Has something more permanent unfolded?

Also last nights -12 saw a window winder snap off and the sink tap spout fall off.

By the time I get home she will be a convertible and returning some excellent mpg!

Justin

Dont worry, at that temp, its normal. Nothing untoward :thumb:

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[Jph123]

What a view, it's all worth it!

See latest, happy pic, from my free room with a view for the night.