I have a Mazda Fighter Truck that used to start fine. I took it for a wash and the next day it would not start. One morning trying to start it the starter motor caught fire which i quickly extinguished. A part on the motor has since been replaced which seemed to do the job. However, the next day the truck would not start again. It takes about 3 tries to get it started. When it does start i get black smoke coming out of the exhaust.

 

Does anybody have any idea what may be the problem?

 

Thank you 

are we talking petrol or Derv

1 minute ago, lodstewart said:

are we talking petrol or Derv

What is Derv ?

 

 

 

 

3 minutes ago, lodstewart said:

are we talking petrol or Derv

Diesel, 2.5L Turbo. I was thinking maybe the glow plugs?

Just now, Ralf001 said:

What is Derv ?

 

 

 

 

Diesel engine road vehicle

I know this may sound strange, but trust me , it would be worth changing the coolant sensor.

1 minute ago, lodstewart said:

I know this may sound strange, but trust me , it would be worth changing the coolant sensor.

Yes thats an unusual answer. Why would you recommend that, curious!!

its the cause of many starting and mixture problems due to the sensor signal to the ECU on temprature instruction

its a simple and cheap check, just to eliminate that before you go deeper and more costly.

How old is the beast? Regularly serviced? How far has it been?

 

When it fails to start does it spin over well and just not fire or what?

 

Black smoke from a diesel suggests over-fuelling or a dribbly injector. Does it have any ECU/performance mods?

 

I'm not sure either of our diesels even has glow-plugs, there's certainly no delay to start, press the button and it spins over immediately.

No problem. You should wait until it takes 5 tries.

27 minutes ago, lodstewart said:

Diesel engine road vehicle

Thanks, Ive not heard that one before.

Black smoke is over fueling, when you took it for the wash did they do the engine bay and possibly leave a rag in the air intake..? It has been known before.

1 hour ago, Steps said:

Does anybody have any idea what may be the problem?

Well if everything was OK before the wash apart from starter motor sounds like water trap in the electrics somewhere messing up fuel controls etc. 

1 hour ago, Steps said:

Does anybody have any idea what may be the problem?

If the black smoke clears after a few minutes, followed by

some whitish smoke, you may have a little water in the tank.

 

 

 

Check the air filter .

Water got into the fuel system? From the washing? 

Did you ever change the fuel filter?

17 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

No problem. You should wait until it takes 5 tries.

Or make it one long one.

18 hours ago, Crossy said:

How old is the beast? Regularly serviced? How far has it been?

 

When it fails to start does it spin over well and just not fire or what?

 

Black smoke from a diesel suggests over-fuelling or a dribbly injector. Does it have any ECU/performance mods?

 

I'm not sure either of our diesels even has glow-plugs, there's certainly no delay to start, press the button and it spins over immediately.

Even in hot climates diesels cool down so they still need glow plugs, there's only a problem in old vehicles but there cheap and easy to change, the cables to them when old can be a problem sometimes.  

 

3 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Even in hot climates diesels cool down so they still need glow plugs, there's only a problem in old vehicles but there cheap and easy to change, the cables to them when old can be a problem sometimes.  

 

Yeah, the lid on the Isuzu stays firmly shut (except for a fluid check) let the dealer deal with things in there, much too complex. The Ford hides everything under a plastic cover, I've never actually looked for glow-plugs.

 

Our old Ford bus in the UK didn't have glow-plugs, what it did have was a coil in the inlet manifold which glowed red, operating the starter sprayed diesel on the coil leading to a nice conflagration which then got pulled into the cylinders. I remember my dad holding a burning diesel soaked rag over the air intake (air filter off) whilst I operated the starter on those really chilly mornings when it really didn't want to wake up (neither did I but it needed two of us).

18 hours ago, lodstewart said:

I know this may sound strange, but trust me , it would be worth changing the coolant sensor.

Do you by any chance sell coolant sensors 5555!

I have a Nissan 2.5 diesel that smoked quite bad, started and ran ok but most of the breather tubes were cracked or broken so I changed them all and the thing goes even better now and zero smoke.

Glow plugs are the first place I would look at. If they look rooted then they more than likely are. 

What fuel do you use.

Good luck.

19 hours ago, Steps said:

Yes thats an unusual answer. Why would you recommend that, curious!!

The coolant temperature sensor may be signaling a hot engine to the computer so the fuel injector timing would be adjusted for a hot engine.

18 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

Thanks, Ive not heard that one before.

Then you must be quite un-old. It's a term that used to be in regular use 60 or so years ago..

First mistake --- you washed it!

When I was in the outback in Oz back in the 70s, driving an old Holden station wagon, I used to keep a big hammer in the car. If it failed to start, I whacked the battery and the starter motor with it and... varoom! 

I suppose it's too much to ask if you've tried using the starting (crank) handle. LOL. 

I found that even if only one glow plug wasn't working, it still won't start on some diesels even in this climate. black smoke is unburned fuel and should clear if not pump/injectors need checking.

1 hour ago, Muhendis said:

Then you must be quite un-old. It's a term that used to be in regular use 60 or so years ago..

Ahhh that explains its, I did not arrive until 1970.

19 hours ago, Anythingleft? said:

Black smoke is over fueling, when you took it for the wash did they do the engine bay and possibly leave a rag in the air intake..? It has been known before.

Or water got in to the air intake/air filter?

First item would be to check for any  soft or hard codes in the ECU. Buy a OBD reader online, a cheap 30.00 USD unit will do the job. Even though the check engine light might be  not be on, It could be a " soft code" stored in the  ECU. Easy to use the scanner , just plug into the port and read the codes if any.  At least it will point you in the right direction.  

 As it ran ok before cleaning, most likely some water got into a  electrical connector and is causing a short and or bad ground.  Open the hood, and park the truck in the sunlight to dry out the engine bay. Also try and start at night and look for any sparking in the connectors.  As stated before if diesel , check the water separator for any water. 

2 hours ago, Crossy said:

Our old Ford bus in the UK didn't have glow-plugs, what it did have was a coil in the inlet manifold which glowed red,

Big engine I guess probably a Cummings lump. ????

You think you have problems, my wife returned home yesterday after passing her driving test, all went well until she drove into our driveway.