Hi, my fabia 1.9 SDi has recently started being quite hard to start in the morning.. By hard i mean you have to keep the key turned for 3 seconds or so and then it will start, but it starts in a strange way and doesn't instantly spring to life. Once its started a puff of lingering white smoke comes out of the exhaust and it smells, well the best way I can describe the smell is that its similar to when oil combusts in an air rifle or "dieseling" as its known.But once it has done that first slightly hard/odd start it runs fine all day and starts and stops as normal.

What could cause this?

Afew weeks ago I used diesel and vegetable oil mixture for abit, probably used about 80 litres of vegi, and it was doing this problem a little bit then, but now its almost every morning. But I have had the car only since april so it my of been doing this without vegi anyway, and it was warm weather, and I did mix it with derv or white spirit so it was never 100% veg. I have since been running on derv and put redex and zx1 in with the fuel so injectors should be clean. I have changed the fuel filter also.

Another cause for concern may also be when I had it serviced I noticed that the muppet that did the service over filled my oil. At first I thought well its only abit over and used the car as normal and went on several long motorway journeys. But last week I decided enough is enough and drained some oil out so its at the right level. Could the fact that it was overfilled of caused to much oil pressure and damaged some of the seals?

Is it a glow plug problem? Is there a slight bit of oil getting in somewhere? Coolant has stayed level so I think I can rule that out.

Thankyou, any help much appreciated

:S

Could be one or a combination of several things. It sounds like initial poor combustion, so check glow plug circuit, and if OK check the glow plugs as well. Check all vacuum hoses for perishing or cracks, especially the one for the brake servo.

Check fuel filter for water/crud. The Vegi stuff may have clogged it good and proper.

Could be one or a combination of several things. It sounds like initial poor combustion, so check glow plug circuit, and if OK check the glow plugs as well. Check all vacuum hoses for perishing or cracks, especially the one for the brake servo.

Check fuel filter for water/crud. The Vegi stuff may have clogged it good and proper.

ok thanks, i will check those. I have just changed fuel filter so it shouldnt be that.