OK, my Mum has a 1.9D Felicia, which has been good as gold.

Sunday I needed to borrow it to use the towbar and it really didn't want to start - nearly flattened the battery doing so, and when I borrowed it (to pick up a jetski), I left it running in case it wouldn't start again.

Next morning, it wouldn't start at all, just some white smoke from the exhaust, a couple of mini- one cylinder fire-ups but it wouldn't run and never sounded like doing so.

Long story short, I checked the fuel supply, changed and bled the fuel filter, still no joy. Nothing coming out of the diesel pipes, so to my mind either the diesel pump or the cut-off solenoid.

Removed the pump, checked the solenoid, it seemed to operate OK when removed (what a ball-ache that was!), and turning the pump by hand outputs -some- diesel from the output pipes to the injectors, but only a bit. Anyway, changed the solenoid for a new one (lucas 12v one, from the battery) to ensure it wasn't that, put the pump back on, bled it all out, loads of fuel in it, BUT the car wouldn't fire up, attempted to bleed the injector pipes and it's just dribbling out, nothing more. Took the injector pipes off the pump, run the motor, same thing - there are little squirts in the order you'd expect, but no pressure.

So, is it game over for the diesel pump? Gutted as a) it's my Mum's car and she's not got a lot of money and B ) it's been flawless until now, she loves it.

check your glow plugs, those engines find it very hard to start even if just one is gone!

They are all new about a month ago. Having said that, it used to start with all four burnt out aside from in the cold weather!

I've taken the pump to a local diesel place to get them to check it over, and hopefully getting a S/H pump from Jim to fit so I can get her back on the road, as they don't seem to be the quickest at fixing stuff!

contact me as got sdi engine for spares

Amazingly, mac77 was right - it WAS the glow plugs. I'll never buy Champion again - they were bought ages ago, but only recently fitted, and all four had failed. Wish I'd bloody checked them before all the fannying about, three days wasted! Pump checked out OK and injectors are ropey but working. Still, all fixed now... ish!

so do you have a spare solenoid now? I'm looking for one for my AEF 1.9D engine. I also find mine extremely hard to start (impossible) without plenty of plug heating first. I have a manual button set up so I can heat the plugs for longer than usual.

If you want to keep your solenoid, can you tell me where you got yours and how much it cost?

****EDIT**** just found one on Ebay for €8 posted so I bought it. thanks anyway! ****/EDIT****

Edited 3 June, 201115 yr by trevorbrady

Yeah, was just a standard Transit/Old Escort diesel one.. handily there's a live feed for it that used to power the immobiliser, so there wasn't even any rewiring needed. Got some minor air leak issues though, the inlet and outlet banjos are leaking despite having new copper washers fitted, dammit!