Starting issues

My Ford Transit Connect 1.8 is being a bit stubborn when starting from cold in the mornings. I changed all the glow plugs a few weeks ago, after which I found it difficult to engage the starter – the starter whines when I turn the key to start after the plug light has gone out, as if it’s not engaging with the starter ring. This will happen four or five times, then it will engage and start OK and it will be fine for the rest of the day. I did not have this problem before changing the glow plugs. They are new plugs, but I didn’t check them to see if the tips heated.

A faulty starter would be the first thing I would suspect, but I don’t know if you can get these now. I have changed them in the past on my other vehicles. Ray Dullick Unfortunately, you would be looking at replacing the complete starter motor as individual repair components are rarely available these days. It may be worth removing and cleaning the starter motor drive gear and spindle, although these are less prone to sticking than the earlier inertia starter motors.

You do not mention the year of your Ford and if fitted with a DMF, as debris from this or excessive clutch dust may be causing the problem. However, as the fault only occurs on cold starts, I would be inclined to look elsewhere first. Check the battery voltage when standing – a low battery voltage will be sufficient to prevent correct operation of the starter; this would make sense given the fact that the heater plugs have been replaced. With the heater plugs not operating, the battery was not drained before starting, so given the drain from the heater plugs, the battery voltage may be dropping just enough to cause the problem. After starting up, the battery will be boosted sufficiently for the rest of the day.