2004 1.9d Berlingo cold starting problem well covered here, but mine is a little different.  I know it'll start eventually, (just before you think, "the battery, or the starter motor canna take anymore captain). It really does take ages to get going from cold, so anything I can do to help it has to be worth trying, so here's the problem. Somewhere along the way, a previous owner has fitted, what I believe to be , a one way valve in the tubing from the metal feed pipe from the diesel tank to the fuel filter, ie before the pump.
I'm wondering wether such valve could be clogged with detritus from the tank, making the initial starting fuel feed, um, not as good as it could be, like without said valve in the line. (It's before the  diesel filter?) The plastic tubing from the metal tank pipe, with the strange metal "one way valve?" is a hard plastic that seems to be heat shrunk on to the connectors, and the simplest way I can think to replace it would be to cut away the hard plastic stuff, complete with strange valve and use the rubbery stuff you can buy in auto supply places, to be held in place with jubilee type clips, (without the valve thing, of course) Or do diesels have to use the stuff that's on it now?

harry 90% of starting problems on a 1.9 are glow plugs - when were they changed and what make were fitted?

(24-03-2016, 02:17 AM)polar Wrote:  harry 90% of starting problems on a 1.9 are glow plugs - when were they changed and what make were fitted?

Yes, I fitted a new set of Denso glow plugs, a couple of weeks ago, but here in deepest Cornwall, the morning temperatures have been as low as 4 or 5 centigrade...... As I say, morning cold starts are a trial, but it always goes in the end. It's fine all day then;- you can leave it for 4 or 5 hours, and it'll fire up easily..... I'm not really paranoid about it, just enthusiastically interested!!! Thanks for your interest "polar"

Have you checked the valve clearance's they do close up on the 1.9 engine's so the cam is sitting valve stem so are not fully closed so on cold day's the are very hard to start first thing when they will start all day when left over night they will not start again .

(24-03-2016, 09:40 PM)Harry-A Wrote:  

(24-03-2016, 02:17 AM)polar Wrote:  harry 90% of starting problems on a 1.9 are glow plugs - when were they changed and what make were fitted?

Yes, I fitted a new set of Denso glow plugs, a couple of weeks ago, but here in deepest Cornwall, the morning temperatures have been as low as 4 or 5 centigrade...... As I say, morning cold starts are a trial, but it always goes in the end.  It's fine all day then;- you can leave it for 4 or 5 hours, and it'll fire up easily..... I'm not really paranoid about it, just enthusiastically interested!!!  Thanks for your interest "polar"

Okay if you got them off ebay i would take them out and test them one by one as i have seen copies that either don't work or just dont get hot enough. What i mean is they get red hot but not white hot and that can cause problems.

make sure the relay is clicking out and in, lets start with the basics - continued cranking in the morning will ruin your starter motor, battery and ring gear!

(24-03-2016, 10:54 PM)Jed Clampit Wrote:  Have you checked the valve clearance's they do close up on the 1.9 engine's so the cam is sitting valve stem so are not fully closed so on cold day's the are very hard to start first thing when they will start all day when left over night they will not start again .

No, I haven't checked the valve clearances......87000 miles up now..... I keep thinking, how can valve clearances close up when the engine's cold, and put themselves right when the engines warm? I get an average 40mpg (actually 9miles per litre) which doesn't sound bad to me, but I don't drive like stink, either.... Honestly, I've started this car from cold, had it idle for 2 minutes, stopped it and left it for half an hour, and immediately got a start.... It just doesn't feel right, blaming tight valves?

(25-03-2016, 01:31 AM)polar Wrote:  

(24-03-2016, 09:40 PM)Harry-A Wrote:  

(24-03-2016, 02:17 AM)polar Wrote:  harry 90% of starting problems on a 1.9 are glow plugs - when were they changed and what make were fitted?

Yes, I fitted a new set of Denso glow plugs, a couple of weeks ago, but here in deepest Cornwall, the morning temperatures have been as low as 4 or 5 centigrade...... As I say, morning cold starts are a trial, but it always goes in the end.  It's fine all day then;- you can leave it for 4 or 5 hours, and it'll fire up easily..... I'm not really paranoid about it, just enthusiastically interested!!!  Thanks for your interest "polar"

Okay if you got them off ebay i would take them out and test them one by one as i have seen copies that either don't work or just dont get hot enough. What i mean is they get red hot but not white hot and that can cause problems.

make sure the relay is clicking out and in, lets start with the basics - continued cranking in the morning will ruin your starter motor, battery and ring gear!

I got the Denso's at a local motor factors, and have oinked the relay out for a look.... it's a strange one, but seems to work ok? Well when I say seems to work, I've measured the voltage from the relay to the glow plugs, but I'm only reading 10.5 volts? The denso's have 11 volts scribed onto them.... Maybe my voltmeter is a bit crappy.

Check the valve clearances these are often the cause of your problem when they close up ............................................

(26-03-2016, 09:30 PM)Harry-A Wrote:  

(25-03-2016, 01:31 AM)polar Wrote:  

(24-03-2016, 09:40 PM)Harry-A Wrote:  

(24-03-2016, 02:17 AM)polar Wrote:  harry 90% of starting problems on a 1.9 are glow plugs - when were they changed and what make were fitted?

Yes, I fitted a new set of Denso glow plugs, a couple of weeks ago, but here in deepest Cornwall, the morning temperatures have been as low as 4 or 5 centigrade...... As I say, morning cold starts are a trial, but it always goes in the end.  It's fine all day then;- you can leave it for 4 or 5 hours, and it'll fire up easily..... I'm not really paranoid about it, just enthusiastically interested!!!  Thanks for your interest "polar"

Okay if you got them off ebay i would take them out and test them one by one as i have seen copies that either don't work or just dont get hot enough. What i mean is they get red hot but not white hot and that can cause problems.

make sure the relay is clicking out and in, lets start with the basics - continued cranking in the morning will ruin your starter motor, battery and ring gear!

I got the Denso's at a local motor factors, and have oinked the relay out for a look.... it's a strange one, but seems to work ok?  Well when I say seems to work, I've measured the voltage from the relay to the glow plugs, but I'm only reading 10.5 volts?   The denso's have 11 volts scribed onto them.... Maybe my voltmeter is a bit crappy.

The only sure fire way to check them is to take them out and put them on the battery and check them one by one, they must glow white hot not just red hot. I know it sounds daft but ive seen plugs that work but only glow red hot and its just not hot enough for these old style indirect diesels.

(26-03-2016, 09:34 PM)geoff Wrote:  Check the valve clearances these are often the cause of your problem when they close up ............................................

He's having cold start problems,don't you have hot start probs if valve clearance is out??