No wonder I've had lumpy starting

[Tony]

If you want to stop then end dropping into the cylinder, push loads of string through the injector hole - a technique to stop valves falling in. Maybe you can loosen it then by hammering a rod into the stuck tip?

[photoman290]

looks like flame plugs are the modern answer to those things on early transits and some tractors. they had a reservoir that you filled with fuel and waited for the pop as the fuel lit. i asume glow plugs are more reliable and simpler for the car makers. been a while but i think you pulled a knob out to get the fuel in. 

[nigelb]

That's not something I've heard before. String in the chamber. Neat idea if it can be packed in tight enough.

[Glycer-rides]

I had another idea mid-afternoon.
If it won't pull out, then push it in! Or drift it in to the combustion chamber/cylinder, to be more accurate.
The bore the plug tip sits in is parallel, not tapered.
Of course, making sure no.2 piston is half way down it's stroke and 'battery is disconnected'.
The tip will be magnetic...so out of the injector hole it'll come with a suitable magnetic probe.

Worth trying before the next step, taking the head off.

[Glycer-rides]

If you want to stop then end dropping into the cylinder, push loads of string through the injector hole - a technique to stop valves falling in. Maybe you can loosen it then by hammering a rod into the stuck tip?

Yay! the old removing valve collets with head in situ trick.
Just need a bit less string in a diesel.

[Tony]

If you want to stop then end dropping into the cylinder, push loads of string through the injector hole - a technique to stop valves falling in. Maybe you can loosen it then by hammering a rod into the stuck tip?

Yay! the old removing valve collets with head in situ trick.
Just need a bit less string in a diesel.

That's the one, considered it many a times for the valve stems on my old Pug 405 SRI, got written off before I got around to it though.  Used to drink oil, what with wear from moving away from Four Star.

[Glycer-rides]

If you want to stop then end dropping into the cylinder, push loads of string through the injector hole - a technique to stop valves falling in. Maybe you can loosen it then by hammering a rod into the stuck tip?

Yay! the old removing valve collets with head in situ trick.
Just need a bit less string in a diesel.

That's the one, considered it many a times for the valve stems on my old Pug 405 SRI, got written off before I got around to it though.  Used to drink oil, what with wear from moving away from Four Star.

That would be down to worn valve guide seals, not valve seats wearing from the lack of tetraethyl lead?
(Going a bit OT)

[nigelb]

I had another idea mid-afternoon.
If it won't pull out, then push it in! Or drift it in to the combustion chamber/cylinder, to be more accurate.
The bore the plug tip sits in is parallel, not tapered.
Of course, making sure no.2 piston is half way down it's stroke and 'battery is disconnected'.
The tip will be magnetic...so out of the injector hole it'll come with a suitable magnetic probe.

Worth trying before the next step, taking the head off.

Asolutely. The tip is magnetic but only partially. I had a look for suitable mag probes today at work but so far nothing suitable has materialised. I need to check with all our maintenance guys.

[Tony]

Don't really know, all I know is that it drank oil and if piled around a right hand corner, if the oil level was too low all the sump oil would scoot over to the side of the sump away from the pickup, the oil light on the dash would light as it ran dry and it'd clatter a bit, then when it levelled out on a straight it'd all quieten up again. (And I'd then top it up when I got home).

Loved that car, got it for £300 as a non-starter, had to roll it down the original owners hill to bump-start, then filled it at a fuel station without stopping the engine to get it back (fuel station owner not happy!)

Swapped the starter then all was good.  125 hp in a light car (very flimsy it was), great fun to drive though I always wanted the 160hp 405 Mi16

[Glycer-rides]

, then filled it at a fuel station without stopping the engine to get it back (fuel station owner not happy!)

I've done that, leaving Southampton!
My USA import had a flat batt.

[nigelb]

Ok..here's the deal.

Having spent the week getting kit together for all eventualities the day of reckoning was today.

Firstly I drilled out the ceramic insulator from the tip using a 3.5 mm drill bit and my dremel kit.

I then tried inserting a long self tapping screw with a view to pulling the damn thing out. No joy.

So I removed the screw and hit the tip with a 4.5mm drift with a view to pushing it into the combustion chamber. I then planned on retrieving it through the injector hole using a flexi magnet I made last night with a length of 5mm pvc tube and a few bits of mashed up magnet and a bit of glue. I felt the tip give a little with a smallish persuader and thought I'd try one more time with the self tapper.  Eureka. The screw and the tip came out together.

I cleaned out the combustion chamber with a hose fashioned from various diameter flexipipes conected to the Dyson and checked for cleanliness with the aid of a endoscopic type camera I borrowed from work.

All the bits are back in, I even managed to reseat the injector without using a new copper washer, and the car runs again!

I just need to replace the NSR coil spring and it's back on the road. The car was sitting at rather an odd angle when I came to it this afternoon and having looked underneath I discovered the spring in two pieces on my drive. Strange it would have broken when not in use. Good job really.

Thanks to everyone who posted this week on my issues. It is very much appreciated.

[Head Womble]

Glad to hear it's fixed mate.

It's not unknown for springs to snap even when the cars stood still.

[greasemonkey]

Tidy. Well there is a piece of advice for the next person trying to extract a heater plug. Tap it in a little bit first.
Coil springs have got progressively worse as the price of steel has got higher, and like Mark says, they do snap when stood still.

[Head Womble]

Coil springs have got progressively worse as the price of steel has got higher, and like Mark says, they do snap when stood still.

It's a fairly common problem with 406 front springs, they often take the tyre out with it 

[Tony]

Nicely done!

Had my fuelsystem braided pipe delaminate where it was hot over the engine. Replaced with the boatyard diesel pipe across the front of the bay where it should be cooler. Also now added a facet run off the stop solenoid feed to take some of the load off the IP.