D40 not starting

Nissan Navara Forum

Help Support Nissan Navara Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Damgud987

Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2021
Messages
58
Reaction score
5
So help driving down the motorway on a cold morning heater not getting warm looked at temperature gauge and was rising nearly in the red but before it got there dipped clutch knocked it of of gear it cut out rolled to a stop got out overheating so waited took cap off water in the header tank and rad tried to start it turns over trying to go but won't no oil in water engine oil cap clean any ideas would help thanks
 
If there's no heater function your coolant level is too low. It's one of the first signs, in the D40 YD25, that you've got coolant loss. It could though, be a sign of something else (below). I'm not sure if you've got the YD25, I'll assume so for the details but this applies to the V9X too, just with different locations for the EGR.

There are only two primary requirements for a diesel to run - fuel injected at the correct time, and air supplied. The turbo isn't needed (it doesn't really boost at idle or when starting).

The part I'm concerned about is the EGR tube and its integrated cooler. This is the gold-ish pipe that runs from the exhaust manifold near the turbo's mounting point around the front of the engine (where it thickens and is connected to two coolant hoses) and then connects into the EGR valve on the front of the intake manifold. If the EGR cooler section has collapsed allowing coolant to flow into the EGR tube, it might be causing coolant to enter the intake. Coolant isn't the greatest at combustion.

To test this, remove the two coolant hoses and join them together using a small piece of pipe - one of these hoses runs directly into the heater matrix inside the cabin. You might now get exhaust gas and even boost pressure leaving the cooler but if this was the problem, the engine should start after the intake has cleared of coolant. If this is the case, replacing the EGR pipe is the obvious choice, but blocking both ends of the EGR tube and removing it is an (illegal) option. If you have a 2012 or later model you'll probably want to just replace the tube, so that you don't have to edit the ECU to remove the EGR flow check.
 
If there's no heater function your coolant level is too low. It's one of the first signs, in the D40 YD25, that you've got coolant loss. It could though, be a sign of something else (below). I'm not sure if you've got the YD25, I'll assume so for the details but this applies to the V9X too, just with different locations for the EGR.

There are only two primary requirements for a diesel to run - fuel injected at the correct time, and air supplied. The turbo isn't needed (it doesn't really boost at idle or when starting).

The part I'm concerned about is the EGR tube and its integrated cooler. This is the gold-ish pipe that runs from the exhaust manifold near the turbo's mounting point around the front of the engine (where it thickens and is connected to two coolant hoses) and then connects into the EGR valve on the front of the intake manifold. If the EGR cooler section has collapsed allowing coolant to flow into the EGR tube, it might be causing coolant to enter the intake. Coolant isn't the greatest at combustion.

To test this, remove the two coolant hoses and join them together using a small piece of pipe - one of these hoses runs directly into the heater matrix inside the cabin. You might now get exhaust gas and even boost pressure leaving the cooler but if this was the problem, the engine should start after the intake has cleared of coolant. If this is the case, replacing the EGR pipe is the obvious choice, but blocking both ends of the EGR tube and removing it is an (illegal) option. If you have a 2012 or later model you'll probably want to just replace the tube, so that you don't have to edit the ECU to remove the EGR flow check.
Hi its a d40 57plate the egr has been blanked off and the pipes have been looped like you said do this was done some time ago as the egr was leaking so save fitting a new 1 the guy just looped it so its not in use the engine was rebuild about 1half years ago due to snapped timing chain hence I thought well its all done its worth buying little did I know there are shit when running its good but so many horror stories about them makes me wonder why anyone wants them do you think it could be the head? No oil in water or white under the oil cap bit i was told could be head or gasket letting in air? Just can't work out how when it was built by a very good mechanic
 
If the mechanic did a good job it's unlikely to be an issue with the head gasket unless it suffered some trauma like overheating. It would be worth checking around the engine for any sign of coolant leak, just to figure out why it went missing.

Try this - prime the fuel system. Count the number of squeezes before the bulb becomes firm. Once it's firm, does the car start? If so, you just have an air leak allowing the fuel to drain back to the tank. Stop the engine, prime the fuel system until it leaks fuel and fix the leak.
 
Ok but it was driving fine on the motorway then the heater started blowing cold looked at the temperature gauge and it was rising so dipped the clutch to knock it out of gear and it cut out so rolled to a stop waited took rad cap off and water was fine? But now it won't start and dont want to try it incase I do more damage?
 
How long did you wait before trying to start it? This is important.

In my own car just recently (I have posted about this here a couple of times), one of the fuel lines developed a slight leak. While diesel didn't leak out of this, it allowed air to enter the line which caused the fuel to drain back to the tank if the car sat too long. This resulted in the car being unable to start.

It's also quite dangerous to the fuel pump if not dealt with. The diesel fuel pump actually relies on the fuel to lubricate its internal mechanisms, so running the pump dry for too long will result in damage. The temporary 'fix' is to re-prime the fuel system until the primer is firm. This also happens to be the diagnostic tool - you keep priming it even after it's firm, to force diesel out the leak so that you can locate it and fix it.

I'm just suggesting this so that if your car has developed a leak, you don't destroy the pump while trying to start the car. It might also be the solution - because it's a common fault, due to the lower-altitude pump drawing fuel through a higher-altitude filter up from a lower-altitude tank. There's no pump in the tank to push the fuel forwards (like in the DMax, which has 3 pumps).

It is nearly impossible for coolant to enter the combustion chamber and cause hydraulic lock. You can pop the glow plug out and check the tip to see what might be in the chamber - or even put one of those tiny inspection cameras in to take a look. Chances are, though, that if you've tried starting it and it hasn't (but it has cranked over) you don't have cylinders full of fluids.
 
It was about 5 10min at the most it went to start like ++++++#++++++#++++++#
That kind of rhythm if you not what I mean thing is why was the blower blowing cold also the temperature shot up? But no water leak? Someone said could be the thermostat stuck so the temperature went up making the car shut off fail safe switch but I just don't know
 
You could lose coolant through the EGR or the turbo, but since the EGR coolant is disconnected we'll overlook that.

Check the turbo's shaft (wiggle the impeller). If there's a lot of play, it might be losing coolant to the exhaust but that shouldn't cause rough running - nothing in the rule book says that two problems can't happen at the same time, the odd idle has been noticed before when the SCV is dirty. I fixed mine by throwing a bottle of Liqui Moly Fuel System Treatment in the tank, it cleared after about 100km of driving, but you could use some Diesel Purge and see results in minutes.

The temp could shoot up from a stuck thermostat or even an air pocket caused by the cooling system not being bled of air properly. I parked my car nose up at about 20 degrees and let the system cool, then filled the radiator itself. If you've overheated badly, the wax in the thermostat may have been melted out of it, rendering the thermostat useless. It's not a bad idea to pop it out and test it.
 
You could lose coolant through the EGR or the turbo, but since the EGR coolant is disconnected we'll overlook that.

Check the turbo's shaft (wiggle the impeller). If there's a lot of play, it might be losing coolant to the exhaust but that shouldn't cause rough running - nothing in the rule book says that two problems can't happen at the same time, the odd idle has been noticed before when the SCV is dirty. I fixed mine by throwing a bottle of Liqui Moly Fuel System Treatment in the tank, it cleared after about 100km of driving, but you could use some Diesel Purge and see results in minutes.

The temp could shoot up from a stuck thermostat or even an air pocket caused by the cooling system not being bled of air properly. I parked my car nose up at about 20 degrees and let the system cool, then filled the radiator itself. If you've overheated badly, the wax in the thermostat may have been melted out of it, rendering the thermostat useless. It's not a bad idea to pop it out and test it.
Thank you so much for all your help i have booked it in the garage Friday morning they think its the head gasket quoted me £950 cash im gutted only had it 11mths and the garage i had it from put radweld in it then fitted a water pump so I guess the problem was already there
 
Radweld? I think we have something similar here in Australia, either K-Seal or Chemweld, not sure which is the equivalent. Both are "temporary" fixes, although Chemweld claims to be a permanent fix despite being mostly silicate that bonds into cracks in heads and gaskets to form a seal (which undoubtedly could cause issues for the poor mechanic trying to perform the permanent fix later).

I've used K-Seal myself, we developed a pin-hole in the radiator on our way to a medical appointment, so I dropped the K-Seal in the radiator, topped up the water and continued ... we then immediately sought a new radiator, had the system flushed and new coolant added. I am not so confident about Radweld though, here's one user's comment on it from a engine-based forum:

imo radweld is a bit of a bodge so you can punt the car on to the next unsuspecting owner.

That's not the greatest endorsement for the product, but most of the responders acknowledge that Radweld is really only designed as a temporary fix. I guess it's time for the more permanent solution, it's not a pleasant situation but if the new mechanic does a reasonable job the car will run great.

I'd also grab a new radiator and a new thermostat and, while you're there, upper and lower radiator hoses. These are relatively cheap and you might even consider a radiator that performs a little better than standard if you're towing. They'll have the water pump off to do the head replacement anyway, so they can check that out, and they can also have a look at the timing chains (pay particular attention to the tensioners here).
 
Radweld? I think we have something similar here in Australia, either K-Seal or Chemweld, not sure which is the equivalent. Both are "temporary" fixes, although Chemweld claims to be a permanent fix despite being mostly silicate that bonds into cracks in heads and gaskets to form a seal (which undoubtedly could cause issues for the poor mechanic trying to perform the permanent fix later).

I've used K-Seal myself, we developed a pin-hole in the radiator on our way to a medical appointment, so I dropped the K-Seal in the radiator, topped up the water and continued ... we then immediately sought a new radiator, had the system flushed and new coolant added. I am not so confident about Radweld though, here's one user's comment on it from a engine-based forum:



That's not the greatest endorsement for the product, but most of the responders acknowledge that Radweld is really only designed as a temporary fix. I guess it's time for the more permanent solution, it's not a pleasant situation but if the new mechanic does a reasonable job the car will run great.

I'd also grab a new radiator and a new thermostat and, while you're there, upper and lower radiator hoses. These are relatively cheap and you might even consider a radiator that performs a little better than standard if you're towing. They'll have the water pump off to do the head replacement anyway, so they can check that out, and they can also have a look at the timing chains (pay particular attention to the tensioners here).
Hi Tony, curious on the radiator, What recommendations for a better radiator do you have ? Any particular brand or make for Thai D40 2010. Cheers
 
I replaced mine with an identical unit to standard, so I can't give a recommendation for any "improved" product. There are "racing" radiators, with alloy tanks and supposedly 30% or better more efficient cooling than standard, but I've not personally ever used one.
 
Radweld? I think we have something similar here in Australia, either K-Seal or Chemweld, not sure which is the equivalent. Both are "temporary" fixes, although Chemweld claims to be a permanent fix despite being mostly silicate that bonds into cracks in heads and gaskets to form a seal (which undoubtedly could cause issues for the poor mechanic trying to perform the permanent fix later).

I've used K-Seal myself, we developed a pin-hole in the radiator on our way to a medical appointment, so I dropped the K-Seal in the radiator, topped up the water and continued ... we then immediately sought a new radiator, had the system flushed and new coolant added. I am not so confident about Radweld though, here's one user's comment on it from a engine-based forum:



That's not the greatest endorsement for the product, but most of the responders acknowledge that Radweld is really only designed as a temporary fix. I guess it's time for the more permanent solution, it's not a pleasant situation but if the new mechanic does a reasonable job the car will run great.

I'd also grab a new radiator and a new thermostat and, while you're there, upper and lower radiator hoses. These are relatively cheap and you might even consider a radiator that performs a little better than standard if you're towing. They'll have the water pump off to do the head replacement anyway, so they can check that out, and they can also have a look at the timing chains (pay particular attention to the tensioners here).
Thank you its going in next week hopefully will keep you updated
 
Hi Tony update on my truck head has had it was in a bad way had been previously skimmed to its limits so was suggested to get a new 1 the cost £680 plus £950 to do the job my question is do I sell it or keep it?
 
Consider it this way: if the rest of the truck is good, then making the engine good means you have a good truck.

Buying someone else's problem a second hand car means you have no idea just how good it is.

You might consider brand new car too, meaning warranty, but if your coin doesn't go that far, there's no problem with a head replacement.

Have them check the water pump, and replace the thermostat - just in case.
 
Update put new head on and now a tap sound from engine said could be piston slap or little end bearing so engine needs rebuild i have no choice i have came this far just have to bite the bullet told them to fit a new clutch well its out
 

Latest posts

Back
Top