Rover Diesel

Quoting Dan: "Symptom: Poor cold starting. Improves if priming bulb is pumped till it goes hard before attempting to start
Cause: Air leak into fuel system - common areas are pipes to and from fuel filter and the priming bulb itself.

This is EXACTLY what my lovely '98 600 has. If I don't pump the bulb when the car has been left for a few hours/ overnight, it will take quite a few minutes of cranking, then the hesitant starting is accompanied by a nice cloud of white diesel smoke. The garage people I use will recheck the pipes and bulb tomorrow;(I have no facilities for working on my pride and joy where I live) There is no sign of any FUEL LEAK.

Question; is there a one-way valve somewhere please ? (In the bulb ?)

BTW, though there's no leak, the bulb never goes really ROCK hard; not like that on a Land Rover I remember some years ago. Any ideas gratefully received. Dai

(Apart from this , she is running like a DREAM at 187k miles )

There are two one way valves inside the priming bulb.

Simply replace it with a new one if it is suspect.

Also check the hose connections on the fuel filter and that the fuel bleed screw on the filter is tight.

You've got a way to catch up with my 600. 278k miles and counting

Are air leaks common in the 600 model? I'm suspecting there could be one on mine too, but I've not been able to confirm it yet.