I have a 2007 Bluetec that started to have problems with a rough idle. It has progressively gotten worse and now I am having a hard time staring. When you do get it started if you give it some time it will start to run normally. I have changed the fuel filter.

I am looking for s ome guidance now sure what to do with this.

Car has about 225k miles on it.
It is not a daily driver. I only use it when I need to pull the trailer or want to drive a nice clean car. not like my beater VW TDI that I never clean.

 

Codes? Check the air filters? Suck, squeeze, bang, blow.

 

Check your glows?
Smoke on startup?
Smoke while running both cold and warm?

 

If you have no access to star diagnostics to see how injectors are performing, a quick way of assessment is by checking for how much fuel each injector returns after 10 seconds of cranking.

 

Could the fuel rail be draining out? Takes a while to build pressure and a while longer for the delivery to all cylinders to even out?

 

if you crank and crank ist starts to sputter and fire but never enough to start

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Start with doing basic tuneup.
New fuel and air filter.
Than check rail pressure.

 

225K miles will have taken its toll on these injectors. Chances are good that only a very few of the nozzle spray holes are injecting any fuel, usually exacerbated by infrequent fuel filter changes and crappy fuel.
Removing these injector nozzles from the end of the injector is quite straight forward with due care and attention.
My W204 has 212K on the clock and I've just done mine. The nozzle on cylinder 1 had 4 out of the 7 spray holes blocked when I pushed some carb cleaner through. No.2 injector would only spray out of 1 hole! 3&4 weren't much better.
20 mins in the Ultrasonic cleaner in a neat solution of oven cleaner and all 7 sprayholes were back doing their job.
Takes a few cranks to get the fuel bled through after reassembly but that's normal.
When the engine does fire up, you'll probably find the idle speed to be uncharacteristically high for half a minute or so. The ECU still thinks it needs excessive fuel trim to compensate for blocked injectors and recalculates the new true value over time, which also serves as confirmation of your findings and fixings.
Instant starting and no more lumpy running when cold. Result.

 

I noticed that if the injector is not spraying right, glow plug will have small residue cover over the tip. There should be nothing on the surface of the glow plug's tip. That's my fast way of confirming injector failure.

 

Pardon my ignorance, but how is looking at the tip of the glow plug in any way fast? Or, do you already have the injectors out?

 

Much easier to remove glow plug on OM642 than do the leak down test. While not a definite diagnosis, without star diagnostics, could be helpful in pinpointing starting issues.

 

I have let the car sit over the winter and tended the battery. I am taking a trip in April and I want to get this fixed so I can take the car.
At present, the car won't start. It starts to try to start but doesn't.

I now have the computer I can hook to the car.

Things I suspect are:
Injectors,
Timing chains
crank sensor

 

Possible fuel leak that lets air get in the line. My 2013 has a weepy leak now & from time to time it cranks longer than usual with a slight stumble until the air (assumed air) purges the system. I’ll fix the leak when I change the filter in a few weeks. Mine is a 2013 OM642 V6. Larsen my ignorance but I don’t know which engine is in the 2007 but the problem choirs be the same.

 

I am going to try to pull the injectors today. I will probably need a slide hammer
It smokes pretty bad but does not start.

I did use some starting fluid and was able to keep it running if I gave it little squirts.

Code are all over. Rail pressure high, rail pressure low.
I am not sure how to read injector flow on the computer.