3Ltr V6 Difficult to Start

[AdamH]

Hello All

My X-Type has always started strong but over night has developed a pretty concerning problem.  When cold, the engine just turns over, sometimes hesitating and takes ages to start (About 5 mins of on and off ignition)  She then hesitates for a few minutes when accelerating but settles as the temp comes up.  When the engine is warm, she starts with no problems at all.

I called in the RAC as when this first happened, i flooded the engine with fuel (I think i was a bit over enthusiastic when trying to start).  He pointed out that the front 3 spark plugs were pretty tired and should be replaced soon.

I have purchased some decent ones and plan on getting the job done this Friday (All 6).

Does anyone have any other advise on what i should be doing to solve this problem?

Some further context - The car is dripping coolant from a couple of the pipes - The coolant tank itself had a slight crack and the cap was completely broken so this was replaced last week (Before the starting problem occurred)  The coolant is still dripping from some of the pipes (But very slowly) - Would this be causing an issue with starting?

Thanks for any help you can give.

Kind regards

Adam

[AdamH]

85 views and no reply's - Seems like you are all as flummoxed as me.

Update on the situation - throughout the week, with light driving the car became much worse with major engine hesitation when accelerating.

This morning i changed all 6 spark plugs.  It seems like the back 3 maybe had not been changed with the front 3.  One was swimming in Oil and one had even shattered completely.

After the new plugs had been fitted and everything replaced she now starts and runs like a dream 🙂 I am a very happy owner again.

Next is finding and replacing the damaged coolant pipes (found 1 today).

If anyone has any questions about this then dont hesitate to ask 🙂 

[AdamH]

Well 161 views and still no words of wisdom or any opinions - I have to say i am a little disappointed but i carry on and maybe this little adventure will be of help to others out there with a similar issue 🙂 

Its been a couple of weeks and the car is so much better, but still struggles a little on first start up of the day (especially when it is very cold)

So i did some research into why one of the spark plugs would be swimming in Oil - seems like its very likely that the valve cover gasket has failed in that area and requires replacing.

I have purchased the new gasket and the replacement is planned for Sunday when i have some time away from the children - Thinking it will be about a 2.5 - 3 hour job.

I will make a further update and again, please give me a shout if you have anything to add or ask.

Merry Christmas all. 🙂