I have a Mondeo that won't start, I have had a suggestion that it might be a collapsed manifold cat......

symptoms are, really struggled to start, finally got it going, went a couple of miles and started chugging and struggling. Opened bonnet and some smoke coming up, running slightly hotter than normal. Oil and water as they should be. Hit/scraped the exhaust on a kerb the night before, hence the suggestion of the exhaust......

Any advice would be gratefully recieved

 

depends how hard you hit it, try crawling under and tapping it see if it rattles. if its broken up u'd hear it.
not sure bout the smoke though

 

Drop the front pipe, it will be noisey but you will no if its the cat or not.

Dave

 

Cheers Lads, I'll have a go tomorrow..... as long as it's not raining!

 

The cat will rattle like shit if gone bad if substrate detached.
You would soon know as you would hear all the time even with stereo up full whack.
It could be the dreaded coil breaking down problem, very common, or the very common misfire due to stupid rocker cover design, especially if early one.
Moisture collects after car cools down around plugs, NATURALLY, and causes tracking chrinically with usually bad pinking getting worse when hot.
Look at plugs for CORONA DISCHARGE, will be immediately obvious, can be cured permanently very cheaply(free) and easy.
tabetha

 

Should have said at the start, it's a diesel, 1998 1.8td. It's the first facelift model.

 

check none of the diesel leak off pipes are split as it would draw in air making it struggle to start. not sure how you could test it but the diesel filter housings can tend to play up, if its the same as the escorts.

 

That helps a bit ha ha ha!!
Most likely it has a LUCAS CAV filter head ?, test the priming valve and diaphragm is not split, by taking off both pipes to it then push down plunger hold down block inlet hole and release plunger which should stay down if it does not diaphragm is split vey common and cheap easy fix.
Make sure you are using a genuine DELPHI filter (not ford) as these work best, and that water is drained out of filter head via drain screw at bottom.
Bleed system at filter head then injectors.
Next make sure your glow plugs are getting a supply when first turned on, if not use a piece of wire to jump start injectors for say 20 secs then try.
When you do get it running put in some MILLERS DIESEL INJECTOR CLEANER, awsome stuff, rag the shit out of it and clear it out, I used to redline every gear all day long will do no harm as cannot overrev.
tabetha

 

Thanks guys, I'll let you know hw it goes tomorrow!