P38A On going leak off issue, driving me mad!

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Flossie

Flossie

Well-Known Member
Posts
11,001
Location
Shropshire
Back story...all leakoffs replaced around 2 yrs ago with proper 3.2mm gates stuff. All have been fine except number 1 injector return to the banjo on the fip. I've remade this one 3 or 4 times until I discovered blow by past the injector copper washer, I replaced this and all was fine but not for long, replaced washer again after noticing that leak off leaking again and the blow by was back. Thinking the blow by was getting that leak off area too hot and Softening the pipe I got another sh injector complete with a good washer(the ebay ones listed for the m51 are rubbish btw).
Fitted that with another new leak off pipe and no blow by and no leaks...
For 2 days! Fitted another length of leak off 40miles ago and the injector well is full of diesel again and the associated poor starting from cold.
I'm thinking the return from the fip banjo to the tank might be blocked? Causing too much pressure or fuel to build up?
My plan is to remove the fip banjo, check that and blow some compressed air down the return unless some one tells me that will blow the in tank pump to explode or something?
 
Flossie said:
Back story...all leakoffs replaced around 2 yrs ago with proper 3.2mm gates stuff. All have been fine except number 1 injector return to the banjo on the fip. I've remade this one 3 or 4 times until I discovered blow by past the injector copper washer, I replaced this and all was fine but not for long, replaced washer again after noticing that leak off leaking again and the blow by was back. Thinking the blow by was getting that leak off area too hot and Softening the pipe I got another sh injector complete with a good washer(the ebay ones listed for the m51 are rubbish btw).
Fitted that with another new leak off pipe and no blow by and no leaks...
For 2 days! Fitted another length of leak off 40miles ago and the injector well is full of diesel again and the associated poor starting from cold.
I'm thinking the return from the fip banjo to the tank might be blocked? Causing too much pressure or fuel to build up?
My plan is to remove the fip banjo, check that and blow some compressed air down the return unless some one tells me that will blow the in tank pump to explode or something?
Click to expand...
The banjo union also takes excess fuel from the FIP so I doubt the return pipe is blocked but you never know. OK to blow from the banjo back to the tank as long as the banjo is disconnected from the FIP.
 
Bugger, now the central locking won't work off the fob button, led flashes but nowt. Haven't tried the key in the door to lock it yet.
 
Oooohhh, I turned off the immobiliser with nanocom, eka was already disabled since I've had her, would turning immobiliser off stop the fob operated central door locking? I only turned the immobiliser off a few days ago and I don't think I've used the cdl until today when I discovered it no longer works.
 
Flossie said:
Oooohhh, I turned off the immobiliser with nanocom, eka was already disabled since I've had her, would turning immobiliser off stop the fob operated central door locking? I only turned the immobiliser off a few days ago and I don't think I've used the cdl until today when I discovered it no longer works.
Click to expand...
Turning off the immobiliser does not affect locking/unlocking with the FOB but it does mean you can unlock and start the car with the key. Not responding to the FOB could be the door latch micro switches, interference from a wireless device like a door bell or even a faulty FOB. The micro switches would be my bet.
I run both my P38's with EKA and Immobiliser turned off. It has saved us walking home more than once.
 
Flossie said:
Back story...all leakoffs replaced around 2 yrs ago with proper 3.2mm gates stuff. All have been fine except number 1 injector return to the banjo on the fip. I've remade this one 3 or 4 times until I discovered blow by past the injector copper washer, I replaced this and all was fine but not for long, replaced washer again after noticing that leak off leaking again and the blow by was back. Thinking the blow by was getting that leak off area too hot and Softening the pipe I got another sh injector complete with a good washer(the ebay ones listed for the m51 are rubbish btw).
Fitted that with another new leak off pipe and no blow by and no leaks...
For 2 days! Fitted another length of leak off 40miles ago and the injector well is full of diesel again and the associated poor starting from cold.
I'm thinking the return from the fip banjo to the tank might be blocked? Causing too much pressure or fuel to build up?
My plan is to remove the fip banjo, check that and blow some compressed air down the return unless some one tells me that will blow the in tank pump to explode or something?
Click to expand...

It is the reinforced Gates stuff, not the smooth stuff?
 
Grrrrrr said:
It is the reinforced Gates stuff, not the smooth stuff?
Click to expand...
Yes, same stuff on my 110 that lasts years.
Injectors 2-6 are fine as well, even 2 to 1 is fine! Just 1 to fip at the injector nipple, fine at the fip end of the tubing.
A brand new length from fip to number 1 was fitted yesterday at home, I went 4 miles to fetch some roof tiles then 4 miles back home to unload them, had some lunch for an hour, went to fetch more tiles and it wouldn't fire, bonnet open, injector well overflowing with diesel and dripping on the road.
The problem has been getting worse over time looking back, it used to go a few months before leaking, clutching at straws I thought maybe I hadn't fitted it fully or something, then I discovered the blow by from crap copper injector washers so thought that was the issue, then I though it was a leaky nipple so replaced the injector but, nope.
 
It does sound like it is getting hot and going soft but why yours more than anyone else?! Can you get a little cable-tie on the end?

Do you still have the plastic plates either side of the rad that funnel the air up the middle?
 
Flossie said:
Yes, same stuff on my 110 that lasts years.
Injectors 2-6 are fine as well, even 2 to 1 is fine! Just 1 to fip at the injector nipple, fine at the fip end of the tubing.
A brand new length from fip to number 1 was fitted yesterday at home, I went 4 miles to fetch some roof tiles then 4 miles back home to unload them, had some lunch for an hour, went to fetch more tiles and it wouldn't fire, bonnet open, injector well overflowing with diesel and dripping on the road.
The problem has been getting worse over time looking back, it used to go a few months before leaking, clutching at straws I thought maybe I hadn't fitted it fully or something, then I discovered the blow by from crap copper injector washers so thought that was the issue, then I though it was a leaky nipple so replaced the injector but, nope.
Click to expand...
It's not by any chance a crack in the injector pipe? I have read a couple of times of cracked injector pipes.
 
Grrrrrr said:
It does sound like it is getting hot and going soft but why yours more than anyone else?! Can you get a little cable-tie on the end?

Do you still have the plastic plates either side of the rad that funnel the air up the middle?
Click to expand...
Still got the plates ,yes.
I can see the fuel running out of the end of the tube. That's why I changed the injector thinking the nipple was loose or scored or something.
It will be tomorrow until I can try blowing the return line back to the tank but on a positive I've fixed the cdl but I don't quite know how!
Tried the fob buttons again this morning, nowt. Tried locking and unlocking with the key in the lock and that worked. Then I pressed the fob buttons whilst the key was still in the door, removed the key and voilà...cdl working again :vb-weyes:
 
LOcking and
Flossie said:
Still got the plates ,yes.
I can see the fuel running out of the end of the tube. That's why I changed the injector thinking the nipple was loose or scored or something.
It will be tomorrow until I can try blowing the return line back to the tank but on a positive I've fixed the cdl but I don't quite know how!
Tried the fob buttons again this morning, nowt. Tried locking and unlocking with the key in the lock and that worked. Then I pressed the fob buttons whilst the key was still in the door, removed the key and voilà...cdl working again :vb-weyes:
Click to expand...
Locking and unlocking with the key will have operated the micro switches which then decided to make contact, the key left in the lock would have made no difference. One of mine is like that in cold weather, I think the grease has dried out in the mechanism.
 
Blow compressed air down the return and that seems ok, I'm on my own so couldn't listen at the tank filler but I think I could hear air down there.
Meanwhile I managed to get a tie wrap on the offending spill pipe after 3 failed attempts. The rubber is tight up against the injector body with no clearance, I've ordered some spring clips off ebay, see if they will go on easier.
I've done lots of searching and came across a post from wammers who said leaky spills can't cause air in the clear pipe, filter to fip, but that's what I get when the spill is leaking. If I turn on the ignition I can see fuel rushing through the clear pipe until its full but as soon as I turn the ignition off it flys backwards back to the filter!
It doesn't do this when the spills are good.
 
Flossie said:
Blow compressed air down the return and that seems ok, I'm on my own so couldn't listen at the tank filler but I think I could hear air down there.
Meanwhile I managed to get a tie wrap on the offending spill pipe after 3 failed attempts. The rubber is tight up against the injector body with no clearance, I've ordered some spring clips off ebay, see if they will go on easier.
I've done lots of searching and came across a post from wammers who said leaky spills can't cause air in the clear pipe, filter to fip, but that's what I get when the spill is leaking. If I turn on the ignition I can see fuel rushing through the clear pipe until its full but as soon as I turn the ignition off it flys backwards back to the filter!
It doesn't do this when the spills are good.
Click to expand...
Quite right, leaky spills cause run back especially if it's #1 that is leaking. Early cars had a non return valve at the pump which stopped run back, later cars and replacement pumps do not have the non return valve.
 
It's been close to 3 months now and it looks like the tie wrap has more or less cured it. Looked a little damp in the injector well but I'm not overly concerned about that. I might cut the tie wrap off, trim the end and fit one of the two types of spring clips I ordered.
 
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