range rover 2.5dse struggles to start

hello lads,after looking up a few threads i,ve now hit a brick wall.my dse was purchased with a starting problem,the previous owner said it was the starter relay,so replaced relay problems still there?i,ve replaced leak off pipes,glow plugs are new but don,t know which make-besides it won,t start straight away hot or cold i have to cycle the glow plugs 3 times before it will fire.any ideas lads this is doin my head in.theres a non return valve in the fuel line between filter and fuel injection pump would it be worth me putting one in before the fuel filter maybe its draining back into the tank?.any help much appreciated

How much fuel is in the tank???

Ok.....do not touch the accelerator at all when you try and start it....see if that helps, on a 90 you never touch it til it kicks in, its made that way, all to do with the cold start mechanism, if you do it is a bastid to start, cold or hot.

cheers lads,i,ve always run with at least a 1/4 of a tank but i dont think the needles ever reached the middle mark since i,ve owned it(i only do 50 miles a week in it)good job really the cost of fuel

Christ on a pushbike..50 miles a week?? Probably needs a damn good service, battery isnt getting charged properly.

ok 50 miles a week is slightly exagurated but its 100 at the most,its just had a good service,oils,filters etc although i have to admit i have,nt changed the fuel filter yet:behindsofa:.i covered 150 miles today to pick up a set of alloys,surely thats enough to charge battery,anyway once home i turned ignition off left it 30 secs tried to start it again fooook allwhats goin on.could this be down to the fuel filter?

I doubt it. Maybe a weak fuel pump..does it run well? just to rule one thing out, you dont touch the accelerator at all?

cheers matey,i,ll try that tommorow.the car runs ok but i,ve noticed on motorways if you try overtaking it struggles even to the stage where the car starts slowing down,you have to take your foot off the accelerator and build up speed slowly again.fuel pump sounds good is there any way of checking,its the one in the tank is,nt it.thanks again

Change the fuel filter asap, cheap enough, no point in doing half a job and one more thing out of the equation.....

You certainly sound like you're lacking fuel on the motorway but I can't see why that would prevent the engine starting. However if it was me before I spent any money I'd take a good look. Start in the engine bay and trace the fuel pipe back. Replace the filter, pennies and always worth it in case you, or previous owner have picked up some dirty diesel somewhere. Then work your way back along the fuel pipe making sure that it hasn't been crimped or flattened anywhere. If you then arrive at the tank with nothing else to show for your labours then it's tank off, drain and clean and, depending on what comes out of the tank, possibly a new pump. If you do find crud in the tank then, before re-fitting, take the filter back out and blow the fuel line out with an airline. Having said all of this don't forget the injector pump, low pressure or wrong timing here could be causing all of your problems.

Best of luck and don't forget to come back and tell the rest of us what you find.

in tank fuel pump sounds favourite after blocked fuel filter

thanx for the replys lads.i,ve changed the fuel filter today to no joy but at least i know it been done.i cracked the union at the fip whilst someone turned the engine over and theres not a lot of fuel coming through,should it be ****ing out?could there be air in the system?is there a way of bleeding the system?when i turn the car off it will start straight away but left for a few mins and it does,nt want to know.what d,ya reckon

Fuels running back to yer tank ???? ....Once it has You'll have to pump fuel from 6 foot behind yer !!!!

cheers matey any quick fix for this-fuel running back to the tank

yes a one way valve..

fitted where?in which fuel line feed or return.thanx

bart2181 said:

fitted where?in which fuel line feed or return.thanx

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just checked,there is a non return valve between filter and fip.but after cleaning the clear pipe that connects between them it seems the diesel is a murky brown colour?whats this all about?

bart2181 said:

just checked,there is a non return valve between filter and fip.but after cleaning the clear pipe that connects between them it seems the diesel is a murky brown colour?whats this all about?

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**** in the tank,no dont do it,thats what is in the tank,plus the in tank pump may be partially blocked.take the tank out and give it a good clean.

Dirty fuel? Sounds like you`ve got a smelly ole job to do this week-end. Firstly take off fuel filter and tip contents out, if mucky, after only being on a short while looks likely a full cleaning job: Drop fuel tank out, and check; assuming you do have contaminated fuel the whole system should be cleaned through. Strip, clean and replace. Don`t think there`s much of a short-cut. Just hope the filter`s done it`s job and prevented damage to the pump. BTW I`ve a non-return valve on mine but that`s fitted before the filter. Maybe yours would be better there as the engine could then fire up on stored fuel before more is sent thro` from the tank?? Not a definative answer but maybe.

hi chaps put non return before filter was ok still get hot start probs bernie