Afternoon,

This is problem is probably done to death - I have looked on the site/s....still at a loss.

300tdi began to start badly recently...the usual turn and fire became a good 10 seconds of turning over before start...blamed it on the cold weather and drove it daily as usual. Then a couple of days ago it would start after a few turns, sometime more, and would let me pull away but struggle/lose power/sputter at junctions. Today I can pull away but it stalls after revs and cuts out....turn it over...drive 100yrds at revs and then it happens again (stops and cuts out if the foot is off the pedal). I limped back home after 5 stops and starts.

I thought it might be a small perforation in the bleeder hoses on the injectors....replaces with new braided pipe - no change. So opened the fuel bleeder valve on the filter while running and no air OR Diesel !!! came through...dry! is this suspect??

No obvious leaks or cracks...no smoke (a little on start)...no oil in coolant...nothing odd in oil.

Lift Pump buggered???

Any ideas would be great...I'm a gardener and lawn mowing has started so I'm lost without it.

Thanks in advance

fingers crossed

Tim

If it was running you should have got fuel from the bleed screw, are you sure you opened it up far enough? Other causes could be blocked filter (when was it last changed?), lift pump could be letting fuel drain back into the tank or the fuel pick-up pipe could be covered in gunge in the tank or it could be corroded and leaking air on the top bend or you may have some other fuel pipe air leak. Start with the easy bits first, check the bleeder is clear and change the filter, then look at the tank pick-up as its cheaper than changing a lift pump (only a cork gasket to replace - if you are being posh!) then look at the rest.

you need to open one of the banjos on the filter, and pump the lift pump lever when the engine is not running.

if there is no resistance, try pulsing the starter (to move the cam) and then try again

if that still fails, take the feed off the ip solenoid (so the motor wont start) and get someone else to turn the key, whilst you watch the pipes.

if you dont get diesel ouf of them, you either have a bad lift pump, or an air leak between the tank and the pump

Thanks chaps, I'll be trying everything until its sorted - east to hard, in that order.

Undid the bleeder on the filter entirely....took it out!..still no fuel.

Tank Pick-up, where is that located?

is there any easy way to trace back the line between pump and tank?

Just so I know, What would be the symptoms of knackered injector or glow plugs? I thought it would be more smoke but might be wrong. I
popped a multi-meter on the plugs and all seemed OK. Not that I think it's these just wanting to eliminate these as a possibility

If you do the tests i mentioned above, and you dont get fuel, then there is no need to be worrying about injectors or glow plugs, as, even the best injectors are not going to run an engine with no fuel.

Again, if you crank the engine (with the wire off the ip solenoid) for a while, and there's no fuel pulsing out the end of the banjo that youve taken off, then that is your problem.

If fuel comes out, then the issue is elsewhere.

I replaced the lift pump and filter...the pump was knackered, a split diaphragm maybe - checked before hand removing banjos to see what was working where.
It ran OK for a day...then is lost a little power...followed by a fizzy diesel on the bleeder. Now nothing on the bleeder, no diesel just just air, but fuel going through
the banjos.

Pickup leaking air - I've checked the fuel line and it looks fine, but I suppose a pin prick wouldn't show up too much. Connections all OK.

Anyone had these symptoms?

thanks for the help so far...

I have a section of clear in the fuel pipe just before the lift pump to check for air leaks. You may have a duff new pump,they are out there.

at the very least that will show me where the air is coming from...or what side. Nice idea! Thanks