B

birminghamsi

New Member
Hi everyone, hopefully one of you guys will have come across this before...

There are a couple of obvious problems i have but am not sure what to make of them

1. There are air bubbles in the clear fuel pipe from the fuel filter to the injector pump and

2. When the tank is over a quater full it starts first time but when it drops below a quater, it takes ages to start.

changed the fuel filter today as there was a slight leak at the drain off other than that i can not see anything obvious.

any ideas???

All help is greatfully received :)

thanks

Simon
 
Mine was a right bugger to start after a few fills from our local te$co, especially when below 1/4 tank. Had to drain & flush the tank and replace the filters. Also had to do the same on the cobra and blade. . .

As for the air in the fuel line, lets just say that isn't helping matters. Check your lines and remake your connections if in doubt.

Blue skies
 
DONT CHANGE IN TANK LIFTER PUMP JUST YET.
yOUR PROBLEM IS REALY EASY TO FIX.
It is a faulty sensor that tells your ecu the temp of your engine.
Ie cold or hot.
The ecu then mixs the correct amount of fuel and air to start your car .
Trust me i struggled for months and replaced every pump, seal, hose and filter( 2500 quid later) i started to disconnect sensors and found that the sensor mounted under no 4 injector is a coolent sensor and it was faulty.
14 quid from landrover.
Its a bit fidly but a 17or 19 mm long socket and long bar allows you to get at it from the side without removing the manifold.
Email me for more info at
ewan@ewanbrooke.wanadoo.co.uk
:)
 
if it was the leak off pipes, why does the problem only occur when the tank is below quarter full,this is why i dont think leak off pipes are at fault.
 
air leaks somewhere- i had the same issue on mine- i changed all the pipes and it starts perfectly. Quarter tank and a non return valve puts more strain on the fuel pump- it gets tired overtime- so maybe replacing it might be a better fix.
 
do you mean replace the fuel pump inside the tank??
or replacing pipes??

dont want t put a non return valve in because i think it is just hiding the problem
 
Hi All. I have had this problem for 2 1/2 years, in fact since I bought the 1997 2.5 BMW. As long as it is over 1/4 full starts great,at 1/4 full longer cranking, at below 1/8th tank embarrassing 15 to 20 second cranking before starting. Cure- Keep it full. I would appreciate a solution though. Goldpanner
 
Goldpanner said:
Hi All. I have had this problem for 2 1/2 years, in fact since I bought the 1997 2.5 BMW. As long as it is over 1/4 full starts great,at 1/4 full longer cranking, at below 1/8th tank embarrassing 15 to 20 second cranking before starting. Cure- Keep it full. I would appreciate a solution though. Goldpanner
Click to expand...

replace fuel pump & fuel pressure regulator
 
brookediamond said:
DONT CHANGE IN TANK LIFTER PUMP JUST YET.
yOUR PROBLEM IS REALY EASY TO FIX.
It is a faulty sensor that tells your ecu the temp of your engine.
Ie cold or hot.
The ecu then mixs the correct amount of fuel and air to start your car .
Trust me i struggled for months and replaced every pump, seal, hose and filter( 2500 quid later) i started to disconnect sensors and found that the sensor mounted under no 4 injector is a coolent sensor and it was faulty.
14 quid from landrover.
Its a bit fidly but a 17or 19 mm long socket and long bar allows you to get at it from the side without removing the manifold.
Email me for more info at
ewan@ewanbrooke.wanadoo.co.uk
:)
Click to expand...


I also have a cold start problem, although no air in the fuel line as I have recently fitted a new pump and fuel lines to rectify an air leak (the air leak turned out to be a faulty filter), will try this sensor fix though, seems like a logical step at least! All glow plugs are working but the engine needs at least 30 seconds of cranking, so fingers crossed. There is however one thing I dont get, if this sensor tells the ECU to run the injector pump in cold start mode, then surely if its knackered then the ECU wont fireup the glowplugs either (as they dont when commencing a hot start), or if they do it'll be a quick 2 second heat up. On my car the glowpugs are heating up as normal for about 10 seconds accoring to the dash light or 30 according to a multimeter - maybe there is another temp sensor for glowplugs, fuel temp perhaps?
 
I had this exact same problem, in my case the fuel filter had a small crack just where the pipes end, really really unnoticeable and just enough for air to get in and lose pressure, new fuel filter seems to be fine, im nearly on the reserve and i dont need to crank for more than 3-4 seconds hot or cold, although it still gets some hickups and it takes a bit longer.
 
Can anyone confirm the part number for the coolant sensor located under number 4 injector? Microcat lists STC2299 as an ECU coolant sensor, but also lists two other coolant sensors in the same area. The diagram isnt too clear.
 
Hi i have a 1996 dse with the same problem i have changed filter ,spill off pipes but as air is only showing with tank on 1\4 im thinking fuel pump Pete
 
Couple of things for you:
1. Do you have the same problem from a warm/hot start - if no read on..
2. Does you problem vanish after filling up your tank with fuel - if yes, carry on..
3. Does the problem return after you've used 1/2 a tank or more....???

If you've got this far then you may find the fuel is draining back into the tank from the filter. This happened on mine.
I spoke to my more than helpful local independant and they suggested a 'one way valve' from filter to block. It cost me a straight fiver (£5.00).
We removed the existing clear fuel piping from the filter forward.
Renewed it with some heavy duty diesel fuel pipe with the valve inserted in between, secured with 4 jubilee clips and I've never had a problem since. Starts first time, every time and never misses a beat - cold, warm, hot, full tank, half full or quarter tank...
This maybe a solution to your problems. It worked for me but yours maybe something else.
If your struggling to start it when it's warm/hot, it probably is something else.
Good luck.......
 
i thought i sorted the problem by fitting a new fuel filter but it hasnt sorted it fully, i can use more of the tank buta just above the red line it still does it, could it have something to do with chipping, if i drive slowly everythings fine, but as soon as i stepp on it it just doesnt get fuel in.
 
Its the in tank pump. These are known for cracking in the feed line. When the fuel level drops below the crack, air gets drawn into the system. The leak off pipes from the injectors should be changed at the same time as these deteriate with age and become porous, letting air into the system.
 
You mentioned that the glowplugs are working, how do you know that? Have you taken them out, the power-probe told me that they were receiving 12v during the time-out, but when I removed them, only 3 were working, be carefull, the first 2 were stone-cold, & I had them in the palm of my hand when testing, the 3rd glowed red-hot & burnt me!! AND, they were only 16 months old.
 
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