Transit filter problems

[Rotary-Motion]

you useing a paper inline filter? they implode under oil use... may last abit...

has your engine got heater plugs?

[Rotary-Motion]

I've blown back into the tank, that seems fine. There looks to be good feed coming out of the lift pump. As far as I know, it is the original pump, with 120K on it, so could be the next line of enquiry. Maybe it is loosing pressure when it gets hot.

I've now put black rubber hose from the lift pump, into a cheapo inline filter, and on into the injection pump. I've joined the returns with the same stuff. I'd just about got fuel to the injector pump, and the battery went flat...........

It's on charge now, so I'll try it in the morning.

It was running ok ish when I got home last night, went to start it this morning and it just died, so I gave up. I wonder is the lift pump letting the fuel drain back into the tank, when it is hot. Maybe it is dogged.
Cheers Knighty. I'll get there in the end.

was this on diesel only?

[greasemonkey]

No heater plugs. The filter is a slightly better one, with a plastic gauze in it, just for test purposes. The fuel comes into the gauze, not like the paper element ones. I've got a mixture of dino and veg in the tank, probably about 50/50.

The more I think about it, the more the lift pump seems suspect, although it stlll doesn't alter the fact that the thing wouldn't run at all with the filter housing plumbed in, but ran fine when I took the feed directly from the lift pump to the injection pump. Effectively it is what I have done now, just with the inline filter in the pipe.

[Rotary-Motion]

hmmm just seems odd it wouldnt start in the morning with the new inline filter.

your ip pump may suck fuel by itself i knew a 300tdi with a dead lift pump and it had been running couple years like that...

is your the turbo or non turbo? do the non turbos have lucas pumps?

[greasemonkey]

The battery went flat before I had a chance to start it with the inline filter. This morning it was still on a replacement filter setup.

[knighty]

turbo has a Lucas pump, non turbo have bosh pump, there's a few (very few) non turbo with a Lucas pump but they're easy to spot, they have an electronic throttle, all the bosh have a throttle cable


you could also check the cold start advance, there's a little bump sticking out the side of the pump slightly towards the front, it has a little leaver on it with a ball on the end which fits into a little arm with a cup on it (for the ball to fit into) iirc it's held on by a 10mm not

there's a few seals in there which can go and let air in... normally they don't leak unless you've had it apart... but maybe the veg could have damaged the seals ? - you can get a kit with all the fuel pump seals in it for about a fiver

iirc the lift pump is only about £17... I was always surprised how cheap they are, I used to keep a spare on hand, came in handy when we were doing loads of miles at work :-)

[greasemonkey]

I've just had a look on Ebay for lift pumps. Like you say, around 15 to 17 quid. I was to scared to look, I thought they would be up around £50, which does kind of suggest they may be quite a high seller.
I can get my hands on a second had one but it's not worth the bother for that sort of money.

It is definitely the next suspect, I'll order one in the morning. It makes sense really. Ok when cold, fills the filter and pumps ok till hot, then lets the filter drain back into the tank overnight, if that is what it is doing. Wouldn't harm to put one on there anyway, just to eliminate it from the equation.

[Chug]

just to make ya feel better grease, I spent good while this afternoon with similar on my old transit, got it starting now(had to resort to a sniff o easy as battery was dying but now won't rev much past tickover, and with flat battery had to keep waiting for the charge to build up from jump leads, at least it's running now though, but will have to wait til w/end now.
I'll try bypassing filter next too.

Hope you get yours sorted mate, at least you know it's ok when filter was bypassed

[greasemonkey]

It lives! I think.

Battery on charge last night, failed to start it this morning. Pulled both batterys off and charged them.

Tonight, I ran a feed direct to the injection pump, and it fired up fine. Swapped a scavenged lift pump in, and joined up the cheapo inline filter, and started no problem. Just ran it 25 miles, and felt the best it has for a long time. nice clean pull in high gear from low revs, and plenty of power up the hills. I'd put a bit of loss of performance down to bad oil. Seems now as there may have been a developing problem, and this was its last gasp. Still not to sure if it was the lift pump or the filter. I've got a new pump on order, and will sort the filter out soon as.
Many thanks guys, you've been a great help. I'm fairly confident now that it will be fine in the morning.

As a point of interest, I charged the drivers side battery, and this morning it was still not up to full power, or so it seemed, so I put it back on charge. Then it occurred to me to try the left battery in the right tray. That was equally as flat as the one I put on charge last night, so i left them both on charge all day. Kind of suggests that either it uses both bats to turn the starter, or they join when the power gets below a certain level. The starter will operate with the right hand battery alone, but not the left alone.
Thrilling innit?

[greasemonkey]

just to make ya feel better grease, I spent good while this afternoon with similar on my old transit, got it starting now(had to resort to a sniff o easy as battery was dying but now won't rev much past tickover, and with flat battery had to keep waiting for the charge to build up from jump leads, at least it's running now though, but will have to wait til w/end now.
I'll try bypassing filter next too.

Hope you get yours sorted mate, at least you know it's ok when filter was bypassed

That is pretty much what mine was doing Chug, it would just stay on tick over, and not rev up. After my little palaver, I would suggest running diesel from a can, straight into the injection pump. It is the pipe at the front of the pump, not the rear. If she runs ok then, you know it is filter or lift pump.

I've been told they self purge, but I'm not so sure. You will see a bleed screw on the side of the pump. Open this and spin her over, then crack open an injector.

I would have to say, with the benefit (trauma) of my experience, suspect the lift pump, even if it looks like its shooting fuel out ok. I can't be certain, i'm still 50/50 if it was that or the filter.

[Rotary-Motion]

just to make ya feel better grease, I spent good while this afternoon with similar on my old transit, got it starting now(had to resort to a sniff o easy as battery was dying but now won't rev much past tickover, and with flat battery had to keep waiting for the charge to build up from jump leads, at least it's running now though, but will have to wait til w/end now.
I'll try bypassing filter next too.

Hope you get yours sorted mate, at least you know it's ok when filter was bypassed

That is pretty much what mine was doing Chug, it would just stay on tick over, and not rev up. After my little palaver, I would suggest running diesel from a can, straight into the injection pump. It is the pipe at the front of the pump, not the rear. If she runs ok then, you know it is filter or lift pump.

I've been told they self purge, but I'm not so sure. You will see a bleed screw on the side of the pump. Open this and spin her over, then crack open an injector.

I would have to say, with the benefit (trauma) of my experience, suspect the lift pump, even if it looks like its shooting fuel out ok. I can't be certain, i'm still 50/50 if it was that or the filter.

and to note all ajioning parts pipes and pipe clips

so GM your not quite sure what started ya probs, i hate when it runs good again but cant decipher what the problems were... always leaves a niggle in ya head...

[greasemonkey]

Update.
I have now put a new filter head on. Piped it up and its all working a treat. Looking at the filter head, there is absolutely no reason for the return to go back through the head, so I have just joined the pipes together. I guess the only reason the ports are there is for a dual filter setup.
On a side note, if the return ever came adrift, then it would probably empty the tank onto the road in a few minutes. The way it is made, the quality of the pipes and fitting, you would think that it was a cheap cosmetic after thought, not an essential piece of pipework.
I've still got the second hand lift pump on. It's working so it may as well stay there. I'll carry the new one in the van, it's only a ten minute job to change it anyway.
Cheers folks.

[greasemonkey]

Lets play a nice game of spending every weekend sorting fuel problems out, in the pouring rain.
Oil gone way to thick in the tank overnight now.

How do you sign up for the one way trip to Mars?

[photoman290]

after spending a day in a ditch covered in diesel and mud i can feel for you. i had loads of problems with the fuel filters on the minibus. in the end i got one of those priming bulbs  that look like  lemon and a filter for a defender. i have had the filter on for a couple of years so far with no problems. here is the ebay link.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DEFENDER-DIESEL-FUEL-FILTER-HOUSING-/360349880302?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item53e686cfee

[Rotary-Motion]

im still on a sausage filter