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I had a phone call from the garage today. Sadly I didnt speak to the guy in charge but from what I can gather they say they found nothing wrong with the Glow plugs. Well I knew that I told them as they tested them at the service when I first complained about the problem back in November!
They say they have replaced the fuel filter. I asked them surely they replaced it at the service. Dunno was the answer but it had jelly in it. FFS (is what I wanted to say) but went along with the jelly story. He said do you use super market fuel? Of course, sometimes I replied. We have had a lot of trouble lately with similar problems with diesels running super market fuel. Apparently they dont put the additives needed in it anymore.
I couldnt be bothered and was too busy to argue with him but will take it up with the boss tomorrow.
I asked how it started today and he said not as bad but still a but ropey.
I cant say I am over confident that they will get to the root of this problem and are making a concentrated effort to diagnose the fault.
To be honest I hate taking the van there as I think they really dont like working on it as it gets in the way.
______________________________________________________________ Hank the Tank has a website. Follow our adventures at http://www.hankthetank.co.uk
To be honest I believe that the 'super market' fuel is complete bull ( Sorry, am I allowed to say that?).
All fuel suppliers in UK submit passes the EU 590 specification. While this isn't mandatory I don't think there is a supplier who delivers to UK forecourts deviates from this spec. This spec details the minimum and maximum of chemical components in the fuel. As far as I remember 'normal UK' diesel does have a 'normal' additive and detergent package in it.
One thing to remember is that Summer Diesel is very different to Winter Diesel. If Summer Diesel is used in Low temps it goes all waxy and can clog things up! Forecourts get Winter Diesel in certain months and Summer diesel for the rest of the year.
The 'jelly' could be summer fuel getting Waxy in low temp?
Personally my thoughts are either an air leak in fuel system or a failing injector.
Good luck and thanks for the update. Please let us know what the solution is when you find it.
Had similar probs last week, sounded like a bag nails due to not getting the fuel through
was the injectors so removed the filter put half of injector cleaner in topped up with diesel, smoked like hell did a five mile foot to the floor, goes like a bat out of hell now, so do try some cleaner,good idea to do this before your mot, if you buy the bottle for 60litre tank only have 30 or 40 litres in the tank and give a good hard run surprising how much better it will run after this, Note only 31thousand on the clock there is no mileage one can specify for this problm it just happens can also be dirty fuel that gives this problm
Contamination – Bacteria and ‘The Diesel Bug’.
Diesel fuel has an inherent bacteria and when water is added this bacteria is able to breed. This ‘bug’ will form a layer between the fuel and the water and as it breeds it produces waste which is usually evident as black or dark lumps.
Water can also encourage the build-up of microbes, algae and even fungi which can develop many types of sludge and residue within the fuel. This biomass may drop to the bottom of the tank or it may suspend in the fuel. Either way, it will clog up the filters and lead to expensive damage to equipment, with breakdowns in power supply.
These are universally known as ‘the Diesel Bug'
Just a thought lots of treatments as once in the tank will stay untill treated
Im sorry to keep this thread going and hassling you all for advice but I do believe there is greater knowledge on here than our garage!
Got the van back yesterday and some good news and bad news but mainly good (I hope)
They fitted a new fuel filter and a one way valve to stop fuel coming back up the line (or something like that).
Van was fine coming home (15 miles). Decided to use it today for work which involved a good old thrash pretty much up hill all the way up to Middleton in Teesdale.
It still started like a bag of spanners but recovered sooner than before. One thing I noticed is the orange light for the glow plugs went out sooner than before. It used to take about 10 or 15 seconds but now takes about 3. I remember before it used to take about 3 and we had a similar starting problem so they changed the glow plugs, the light started taking longer to go out but always started ok. Despite them telling me the plugs were ok Im sure this is where the starting problem lies (but what to I know ).
If they haven't done anything with the glow plugs how come the light is now going out quicker?
Anyway the starting problem aside the van went like a bat out of hell, never missed a beat and I gave it a good hard drive there and back so whatever they have done seems to have cured the power and missing problem (for now).
Im going to have to call them again on Monday so any further advice from you lot would be greatly appreciated.
Ill understand if your all down the pub. Wish I was!
Cheers
Barry
EDIT: Do you think as its cured the performance issue and it drives ok we can now rule out it being the injectors as this was the expensive bit if it was?
______________________________________________________________ Hank the Tank has a website. Follow our adventures at http://www.hankthetank.co.uk
I cannot really help a lot but it sounds better. If the power is there then there cannot be much wrong.
As for the glow plug light, the one on my Fiat (different engine) is barely on for 3 seconds but it starts first time every time.
A bit of Redex or similar once in a while will not hurt. What I would do is ask the garage to fit a new fuel filter after about 1000 miles. If it is gunged up again then you may need to flush out the fuel tank. It is a garage job Barry but may not be necessary.
ps, fancy Croft WMC in February. (see flatcap & whippet thread on your other favourite forum).
______________________________________________________________ Diplomacy is overrated.
"The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage". Thucydides 460 - 404 BC
Barry, I guess they fitted a new complete filter housing assembly (as I suggested some time ago).
With reference to the pre heater plug light, on your van the duration of the light being on (and power being supplied to the plugs) is controlled by a controller box, I'm pretty sure that unlike the newer common rail engines which have an intelligent control for the plugs that reacts to temperature, yours is predominantly a time controller, they normally stay on for a good many seconds, so if yours is going off quickly then it may not be powering up the heaters long enough for them to be effective.
The system really needs to be checked by someone with a meter, if checking the plugs they do not need to be removed just isolated from one another and then tested for continuity.
______________________________________________________________ John
I cannot really help a lot but it sounds better. If the power is there then there cannot be much wrong.
As for the glow plug light, the one on my Fiat (different engine) is barely on for 3 seconds but it starts first time every time.
A bit of Redex or similar once in a while will not hurt. What I would do is ask the garage to fit a new fuel filter after about 1000 miles. If it is gunged up again then you may need to flush out the fuel tank. It is a garage job Barry but may not be necessary.
ps, fancy Croft WMC in February. (see flatcap & whippet thread on your other favourite forum).
Thanks 747 and thanks John.
Im going to persist with this until its how I want it rather than being fobbed off by the garage.
Right. Off to look at this booze up in Feb!
Thanks for the heads up although you may live to regret it!
______________________________________________________________ Hank the Tank has a website. Follow our adventures at http://www.hankthetank.co.uk
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