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[Dink]

Some help if possible please!

I had a problem with my car yesterday, it cut out several times on the way to work requiring much cranking to restart.
Eventually the battery gave up and I had to get towed home 

I'd run out of fuel the previous day and the way it was driving before it cut out made me think it was the fuel filter blocked.
I have replaced the filter and refilled with diesel magic. It eventually started and ran with jump leads connected but wouldn't idle.

I have had the battery on charge overnight and gone out this morning, the car will start after much cranking and pedal but then will briefly rev to 3000 before dying again. I have cracked all accessible injector lines and they seem to be getting fuel.

So what should I be checking? Seems like a fuel supply problem to me but filter is brand new and have checked the in tank pump recently as well.

Would really appreciate any suggestions as I'm a bit lost with this now.

Thanks.

[omegafin]

Fuel pump ( in tank ) or fuel pump's relay.
Check if power gets to the pump you may hear it starting when you glow engine....

[Dink]

Have now removed the in tank pump and swirl pot for cleaning/inspection.

There does appear to be some very large bits of crap in there, if the pump was trying to pump them it's probably shot.

Will report back later.

[Dink]

If I do need to replace my pump, has anyone any experience of this sort of thing?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Petrol-Diesel-fluid-Fuel-Electric-lift-pump-Next-day-delivery-1-yr-warranty-/261096809813?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&fits=Model%3AOmega&hash=item3cca952555

Seems a bit too good to be true bearing in mind I'm being quoted £100 or so for a new one!

[Seth]

I previously failed to source an 'aftermarket' in-tank pump, and found that it could only be sourced from Vx.
Part number is: 90509674. Around £100 plus VAT.

* How much fuel was in the tank when this problem occurred?

* Can you hear said pump operating?
  (Remove filler cap, then get an assistant to turn-on the ignition whilst listening. Pump should operate for around 20/30 seconds).

[Marks DTM Calib]

So you bled at the injectors, did you bleed all the lines from the fitler to the pump?

Sounds like air to me 

[Dink]

Thanks for the advice guys.

Have got it sorted now, it was the lift pump.

It had sucked in a piece of grit. Got it out of the car and ran it both ways in some diesel and out it came.

This was probably mostly caused by me always running the car on student levels of fuel, never more than 20l in the tank.

I will try to keep it above half a tank from now on.

There is still some crap inside the tank so I imagine my newly cleaned filter will clog up eventually.

When I've got more time I will have to clean out the tank properly.

Any tips for this? I guess I could suck all the fuel and crap out of the tank, filter and repeat until clean.

[Agemo]

Nice you are mobile again. The filter will clog again soon though. You can bale out the tank, then mop up the dregs with a sponge, make sure all the crud is removed & you won't have to do it again. You can then run it on just a cup-full of Diesel if you like (not recommended). I found all sorts in mine, plastic bits, rubber, and what looked like stones!

[Dink]

I would have said the stuff in my tank looks like little flakes of red metal, but it's definitely not metallic as I tried fishing it out with a magnet on a stick.

Think I will try to borrow some sort of pump to empty the tank of both fuel and crap through the inspection hole, filter the fuel and replace. Can't be wasting fuel with what it costs nowadays!

My filter wasn't actually that bad but the pump had clearly sucked up some grit, what came out looked fairly small but clearly enough to stop the pump running.

[raywilb]

Some help if possible please!

I had a problem with my car yesterday, it cut out several times on the way to work requiring much cranking to restart.
Eventually the battery gave up and I had to get towed home 

I'd run out of fuel the previous day and the way it was driving before it cut out made me think it was the fuel filter blocked.
I have replaced the filter and refilled with diesel magic. It eventually started and ran with jump leads connected but wouldn't idle.

I have had the battery on charge overnight and gone out this morning, the car will start after much cranking and pedal but then will briefly rev to 3000 before dying again. I have cracked all accessible injector lines and they seem to be getting fuel.

So what should I be checking? Seems like a fuel supply problem to me but filter is brand new and have checked the in tank pump recently as well.

Would really appreciate any suggestions as I'm a bit lost with this now.

Thanks.

  glad your sorted . similar happened to me. i now consider 10ltrs as empty rather than run low

[Shackeng]

Interesting thread, as it has been suggested recently by wiser OOF heads than mine that nowadays it is not necessary to worry about picking up c**p when running low fuel levels. However IMHO I still think it is still a sensible precaution.

[Dink]

In all honesty mate this was probably my fault.

I'd inspected the lift pump a week or two before and probably not connected it to the strainer properly.

I am now keeping my tank as full as I can but only because I now know there are still a few bits of crap floating around my tank.

[Shackeng]

The crud had to come from somewhere!