Help please : Running out of diesel

oldskool · Feb 4, 2011

ratty said:
My previous 2 breakdown trucks would lose a bit of power as they ran out of fuel. I had time to find somewhere safe to pull over, stop, get out my truck, unlock the lockers, find the fuel and pour it in the tank, put the can/s away again, walk back to the cab and then if I held the throttle down it would start to missfire for a few seconds. All I had to do was hold the throttle down for about 10-15 seconds and it would stop missfiring and run smoothly again and I cold drive on.

My current breakdown truck has twin fuel tanks. If I park on a side slope or with the nearside wheels up on a pavement etc then all my fuel drains from one tank to the other and the bugger cuts out. I have to crank it on the starter motor (or roll it if I'm on a hill) until I can get it on level ground at the least or an opposite side slope if possible. I then have to wait for the fuel to trickle back over to the correct side of the tank. There's no hand primer and the only way of getting it going again is by cranking it until it fires. I've made a special notch in the connector for the top intercooler hose. It enables me to use an aerosol substance via a straw inserted in said slot to help start it quicker.

In short, every vehicle is different and it's amazing just how much harder some vehicles are to start than others.

I can see the headlines now............. Women left stranded and has tripplets in back of broken down car
COS BRAKE DOWN TRUCK RUNS OUT OF FUEL :doh: :doh:

martindisco · Feb 4, 2011

As stated: 300 tdi's have a lever on the fuel pump. Loosen the nut on top of the fuel filter housing and pump the lever until fuel comes through. No need to crack the injectors.
Don't forget to tighten the nut back up......the alternative is not to let yourself run dry.

battenberg · Feb 4, 2011

have a look at this: [nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nxbIzYWADs&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL"]YouTube - Land Rover Technical 200 tdi & 300tdi diesel fuel lift pump why sometimes it won't prime....[/nomedia]

ratty · Feb 4, 2011

oldskool said:
I can see the headlines now............. Women left stranded and has tripplets in back of broken down car
COS BRAKE DOWN TRUCK RUNS OUT OF FUEL :doh: :doh:

It's bloody frustrating having half a tank of fuel yet still running out.

thebiglad · Feb 4, 2011

ratty said:
..............................

Your point about modern cars having rubber priming pumps isn't quite right. It's the diesels around the age of yours that usually have the hand primers. Your 300tdi has a hand primer. Its the black round button type thing on top of the fuel filter housing. You should find it gets stiffer as the fuel starts coming through.

No it's not Ratty mate, there is no pump on top of the filter housing. There is a pumping lever on the side of the lift pump on the side of the engine to prime the motor, although a TDi 300 will prime itself if there is enough kick in the battery.

ratty · Feb 4, 2011

thebiglad said:
No it's not Ratty mate, there is no pump on top of the filter housing. There is a pumping lever on the side of the lift pump on the side of the engine to prime the motor, although a TDi 300 will prime itself if there is enough kick in the battery.

Yeah. I sussed that one after jamesmartin posted. The last 300tdi I went to with a fuel fault had a heat exchanger built into it's filter housing. It also had a hand primer on the top. I managed to confoose myself cos of this.

I've never seen a heat exchanger like that before mind. The ones I usually see are independant units rather than all in one type houseings. If I still had a 300tdi I might well have got myself one.

Help please : Running out of diesel

oldskool

Well-Known Member

martindisco

New Member

battenberg

Well-Known Member

ratty

I'm not special I'm limited edition

thebiglad

Well-Known Member

ratty

I'm not special I'm limited edition

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