2.5dt starved of fuel

hi the mrs run my 2.5dt out of diesel yesterday. can any one tell me how to get the air out of the system?. i have cracked open 4 of the injectors, but its stil not running right.visuly there is still a lot of air in the clear fuel pipe from the filter to the pump.when reved up they get bigger.i have replaced the fuel filter to.i aiso put 30 pounds in it this morning.duz the tank have to be full to rectify this problem?can any one help im at my wits end....

i think theres a hand pump on the fuel filter what ive heard you pump untill all air is our
if you do a search on here it will go into more detail

shadowster

You mentioned that if revved, they get bigger, well, if its running, it dosn't require bleeding!!
The air-bubbles are due to something else, check fuse 29 (I think) or maybe 39 in the fusebox, right side of the engine, it controls the in-tank fuel pump, if its ok, place a container under the fuel-filter, remove it & switch on the ignition, fuel must run out for a few seconds, if not, it the old 'pump in the tank' syndrome I'm afraid!!

I've had a few BMW Diesels, 318tds and 525tds and the system is self bleeding. Basically you turn the ignition on and the small pump in the tank will push the fuel to the filter and the main fuel pump. If you listen you might hear the air in the lines gurgling as it pushes the air back to the tank. Once the main pump is full / purged of air using this method you should not see any air in the swan neck clear pipe that comes out of the filter. If you do see air it's possible that your newly fitted fuel filter is badly fitted an letting air in.
Another know problem with these engines is the leak-off pipes that run between the injectors. These are the small flexi pipes that daisy chain between the injectors, if these perish they let air in and you'll notice that they lead back to the fuel pump and as such there will be air in the pump. Again you won't see this air in the clear swan neck pipe from the filter as this items are beyond the filter. cracked leak-off pipes sometimes look sweaty as they are pouros and the diesel leaks through. This will cause your engine to run slightly lumpy and emmisions are slightly up due to a poor burn etc..
As someone has previously mentioned the small electric pump in the tank could cause air in the clear lines as again some of the pipes and seals perish and let air in. YOu'd see this air in the clear fuel lines as its is prior to the filter.
However its too much of a coincodence that its just happened after you've changed the filter. My money is on the fact that you've missed a seal or something.
Again as someones mentioned if its running then you're OK as far as bleeding goes. you could crack the other injector pipes to be sure but you need to address the air in the system first.
I hope this run down of bit and pieces help and you'll have to excuse the spelling...
Thanks
Richard

Fill the tank up and you'll probably find the air bubbles will disappear in the clear plastic hose and you'll be running fina again. I have the same issue with mine and I've diagnosed that the pump isn't picking up fuel from the bottom third of the tank because the pick-up pipe has split and is sucking air in.

I had exactly the same problem. What I found was that the electric pump in the tank had failed. So I had that replaced. And it works perfectly. Before this (trying to save money) I changed fuel filter, leak off pipes and the pipe from the fuel filter to the fuel injection pump. Also you could check the relays under the bonnet. Check that they are clicking in ok. Try replacing with another one. Hope this helps