Fuel starvation?

1984 110 2.5 n/a engine.

A few weeks ago my landy started cutting out. You would have to wait a few minutes then you could start again, go another 1/2 - 3 miles then cut out again... and so on.

Trying to get back home, nothing obvious, drained water off etc, changed fuel filter, bled etc etc and still you could only get a short distance before cutting out again (new fuel pump stop solenoid fitted about 1 year ago, so that should be OK). Eventually ran out of battery power to keep starting and had to call recovery. After waiting almost an hour, I have one last try and she started. Recovery guy (sods law) turns up almost immediately, and I decide to drive it to the garage he comes from, (which just so happens to be a 4x4 specialist, who used to deal almost exclusively with Landys) with him follwoing in case it cuts out again. This time of course she runs perfectly the 5 miles to the garage! Deciding that I need it sorted and am on shift the next few days so can't look at it myself, I left it with them. Unfortuantely, it was running fine and they could find nothing wrong. I've had it back 3 weeks and all was fine, then today it's back to square one with it cutting out and follwoing the same pattern. It feels like fuel starvation. After coming to a halt, it will restart then chug and stop in a few seconds. then after another couple of minutes, it will start properly and away you go. At times it feels like its not got full power but recovers before coming to a halt again. I've given it system cleaner, changed the fuel filter, air filter, tightened up fuel pipe unions (in case it was sucking air) etc, but I'm absolutely foxed. I'd be grateful if anyone has some ideas. It is not a turbo, it's a 1984 normaly aspired 2.5 diesel.

Have you checked the fuel tank breather?

Yep. -also opened cap wehen the engine cut out to see if any vaccum, none aparent.

I've checked the cap when the engine cut out to see if there was any vaccum (As I observed on a friends car once) when the engine cut out, there wasn't any, but I'll go double check thanks.

You just said that. lol.

I know - I though it hadn't gone on. Doh!

blocked fuel line

I wondered about this as it seems as if it might be something that moves -in the way that its OK for weeks and then reappears and is inconsistent in it's effect. the fuel tank is only about 2 years old otherwise i'd have suspected 20 years of crud in it. I've got a compressor - would you suggest I try and blow it through to the tank?

Terra Ero said:

I've checked the cap when the engine cut out to see if there was any vaccum (As I observed on a friends car once) when the engine cut out, there wasn't any, but I'll go double check thanks.

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Think you will have to take the fuel tank sender unit out, there may be something floating about in the tank sticking to the pick up pipe on occasion. Had a few trucks with newspapers in them the bastids, worse thing as well coz as you drain it down all the **** sticks to the side of the tank and its a bastid to get it all out. I guess the pick up could have broke off as well, and going up hill etc it runs out of fuel.

If it were drawing air it would most likely do that all the time, but do a visible check on your fuel lines in case one of them is melted or chaffing somewhere.

If you are satisfied that all water collectors and filters are ok, then the only other thing is lift pump, also take a length of wire with you and connect it to the cut out on the pump and straight to the battery, providing that you are sure that the valve is ok, but failing that, you should be able to unscrew it and take the plunger out.

Anything done recently that you can think that might have caused it?

Nah, when it started happening I hadn't touched it for weeks really apart from checking oil levels etc. Soem good ideas there -I'm off outside to make a start on them (newspaper sounds bloody awful!). The idea of something intermittently fouling the pick up was the sort of thing I've been visualising. I've cleared through from the water seperator, filter etc, so I guess it does only leave the system before that. Though I guess a second faulty solenoid is not impossible, I think it would either fail outright or not, but you never know - so I would not get the half power bits - but I'll check it anyway (it would be the most convenient fault to fix, so it's a universal law it won't be that!). Lift pump may be worth thinking about too - I think it's going to be a process of elimination as fuel problems so often are. It's difficult when it's not actualy displaying the fault, & of course, when it does display it, 5 minutes later its better, so very hard to pin down. Do these lift pumps have a diaphragm that wears like some other older engines?

It could be air in the injector pipes, but im not really sure where that would have come from. Could be worth a try though, loosen each pipe in turn and see if any froth comes out of it.

You could try the lift pump by removing the output pipe and getting someone to spin the engine, see how much spurts out.

If it turns out that it is the lift pump, i have several spares if you want one!
And spare injection pumps anarl.


Oo does it smoke when it cuts out or chugs into life?

Thanks for that - isn't it typical, I had a chat this morning with a local mechanic who is into LRs and following his advice was ordering a new lift pump online and had just pressed to pay, then the email appeared saying new reply... and your offer of lift pump bits! c'est la vie!
Thanks anyway.
Incidentaly, he told me that he is currently removing a 2.5 which has gone hydraulic, replacing it with a 300, so I'm going to see what the owner has planned for it (the 2.5) as it might be useful for parts if he's not asking silly money.

Fair enough! As i said, i have a pile of parts for that engine also, just ask if anyone needs anything!

Just an update in case anyone else ever has this problem. Sent for a new lift pump as seemd a likely culprit and only about £20. When it arrrived it was the wrong one and paddocks tell me thats the only one they can get (mine has the inlet/outlet on the side wich goes into the glass bowl and the one they sent has the in/outlets on the top instead. The arm is also a good 1cm longer and wont fit in).
So tried taking the main fuel line off - diesel trickled out - so I blew it through with my air line and the result was after that a real full flow came through, so fingers crossed... (though obviously if that was the case, whatever it was is still in the tank, but if it was gunge, hopefully will be broken up and come to rest in the filter later). So out for a run and fingers crossed....

david451 said:

Think you will have to take the fuel tank sender unit out, there may be something floating about in the tank sticking to the pick up pipe on occasion. Had a few trucks with newspapers in them the bastids, worse thing as well coz as you drain it down all the **** sticks to the side of the tank and its a bastid to get it all out. I guess the pick up could have broke off as well, and going up hill etc it runs out of fuel.

If it were drawing air it would most likely do that all the time, but do a visible check on your fuel lines in case one of them is melted or chaffing somewhere.

If you are satisfied that all water collectors and filters are ok, then the only other thing is lift pump, also take a length of wire with you and connect it to the cut out on the pump and straight to the battery, providing that you are sure that the valve is ok, but failing that, you should be able to unscrew it and take the plunger out.

Anything done recently that you can think that might have caused it?

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I know that feeling.

Some dopey tw@t had used insulating tape to secure the fuel strainer to the end of the pick-up pipe on my old works truck. Needless to say the strainer fell off as did the insulation tape. Everytime I put my foot down it blocked the fuel pipe up again.

Lift pump would be my favourite for this... could be you've got a split in the diaphragm. Replacements from Paddocks are about £15 I think.

It's just possibly the lobe on the cam or the pump that drives the pump off the cam has worn enough that it isn't operating the pump effectively under load or that the pump lever is sticking in the 'up' position or the return spring in the pump is weak/has snapped so it isn't returning effectively.

You can get an idea as to how well it's working by cracking the bleed screw on the fuel filter and manually pumping fuel with the little handle on the lift pump - if it stops pumping or doesn't seem to pump at all, you know you've found your culprit.

Either way a new lift pump isn't going to break the bank

Cheers,

Don't yer hate it when you start typing a reply to someone and they go and fix the problem while you're still typing it?

Terra Ero said:

Just an update in case anyone else ever has this problem. Sent for a new lift pump as seemd a likely culprit and only about £20. When it arrrived it was the wrong one and paddocks tell me thats the only one they can get (mine has the inlet/outlet on the side wich goes into the glass bowl and the one they sent has the in/outlets on the top instead. The arm is also a good 1cm longer and wont fit in).
So tried taking the main fuel line off - diesel trickled out - so I blew it through with my air line and the result was after that a real full flow came through, so fingers crossed... (though obviously if that was the case, whatever it was is still in the tank, but if it was gunge, hopefully will be broken up and come to rest in the filter later). So out for a run and fingers crossed....

Click to expand...

Wuz it white snotty looking gunge?

ratty said:

Wuz it white snotty looking gunge?

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Sounds to me yer need to take the tank out, or if possible the sender unit to get into it.

what was the reason for fitting a new fuel switch, i just fitted a new one to mine as the the fuel pump was starting to break up and jamming the switch (stops the magnet making contact or my problem was the opposite not switching off) take it off and clean it