Help I'm on call and my Landy has lost power

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ridgewood12

New Member
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50
Help please. My 1996 300TDI Defender has lost power.

We have a friend who's due to give birth any day. Here in Sussex we have had about a foot and a half of snow overnight. To play and to see if the roads were passable in my Landy, I drove the 2 miles to her house. (got there fine)

Never had a problem like this before. On the way back lost all 95% of power, at first I thought it was due to the resistance of the snow, however. when I stopped I could not build up revs. If I was to guess, I'm not sure I can get past 2,500 rpm. flooring the accelerator doesn't produce any more revs.

Things I've checked
changed the fuel filter, try to bleed the air out of the fuel system by loosening the bleed screw on the top of the fuel filter housing and operating the lift pump handle. From my understanding fuel should dribble out of the bleed screw. After 10 minutes nothing.
I've got about a quarter of a tank of fuel and I haven't filled up for a while.
Can't find a sediment filter, so I don't believe I have one fitted.

The car started fine this morning and drove fine. the car still starts but runs low on revs so sounds a bit lumpy.

Sounds like fuel starvation, but don't know what to try next.

Help please
 
is it smoking?? and if so what colour?? do you run it on vegoil or straight diesel??

Try cracking a fuel banjo and see if fuels coming out at a good rate.

If that fails check you're intercooler pipes aren't delaminating and collapsing and check you're air intake isn't full of ice..
 
Thanks for your help...

OK,
Air filter is fine and dry, all air filter pipes seem free of ice.

Turbo pipes from the Intercooler seem to be fine. (not perished).
cracked the banjo fuel pipe from the top of the fuel filter, turned engine over no fuel... Cracked off the pipe to the right of the fuel pump, turned engine over no fuel. (maybe this is the wrong pipes to try).

the engine isn't smoking. this vehicle runs on diesel, no veggi oil.
 
no fuel should get plenty of fuel coming out of filter pipe if you've loosened the top pipe off. undo an injector banjo and see if any comes out of there. But I'd say no fuel getting thru.
 
Are yu using doozil or veggy fuel - could be just thickened up.

fuel filter is before the lift pump - int it - so that wont do out?
loosen the drain at the bottom of the fuel filter - see if any comes out.
then - as pikey says loosen orf injector and see if fuel there.
 
Checked drain plug on the bottom of the fuel filter. Fuel runs freely. racked of the fuel injector pipe fuel coming out of each pipe.

When I cracked off one of the pipes the revs climbed, made the mistake of cracking off the fuel filter bleed screw with engine running. now won't start. sounds to me like i have air in the system. but not 100% sure
 
Checked drain plug on the bottom of the fuel filter. Fuel runs freely. racked of the fuel injector pipe fuel coming out of each pipe.

When I cracked off one of the pipes the revs climbed, made the mistake of cracking off the fuel filter bleed screw with engine running. now won't start. sounds to me like i have air in the system. but not 100% sure

That happened to me, I did the usual checks then steadily checked the injector pipes and behold one was loose and must have been sucking in air.As soon as I tightened it up everything was fine and no problems since.

Alex
 
All sorted.
It was the fuel lift pump.

Just a couple of pointers in case anyone else a similar problem.

Thinking back there were a couple of signs.

1. Landy always started on the bottom, fired within one revolution of the engine. last few times, it's taken 4-7 to start.
2. When trying to manually pump through the fuel using the lift pump handle. There was very little resistance. I could instantly tell the difference using the new pump this morning.

This might help some one else in the future.

(oh and try and avoid what I did. dropped both olives in the snow and spent 2 hours sifting through snow)
 
All sorted.
It was the fuel lift pump.

Just a couple of pointers in case anyone else a similar problem.

Thinking back there were a couple of signs.

1. Landy always started on the bottom, fired within one revolution of the engine. last few times, it's taken 4-7 to start.
2. When trying to manually pump through the fuel using the lift pump handle. There was very little resistance. I could instantly tell the difference using the new pump this morning.

This might help some one else in the future.

(oh and try and avoid what I did. dropped both olives in the snow and spent 2 hours sifting through snow)

Good to hear, and next time, keep the olives in the Martini k ;)
 
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