Lift pump problem

My 300tdi 1997 discovery died about 4 mile from home, towed it home and began to source the fault, turning over but not firing although it has got half a tank of fuel in, undid the vent screw on filter and tried manualy pumping at lift pump, nothing coming out, tried cranking engine with bleed screw open still nothing, disconnected the outlet pipe off lift pump no fuel on either hand pump or crank,
Next I thought blockage on pickup pipe in tank, stripped out carpet and lining to find plate covering access to sender unit.
removed plate, undid black plast ring nut (my description) holding sender unit in tank, removed from tank all ok. blew down delivery pipe in engine that had been disconnected from lift pump till all fuel was cleaned out of pipe and air was now coming through and refitted all back into fuel tank, reconnect pipework to sender unit.
I then connected a hand syphon pump to delivery pipe in engine to draw fuel through, this it did ok so decided it must be a lift pump problem and bought ne unit from paddock with new nuts, olives and fuel filter.
Fitted new lift pump making sure it fitted over cam and not under, hand pump has full leverage movement but still no fuel, also tried cranking engine but still no fuel.
Has anybody got any ideas or suggestions please.

can your syphon be put on i/p side of lift pump to drag fuel thru the lift pump in case you have an air lock-otherwise look for air leaks in fuel lines-believe the fittings on tank or nearby are famous for disintegrating-presumably she will run if you feed it diesel direct into filter from a container somehow

check and clean out the sedimenter if its got one this can cause some fun. thats what mine ended up been hope that helps

was looking at connecting the syphon to the outlet side of lift pump tomorrow morning once the rain stops to try and prime the lift pump as you suggest, also thinking of running new copper fuel pipe once I find out what size it is, I think 8mm copper should be the same size.
Sods law, the weather is always bad when the car breaks down, normally having the lay under car in either rain, snow or ice on ground

Have found out that is 8mm copper pipe so I have decided to fit new pipe from tank to lift pump

ok I have now fitted a new copper fuel pipe direct from tank to lift pump, also fitted a priming bulb from a rover 200 diesel between the supply pipe and lift pump to make it easier to pump diesel through, fitted new lift pump and that works ok, fitted new diesel filter, primed diesel all the way through to the injector pump, cannot find a bleed point on the injector pump, so undid return pipe and primed through till diesel was coming out of the return pipe.
tried turning over engine but fails to start, cracked injector pipes no diesel there.
So now I think it is one on three problems:
1. Timing belt snapped.
2. electrical fault at injector pump.
3. Faulty injector pump.

Would like some suggestions on how I can check any or all of my theorys, or perhaps you can suggest something I have done wrong.

All ideas or suggestions welcome.

LORDPSK said:

ok I have now fitted a new copper fuel pipe direct from tank to lift pump, also fitted a priming bulb from a rover 200 diesel between the supply pipe and lift pump to make it easier to pump diesel through, fitted new lift pump and that works ok, fitted new diesel filter, primed diesel all the way through to the injector pump, cannot find a bleed point on the injector pump, so undid return pipe and primed through till diesel was coming out of the return pipe.
tried turning over engine but fails to start, cracked injector pipes no diesel there.
So now I think it is one on three problems:
1. Timing belt snapped.
2. electrical fault at injector pump.
3. Faulty injector pump.

Would like some suggestions on how I can check any or all of my theorys, or perhaps you can suggest something I have done wrong.

All ideas or suggestions welcome.

Click to expand...

Have you checked the feed to and operation of the fuel stop solenoid?

could advise me further on were the fuel stop solenoid is and how to test please

LORDPSK said:

could advise me further on were the fuel stop solenoid is and how to test please

Click to expand...

It's located at the back of the injector pump and underneath it. There are 2 types. One type has just a single wire going to it. The other type has a plastic box covering it. Do not confuse the plastic thing with 3 wires at the top of the pump as this is for the egr valve. If yours is the single wire type you need to check that the wire is connected and hasn't fallen off and that it is turning live when the ignition is switched to the 2nd stage (the point when the dash lights come on). Connecting a live feed direct from the battery to the solenoid should allow the vehicle to start assuming yours has lost its feed. When a live feed is applied or taken away you should hear and feel (if you hold it) the solenoid operating.

thanks for that will go and check now, have took the inspection cover off the pump pulley, the injector pump nut in the centre does not turn when I crank the engine and I cannot turn it with a spanner either, should it turn when I crank the engine.

LORDPSK said:

should it turn when I crank the engine.

Click to expand...

Er, yes i think so

Just been out to car, there are two connectors to the pump a black and a blue as shown in picture.

<a href="http://s438.photobucket.com/albums/qq107/mg-rovercars/?action=view&current=101_2420.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq107/mg-rovercars/101_2420.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

blue goes to erg valve and the black has three wires that goes to a plastic box that is positioned above the injector pipes on the pump.

As far as the nut not turning when I remove the cover plate is there any way of seeing if the belt has broken or pump seized with removing belt cover etc

LORDPSK said:

Just been out to car, there are two connectors to the pump a black and a blue as shown in picture.

<a href="http://s438.photobucket.com/albums/qq107/mg-rovercars/?action=view&current=101_2420.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i438.photobucket.com/albums/qq107/mg-rovercars/101_2420.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

blue goes to erg valve and the black has three wires that goes to a plastic box that is positioned above the injector pipes on the pump.

As far as the nut not turning when I remove the cover plate is there any way of seeing if the belt has broken or pump seized with removing belt cover etc

Click to expand...

your piccy dint work

LORDPSK said:

Just been out to car, there are two connectors to the pump a black and a blue as shown in picture.

blue goes to erg valve and the black has three wires that goes to a plastic box that is positioned above the injector pipes on the pump.

As far as the nut not turning when I remove the cover plate is there any way of seeing if the belt has broken or pump seized with removing belt cover etc

Click to expand...

The solenoid is on the engine side of the pump and tucked underneath. It looks a bit like a coolant temp sensor or oil pressure switch. You would be better feeling for it by hand.

OK have stripped out the cooling fan etc to allow me to take off the timing cover, I was met with all the notches on the timing belt around the crankshaft been stripped off the belt, so the crank shaft was turning but nothing else.

Removed the idle wheels and tensioner, cleaned of all the rubbish, have lined the keyway on the crankshaft with the arrow mark, lined the camshaft with the bolt hole mark/casing (my choice of words words), have put a drill bit down the locking hole to hold the injector pump in place, the two questions I have is:

1. can the marks be 360 degrees out.

2. the new belt seems the same length when put side by side but too short to put on and I am having trouble getting it on, CES(UK) were I bought it from are sure that there is only one belt that fits the 300tdi, is that true.

Only advice i can give so far based on my ownn preparations is to make sure the two pins - pump and flywheel are the right size, i think the pump is 3/8" (9.5mm) and the flywheel is 3/16" but must be central to the bung-hole, a modified bung works here if the hole can be drilled centrally. Any slop in the pins will give bad timing.

Also turn it over by hand two turns and re-insert the pins, flywheel first, to check the setting.