TD5 Fuel problems

Have for some time now been having trouble starting TD5. Initially no amount of cranking would start it. Replaced fuel filter and housing, went OK for a while then the pump started the "whining" symptoms, air in the system? problem with the pump? Have now replaced the pump. Starts much better but occasionally have to crank for several seconds before the engine catches. Have learned from previous experience the need for plenty of cranking amps from the battery so that was also replaced. So what next? No signs of any leak from the fuel pressure regulator, again, been there done that!
What now? injector seals? Any help appreciated!!

Sounds like a bolixed lift pump to me.

I really should have read the whole thread before writing... sorry did you do the filter again after replacing the pump? reason i ask is the old pump could have been pulling a load of ****e into the filter. also there is a small metal, sive like, filter in the fuel pressure regulator, was that cleaned out or changed when it was done?

Yep, Filter was re-done after lift pump. You were right though, there was a mass of gunge around the filters on the in-tank lift pump which I had cleaned off as best I could, but made little difference. Hence the new lift pump. Your thoughts on the fuel pressure regulator may be worth trying although I do recall this a pig to access and remove! maybe try it this weekend. Thanks

I had a similar problem on my 110 td5, turned out to be the starter motor , sounds silly but my starter motor wasn't turning the engine over fast enough to tell the ECU to do what ever it has to do to start .
And you would never think it listening to it turn over with the old starter motor or new .

Hope this helps Martin

P.s TD5's don't have lift pumps either

Could it be crankshaft position issues?? or is there a crankshaft position sensor of the td5?! just a thought...

if the person out there wants to get this problem sorted out. i did a number of test this week on mine 53 model. what this boils down to is when the pump starts whinning like a stuck pig it is starved of diesel, the test was i had two pumps and a bucket of diesel enough to cover the pump, when powered up the pump works fine .when you lift the pump up out of the diesel roughly half way up suspend it there.power it up then you will see that the fuel will go down before it starts to stabalise when fuel starts to come in at the bottom of the pump chamber so as the the fuel is used by the engine . the level also goes down sucking in air. so the problem is the pump cannot supply the correct pressure of four bar 58 psi, that is why some of you can not start because you need hydraulic pressure of liquid, getting back to what i did. it is on supply and demand .pump if it carnt suck it won't push it.
i took the plastic shroud off the pump and drilled eight holes around the bottom of it cleaned out put back it was quiet pressured up engine perfect,
i had this problem for some time thought it was injector seals in the head with air getting back to the pump , so before eny body thinks it;s this or that . please if there is eny good fitters to help others or if this helps that all right
i have now removed the return pipe off the filter and blocked off that fitting so that pipe goes straight back using the return on the pump so not to misread eny wrong results, so the pump will not pump air this is just to identify independent circumstances simple , the fuel reg i have change to a adjustable still the same pressure 4 bar so no more stupid changing of the reg ,if in the future with eny problems very quick to maintain
ps this one has pressure gauge on it so one can see whats happing thats how i like it

Thanks for that Darker. Gives me some ideas to try. The adjustable pressure reg with the guage sounds useful? where did you source that?
Starts most of the time at the moment, just about once a day it throws a wobbly, but does start eventually. No problem once running, will happily accelerate up to 70, 80 even, with no sign of fuel starvation.

Where did you get the adjustable regulator? Got any pics?