Yet another fuel problem.

[Fortwilliam]

I watched a TV programme last night which showed the aftermath of a car conking out in the middle lane of a motorway and being rear ended. A father and 2 year old daughter extremely lucky to be alive.

I have a 2003 CDTI. I replaced the in tank pump about 3 years ago. Both the under bonnet pump and the in tank pump can be heard running but the car has cut out 3 times in the last year.

My daughters, and their children, use my car from time to time and I'm freaking out.

Any idea why the car is doing this when the two pumps seem to be working?

[Mike Noc]

Could be injector leakback, but if you are that worried it's worth getting the car diagnosed with a T4.

Did it cut out under acceleration, at idle, or did it vary?

[Fortwilliam]

Originally Posted by Mike Noc

Could be injector leakback, but if you are that worried it's worth getting the car diagnosed with a T4.

Did it cut out under acceleration, at idle, or did it vary?

I'll go with the T4. Thanks.

To answer your question, first time was accelerating from a slip road onto a motorway, second was in the city centre doing about 25mph and the last one was going up a hill.

[Mike Noc]

Might be worth doing a leakback test on the injectors. If one or more is leaking excessively then the HP fuel pressure can drop too low during high demand and the ECM will shut the engine down to prevent damage to the HP pump.

That could be the case for the first and third occasions.

[Fortwilliam]

Having done some research on injector faults I found a few that mentioned leaky ones and oil thinning. I checked my oil and noticed it was above the max mark and did look thin.

Additionally I took the cover off the engine to have a look at the pipework/injectors. My daughter started the engine and I got sprayed in oil that came out of where I had removed the left hand bolt in the housing.

I can't find anyone here in Belfast who can do a T4 - a link on one of the threads goes to a site no longer working.

Any thoughts or help appreciated.

[Mike Noc]

Oil thinning isn't an injector problem, but the HP pump front seal leaking. It is driven from the first timing chain, and anything leaking from the front seal will end up in the sump.

Important to get it sorted sooner rather than later if the sump is filling with diesel because there is a risk that the engine can run away with carryover of oil.

Unfortunately it sounds like a too long bolt has been used to secure your engine cover, and it has broken through the cam cover.

Not a problem as long as you keep the bolt in place.

There are other bits of diagnostic kit that can read fault codes and more on the pre OBDII diesel cars, although T4 is by far the best.

You can knock up an injector leakback tester cheaply and easy enough, so worth checking the injectors before going down the electronic diagnostic route. This is my GhettoTech version:

[IMG][/IMG]

[DMGRS]

Another vote here for either the HP pump losing pressure (my first 75 did this with a rather strong remap and a tuning box, the pump couldn't keep up - the same will happen if you have an internal leak), or possibly leakback.

[James.uk]

I had problems with my car cutting out on two occasions, aprox two years apart, both times it proved to be leaking injectors. Replaced the faulty injectors and no further trouble.
...

[mbrenn]

Hello Ed, contact NI club secretary Colin who can advise on T4 should you need it. I remember Thomas Devlin Randalstown being listed and one or 2 near Newtownards/Crossgar.

[Fortwilliam]

Thanks all.