2000 2.5d 4FB starting problem

[EastTexasRed]

Hi all, I'm trying to resuscitate a 2000 2.5d (4FB) which has been standing for at least 6 years. It has PATS, which seems to be ok, as it turns over and fires. The problem is that it fires, the revs start to build but then it slowly dies. Every time, exactly the same. There is also some white smoke. The complicating factor is that, when I started looking at this originally, the fuel didn't look or smell like diesel - it smelled not so much like paraffin, more like something that my grandad wouldve had in his shed decades ago - something familiar but I can't think what. It was darker than diesel. I've emptied the tank, changed the fuel filter, filled with diesel, but now I have the problem above (ie, starts then dies). It seems to me this is a fuel delivery problem. Could it be that whatever the fuel was, it has clogged an injector or two, complicated by the length of time it has been standing? If so, is there a way to clean the injectors? Has anybody had the bacterial problem with old diesel? Does it smell like some sort of woodworking treatment? Anybody experienced anything like this? Thanks for reading, any advice obviously appreciated.

[amlav]

Try and feed the pump from a plastic container/bottle at least it will narrow down finding the possible problem .Also remove the fuel cap to see if breather not obstructed .

[Jim Archer]

Sounds like it was being run on Veg oil and the pump is gummed up internally.

Be worth checking the timing as well.

Jim

[EastTexasRed]

Sounds like it was being run on Veg oil and the pump is gummed up internally.

Be worth checking the timing as well.

Jim

Does anyone know if there's a way to flush the pump through?

Thanks for the advice guys.

[cosimo]

Hi, my mechanic once suggested me to add one liter of gasoline and one liter of two strokes oil for a full tank. Maybe can help...

[EastTexasRed]

Hi, my mechanic once suggested me to add one liter of gasoline and one liter of two strokes oil for a full tank. Maybe can help...

Trouble is it doesn't stay running long enough at the moment. Certainly once I get it going I'm going to use either petrol or a specific additive to get in there - although I've read that petrol can be damaging to the pump because it is astringent (is that the right word? - it can act against the lubricating effect of diesel).

I think it's the injectors. When I take off the fuel lines at the injectors they all seem to be pulsing nicely. My next step is to remove the injectors and see if they're gummed up. If they are, can anyone recommend a way to clean them?

[Altransit]

Hi, my mechanic once suggested me to add one liter of gasoline and one liter of two strokes oil for a full tank. Maybe can help...

I've read that petrol can be damaging to the pump because it is astringent (is that the right word? - it can act against the lubricating effect of diesel)

Which is why you add the petrol along with some 2 stroke oil to properly lubricate the system

These older fuel systems are fairly bullet proof, and you can add all sorts of stuff to the fuel without harming anything. The same cannot be said for the later TDCi systems
I used to buy the containers of die-trol (petrol and diesel mix) from the adjacent garage, where he had emptied the fuel systems from misfuelled vehicles, and add it to the tank of my old Mk5 (5 litres to a full tank), without any harmful effects, and I did that for years!

[Chug]

Does it sit running at idle ok?

If it starts and runs briefly then I would suspect fuel supply restriction/blockage, it lets enough fuel through to start but the restricted fuel supply wont let enough fuel through for higher revs.
As suggested above run a fuel pipe from a can of diesel direct to the injection pump inlet and see if it revs up ok then.

[EastTexasRed]

Does it sit running at idle ok?

If it starts and runs briefly then I would suspect fuel supply restriction/blockage, it lets enough fuel through to start but the restricted fuel supply wont let enough fuel through for higher revs.
As suggested above run a fuel pipe from a can of diesel direct to the injection pump inlet and see if it revs up ok then.

It only runs for a few seconds. I've bypassed the lifter pump and the fuel filter using a bottle etc. and still the same problem. When I disconnect the unions at the injectors all four seem to be pulsing ok, so I'm guessing it's the injectors. My concern now is how to clean the injectors.

[EastTexasRed]

Which is why you add the petrol along with some 2 stroke oil to properly lubricate the system

Doh! Of course. Thanks.