Air In The Fuel System

[Guest greyhead]

i have a problem with air bubbles in the fuel system.All is fine when the the car is idleing but when the you rev the engine the clear hose from the fuel filter fills with air bubbles,some big.i have tried to get the air out by bleeding the banjo bolt but it still doing the same thing.On the motorway the car struggles to get up to speed and the engine management light comes on,is this related to the above problem.

please can someone help me on this as its 'driving' me mad.

[kfk]

Could be related to the problem.....do you also have problems starting it....do you have to keep pumping the primer?

 

What engine is fitted/age of vehicle?.....this might help you get some usefull pointers to the cause of your problem.

 

If its a 1.9D i would start looking for air leaks at the fuel filter housing lid....replace filter and seal, and then move on to the fuel pipe that runs over the cam pulley and down the rear of the engine....it isnt unussual for the fuel pipe to perrish at the rear of the engine....it doesnt leak but it does allow air to be drawn into the system.

[Guest greyhead]

Could be related to the problem.....do you also have problems starting it....do you have to keep pumping the primer?

 

What engine is fitted/age of vehicle?.....this might help you get some usefull pointers to the cause of your problem.

 

If its a 1.9D i would start looking for air leaks at the fuel filter housing lid....replace filter and seal, and then move on to the fuel pipe that runs over the cam pulley and down the rear of the engine....it isnt unussual for the fuel pipe to perrish at the rear of the engine....it doesnt leak but it does allow air to be drawn into the system.

thanks for the prompt reply,its a 1.9td 1997,yes i do have problems starting it and it does throw out alot of black smoke when its started.I presume there should be no bubbles in the fuel system at all?

 

thanks

[kfk]

.....ok......so i would check the fuel filter housing for air leaks and also the pipe at the rear of the engine for cracks/perrishing.

 

the poor starting could be down to air ingress or maybe glow plug failure.....obviously if the glow plugs have failed this will cause a problem cold starting but wont cause air in the system.

 

To try and confirm if the air is causing poor starting try priming the diesel system with the ball pump before cranking it over.

[Guest greyhead]

.....ok......so i would check the fuel filter housing for air leaks and also the pipe at the rear of the engine for cracks/perrishing.

 

the poor starting could be down to air ingress or maybe glow plug failure.....obviously if the glow plugs have failed this will cause a problem cold starting but wont cause air in the system.

 

To try and confirm if the air is causing poor starting try priming the diesel system with the ball pump before cranking it over.

 

Thanks again will check it over tomorrow and post a response.

[Guest Colin Hunter]

Do you put your foot on the accellerator when you're cranking the engine? Citroen say not to as it intruduces excess fuel to the combustion chambers, which can "Quench! the glowplugs and when the car does eventually start there's a cartload of unburnt fuel in the chambers which results in piles of black smoke. Because there's no seperate "Lift" pump on the XUD, the fuel system before the pump is under negative pressure when the engine is running. Therefore any imperfection could cause air to be drawn in. KFK will know better than me where the likely places are as he has lots more experience of cranky Citroens. If you can, try parking with the car facing downhill and see if that helps. Won't cure anything but may help in the short term.

 

Cheers. :lol:

[Guest greyhead]

Hi thanks for all the help I do put my foot on the accelerator and it does give out a lot of smoke will

start without in future, my son in law changed the fuel filter and it appears to have cured the problem

the warning light does not come on, and on the motorway the car is now going over 60mph.

Regards Dave.