Diesel Quality

[coastline taxis]

Not a citroen but it dosnt really matter in this case. Got a vivaro in as it was running rough anyway traced it to no fuel. Anyway the fault is down to a blocked furl filter so put another 1 in and it ran for 20 miles then gunged up again. So now we know the tank and lines are coming of to be cleaned. Now this is were the wealth of experience that is on this site is going to give me the answer. The filter is blocked with what can only be described as jelly just like what goes with a trifle. theres loads of it in the tank as we had camera down. put it on the bench and it will wooble it has no smells its just a colourless jelly. Van has locking fuel cap and all diesel recipts from garage for fuel. Made loads of phone calls today and no one has come across this before.

 

will post more info tomorow after weve took the tank off

[myglaren]

Not a citroen but it dosnt really matter in this case. Got a vivaro in as it was running rough anyway traced it to no fuel. Anyway the fault is down to a blocked furl filter so put another 1 in and it ran for 20 miles then gunged up again. So now we know the tank and lines are coming of to be cleaned. Now this is were the wealth of experience that is on this site is going to give me the answer. The filter is blocked with what can only be described as jelly just like what goes with a trifle. theres loads of it in the tank as we had camera down. put it on the bench and it will wooble it has no smells its just a colourless jelly. Van has locking fuel cap and all diesel recipts from garage for fuel. Made loads of phone calls today and no one has come across this before.

 

will post more info tomorow after weve took the tank off

 

 

How many times are you going to post this Steve? :)

[paul.h]

I would save the jelly in a sealed glass jar for your customer to claim against the petrol station (or is it some of the home made stuff ?). You may have to give them a bit of a report on what you found. It sounds as though it must have come in with the fuel so part of a contaminated batch (low storage tank level, delivery tanker previous load not cleaned out ?) and there are likely to be more people with the same problem.

[Johndouglas]

Made loads of phone calls today and no one has come across this before.

 

 

 

Nor have I and I've owned and been driving diesel vehicles for over 25 years. But apparently it is a common occurance with diesel fuel, caused by microbial contamination where fuel has been in storage for too long. It seems if diesel is allowed to stand with just a small amount of water in it, bacteria begins to grow forming this jelly-like substance. Probably once you get a small amount of contaminated fuel into your tank, the problem continues to increase. There's plenty on the 'net about it.

[coastline taxis]

Finding it hard to take all this in.

well after making a few phone calls today weve found out the what it is and what caused it and from what weve been told this morning in the next few years its going to be a big problem with diesel engines

As J.D correctly said its a bug a microbe ( theres 20 different types of bug) that lives in the diesel tank all it needs is one tiny drop of water and inside of 12 hours youve got a big problem if left untreated it will do filters/pumps/injectors heres the link to who we were talking to inhttp://liquideng.co.uk/content/view/69

Now nearly every diesel has these bugs and it just needs the right condions and of it goes. we were told to check the filler cap seal and sure enough it was goosed so every time the van was getting jetwashed and the owner was giving extra atention to the filler flap to get rid of the diesel trails he was giving the microbes a all you can eat buffet.

 

The cure

Clean and flush the fuel system then give the van a tablet once a week for 12 weeks yes a tablet once a week

 

 

When i started serving me time you needed a hammer/screwdriver/few spanners and oxy/acetlyne and you could fix anything. Now you need diagnostics and tablets to fix them i sometimes wonder if things arnt going a bit to far or maybe its time i retired and moved back to holland

[Johndouglas]

 

 

The cure

Clean and flush the fuel system then give the van a tablet once a week for 12 weeks yes a tablet once a week

 

 

 

 

What's best Steve - paracetamol or viagra? :)

[coastline taxis]

Been doing some more reading up on this and the jelly stuff that was clogging the filter is actually the dead microbes

Copyed the following of the site i was reading

 

Fungus and Bacteria

These micro-organisms live in water and feed on the

hydrocarbons found in fuel. Called Humbugs for short, these active and

multiplying colonies will spread throughout a fuel system and quickly plug a fuel

filter. The fuel filter will have a slime coating over the surface of the media,

dramatically reducing the service life of the filter. Bacteria may be any color, but

is usually black, green or brown. Draining the system will reduce microbial

activity, but will not eliminate it. The only way to eliminate microbial growth once

it has started is to clean and treat the system with a biocide.