Challenge! Fuel Issue - Run out of ideas - SOLVED

[Agrilad4]

Hey all, i have a challenge for you all which is starting to get the better of me!

I serviced my euro 3 D40 at the weekend, nothing hard, nothing out of the ordinary but after replacing the fuel filter, i cannot bleed the system!

I did clamp the fuel pipes to prevent fuel draining back,
I filled the filter full of diesel
I pumped and pumped on that useless primer for hours.
Ive tried filling the lines with diesel and pumping
Ive tried using a compressor in the fuel tank to the force the fuel up.
Ive borrowed a hand primer and attached it to the outlet of the filter and to the pipe direct to the tank and still cant get enough diesel up.
Lastly yes there is diesel in the tank.

All has been running fine, its just since i took the filter off.

Any advice?

Many Thanks

 

[kernels]

If you keep on pumping but the pumper never goes 'stiff' it sounds like you have a air leak somewhere in the system.

Did you use a NISSAN original part replacement fuel filter ?

I understand that the fuel filter has a seal on it that you have to be careful with otherwise it leaks and causes the type of problems you are seeing.

Someone more knowledgeable will be round shortly to give some more detail.

 

[Agrilad4]

If you keep on pumping but the pumper never goes 'stiff' it sounds like you have a air leak somewhere in the system.

Did you use a NISSAN original part replacement fuel filter ?

I understand that the fuel filter has a seal on it that you have to be careful with otherwise it leaks and causes the type of problems you are seeing.

Someone more knowledgeable will be round shortly to give some more detail.

Yep thats it, pump away for ages for it never to get hard!

I did a service on a Ranger last week and it bled after 10 pumps! easy!

No its not a Nissan Original but it is from a good supplier and its where the last two filters have come from.

Well possibly could be an air leak but it worked without fault before taking the filter off and its only the 4 pipes off the filter housing that ive had off and they went back on securely.

 

[longy509]

what did you clamp the fuel lines with any chance u could of put a split in one

 

[doc]

Is the primer bulb farked? They have very simple valves in them which can fail.

When I have done my fuel filter, I've never bothered with clamping lines, pre filling the filter etc, just fit the new filter and prime it up.

(Am assuming you have the model with single expensive fuel filter)

 

[vool104]

Sounds like an air lock pal, fill your tank up full. Common rail don't run a lift pump so the fuel is sucked through the primary pump. Take the hose off at the fuel pump and bleed it up till fuel comes out there. It'll knock an bang for a second once it starts don't be alarmed a bit of air does that.

 

[vool104]

Also if its a euro3 filter you might have the supply hoses around the wrong way. There is 4 spouts on them.

 

[OneMofo]

Yep thats it, pump away for ages for it never to get hard!QUOTE]

Never had this problems so i cant really help you there, sorry mate good luck though. i`d check the filter seal though.

 

[Old.Tony]

The genuine Nissan filter has to be fitted perfectly so that the little o-ring seal in the middle seats properly and even Nissan dealer techs get it wrong sometimes. Judging by the number of problems with non-genuine filters, you'd have to say this particular seal is that much harder to get right.

Worth checking the primer too - as Doc says, they do fail.

Other things to consider are under-tightened or overtightened clamps, and split/cracked/hardened fuel hose.

 

[Agrilad4]

Hey. Cheers for all your help and comments.

Its interesting that vool104 said about having the hoses on the right way round because the arrows on the filter housing are the wrong way to the direction of travel for the fuel.

anyway, I cleaned up all the housing, checked all the lines for splits, checked and rechecked the seal on the filter, tried using an inline hand primer as i wondered if the trucks primer had packed up but still no luck.

Luckily, one of our tractor fitters was in the yard this morning and he suggested an air line in the tank. I explained i had already tried this but this time, he clamped the return pipes, pumped the primer while i put an air line in the tank and that did the trick in seconds!

Cheers guys!