Nissan d22 str 3.0 starting then dying out

[Scarlettadam]

Hey guys, I'm new to this page/forum I have a 3.0 litre str d22 that has trouble starting, will start but after 10-15 seconds it dies out and has massive trouble starting again sometimes to a degree where I have to charge my battery to get it started. I have has the glow plugs replaced and changed fuel filter. Does anyone know what it could be.? Cheers

 

[Ben_W]

Sounds like air is being sucked into the fuel system. Check all hoses and clamps including return lines from injectors to injector pump and IP to tank. Primer pump is also a likely culprit. Pump the primer immediately after shutting down the engine & see how many pumps it takes to get hard. Wait a couple of hours then prime again. How many pumps now? To trace the air leak, temporarily replace the fuel hose with clear hose after primer pump & after injector pump and look for air bubbles.
Oh, and welcome to the forum!

 

[Scarlettadam]

Thanks Ben, will do. Will this happen all the time if there is air.? The first initial start is the problem. After the car has been started it will start fine everytime until the next morning when I go to start it again. Bloody bummer of a problem need to fix it tho.!

 

[Scarlettadam]

Also if there is a difference in the pumps what does that mean.?

 

[Rumpig]

If theres an air leak at the fuel filter/lines then the fuel in the lines will drain back into the tank overnight, hence hard to start in the morning because the injector pump has to try and suck fuel all the way from the tank, something it's not designed for.

 

[Ben_W]

Definitely sounds like air getting in somewhere. Starting problems occuring after the car has been sitting overnight is a pretty classic symptom. If the primer pump is leaking or you have a fuel hose which is not sealing properly, the fuel will drain back to the tank and you will have air in the fuel filter or the lines. If it is one of the fuel hoses on the injector pump, you may be getting air into the pump. Either way, checking your primer after the car has been sitting will help to confirm this. It should only take 2 or 3 pumps before the primer is rock hard. Several pumps means air is getting in.
I recently had similar symptoms to those you describe and my problem turned out to be two poorly sealing hoses. One was the return line from the injectors to the injector pump and the other was from the IP back to the tank.

 

[Scarlettadam]

Yeah Sounds about right, tomorrow morning I will check to see how many pumps it takes. From me pumping it will that get the diesel right where it needs to be to start the rig.? And those clear hoses easily purchased from autobahn supercheap ect.? Really hope this is the problem. Cheers

 

[Ben_W]

I think it would depend where the air is being sucked in. This is what I would do if I was you: In the morning go and pump your primer to see how many pumps it takes. Once it's hard you can try and start the car, if it doesn't start you may have to keep priming and cranking. If necessary you can disconnect the injector return line and pump fuel through to that point using the primer, which should get most of the air out. One thing to be aware of is not to crank the engine for too long. The injector pump is lubricated and cooled by the diesel being pumped through it and they don't like prolonged dry cranking.
I would visually check and wriggle all the flexible hoses and clamps. Look for any signs of diesel leaking which may or may not show depending if the leak is in an area of pressure or suction.
The other thing you could do is get some plastic line clamps from Supercheap, Repco etc. What I did when I was having problems was clamp off the fuel hose on the outlet side of the filter overnight. The next morning I pumped the primer with the clamp still in place and found it got hard very quickly. This told me that the problem was not between the filter and the tank, so I then turned my attention to the hoses on the injector pump. By clamping the flexible hose in different locations you should be able to narrow down the location of the problem
If you want to try using clear hose, I think Bunnings might be the best bet. Search the forum as there are a few other threads on the topic. Just put the clear hose in one section at a time and look for lots of air bubbles. The line clamps would come in very handy when doing this so you don't have to re-prime each time you disconnect the hoses.

 

[Scarlettadam]

Thanks heaps for that. I'll keep you posted on how I go. Appreciate it a lot.! Cheers

 

[Ben_W]

No worries, good luck!

 

[Scarlettadam]

Update, used the primer this morning before starting it, probably 6-10 pumps to make it rock hard. Started fine so must be a airleak somewhere. Now to find it... If I keep priming it to start it will it stuff it up just until I find the leak.?

 

[Ben_W]

Yep, 6-10 pumps means air is getting in somewhere. Priming the system to get started should be fine for a while, however air in the fuel is not good for your injector pump in the long term, so I would try to get it sorted fairly soon. Is there any sign of diesel leaking? Let the engine idle for a minute or two, then have a good look around with a torch especially around the injector pump and injector lines. Next, I would definitely recommend getting about 4 of the clamping tools I mentioned. You should be able to pick them up from any auto parts place for $5-$10 each. Preventing as much air as possible from entering the system when disconnecting or replacing fuel hoses or changing the filter makes a big difference when it comes to priming and restarting the engine. If all your flexible fuel hoses have never been changed, they are probably hard and brittle, so it would probably be worth replacing them. It's also inexpensive and not too difficult, some of them are a bit fiddly though- especially getting the clamps on. You might consider replacing the original spring clamps with worm drive ones but be careful not to over tighten them. If that doesn't fix the problem, I would try pumping the primer up hard as soon as you shut down, then clamp off the hose as close as possible to the filter outlet and leave overnight. With the clamp still in place, pump the primer again. If it still takes 6-10 pumps to get hard then I would suspect the primer.
Hope this helps, keep us posted on any progress.

 

[Scarlettadam]

I haven't noticed any diesel leaks as of yet, hopefully get a chance during this week to replace hoses and find the source. If not Defantly the weekend the primer will have to do me until then haha. Thanks heaps Ben_W!

 

[Ben_W]

No worries mate, let us know how you go.

 

[Scarlettadam]

This morning it was about 15 pumps and didn't start.! I'm going to have to sort it out today. With it taking that many pumps and not starting will it still be an air leak or something more serious.?

 

[Scarlettadam]

Found the problem.! One of the main hoses was cracked that goes to the injector pump.. Do I need to bleed the fuel or is it okay to just put the line back on then prime.?

 

[Ben_W]

Bugger! If all your fuel hoses look ok, then I would be starting to suspect the primer pump. Especially if you have not noticed any diesel leaking, cause if it's letting that much air in then I would expect fuel to leak out when you pump the primer very hard, since by doing so you are effectively pressurising the whole system so that even sections which are under suction when the engine is running will be under pressure after vigorous priming. I'm pretty sure there have been a quite few others who have had similar problems due to the primer pump leaking. It seems to be the YD25 powered Navs which are more prone to this problem though. Maybe just double check the o-ring seals on the fuel filter. Did you replace the filter with genuine or aftermarket unit? There have been many reports of aftermarket filters not sealing properly- again mainly on the YD25. I've never had a problem with aftermarket filters on my ZD30.
Not sure if you can get aftermarket primer pumps- I think they might be genuine only part and I think are something like $250 from Nissan. I guess you could try a 2nd hand one from a wreckers but it's still a bit of an unknown quantity.

 

[Ben_W]

Ah, just saw your post above. Good you've found the problem. If you've got your new bit of hose, what you need to do is connect the supply end first. Then pump the primer til a you get a solid stream of diesel out of the hose. If you can reach the end of the hose while pumping so much the better. Use your finger to block the end of the hose between pumps (like a one way valve). This will stop air from being sucked back into the line when you stop pumping. Then push the outlet end of the hose onto the fitting on the injector pump & do up your clamps. Pump up the primer and try to start. You may have to prime and then crank a few times. Remember only fairly short bursts of cranking. Also when you are cranking the engine over, have the accellerator pedal flat to the floor ie throttle wide open.

 

[Scarlettadam]

It stated first crank, does this mean there is no air in hoses/fuel lines. Thanks for bearing with me mate. All new to me haha cheers

 

[Ben_W]

Excellent news! Yep should be all good. The injector pumps on these things pump a lot of fuel- they can circulate the entire contents of the tank in a matter of minutes, which is used to lubricate the mechanical components in the IP as well as cool the pump ecu which is mounted on top of the pump. So if it has started and run for a while without cutting out, I think you can be fairly confident all the air is gone. Maybe go for a spin around the block to get everything moving and go through the normal rev range.
Hopefully you've fixed the problem.