trouble starting symptoms

[neville56]

Hi guys, an update on my problems with my 02 STR 3.0 Ltr are as follows, It started with the engine light flashing and it would cough and splutter and then clear up and run ok when you go down a gear, I changed the fuel filter and bled air and it started and ran ok. The battery is only 3 months old and now if i start it first thing in the morning it starts on the starter, runs for about 2 mins and cuts out, then to get it going i have to tow it and it runs fine until i switch it off and leave it for a few hours,and it all goes on again from there. I am starting to think that maybe the fuel pressure is dropping when it is not runnig? The pump on the top of the filter housing used to suck down while it was running previously, now it is not. Has anybody had anything like this happen? and if so how did you solve it? thanks

 

[tweak'e]

sounds like sucking air into fuel lines and/or blockage.
place a bit of clear fuel line on the pump outlet and look for bubbles. common place for air getting in is around filter and primer.
if primer is getting sucked down then i suspect blockage. either dented fuel pipes or blockage in the tank.

 

[Old.Tony]

Dirt/rust/junk in the fuel from dirty tanks at service stations could cause that. No point pursuing them, because it's difficult to prove the fuel was theirs.

Bad biodiesel could also gum up the works too.

To fix either you'd be pulling the fuel system apart and putting it back together. New seals and a close examination of all hoses is mandatory.

Tweak'e points out dented fuel pipes and that'd be so easy to overlook, because it won't necessarily leak but because of the suction from the fuel pump, it will create an extreme low pressure in the fuel lines between the dent and the pump that it could easily suck air even through a normally good seal. If you're seeing air in your lines, this is a definite must-check.

I'm a bit perplexed at the symptoms though. Let me get this straight:

* you start the car with the starter motor and it runs for 2 mins then stops

* in order to start the car again, it must be towed & clutch-started, after which it runs fine for a time - how long is that?

* if you shut the vehicle down and wait for a couple of hours you go back to the original symptoms

Somewhere in there I'm guessing heat is playing a part - like once the engine actually warms up it's fine. I wonder how long since the injectors have had a service? Could they be sticking a bit when the engine is cold? It's not a complete stretch of the imagination to think that TWO problems have occurred.

 

[scottybobcat]

wasn't this topic in another thread