hi there.

so i am visiting someone in wayne, nj and luck have it my car started acting up. does anyone know of a good trustworthy shop (that is open on saturdays) where I could take her in tomorrow?

Additionally, maybe someone can help me out on some trouble shooting. I have a strange problem with my car where my fuel tank creates suction as i drive. if the suction becomes too great, my car will not start. at that point, i have to manually prime the engine; then it starts up fine. so i filled up my tank before my trip and went on my way only to find that about half way through the trip, my car was not accelerating as it should. i was topping out at 45 mph with the pedal to the metal. i pulled over without stopping the car and let the suction out. i saw a wave of diesel fuel fly out of the car (lots of suction). i put the cap back on but not too tight. sometimes the acceleration would be okay, only to "lose power" and not be able to accelerate anymore. it would feel slightly "sputtery" but would never completely die. i got to my destination, manually primed the engine; it felt as though there was some air in the lines...it started right up again but i haven't taken it out again yet. any ideas?

__________________
"helga"
1982 300D
white/navy 191k

Iam thinking if you have a suction, then the tank vent is plugged.

look under the car, in front of the L/R wheel, but sort of behind it. there
is a little bell shaped thing pointing down. pull it off and clean it out. this is the
vent for the tank.

Charlie

__________________
there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

iI also have a fuel suction issue that stops me at about 1/4 tank. I have been opening the tank cap relieving the suction and filling up before i have problems
Could be a plugged fuel tank vent or in tank fuel strainer.
how are your fuel filters?

__________________
1981 240D 143k 4 spd manual -SOLD

2004 VW Jetta TDI 5 speed 300k -still driven daily

hi, i have not replaced/cleaned the fuel filters or the tank's vent either. i am thinking this must be the case. rather, i am hoping with fingers and toes crossed that this is the case. thank you for the input!

__________________
"helga"
1982 300D
white/navy 191k

Also sounds like you may have got a tank of Water filled Diesel. The water has swelled the paper element in the causing excess suction on the system

Remove the plugged unit.
You can drive without it until the new one arrives in a few days.

1234700225 Fuel tank pressure vent valve




Have a great day.

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________
ASE Master Mechanic
asemastermechanic@juno.com

Prototype R&D/testing:
Thermal & Aerodynamic System Engineering (TASE) Senior vehicle instrumentation technician.
Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH).
Dynamometer.
Heat exchanger durability.
HV-A/C Climate Control.
Vehicle build.
Fleet Durability
Technical Quality Auditor.
Automotive Technical Writer

1985 300SD
1983 300D
1984 190D
2003 Volvo V70
2002 Honda Civic

https://www.boldegoist.com/

If it is not the Tank Vent; swap the Fuel Inlet Hose with the Fuel Outlet hose and keep the Tank filled.
This will bypass the Fuel Tank Screen and at the same time may back flush the Fuel Tank Screen.

__________________
84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

I once had a gasser that had a crimped vent line. My tank collapsed from the suction before I know what was going on. So don't delay in correcting this problem.

__________________
85 300D 75K Anthracite Grey 0-60 in 13 seconds **For Sale**
84 300D 333K Black (The Velveteen Rabbit) 0-60 in 14 seconds
00 Toyota Sienna 208K (Sold)
15 Subaru Outback 43K
11 Subaru Outback 67K
98 Ford Taurus 100K (Gertie - Was Grandma's - drove it to church and shopping - really) Daughter's car now.
30 Model A Ford 2 Door Sedan (Sold) 0-60 in . . . Never reached 60

okay...so i'm in need of some help again.

My fuel filters were totally filled with crap. He put in all new ones and said he cleaned them out. it drove back home and now won't turn on again. it turns over but just sputters and sputters and turns off. there is STILL suction in the tank. i'm thinking that he didnt thoroughly clean the "gunk" out of the tank and now it's been sucked right back into the fuel filters...any ideas?

__________________
"helga"
1982 300D
white/navy 191k

You said, "he put in new ones and cleaned them out"? You cannot clean out those filters. You replace them. Did he clean something else out?

What exactly does that mean?

Are you still out of town?

It sounds like you really need to just drain the tank, pull the screen and blow some compressed air through the lines. When you refill use some biocide or BioDiesel to help clean the rest of the crud out of the tank.

You can use a couple pieces of 2x6 or 2x8 stacked 2 pieces high to get the car high enough to get a fuel can or 2 under there. The tank screen is a large 46mm socket. Any Northern Tool or other local tool shop will have it for about $8. Once you drain the fuel out, you can clean the screen with some brake clean and put it back in there. Leave the lines under the car unhooked, go up under the hood and unhook the 2 lines on the drivers fender and blow back through. Hook everything back up and fill her up with fresh fuel. If you have a mighty vac, it helps to pull fuel from the tank through the supply line before you hook the primary filter back up. Then pump the primer until you hear the "fart sound" and you are good to go. This whole procedure only took me about 30 minutes when I did it.

After running the BioDiesel or biocide I would change the filters again after the next tank or carry some with you in case you clog it up one more time.


Edit: A couple more things. If the tank is really nasty you may have to pull it out of the car to clean it. Also, once this is resolved, you should seriously consider where you buy your fuel and stay away from the places you have been going. Try to buy from a source that is known to go through a lot of fuel. IE: truck stops, local stores that cater to heavy equip. or your small town oil company that supplies biodiesel and other fuels and oils. PM me if you need any help. I just flushed and cleaned my tank recently. It was pretty easy.

__________________
AJ

1985 300D (SOLD)

where do you live!? wanna help me!? i am back from being out of town. he replaced my filters and assumed (wrongly apparently) that he cleaned out my fuel tank. It did drive the two hours home, so do you think the gunk that was in the fuel tank just re-clogged up the filters? i bought the car about a year ago and it seems as though the filters had never been changed in 27 years so i'm sure it's a lot of gunk in there.

__________________
"helga"
1982 300D
white/navy 191k

I'm in Florida or I would be right over. Seriously. I have noting to do tonight or tomorrow. Anyway... He cleaned the tank... OK... Did he clean the screen, remove it or cut a hole in it? Did he even remove the screen. When you say "he cleaned the tank", what exactly did he do?

If the car sat for a long time the algae build up might have been substantial. What did he re-fill the tank with. Did he put an additive in the tank to help with the crud?

I'm assuming that you have ruled out any air leaks. Especially between the hose from the hard supply line to the primary filter, then the connection at the bottom of the primary filter, the connection at the top of the primary filter and then the connection to the lift pump. Also, look closely at the primer pump. Is it the older style or new one? If it is the old one, be sure to check that seal at the base where it screws down. That o-ring is known to leak.

Look for a PM.

__________________
AJ

1985 300D (SOLD)

Until you get the crappy fuel out of the tank and the tank cleaned you will keep plugging up filters.

This could slow down the filter plugging. When the returning fuel gets back to the fuel tank it enter the tank at a higher level then down at the bottom. Assuming that the gunk is heavier than the fuel most of it should also be down on the bottom.
If you swap the positions of your Fuel Inlet Hose with the Fuel Out let hose it will allow you to draw fuel from a higher point inside of the fuel tank and hopefully not pull in so much gunk.
The drawback is that you will need to make sure you tank is kept filled above the 1/2 tank level as because you are pulling fuel from a higher position in the Fuel Tank it would mean you would also run out of Fuel before your Gas/Fuel gauage shows empty.

__________________
84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

As a short term solution, at least carry a number of replacement primary filters. They are cheap and can be replaced in less than 2 minutes. When the primary plugs, replace it. Combine this advice with the the suggestion that you switch outlet and return lines and you could drive the car indefinitely without cleaning out the tank.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

I fail to see how clogged filters can contribute to negative pressure in the fuel tank. The only thing that prevents a negative pressure differential is a vent. Or a leak.