XJ 2.5TD VM... weird problem!!

[vernicious]

Originally Posted by layback40

You are asking a person in Australia where to purchase VM/Bosch parts from?

Ya, sounds a little counter intuitive I know... You'd be surprised at the lack of parts here in Italy. It's almost like the Italians view all cars as throw away. The moment you have a problem, time to buy another car. Finding engine parts for this thing has been a chore. If I need anything else I just pick it up from Rock Auto. The rest of the vehicle (with a few exceptions) is the US version.

Thanks for the info, you're really helping this novice guy out.

[vernicious]

Ok, next question. Do you think air in the fuel system could cause this problem? I replaced one of my fuel tubes today. Then I primed the system, and realized the bleed plug had the top part cracked. It's now profusely bleeding fuel from the plug, and the engine can't run due to lack of fuel.

So, is it possible the reason I'm having lack of power above 2000 rpm is due to lack of fuel?

Also, any thoughts on where to find a new plug?

[layback40]

Originally Posted by vernicious

Ok, next question. Do you think air in the fuel system could cause this problem? I replaced one of my fuel tubes today. Then I primed the system, and realized the bleed plug had the top part cracked. It's now profusely bleeding fuel from the plug, and the engine can't run due to lack of fuel.

So, is it possible the reason I'm having lack of power above 2000 rpm is due to lack of fuel?

Also, any thoughts on where to find a new plug?

Anything is possible!
Probably not an air problem as when air is in the system it causes a stall type of condition & when you drop below 2k the air is still there & would take a while to clear.
Not sure what bleed plug you are talking about. If its on the pump, best go & see a Bosch diesel system place that does work on trucks etc.

[vernicious]

Originally Posted by layback40

Anything is possible!
Probably not an air problem as when air is in the system it causes a stall type of condition & when you drop below 2k the air is still there & would take a while to clear.
Not sure what bleed plug you are talking about. If its on the pump, best go & see a Bosch diesel system place that does work on trucks etc.

Luckily for my I have an iPhone and use it quite a bit... Here's a pic of the part. You can see the plunger and the bleed plug. The plug should have an edge on it that covers the packing. My XJ has taken longer and longer to start and I knew it was due to air. I just didn't realize the leak was coming from this area. Now it starts with a quick bump of the key.

I fixed it temporarily using black silicon gasket maker. I know the diesel will erode this, but it was all I had at 9 pm last night. I coated the threads of the plug and installed it, then put a small bead around the plug to seal it from the outside. I then let it cure overnight. It's working so far...

Attached is the before and after. Like I've said before, I'm an aircraft mechanic. We have a fuel shop here and they have some selant we use on the aircraft tanks. I figure the fuel is very similar, so I'm going to get some from them. I'd really like to find the cap, but I suspect I'll have to puchase and entire housing (which I'm not willing to do for a plastic cap).

As far as the issue of revving past 2000 rpm, this definitely didn't fix it. After I posted last night, I pulled the air cleaner off and tried to clean off the MAF. I found one of the tabs on the sensor broken, and about to head into the intake manifold. I'm pretty sure this is the cause at this point. Typically, a broken part does the trick....

[amlav]

I've managed to break the ceramic resistor tips on the MAF sensor when tried to clean it . Not having a replacement at that time I just put it back and used the car for a few days but did not notice any issues going over 2000 rpm.
Maybe under heavy load would have been different story ...don't know.
Read the codes, check injector no:1 sensor for internal resistance.
If need be remove injector and check sensor pin for smooth travel and no jamming .
Check also temperature sensor or look for broken wiring at connectors .
Have a look at this site :
http://www.dieselinjectorsuk.co.uk/d...needle-sensor/
Cheers,
Andrei

[vernicious]

Originally Posted by amlav

I've managed to break the ceramic resistor tips on the MAF sensor when tried to clean it . Not having a replacement at that time I just put it back and used the car for a few days but did not notice any issues going over 2000 rpm.
Maybe under heavy load would have been different story ...don't know.
Read the codes, check injector no:1 sensor for internal resistance.
If need be remove injector and check sensor pin for smooth travel and no jamming .
Check also temperature sensor or look for broken wiring at connectors .
Cheers,
Andrei

Thanks for the tip. I've pulled the codes from the ECU and it says there are none. We ohm'd out the #1 injector and it's reading just over 100 ohms. I haven't checked the needle for movement. I wish I would have known that when I had the injector out a couple weeks ago...

[amlav]

Just sent you a link on my previous post ...I'll post the link again .
http://www.dieselinjectorsuk.co.uk/d...needle-sensor/
Cheers ,
Andrei