Car stalling prior to fuel light coming on.

[Colm]

2012 3.0Ltr Diesel Grand Cherokee
OK,
So the last 2 times the car has gone low in fuel, it has cut out. Both times it has happened while the wife was driving and both times on a roundabout causing all kinds of havoc.

Both times the Fuel gauge is just on the brink of going into the red, on both occassions it happened it was prior to the low fuel warning light coming on.
When she tried to restart it, it just continually turns over as if starved of fuel.

The first time, it happened some people jumped out and pushed her off the roundabout to a safe location. I arrived about 15minutes later jumped in and started it, it kept turning over for a few seconds and then started, fuel level was just above the red, so i drove it to service station, filled it up, and again on starting it it kept turning over for longer than usual but started and i drove it home and it was perfect after that.

Again it happened on Friday, again on a roundabout, again fuel level was just above the red, again wife couldn't restart it it just kept swinging the engine. My son arrived on this occassion and was able to get it started and got it refuelled. When I got home from work the wife said it was still acting funny, so i attempted to start it, again it kept swinging the engine until it started, once started it would take throttle no problems, but once stopped and tried again it would swing longer than normal and then fire. i moved the car around a bit and then stopped and started it again and it was fine and has been ever since.

My thoughts on the fault are, while going around the roundabout it has caused the low fuel to move to the side of the tank and resulting in air getting into the line.
What would be causing this to happen as never happened before even when running on fumes on a few occassions ?
Other possibility, is the motion of the fuel in the tank when it gets low has stirred up some dirt in the tank which has gotten into the line. again this never happened previously.

Anyone any ideas on what could be causing this?

[bjm]

Number one do not run crds out of fuel you are lucky it is still running.You may also now have air in the system
Two ,you may have moisture etc in the fuel tank which has been stirred up .Check for water in the fuel by undoing the fuel drain plug between the two fuel filters on the passengers side underbody near sill.Drain into a glass and check for contaminants.

[Colm]

Originally Posted by bjm

Number one do not run crds out of fuel you are lucky it is still running.You may also now have air in the system
Two ,you may have moisture etc in the fuel tank which has been stirred up .Check for water in the fuel by undoing the fuel drain plug between the two fuel filters on the passengers side underbody near sill.Drain into a glass and check for contaminants.

Thing is, the fuel light had not even come on,would have easily been 100+ kms left in the tank, and I would have ran the fuel level way lower before with no issues.
Just seems to be a new phenomenom that has started within the last few months.

[drover]

Right, running down that low in the tank is always bad, thats were all the crud lives, doing it a few times means that the filter in the fuel pump probably now has crud in it and your fuel filters need changing.................

The hard start is because you have lost prime, cranking the engine to gain prime is bad news, you can end up wrecking the HP fuel pump by turning it dry.........
To prime your fuel line, foot off brake, turn key/button to RUN when dash lights up and it finished its boot up cycle turn off, do this about 3 or 4 times then put foot on brake and turn to run, engine should start, if not do it all again.........

The WK2 has 2 fuel tanks one is lazy and feeds the one with the fuel pump, hence when very low and slopping stuff around the pick up can be out of the fuel especially if the pick up is gungy...

With a clean glass jar roll under your rig and bleed off some fuel from the filters, yellow phillips head plastic nut between the filters, undo a few turns and feul will run out, drain about half a cup or so then let it settle for 10 mins or more it should look like nice clean pee, no bits or white/grey blobs or two tone layers if not give everything a service.... Do Not have The Engine Running but do have more than half a tank of fuel....

I never ever run my vehicles under the 1/4 left mark.... just asking for trouble each time you do your just that little bit closer to calling the RACQ.

[Colm]

Originally Posted by drover

With a clean glass jar roll under your rig and bleed off some fuel from the filters, yellow phillips head plastic nut between the filters, undo a few turns and feul will run out, drain about half a cup or so then let it settle for 10 mins or more it should look like nice clean pee, no bits or white/grey blobs or two tone layers if not give everything a service.... Do Not have The Engine Running but do have more than half a tank of fuel....

I never ever run my vehicles under the 1/4 left mark.... just asking for trouble each time you do your just that little bit closer to calling the RACQ.

Will do this tomorrow and see what results are like.
Had fuel filters changed about 3 mths back during last service.

[Classic Boy]

Originally Posted by drover

Right, running down that low in the tank is always bad, thats were all the crud lives, doing it a few times means that the filter in the fuel pump probably now has crud in it and your fuel filters need changing.................
.

This is a persistent urban legend.

As all fuel tank pickups are pretty well universally mounted in the lowest part of the fuel tank to ensure all fuel onboard is available to the engine until exhausted. Unfortunately as a byproduct of this design any unexpected water or in the case of foreign debris that doesn’t float that is introduced to the tank is pulled first into the pickup, and in the case of debris if it is fine enough it would not be stopped by the pickup screen.

[OLMATE]

Originally Posted by bjm

Number one do not run crds out of fuel you are lucky it is still running.You may also now have air in the system
Two ,you may have moisture etc in the fuel tank which has been stirred up .Check for water in the fuel by undoing the fuel drain plug between the two fuel filters on the passengers side underbody near sill.Drain into a glass and check for contaminants.

right on the money bjm

Not to mention it is fuel that cools the fuel pump, its a wonder the bloody thing is still pumping, cant work out why people allow their vehicles to run out of fuel only to then pull into the first servo after they eventually get there and then fill the thing up, Score the high pressure pump in a CRD and you,ll need a mortgage to pay for it , apparently for every litre of fuel you use, approx 8 litres return to the tank, its this constant turn over so to speak that cools the pump