Advice Needed

[spautoparts]

Hi everyone.. its been a while since ive posted on here but now im after some help and info on a few jobs that i need doing to my Terrano.
its had issues since the day i bought it last November which i was aware of which is why i got it for a very reasonable price. Anyway, any help or info on the following jobs would be gratefully received.

1) when i start it from cold or first start of the day it will splutter and then stall. if i hold the revs above 1000 rpm for about 5 secs after start up it splutters as usual but then all is ok.

2) sometimes when im pulling off from a junction or turning into a street the engine cuts out. It only does this if i let off the accelerator pedal and then press it again. Sometimes it does it when selecting gear from neutral to D or R (automatic gearbox)

3) when the gearbox reaches final gear at a around 55 mph i get a brief vibration from the gearbox. it feels like the gear is slipping before it engages properly. after that its smooth as anything.

4) Flexi exhaust pipe. is it a straight forward job as im doing it in the morning.

The first two faults do bring the management light on and always come up with injector needle lift sensor. but when i restart the engine it goes off and runs fine. sometimes it will go for weeks without cutting out and then it will do it 5 times in one journey. Its been doing it for the last 10 months since i bought it and never got any worse.

i was thinking of selling the car as ive had Terranos and Mavericks for the last 4 years and felt like a change but this car has so many positives aswell ie no rust or corrosion to the body, wings are solid and so is the whole of the floor and when it runs good its very nice to drive.

cheers in advance.:thumb2

[briggie]

first 2 issues sound like fuel starvation to me , or air issues

[solarman216]

worth checking the glow plugs, you need to remove the intercooler and the link strap across the top of them, then with an ohm meter check the resistance, it should be zero ohms, or you can take a wire from the + on battery to each glow plug terminal good plug should produce a spark, bad plug nothing, if you have a DC amp meter capable of reading 20 plus amps then you can do the same test using this, if it pulls amps it is good if not it is bad, re stalling issue my money goes on the throttle thing above the pedal, but read the codes, re the auto box sounds like the direct drive clutch is hesitant, I am no expert on auto but worth checking the oil, this is done at idle in drive, low oil =problems as does oil that is not bright red, brown = burnt overheated, exhaust flexi is welded in so if you can weld then not a problem, Rick

[solarman216]

yes what Briggie says is just as valid, I get tunnel vision sometimes, or maybe it is the wine, Rick

[spautoparts]

worth checking the glow plugs, you need to remove the intercooler and the link strap across the top of them, then with an ohm meter check the resistance, it should be zero ohms, or you can take a wire from the + on battery to each glow plug terminal good plug should produce a spark, bad plug nothing, if you have a DC amp meter capable of reading 20 plus amps then you can do the same test using this, if it pulls amps it is good if not it is bad, re stalling issue my money goes on the throttle thing above the pedal, but read the codes, re the auto box sounds like the direct drive clutch is hesitant, I am no expert on auto but worth checking the oil, this is done at idle in drive, low oil =problems as does oil that is not bright red, brown = burnt overheated, exhaust flexi is welded in so if you can weld then not a problem, Rick

This kind of makes sense.
first of all the glowplug light on the dash only stays on for about a second before it goes out and i have suspected glowplugs but never changed them. As with the accelerator pedal it can be a bit hit and miss eg you push it slightly and nothing happens then you push it a little more and you jump forward rather than gradually pick up speed. :thumb2

[spautoparts]

first 2 issues sound like fuel starvation to me , or air issues

where would be the best place to start with this. i have recently changed the fuel filter but it made no difference.

[briggie]

good place to check is if the primer on top of the filter is going down , also if it has a mini filter , that might be blocked ...... could be crap in the tank ..... air filter dirty ...... even the dreaded diesel bug :eek:

[rustic]

where would be the best place to start with this. i have recently changed the fuel filter but it made no difference.

Just a quick note, re fuel filters.
Sometimes cheap filters do not seal properly, and there is a chance that you have compounded the fault by introducing another one.:doh
What some have done, is to replace some of the fuel line after the filter with clear pipe, and any air bubbles can be seen.
Air can be introduced by the fuel filter, or a rusted fuel line, or line on top of the tank.

The point to note, there is no fuel pump in a diesel fuel tank, and the main injector pump "sucks" the fuel, so any leak in the lines will take in air.
Also undo the fuel filler cap, you will probably hear a hiss as air is let into the tank.

Best regards,
Rustic

[spautoparts]

Just a quick note, re fuel filters.
Sometimes cheap filters do not seal properly, and there is a chance that you have compounded the fault by introducing another one.:doh
What some have done, is to replace some of the fuel line after the filter with clear pipe, and any air bubbles can be seen.
Air can be introduced by the fuel filter, or a rusted fuel line, or line on top of the tank.

The point to note, there is no fuel pump in a diesel fuel tank, and the main injector pump "sucks" the fuel, so any leak in the lines will take in air.
Also undo the fuel filler cap, you will probably hear a hiss as air is let into the tank.

Best regards,
Rustic

Yes.. sometimes I do get a hiss of air when I take the cap off but not every time

[spautoparts]

Well heres an update.. Yesterday i changed the front pipe, the one with the flexi on and can honestly say it was a challenge. I managed to snap a stud on the manifold but fortunatly i got the rest of the stud out, re tapped the hole and put a bolt through it...... JOB DONE:thumb2

Today i changed the fuel pipes to and from the filter with clear ones so i could check for an air leak. After fitting i primed the filter to get rid of as much air as possible then took it for a 10 minute drive. When i got back i checked again and the primer was solid and no air bubbles were present so i switched it off and left it for half an hour, came back and this is what i found..

http://youtu.be/IzYFxKqtnNE?list=UU6A4qqNqJa-96zDcynfmnhQ

Also the engine dosnt tick over very well. every now and then it dies off a bit and then goes back to normal. this must be to do with the air. Would this cause the engine to stall and bring up the needle lift sensor fault code?

I never knew diesel was blue:rolleyes::rolleyes:

[jims-terrano]

So have I got this right, you came back to find air between the filter and the metal pipes that go to the tank?

Does this mean the pipes from the tank are buggered?

[spautoparts]

So have I got this right, you came back to find air between the filter and the metal pipes that go to the tank?

Does this mean the pipes from the tank are buggered?

I think it means there is air entering the fuel system somewhere. The clear pipes are fitted just before and just after the fuel filter so you could see if any air is being drawn through. It could be fuel pipes, fuel filter or filter housing :thumb2

[solarman216]

you need to replace the two pipes right back to the tank, they are corroded and letting air in, the flow pipe goes to the filter head, the return which might not be leaking but will be in the same condition, goes from the injector pump back to the tank, I did the Mrs two with plastic all the way, just use many cable ties, Rick

[spautoparts]

you need to replace the two pipes right back to the tank, they are corroded and letting air in, the flow pipe goes to the filter head, the return which might not be leaking but will be in the same condition, goes from the injector pump back to the tank, I did the Mrs two with plastic all the way, just use many cable ties, Rick

do you know what the internal diameter is for the pipe and what length for a lwb?

[kitchenman]

If the primer is 'solid' does this mean hard down.
OK as you get a hiss from the filler cap then your vent in the cap is blocked
Banshee had the same problem
If the primer is hard down take off the filler cap, if it springs back then your major problem is blocked vent causing extra suction letting air in.
You will need to sort that either way, new pipes or not

[solarman216]

filler caps have not had vents for years the tank fumes are redirected back into the engine to be burnt often through a charcoal filter, Rick

[AlexD333]

All be it brief, I have quickly skipped through this and lots of talk about vents for fuel, I have to leave my fuel cap open a smidge otherwise it makes a vacuum :thumb2


HISSSSS when you open it :lol

[solarman216]

do you know what the internal diameter is for the pipe and what length for a lwb?

yours being a 2001 will be the same as Alex, now I am only familiar up to 2000 so perhaps another member with a later car can verify, but the one I did was 8mm flow and 6mm return, bores but I used 8mm for both asit is what I had, I kept the rubber joints at the tank end and used a fitting to go into the new pipe and existing rubber, the same at the engine end, flow I joined onto the rubber under the brake servo, and similar to the return from the pump, no point in doing the pipe across the back of the engine as it seldom rusts, oh and 3 mtrs for each run is loads, Rick

[solarman216]

All be it brief, I have quickly skipped through this and lots of talk about vents for fuel, I have to leave my fuel cap open a smidge otherwise it makes a vacuum :thumb2


HISSSSS when you open it :lol

it is supposed to Alex, Rick

[AlexD333]

it is supposed to Alex, Rick

Even when half full ect?

It was the typical empty symptom, only started after I switched to veggie, I suspected a blockage of a breather or some such :nenau

[solarman216]

Even when half full ect?

It was the typical empty symptom, only started after I switched to veggie, I suspected a blockage of a breather or some such :nenau

All terrano's have a tank recirculating breather system that burns the fumes from the tank there are a host of valves that control this, Rick

[AlexD333]

All terrano's have a tank recirculating breather system that burns the fumes from the tank there are a host of valves that control this, Rick

Whoops, so does this mean I have been screwing with my recirc system by keeping the cap backed off half a turn? :nenau

[solarman216]

Whoops, so does this mean I have been screwing with my recirc system by keeping the cap backed off half a turn? :nenau

yep you have been polluting the air with your veg/whatever fumes, Rick

[AlexD333]

yep you have been polluting the air with your veg/whatever fumes, Rick

I know my fuel pump leaks but me and the missus recently have been commenting in how bad the terrano stinks when we get close to her (engine off!) :lol