Possible Blocked Mini Filter

[Banshee]

Cars been judderring a bit lately and has been getting progressively worse to the point where last night in 1st gear when then accelerator was flat to the floor the car wouldn't move. I had to do 3 miles back home with my hazards on, on the clutch!!!!

Replaced the Fuel Filter which seemed to cure it for 5 - 10 mins and then it did the same again, so I brimmed it with Diesel and now it's ok again but I've still got power loss and slight juddering so I'm thinking blocked mini filter (if it has one :nenau)

Will be following the workshop download later on tonight and will take plenty pics and I'll let you know how I get on

 

[cncfabs]

Cars been judderring a bit lately and has been getting progressively worse to the point where last night in 1st gear when then accelerator was flat to the floor the car wouldn't move. I had to do 3 miles back home with my hazards on, on the clutch!!!!

Replaced the Fuel Filter which seemed to cure it for 5 - 10 mins and then it did the same again, so I brimmed it with Diesel and now it's ok again but I've still got power loss and slight juddering so I'm thinking blocked mini filter (if it has one :nenau)

Will be following the workshop download later on tonight and will take plenty pics and I'll let you know how I get on

You havent been running it on veg oil by any chance

 

[Banshee]

You havent been running it on veg oil by any chance

Yup you guessed it lol almost 80%

 

[puddle hoppers inc.]

i am on about 80% no problems here. i still have that oil for you banshee old bean.

 

[Banshee]

i am on about 80% no problems here. i still have that oil for you banshee old bean.

Ah nice one mate I'll have to drop by for that when I'm free.

So last night I got stuck in and followed the workshop download which if I'm honest was a little inaccurate im terms of spanner and socket sizes.

Was easy enough to get down there if I'm honest, removed the battery securing lip (x2 12mm bolts) best reached with a socket set with a very long extension bar

Then I loosed the nut of the bracket that holds the power steering pump on the engine and also released the belt tensioner and the bolt that holds the pump to the tensioner (x3 14mm bolts)

Once those were removed I pulled the pump out of the way;

Once I'd done that it was time to tackle the "Banjo Bolt" which wasn't a 14mm but a 19mm bolt, upon removing that I knew I didn't have the dreaded filter as I wasn't greeted with the spring, I did have a fish around down there still but there was nothing still, zilch!!!

Inside the hole;

Looking into when Nissan started to produce the Facelifts, mine apears as if it would of been one of the first few thousand to have been produced so I don't know what that's done for the "Does my car have a mini filter" argument but I hope it's helped.

As for my first issue I'm stuck again at square one :nenau

Since brimming it with Diesel its been OK but still get flat spots and juddering but earlier on the way to my girlfriends it started again but not as bad as it was the other night, I couldn't accelerate past 40mph in any gear, when I arrived I attempted to rev it to the limiter and when I did it would kind of misfire and I'd get a massive cloud of white smoke come out the back

I've dropped a full bottle of Redex in and and I've left it to sit for a while, we've gone away for the day today so took the girlfriends car so I'll report back tomorrow.

Any ideas in the meantime though guys?

 

[zippy656]

Air getting in fuel line


Well sounds like the trouble i had

 

[geoffdown]

Ah nice one mate I'll have to drop by for that when I'm free.

So last night I got stuck in and followed the workshop download which if I'm honest was a little inaccurate im terms of spanner and socket sizes.

Was easy enough to get down there if I'm honest, removed the battery securing lip (x2 12mm bolts) best reached with a socket set with a very long extension bar

Then I loosed the nut of the bracket that holds the power steering pump on the engine and also released the belt tensioner and the bolt that holds the pump to the tensioner (x3 14mm bolts)

Once those were removed I pulled the pump out of the way;

Once I'd done that it was time to tackle the "Banjo Bolt" which wasn't a 14mm but a 19mm bolt, upon removing that I knew I didn't have the dreaded filter as I wasn't greeted with the spring, I did have a fish around down there still but there was nothing still, zilch!!!

Inside the hole;

Looking into when Nissan started to produce the Facelifts, mine apears as if it would of been one of the first few thousand to have been produced so I don't know what that's done for the "Does my car have a mini filter" argument but I hope it's helped.

As for my first issue I'm stuck again at square one :nenau

Since brimming it with Diesel its been OK but still get flat spots and juddering but earlier on the way to my girlfriends it started again but not as bad as it was the other night, I couldn't accelerate past 40mph in any gear, when I arrived I attempted to rev it to the limiter and when I did it would kind of misfire and I'd get a massive cloud of white smoke come out the back

I've dropped a full bottle of Redex in and and I've left it to sit for a while, we've gone away for the day today so took the girlfriends car so I'll report back tomorrow.

Any ideas in the meantime though guys?

the download refers to the td not tdi if urs has the filter it is in the bolt u undid with the 19mm and u dont need to remove any thing u just need a 3/8" drive socket with a uj long extension and ratchet but the bolt has holes in it and the bottom of the bolt is hollow and thats where the filter should be but some1 might have got there before u:augie hope that helps

 

[Banshee]

Air getting in fuel line


Well sounds like the trouble i had

Thanks for the replies guys

Where would the likely places be for air to be getting into thw fuel line? I know the Fuel Filter is good as thats brand new and sealed well and primed great first time round.

I genuinely believe that it could just be crappy WVO that I've put in thats got some crap in it or water at worst, I'm hoping that once I've run the diesel through it with the Redex in, that it will start running nice again.

If it does then it was dodgy fuel, if it wasn't then I've got problems, any other ideas guys?

 

[spautoparts]

Thanks for the replies guys

Where would the likely places be for air to be getting into thw fuel line? I know the Fuel Filter is good as thats brand new and sealed well and primed great first time round.

I genuinely believe that it could just be crappy WVO that I've put in thats got some crap in it or water at worst, I'm hoping that once I've run the diesel through it with the Redex in, that it will start running nice again.

If it does then it was dodgy fuel, if it wasn't then I've got problems, any other ideas guys?

I had a similar problem. Turned out to be the fuel return pipes on the injectors. Replaced them with some good quality rubber pipe and never had another problem.
Mine is the tdi and doesn't have the mini filter either.

 

[Sweety]

Some TDI's have a mini filter built into the banjo bolt & it can be hard to spot when really dirty infact IIRC I was the first one to find this set up 6 years ago:augie:lol

 

[firebobby]

One place to check for possible leaks is on the fuel pipes over the rear axle, I think that's what Zippy was getting at

 

[Banshee]

Some TDI's have a mini filter built into the banjo bolt & it can be hard to spot when really dirty infact IIRC I was the first one to find this set up 6 years ago:augie:lol

I did have a look inside the bolt but there didn't seem to be anything in there so I just put it back in

 

[Banshee]

One place to check for possible leaks is on the fuel pipes over the rear axle, I think that's what Zippy was getting at

I'll take a quick look down there too when I get a chance however, it might be hard to spot any corrosion and I doubt there would be any as it's a Waxoyl factory under there.

I jumped in the car tonight the minute we pulled on the drive and got it up to temp and took it round the block a few times and again it was struggling and puffing white smoke from the back, I limped it back again and when I got out I could still smell veg oil from the exhaust smoke so I'm hoping it's just trying to eat up the last of that and then it will self right as soon as it hits the Diesel

If it doesn't when I've used the majority of the Diesel I've put in, then my next step is to replace the fuel pipes from the fuel filter with clear piping so I can see if I've got any air in the system, does anyone knoq what the internal diameter of those pipes is so I can grab some from the car spares tomorrow?

If air in the system isn't the cause it has to be "gunk" in the system somewhere so I'm going to go down the route of James' reccomendation and run either some Cataclean or Liquid Moly Diesel Purge straight from a can into the pump to hopefully clean the injectors and pump out of any gubbins

Let's hope we don't have to go down that route :/

Any other wise words of wisdom would be much appreciated, I'll keep you all posted

 

[Banshee]

Right bit of an update, managed to get it home via A Roads as didn't want to risk the motorway.

All the way back it was terrible very lumpy and juddery and still loads of white smoke when I planted my foot to the floor, it seemed to be ok until I hit the turbo which then made me think that it had to be a undefuelling issue.

I took a quick video on a quiet stretch of road to show you what it was doing, the red/orange glow you can see is my hazards on lol, don't worry it wasn't breathing fire;



Got it on the drive and popped the bonnet with the engine running and noticed that the fuel filter hand primer was completley sucked down!!!!! I tried to pull it back up and it took all of my might and even when it was back up the minute I let go it went straight back down again, I removed the fuel filter, put it back on again, primed it up, spring was working pefectly, went stiff, turned it over and the primer slowly started to get sucked in again.

I'm thinking I've got a blockage somewhere, what do you guys think?
I've measured up the hose internal diameter for the feed and return for the fuel filter tomorrow and made it to be 7mm, I'm going to be replacing the black stuff on there with some clear stuff as it is useful for diagnosing issues like this and in the future

What are your thoughts guys?

 

[R1cho]

had same problem on mine, i just changed the filter and all was good again

 

[Banshee]

had same problem on mine, i just changed the filter and all was good again

You don't know how glad I am to hear that!!!! I hope you're right :/

I'll grab another while I'm getting my pipe tomorrow and see If that solves it, if I do have a blockage where's the most common place for it to occur?

 

[R1cho]

i only run svo i wont use wvo its got too much shite in it and no matter how much you filter it, you wont get it all out, the only way to properly clean it is to turn it into bio, as for blockage only place really is the filter, from time to time it happens to me on svo, i just run for a few days on pump diesel and it clears up, i'm guessing with you running on wvo tho that fat deposits are clogging your filter and the diesel wont shift it

 

[Banshee]

i only run svo i wont use wvo its got too much shite in it and no matter how much you filter it, you wont get it all out, the only way to properly clean it is to turn it into bio, as for blockage only place really is the filter, from time to time it happens to me on svo, i just run for a few days on pump diesel and it clears up, i'm guessing with you running on wvo tho that fat deposits are clogging your filter and the diesel wont shift it

See I've already swapped my filter a few days ago and now I'm getting this!!!

Yeah I've been using WVO in great quantities, I knew something was going to give sooner or later :/

Could the fuel pump be blocked up?

I've brimmed it witn diesel and used a quarter of a tank and it's still the same

 

[kitchenman]

I may have the wrong end of the stick here, could it be a blocked breather in fuel tank?
I suggest see how it runs with the filler cap off
dave

 

[Banshee]

I may have the wrong end of the stick here, could it be a blocked breather in fuel tank?
I suggest see how it runs with the filler cap off
dave

I'll got and test that now, that's a nice quick and easy test, I'll be right back