HP Diesel pump woes

[mercedes13156]

Hello again,

I've put more fuel in the tank, I cracked an injector nut and cranked it to see if there is any rail pressure. Nothing to speak of. It fires for a couple of seconds on easy start. Apart from that I'm stumped. Good news is that there are no air bubbles in the pipes anymore.

Any more ideas?

 

[rpe2]

Injector leak off?

 

[RobWheatley]

Do check that you have the plastic pipes the right way round, they will fit the wrong way (i did it) and then it will not start.
I have also seen in a post on here that cracking an injector pipe will stop it starting anyway, these are self bleeding systems.

 

[mercedes13156]

Thanks for that! I'll check that the pipes are the right way around. Which one goes where? I can't find anything that says definitively which goes to the back and which to the front.

I got the "crack the injector nut" trick from my mate who's an experienced mechanic and has helped me numerous times. Always undo the one furthest from the pump (Nr 4).

 

[RobWheatley]

Its something to do with the ECU not seeing pressure in the rail and shutting the system off (might think there is a leak i suppose.)

The fuel supply pipe goes to the rear port (the one with the restriction in it iirc) on mine the clips holding the pipes had broken so they were all floppy!!!!

 

[mercedes13156]

You know what? I had put the fuel pipes on the wrong way. I had to put it all together in the dark and I just plain mistook which pipe was which. I changed the pipes over, put in the newly charged battery, turned it over three times and "Chug chug" off it went.

I let it idle for a couple of minutes, looking for leaks and there are none. The engine sounds smoother, quieter and not like the usual bag of spanners at startup. There's also just the smell of the air freshener. (Frankly, I think I preferred the diesel.) I took it for a run and what a difference, the whole car is quieter, the engine is more responsive and smoother and the acceleration is back. Woo hoo!

Thank you everyone for your help and understanding. It was much appreciated.

 

[mercedes13156]

Recommendation

As a post script to this thread, I'd like to recommend Patterson Diesel of Cowdenbeath in Fife who helped me out and supplied the reconditioned pump. They are proper Bosch Diesel Specialists. When I first called, they recognised the problem immediately. They tested the pump the same day and told me there was a bit of wear but they recommended that it should be rebuilt with new seals. They tested it again afterwards and it failed due to excessive wear on the main shaft, pistons and bores. They then sold me a replacement and didn't charge me for the testing, seal kit or work to rebuild the old pump which was now effectively scrap metal. They kept me informed at every stage and apologised for attempting to rebuild my pump and wasting my time.

The full bill including VAT came to £234.00. Euro Car Parts gave me the next best price of £477.00 less £132.00 the exchange for the old pump. Mercedes at Newbridge in Edinburgh told me that they didn't have one in stock but could source one in a couple of days at an eye watering £700+VAT and while I was in ECP a couple of miles away, the guy at the Dealers phoned to see if ECP had a pump. I know this because the guy at ECP answered the phone and repeated my car's registration as he wrote it down.

Check out Patterson's Website at http://www.pattersondiesel.co.uk/ I don't think you'll be disappointed.