What happens when a diesel runs out of fuel?

[PINBALL]

And yes, I know the vehicle stops eventually!

Having not driven a diesel since the 70s when I drove HGVs, if I ran out of fuel a breakdown would have to come out with some fuel & bleed the system through (took about an hour).

So I've now got this Thooper Dooper W210 Auto estate and was wondering what if???

Can or will the engine self bleed itself off the starter or am I expecting too much here?

 

[Frontstep]

Well having done exactly that in mine it does take a good battery and some time not too long on the starter its quite a strain but otherwise fine.

Moral of story keep spare can full and don't let it run out.

 

[jp williams]

And yes, I know the vehicle stops eventually!

Having not driven a diesel since the 70s when I drove HGVs, if I ran out of fuel a breakdown would have to come out with some fuel & bleed the system through (took about an hour).

So I've now got this Thooper Dooper W210 Auto estate and was wondering what if???

Can or will the engine self bleed itself off the starter or am I expecting too much here?

The SAS would pee in the tank and raise the level of existing diesel above the water(pee) level and drive you a bit further on .
The fact of the matter is that if you run it dry then air will enter the pipelines and you will need to put in approX 15 litres of diesel and endure a lot of cranking to draw the diesel through the lined.DO NOT RUN OUT!!
Regards

John

 

[television]

Most cars no matter how they are fueled just stop.

 

[turbopete]

speaking from experience, the E300 Turbodiesel certainly does exactly as Malcolm suggests, and stops. and, as has been said by others, takes a VERY good battery to get going again

 

[toby1]

Not sure why this is in the MBO Club section

 

[jp williams]

And yes, I know the vehicle stops eventually!

Having not driven a diesel since the 70s when I drove HGVs, if I ran out of fuel a breakdown would have to come out with some fuel & bleed the system through (took about an hour).

So I've now got this Thooper Dooper W210 Auto estate and was wondering what if???

Can or will the engine self bleed itself off the starter or am I expecting too much here?

Having revisited this Pinball, I would suggest that you always try to keep the tank half full AND YOU MUST AVOID FILLING THE TANK WITH PETROL!!

IF YOU HAVE NOT DRIVEN DIESELS SINCE YOUR HGV DAYS THEN BELIEVE ME YOU ARE IN GREAT DANGER OF MAKING THIS (POTENTIALLY VERY EXPENSIVE) MISTAKE.

Good luck and do enjoy many hours and years of sublime motoring.

Regards

John

 

[PINBALL]

Many thanks JP & everyone else who chipped in.

Just wanted to know how or what advancements had been made for diesel engines since I last ran out in a truck with a leaking fuel tank many moons ago.

And who's to say it won't happen again this time around, so better to know rather than not, plus I could unknowingly be buying a car with a faulty fuel guage.

 

[range rover]

In my previous life I was very conversant with tractors on the farm, and it was always a pain to get them started again, that was until one particular tractor which had a Bosch rotary pump, it made no difference at all to it, just fill her up and away she goes, well maybe after two or three turns, certainly wasn't a big deal anyway. All the rest of the engines had inline CAV or Simms pumps that may have been the reason or maybe the plumbing was different.

 

[yorkshire1]

you could fit one of those squeezy ball type primers. or carry a can of easistart and waft into the intake until diesel catches again to save the starter/battery and no it wont get addicted or succumb to any of the other easistart myths, unless you give it a bath in the stuff

 

[Frontstep]

you could fit one of those squeezy ball type primers. or carry a can of easistart and waft into the intake until diesel catches again to save the starter/battery and no it wont get addicted or succumb to any of the other easistart myths, unless you give it a bath in the stuff

I always thought the person squirting it got the addiction

 

[yorkshire1]

I always thought the person squirting it got the addiction

must say out of all the solvents/fuel smells nowadays it quite a pleasant aroma
i try not to inhale too deeply though!!