DW8 1.9 Fuel Pump Problem

[Nicepix]

I have had my 2003 Blingo for over two years, it lives outside and I use it daily. It now has around 170k on the clock. Last winter I noticed that it was difficult to start in a morning when the temperature was around zero or less. It eventually started with a lot of smoke after a lot of cranking and ran fine all day. This winter the problem has returned and seems to be worse in that it is now sensitive to temps below around 6C.

I had some new glow plugs fitted last winter and that did not change anything. I had noticed that the fuel pump primer button was soft first thing and so primed it which did help. This year the primer pump refuses to go hard. I can pump it for several minutes and it won't pressurise. The van starts fine after a night in the garage (around 12 - 14C) but not outside in near zero temps so I'm thinking that the fuel system must be letting pressure out in colder weather.

Is the pump repairable or am I looking at a new part? Other than that I'm going to have to put the van in the garage and leave the wife's car outside.

[geoff]

The first thing to do is check the valve clearances as with higher mileage they close up and give the exact same symptoms you have.

There have been quite a number of posts on the forum about this if you'd care to look. Repair is a big job but is possible DIY - I've done it a few times.

Garaging the van might be an effective and cost free solution but at what expense to marital bliss .........

[Nicepix]

Thanks Geoff. I am aware of the possibility of the valves needing shimming. But I would like to rule out or confirm the fuel pump aspect first before I go down the valve shimming route. Just for information what sort of job is it compared to say a clutch change? I got the clutch changed last month for €235 labour (I supplied the parts). Would it be more or less than that sort of figure?

Back to the fuel pump; would the lack of pressure in the priming button be a cause?

Fortunately he wife is OK about her car being left out in the cold. After all; the alternatives are no income or I use hers

[geoff]

If clearances need sorting the camshaft will need to come out job, this requires the timing belt to removed.

Price ????

Cannot help there as I do all my own work but think in terms of timing belt service costs plus say another two hours labour for the extra work.

When I did my last one the parts were £80 for the new belt and water pump kit ( Gates ) and about £5 for a new camshaft oil seal. Shims are inexpensive at about £2 each. Usually the inlets are fine and only the exhausts require changing. If you do get this work done the have the garage set the clerances to the maximum allowed tolerance as this will help future proof for many more miles.

Ok so the priming pump - this is a red herring for you as it only supplies the low pressure side of the pump, it will have no influence on the injection side of things.

To completely pin the issue down will require either the pump delivery pressure to be tested or the clearances to be checked, each will have a cost as you will be aware. If you go for one of the above I suspect the clearances will be the esiest and cheapest to get done.

[geoff]

There is a Haynes workshop manual on this site ( search ) if you wish to read more about the procedures.

[ajcommercial]

Would fitting a non return valve in the fuel supply line ? This is a fix on a MK111 and 1v Golf.. Works a treat by preventing the fuel seeping back to the tank when the car is parked up, when the engine is running the lift pump can cope but when it's not running there is not enough tolerance in the pump to hold the pressure.. Thus a non return valve does the job.. They are about £6 on flea bay...

  You say new glow plugs were fitted a year ago, do you know what brand they were ? A very interesting thing to do to pass the time on the bog is to YOU TUBE glow plug comparisons, glow plugs work differently, I only use BERU..

  Also have you checked the EGR and induction ? A restriction will cause poor starting a bunged up EGR will also.. I take it your engine is the pre DW8 series.. Do you know if it is a Bosch pump ?

  If you are OK with spanners you could try cracking off the injectors one at a time and see if one is not providing fuel but I would recommend getting a fuel pressure tester and check using a dial as the cracking open test is not scientific and unless you know what you're looking for will be very messy..

 Also do you know if the pump is set up properly ? Google the set up for your type of pump.

 Have you tried the Italian tune up ? Chuck some Redex or similar in the tank with some fuel and give the vehicle a good thrush for 50 miles.. don't speed, just keep the revs high and gear low...

  Are there any air leaks in the fuel line ? Smoke is too much fuel or not enough air.. Continuous cranking will pump fuel into the cylinders so I would suspect this is the blue smoke that clears..

  My two pence is Fit BERU Glow plugs, check fuel lines and the pump is set properly, check / clean induction, replace air filter, Italian tune, while the induction is off check the valve clearances, oil change.. These things will give a good basic check up and you will be able to rule out some things by spending little money, if you have time to do these things, cheap but time consuming..
 Good Luck..