29-07-2023, 12:20 PM
Hi All, I'm new to this forum and forums in general so please forgive any transgressions.
I have a 2004 1.9 ltr diesel Berlingo based Romahome. After approximately 280 miles on a full fuel tank she starts to run a bit rough as if she's running out of fuel. My local garage suggested she was running out of fuel and that the fuel gauge was at fault. I didn't believe them.
So today with around 300 miles on the trip counter, I cut the fuel pipe under the bonnet, connected a pump (£15 from Lidl) and started the pump up. Several things happened. The fuel just kept coming. 34 litres in all. When the diesel stopped coming the fuel guage showed empty, so not the fuel guage sender then. As the fuel was being pumped out a vacuum built up in the tank. I had to remove the filler cap. That surprised me. Last, but by no means least, after about six litres of steady stream the diesel started coming out with air in it, lots of it. This carried on until the tank was empty.
My questions are :-
How could air be getting into the fuel? It smacks of a crack in the pipe in the tank maybe but I don't know how things are arranged inside the tank.
Could this account for the rough running?
Should a vacuum have built up in the tank?
I have an inline brass union to put the fuel pipe back together but it's very tight. How should I warm up the pipe to make it easier to get the union into it? I'm thinking something not involving naked flames.
Any help would be very gratefully received.
Paul
I have a 2004 1.9 ltr diesel Berlingo based Romahome. After approximately 280 miles on a full fuel tank she starts to run a bit rough as if she's running out of fuel. My local garage suggested she was running out of fuel and that the fuel gauge was at fault. I didn't believe them.
So today with around 300 miles on the trip counter, I cut the fuel pipe under the bonnet, connected a pump (£15 from Lidl) and started the pump up. Several things happened. The fuel just kept coming. 34 litres in all. When the diesel stopped coming the fuel guage showed empty, so not the fuel guage sender then. As the fuel was being pumped out a vacuum built up in the tank. I had to remove the filler cap. That surprised me. Last, but by no means least, after about six litres of steady stream the diesel started coming out with air in it, lots of it. This carried on until the tank was empty.
My questions are :-
How could air be getting into the fuel? It smacks of a crack in the pipe in the tank maybe but I don't know how things are arranged inside the tank.
Could this account for the rough running?
Should a vacuum have built up in the tank?
I have an inline brass union to put the fuel pipe back together but it's very tight. How should I warm up the pipe to make it easier to get the union into it? I'm thinking something not involving naked flames.
Any help would be very gratefully received.
Paul