Fuel system/ engine problems on our 2.5 TD Bongo!
Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2010 4:02 pm
Good afternoon everyone- I'm new here. My name is Charlie, and I've undertaken to get my parents long disused (2 years) Bongo spick and span, and sold! It's a dark green metalic 4X4, with fitted kitchen in the back with 60,000 miles. Had the head gasket replaced just before it was laid up due to corrosion and lack of use (no one has the time to use it for camping!).
The main problem with the vehicle is body corrosion. The rear arches have disappeared for the most part, along with the ends of the sills. Some minor rot to the inner sills at the front but quite localised really. I'm not too worried about this- my first car was a Ford Capri and I more or less served an apprenticship in body work repair during the 5 years I owned it and used it as my every day car!
Anyhow, the engine/ fuel system has developed an odd fault whilst it has been standing.
I went to start it at the end of last year to move it into the workshop to do the bodywork, and it refused to start. With easystart, it would splutter to life and stall as soon as you tried to ween it off the easystart.
Check and replaced the fuel filter (no nasties in the diesel filter at all).
It would now run badly on tickover, and kick out clouds of white smoke as soon as you tried to rev it, it would then stall and be difficult to re-start.
The glow plugs were almost new as well.
We then disconnected the fuel lines before the fuel filter, and poked them into a can of injector cleaner.
It started running better, and eventually regained one of the cylinders which wasnt firing.
Still wouldnt rev up though, so we held the throttle flat out. It was hunting at about 2,000 revs kicking out clouds of white smoke. After 30 seconds of this, it revved up cleanly and ran normally. No smoke, smooth as anything.
Power was good too.
However the starting problem persisted. It just wouldnt go without a whiff of easy start. If you then switched the engine off immediately, and then came to start it 6 hours or so later it would start immediately as it should. Leave it till the next morning, and it'd need the easystart again.
Anyhow, we had a bit of a family crisis, and it got left again for a couple of weeks and the old smokey, misfiring, refusing to run even vaguely normally problem is back again. It's nowhere near driveable.
I have a suspicion that something is a bit stuck in the injector pump. Or maybe the piston rings are a bit stuck...
My plan of action is as follows:
Check the fuel tank- lift the sender/ strainer out to make sure all is well in there and that the tank is not full of bacterial growth or water. However, I cannot find the sender!! I was told to look under the carper behind the drivers seat. I have looked under the first 3ft behind the drivers seat but cannot find it! Could it be somewhere else and if so where?
Check that the glow plugs are all working correctly.
Change the engine oil & filter (precaution)
Revive it with another can of injector cleaner.
Then get a friend of mine who has recovery insurance to thrash it up and down a big long hill for 10 miles or so to get it really hot so whatever may be stuck has the best chance of freeing off.
Whilst I'm takling the bodywork I'll run it up to temperature once a week.
Anyone got any ideas? I'd be much obliged to the person who can help me find the fuel tank strainer/ sender/ inspection hatch!!
The main problem with the vehicle is body corrosion. The rear arches have disappeared for the most part, along with the ends of the sills. Some minor rot to the inner sills at the front but quite localised really. I'm not too worried about this- my first car was a Ford Capri and I more or less served an apprenticship in body work repair during the 5 years I owned it and used it as my every day car!
Anyhow, the engine/ fuel system has developed an odd fault whilst it has been standing.
I went to start it at the end of last year to move it into the workshop to do the bodywork, and it refused to start. With easystart, it would splutter to life and stall as soon as you tried to ween it off the easystart.
Check and replaced the fuel filter (no nasties in the diesel filter at all).
It would now run badly on tickover, and kick out clouds of white smoke as soon as you tried to rev it, it would then stall and be difficult to re-start.
The glow plugs were almost new as well.
We then disconnected the fuel lines before the fuel filter, and poked them into a can of injector cleaner.
It started running better, and eventually regained one of the cylinders which wasnt firing.
Still wouldnt rev up though, so we held the throttle flat out. It was hunting at about 2,000 revs kicking out clouds of white smoke. After 30 seconds of this, it revved up cleanly and ran normally. No smoke, smooth as anything.
Power was good too.
However the starting problem persisted. It just wouldnt go without a whiff of easy start. If you then switched the engine off immediately, and then came to start it 6 hours or so later it would start immediately as it should. Leave it till the next morning, and it'd need the easystart again.
Anyhow, we had a bit of a family crisis, and it got left again for a couple of weeks and the old smokey, misfiring, refusing to run even vaguely normally problem is back again. It's nowhere near driveable.
I have a suspicion that something is a bit stuck in the injector pump. Or maybe the piston rings are a bit stuck...
My plan of action is as follows:
Check the fuel tank- lift the sender/ strainer out to make sure all is well in there and that the tank is not full of bacterial growth or water. However, I cannot find the sender!! I was told to look under the carper behind the drivers seat. I have looked under the first 3ft behind the drivers seat but cannot find it! Could it be somewhere else and if so where?
Check that the glow plugs are all working correctly.
Change the engine oil & filter (precaution)
Revive it with another can of injector cleaner.
Then get a friend of mine who has recovery insurance to thrash it up and down a big long hill for 10 miles or so to get it really hot so whatever may be stuck has the best chance of freeing off.
Whilst I'm takling the bodywork I'll run it up to temperature once a week.
Anyone got any ideas? I'd be much obliged to the person who can help me find the fuel tank strainer/ sender/ inspection hatch!!
