air in fuel ??

[DiscoDaveTDI]

hi my dad has a problem with his tdi, it takes a while to start he says , and he thinks its being caused bt air in the fuel. could this be possible and how do i check if there is air in the fuel system.
he does say that when he undoes the nipple on the fuel filter air comes out. should it ?. apparently he has had a new lift pump to try and cure the starting problem, but it hasnt , can anyone help please

[listerdiesel]

Which model of TDi is it, and how many miles?

Peter

[littlelegs]

One common problem is a corroded pickup pipe letting air in., either inside the tank or outside.

[bilge rat]

One common problem is a corroded pickup pipe letting air in., either inside the tank or outside.

i'd second the above . iff you lift the boot carpet you'll see a round plate wip the screws out lift the plate and thats where the common problem lies you'll see the 2 pipes coming from the tank .oh and dont panic iff the boot floor looks a mess . alan

[DiscoDaveTDI]

listerdiesel it is a 300 with 100,000 miles on it .

littlelegs and bilge rat thanks for giving us a point to start at .

am i looking there for corrosion ?

what can i do about the problem if that is it ?

thankyou guys very much , you must get a bit sick of these kind of questions. i did have a look through the sticky but it wasnt quite the same symptoms.

i will let you know how we go
thanks again

[littlelegs]

Usually it's a new tank pickup/sender unit where the pipe has corroded in the tank but in changing it the external pipes can give problems with rust, I had to cut a piece off and cobble it together. Good time to overhaul the pre-filter underneath the floor especially if you do need to replace pipes. Also replace the main fuel filter as they can also cause problems.

[DiscoDaveTDI]

you are so dead on.

big thanks

a new sender unit has fixed the problem , now she fires up instantly.
thanks again.

this was the best 2 quid i ever spent

[thebiglad]

you are so dead on.

big thanks

a new sender unit has fixed the problem , now she fires up instantly.
thanks again.

this was the best 2 quid i ever spent


£2 for a fuel sender - that must be the bargain of the century !!!! I paid about £50 for mine - boohoo:o:(:confused:

[bilge rat]

so what does the sender look like once its out . ive totaly gave up with mine . the guage and light have a mind of there own . was the sender you got used ?. glad it sorted it . alan

[littlelegs]

The fuel pickup, strainer and baffle system, return pipe, float for the guage and fuel light are all in one combined plastic unit beneath the screw top.

[DiscoDaveTDI]

LOL , no the 2 quid i spent was on here , as i had a problem and only joined the forum to get some advice fix it, i thought it polite to pay the minimum support fee.

the unit is almost a cannister like part . the guy who actually fixed it forced air through the system somehow and diesel came out of the fittings. new unit. job done.

starts a dream now . thanks again