[caters]

Hi there, I'm in desperate need of knowledge. I currently own a 1997 300Tdi Discovery which has developed a serious loss in power. I have changed all relevant filters, bled the system and checked all relevant pipe work for damage. She pulls well up to 2000 revs but the power is virtually non existant above this, especially on the slightest incline where second or third gear is required in a fourth or fifth gear situation. The only thing I have noticed is that the priming lever on the fuel lift pump had virtually no resistance after I completed priming the system. I would be grateful for any ideas as I'm completely at a loss. Thanks

 

[SimonArmstrong]

It could possibly be that the fuel lift pump, there is enough fuel being supplied when the engine is not stressed but once it is called to perform there isnt enough fuel being supplied. I believe that these pumps have a reputation for requiring quite frequent renewal, the reason behind this i cant quite remember.

When you say you have checked all the relevant pipe work, i assume that you mean you have examined all the fuel lines. If this is the case, have you inspected the condition of the turbo - intercooler - inlet manifold pipes? As a lack of boost pressure could cause there symptoms

Also, your turbo could be bolloxed, causing low boost pressure. This can be checked by performing a boost test, which requires a vaacum/ boost gauge, and this job is probably best left to a garage with suitable equiptment. You can test for wear in the impellor/ shaft in the turbo yourself, by disconnecting and removing the turbo - intercooler pipe and feeling for up and down/ backwards and forward movement in it. There should be very little or none evident if the turbo is sound

The turbo boost pipe from the inlet manifold to the injection pump could be damaged, which would have the effect of not enough fuel being supplied to the engine

These are only a few of the possibly problems which could be causing your particular problem, and they are written in the order i believe to be most likely. What sort of milage has the vehicle done?

HTH

 

[caters]

disco power loss

Hi there, thanks for all the ideas I'll go through your list tonight at work, on my breaks of course,the engine by the way has done only 50 000 miles, 10 000 since I have owned it, all of which have been problem free. Thanks again, I will let you know tommorrow night if your advice paid off. Cheers.

 

[caters]

disco power loss

Hi there, I've checked everything in the list barring the turbo, will book car into specialist garage so they can inspect turbo and hopefully solve this problem, will let you know results as soon as I get them, cheers.

 

[m0bcg]

its most likely a turbo problem or in turbo connected area ..

if you rev the engine up using the throttle lever on the injector pump you should be able to hear the turbo whistle as you rev up over 2000rpm .

with engine switched OFF if you take the rubber hose off the intake side of turbo you can put finger inside hole and see if you can freely rotate the impeller , this will show you if its seized up ..

check the intercooler for blockage , try taking off the turbo side rubber hose at intercooler outlet and see if engine power returns , if it does then intercooler or intake pipe is blocked somewhere ..

there is fuel enrichment for assisting the turbo from the injector pump and i think a diaphragm in the top of injector pump that may fail .

i wonder if youre wastegate is working .

the fuel pump lift arm will be slack in certain places when the engine is stopped, if you rotated crank a bit it would come back up again as the "cam" comes back up .

normally when changing filters in diesel engines , you dont lose power as such afterwards , ie they either run or dont run and if they wont go you have to bleed the injectors and pump etc in order to get the air out of system ..



air leaks in fuel system usually just cause non running/ starting problems .

you might want to check the fuel filter out , to make sure it hasnt got debris in and that it may have collapsed internally and wont pass much fuel , but you say youve fitted a new one so this may not be a problem area , also check filter for any water content , just in case youve got water in the tank ...

is it very cold where you are at present, ie below freezing , and what fuel are you running , ie is it "heavy diesel " as opposed to being thin like paraffin .

when extremely cold and running what would have been summer grade diesel you could find engine wont rev up and you get white smoke out of exhaust , but easy remedy for this is to put a couple of gallons of paraffin/kerosene/28sec heating oil in the tank to thin fuel mix down .
diesel used to wax up a lot in days gone by but nowadays its usually good all year round, although very very cold spells might pose problems .

on diesel tanks that stand for sometime there is a virus that gets into the fuel and turns it jelly like in bottom of tank and blocks filters but i doubt this would affect you, marine engines and agricultural stuff it does though .

 

[scoobymick]

Hi there, I'm in desperate need of knowledge. I currently own a 1997 300Tdi Discovery which has developed a serious loss in power. I have changed all relevant filters, bled the system and checked all relevant pipe work for damage. She pulls well up to 2000 revs but the power is virtually non existant above this, especially on the slightest incline where second or third gear is required in a fourth or fifth gear situation. The only thing I have noticed is that the priming lever on the fuel lift pump had virtually no resistance after I completed priming the system. I would be grateful for any ideas as I'm completely at a loss. Thanks

Have youchecked the turbo hoses for splits?,the elbows fail quite regularly

 

[caters]

disco power loss

Hi there, sorry I have'nt responded to your replies sooner, it's been a busy Christmas. Problem solved - After trying all suggestions posted on site (thank you) I was advised to check the Banjo's on Engine bay fuel filter for blockages only to find that bolt going through fuel return Banjo had a restrictor inside after replacing this with a hollow bolt, improvement was instant. Why this problem has only just occured I do not know as this bolt was in the Banjo for 9 months without causing any problems. Thank you for all your help and advice. Cheers Arron

 

[Rick Lindsay]

Cool success story Arron. Thanks for the closing post! Enjoyed following the story!

rick / tulsa