Thread: Hand Priming Problem

G'day cudgee and welcome to the best land rover forum around.
Sounds like you have an air lock and the hand primer won't pick up the fuel. Did you fill the new filter with clean fuel when you replaced it? And make sure all the banjo bolts are nipped up tight enough or you will suck air when trying to prime it. It is possible that your hand primer is past it's use by date as well and now won't pump the fuel. Does it leak fuel around the shaft when you pump it - if so the o ring is probably shot and not picking up the fuel. Persevere with it, fill the filter first, loosen the return line banjo bolt on top of the filter housing and try pumping the primer pump until you get fuel flowing out the return line. Then hold the go pedal to the floor and hit the starter.

if the oring in the priming pump has let go it will never prime.

you can pull it down and replace it but trust me on this dont bother its an off the shelf part worth about $20.

as a bush fix lift the priming plunger as high as it will go, pack grease onto the shaft and then push it down, slowly, repeat a couple of times and then have a go at priming.

if that doesnt work what you may need to do is back feed the priming pump by removing the fitting from the filter housing and pouring a little diesel back down into the lift pump. If the orings leaking it'll dribble down.

you can also pressurise the tank a little, if you crack off the bleeder on the filter housing look in front of the RHR wheel and you'll see a filter sock, take that off and put a little compressed air (1-2 psi or a centrifugal matress inflator) onto that fitting.

if the priming pump oring is stuffed dont worry about it once the engine is primed and the plunger is turned down properly it wont leak out.

Thanks for the welcome Brian. Have been lurking for a while now.

You had me doubting myself, so there was a late night trip to the shed to check the new fuel filter.
All full, checked all the connections I'd cracked and pumped patiently for minutes. Read in the manual that the arrow(s) on the banjo bolt under the lift pump should align with the fuel line. My bolt has three arrows none of which align at full torque, but backed it off a bit so one did line up. Not so much as a bubble anywhere ahead of the pump.
The primer doesn't leak or spit like I've read elsewhere, just doesn't seem to want to lift or push.

Took Dave's advice and bought a Bosch type primer off ebay for $26. For that money I'm not worried if the problem lies elsewhere.

Thanks Dave for the tip on packing the shaft with grease. Will try it tonight and see if it firms up.

Was thinking of trying to manually prime the lines so will start with the one you suggest. Got a big one shot drench syringe and a 18G needle that should keep the diesel going where it should. If the primer wont push fuel back up that short length it's got to be stuffed???

Do you mean put compressed air into the drain hole on the bottom of the sedimenter or am I not seeing the fitting you mean?

PS Read a lot of threads about what a PITA it is to remove the banjo bolt/strainer at the bottom of the lift pump. Working from above with an offset 17mm ring spanner and fingers I had it out in a minute. No swearing or anything. Just in case anyone's putting it off.

Thanks again for all the help.

Originally Posted by Cudgee

Thanks for the welcome Brian. Have been lurking for a while now.

You had me doubting myself, so there was a late night trip to the shed to check the new fuel filter.
All full, checked all the connections I'd cracked and pumped patiently for minutes. Read in the manual that the arrow(s) on the banjo bolt under the lift pump should align with the fuel line. My bolt has three arrows none of which align at full torque, but backed it off a bit so one did line up. Not so much as a bubble anywhere ahead of the pump.
The primer doesn't leak or spit like I've read elsewhere, just doesn't seem to want to lift or push.

Took Dave's advice and bought a Bosch type primer off ebay for $26. For that money I'm not worried if the problem lies elsewhere.

Thanks Dave for the tip on packing the shaft with grease. Will try it tonight and see if it firms up.

Was thinking of trying to manually prime the lines so will start with the one you suggest. Got a big one shot drench syringe and a 18G needle that should keep the diesel going where it should. If the primer wont push fuel back up that short length it's got to be stuffed???

Do you mean put compressed air into the drain hole on the bottom of the sedimenter or am I not seeing the fitting you mean?

PS Read a lot of threads about what a PITA it is to remove the banjo bolt/strainer at the bottom of the lift pump. Working from above with an offset 17mm ring spanner and fingers I had it out in a minute. No swearing or anything. Just in case anyone's putting it off.

Thanks again for all the help.

look behind the body work its not on the sedimentor its from the fuel tank. if you have a look you'll see about a 1/2inch diameter pipe that runs up from the tank, takes a U turn and then runs back down. thats the tank breather. thats the easiest place to put compressed air onto the tank you can wrap a rag around your air duster and push that into the filler neck.

Thanks Dave.
Know it.
The thing that spurts diesel onto the servo driveway.

yep, the one that drains about 1.3l of diesel out of the filler neck when you try to fill the tank to the very brim.

Took a couple of refills for the lesson to sink in.
Boot toes waterproofed though.