Thread: Premature in line fuel pump failure

I would be looking for other causes...

Contaminated fuel tank?
Blocked filter placing excessive strain on pump
Regulator?
Dry contacts on terminals (including joins further along loom)
Relay
Fuel quality in general (source)

There are 2 pumps on the TD6, on mine (2003 TD6) one of the pumps went intermittent which manifested by not being able to start the L233 after a long run, it decided to work again (and I did not diagnose the problem) until a year went by and the second pump died.

Your test kit (if you have one) should identify intermittent or constant errors in each pump.

I use a Blackbox Faultmate Version 2 - its proved invaluable to identify and clear faults.

Chris

Originally Posted by vk5cp

There are 2 pumps on the TD6, on mine (2003 TD6) one of the pumps went intermittent which manifested by not being able to start the L233 after a long run, it decided to work again (and I did not diagnose the problem) until a year went by and the second pump died.

Your test kit (if you have one) should identify intermittent or constant errors in each pump.

I use a Blackbox Faultmate Version 2 - its proved invaluable to identify and clear faults.

Chris

It seems to be a physical seizure of the pump itself, with a small tap, it will "un-jam" itself and keep running. there is no variance in running length, only random start ups where is cannot start itself.
Is there a filter before the inline pump?

Originally Posted by chaybra

It seems to be a physical seizure of the pump itself, with a small tap, it will "un-jam" itself and keep running. there is no variance in running length, only random start ups where is cannot start itself.
Is there a filter before the inline pump?

There are three fuel pumps on the TD6; the main in the fuel tank itself (10), the inline on the port side (11) of the fuel tank and the high pressure pump on the port side of the the engine (15). There is only one main filter on the port side of the engine bay (12) and a screen for large objects in the fuel tank as part of the primary pump (worth cleaning if you have not done so before). If you are going to explore I wouldn't mind seeing a filter before the inline fuel pump and a generic inline pump replacement .



A friend of mine had this issue with a Citroen BX, he hot wired the fuel pump to a switch and turned it on before he started the car and if the pump would not activate he would go and shake the pump until it did, this was 6 years ago and he still uses this method and the pump still works. That said a lean mixture in the TD6 would somewhat more catastrophic then in a petrol Citroen.

Provided the main fuel pump in the tank works you may bypass the inline pump if it is broken. Which is admittedly bush mechanics and while I have seen it done on Jap 4x4's in the NT, I have not seen it done on a RR, pipe work may be tricky.

Originally Posted by jonnyjon05

There are three fuel pumps on the TD6; the main in the fuel tank itself (10), the inline on the port side (11) of the fuel tank and the high pressure pump on the port side of the the engine (15). There is only one main filter on the port side of the engine bay (12) and a screen for large objects in the fuel tank as part of the primary pump (worth cleaning if you have not done so before). If you are going to explore I wouldn't mind seeing a filter before the inline fuel pump and a generic inline pump replacement .



A friend of mine had this issue with a Citroen BX, he hot wired the fuel pump to a switch and turned it on before he started the car and if the pump would not activate he would go and shake the pump until it did, this was 6 years ago and he still uses this method and the pump still works. That said a lean mixture in the TD6 would somewhat more catastrophic then in a petrol Citroen.

Provided the main fuel pump in the tank works you may bypass the inline pump if it is broken. Which is admittedly bush mechanics and while I have seen it done on Jap 4x4's in the NT, I have not seen it done on a RR, pipe work may be tricky.

My thoughts exactly on the filter before the pump....hence, last night i have fitted a Bosch 404 equivalent pump with filter! pump was $145 locally, can get replacements on ebay for as cheap as $45 but failure was closing in fast.
Ill get some pictures of the install this arvo. I had to shorten the hose at either end of the pump due to the addition of the filter but all went well, original clamps work well enough for my liking and there is a 2 year/40000km warranty on the pump.

What is the best way to clean the in tank screen?

Originally Posted by chaybra

My thoughts exactly on the filter before the pump....hence, last night i have fitted a Bosch 404 equivalent pump with filter! pump was $145 locally, can get replacements on ebay for as cheap as $45 but failure was closing in fast.
Ill get some pictures of the install this arvo. I had to shorten the hose at either end of the pump due to the addition of the filter but all went well, original clamps work well enough for my liking and there is a 2 year/40000km warranty on the pump.

What is the best way to clean the in tank screen?

Nice work on the pump and filter! Looking forward to the photo/photos.

I used petrol to clean my tank out.

Would a Lucas water separator between the tank and external pump fit? This old simple technology is very effective, offers little resistance and traps water, larger particles and sludge.

Originally Posted by jonnyjon05

......
Provided the main fuel pump in the tank works you may bypass the inline pump if it is broken. Which is admittedly bush mechanics and while I have seen it done on Jap 4x4's in the NT, I have not seen it done on a RR, pipe work may be tricky.

I don't believe it will. The inline supplies fuel through the filter to the high pressure pump at pressure, it's not much (I think about 60psi?) but it is significantly higher than the intank will produce. There is a pressure switch on top of the fuel filter that monitors low side pressure and if it is not enough the engine ECU will not allow the engine to run, it's to protect the high fuel pump.