Thread: Stutter - bad fuel or something else?

Check the little screen filter on the bottom of the lift pump, they get forgotten about

Inside

It could also be a slight air leak at a joint in the fuel line from the tank to the engine - or a well clogged primary fuel filter as a result of dodgy fuel picked up since you replaced the main filter

CHT

Hey Andrew,

By the way, I passed you christmas day. You were heading South on the M1 just South of Loganholme. I don't expect you would have seen me, being it was raining and we were in The General's Subaru.

Anyway, my Isuzu just did a similar thing to me, albeit a littl more dramatic. Went up to Inc's to get something welded, and "Les" was going like a train, but on the way back at highway speed, she just died, like starving for fuel. I was positive I had a near full tank, and on the overrun, it reprimed itself. Then it did it again. I limped to the servo at Moronfield and topped up, and yep, only took 11 litres.

Back on the highway, and at full noise or up a hill kept starving for fuel. The first thing that sprung to mind was algae growth as "Les" had sat around with no additive in him for about a month. Anyway, the speed I could hold kept getting less and less untill I turned off at Boondall knowing I wouldn't make it over the Gateway bridge and came home through the city, being very frugal on the throttle and using alot of overrun. Basically the supply couldn't meet the demand.

Limped it home and dropped both the fuel filters. A bit of Jelly in the bottom of the main seperator and a fair bit of gunk in the filter. The filter on the motor was fine. Put new filter in and started priming sequence. It took an unusaully long time. I then took "Les" for a run around the block and it was worse. Couldn't see any drips or leaks indicating holes in the line, so was getting quite worried the IP or LP had **** itself. I decided to replace the flex line between the platic line and metal pipes just before the lift pump, and thought I'll just chuck a electric pump on and check flow. Couldn't get flow. Mmmmm.

Blew down the line and got nothing. Put some compressed air down the line and kerthunk, bubble, bubble, bubble. Problem solved. Must have picked up a chunk of crap in the tank. I did solder up a pinhole recently without removing the tank, so now I am going to solder a series typle guaze filter on the pick up tube.

I would check filters first, then airleaks and flow, you don't want worse than that. The ryco marine filters at supercheap for $12 fit straight up with all O-rings. R2132PMAS or Donaldson 557111 from QDS.

CC

Originally Posted by lambrover

Check the little screen filter on the bottom of the lift pump, they get forgotten about

Ditto.
I had exact symptoms & that was it. New filter, system cleaned out prior to the stuttering, & it turned out to be the small gauze filter at the bottom of the lift pump- pretty difficult to access due to engine mount.
Out of sight, out of mind

Thanks for the response guys. I've actually had the tank out recently shaking, rolling and banging it so it would not be a surprise if it's picked up some gunk I managed to dislodge from the tank.