Two issues, power loss & leaking door

[BongoBrighton]

Hello all,

Not had my Bongo long but have noticed an issue with lack of power. As my fuel tank gets emptier, the problem gets worse. Does this point to a dodgy fuel pump? It gets to a point where a kick down will rev to somewhere around 3-3.5K and the van will slow down, but if I slowly press the throttle, I can make it slowly accelerate. The problem doesn't happen if I keep the tank full. I've checked the hoses/pipes in the engine amd all appear to be ok and connected properly.

2nd issue, I've noticed a pool of what I believe to be rain water inside the passenger door, sitting on the plastic step. I can't find any signs of water leaking from anywhere and it is just the step that gets wet. Any ideas how that might be getting there?

Thanks

[g8dhe]

Could be a vacuum forming in the tank due to a blocked valve in the fuel cap ? Test it by waiting for it to happen again, then open the fuel cap - you may even here a rush of air in! If so wash the fuel cap in warm soapy water to clean it or take it apart and clean;

[BongoBrighton]

Aaahhh, that's a very good point, thanks! The van has got one of those temporary fuel caps fitted, good call.

I'll check it out and report back.

Thanks again.

[Northern Bongolow]

mine used to puddle on the step when i parked it half on the kerb, the seal may need tweeking or replacing.

[BongoBrighton]

Mine is at a bit of an angle on the drive, I'll check out the seal. Thanks

[BongoBrighton]

So.... it doesn't appear to be a problem with the fuel cap. Took it for a long drive again this evening and all was well for the first 60 miles. Stopped for an hour or so and on way back the problem returned once the fuel was down to about half a tank. I pulled over and removed the fuel cap, even left it a tad loose.... no improvement over a further 20 miles on the motorway. Driving down the motorway it was seriously lacking in power, a kickdown made it rev to about 3k and slow down and driving at about 65 it felt jerky on and off, almost as if someone was tapping the brake. It was almost impossible to get over 65mph. I stopped and added £20 to the tank (didn't fill it), made a slight improvement, jerking almost went away and a kickdown just about made it accelerate. Drove a further 15 miles home and it felt like it was slowly getting worse.

Any ideas what I should check next?

Thanks

[Northern Bongolow]

diesel or petrol ?

[BongoBrighton]

Diesel.

[rita]

Sounds very much like FUEL Starvation .Have you checked/cleaned / replaced All the fuel and air filters ??.


Good Luck.

[BongoBrighton]

Yep, it does feel like fuel starvation. The filterd were allegedly changed by the dealer I bought it from.. I'll have a search on here for their locations and check them out.

Do you think having a different amount of fuel in the tank would change the filters performance or is it more likely to be a fuel pump issue?

Thanks.

[rita]

Yes with a head of fuel the pump will have less work to do and will draw the fuel through a lot easier even with partial filter restrictions. But the first thing that need to done is the filters irrespective of when they were last "think" changed.


Good Luck