did you know......fuel problem?

[fordavefreda]

hi all,

as you might be aware i have been having alot af problems with my freda for some time ( see "loss of power when warm" post ). i have definitely now solved the problem at last through a chance search on this very forum

to cut a long story short i have suffered with the freda not revving above 2000rpm and it churning out lots of smoke, going down every forseeable check including taking out the injectors i have finally solved it. i had given up and thought it would need a new injector pump or it overhauling at a great cost . i came on here on weds evening at about 8:30 in the hope of finding a suitable diesel mechanic who could diagnose my problem.
i have previously used the search facility on this forum to try and find the problem but to no avail, so typing in "diagnostic" into the search it came up with a very interesting post by andyfb78 titled "stripping the injector pump" this guy had exactly the same symptoms and was asking for advice as he had also given up hope of finding the problem, until some one gave advice about a very small strainer behind the banjo connector on top of the fuel pump that maybe blocked. sure enough after stripping off the banjo and removing the strainer from behind the spring i found it to be completely blocked. after a thorough clean and re assembley the freda burst into life and runs perfect

i thought i'd share this with everyone as it may be affecting others performance and may enhance power if it is cleaned

thanks to everyone that helped with trying to find the problem

i did eventually come up with it myself

cheers dave

[Veg_Ian]

Damn! I remember that thread now. At the time I meant to make a mental note for future reference but as usual the old memory let me down. Glad to hear you sorted it Dave. Even better that it didn't cost. Those fixes are the ones you get that smug feeling from eh?

Moral of the story then - either go out and buy a big handkerchief to tie a knot in or better still at least remember to use the search facilty on here.

[mikeonb4c]

fordavefreda - that is one of the (if not the) best Good News stories I've heard on BF in my brief time here. You must have felt great!!

I've a growing feeling though (increased by your experience) that the growing wealth of knowledge on BF could use the skills of someone experienced with dbases, search engines or whatever to improve the chances of finding the right information when you need it. Anyone out there feel up to it?

Anyway well done and happy motoring

Mike

[cezeta]

has anyone got a picture of this or could nip out and take a pic.

im interested to see if it helps with cold starting with white smoke

[antique]

hi did you take the pump off to clean the filter thanks antique

[Bingabanga]

Well done Fordavefreda I said at the beginning this would be an interesting and usefull experience

[fordavefreda]

it was such an easy job in the end and only took about 10 mins!

antique you don't need to take off the fuel pump the strainer is under the banjo bolt on top of the fuel pump at the end of the fuel line that comes from the main fuel filter, there is an allen screw supporting the pipe which you undo and theres a spring under the banjo bolt itself, below the spring in the hole where the bolt should be the strainer is at the bottom, i lifted it out with a screw driver, its a bit smaller than a tyre valve dust cap.

cezeta, it has helped with the cold start aswell as it doesnt seem as lumpy as it used to be, i'd take a pic but i don't know how to post them on here hope the description above helps you to find it.

the amount of time i ve spent looking at it scratching my head i knew where it was without any pics

completed a 60 mile round trip yesterday with no hicups i'm well chuffed

[bigdaddycain]

Cheers fordavefreda i,m not having any running probs (touch wood) but i,ll have a check for any blockage anyway, glad its sorted yours...

[antique]

hi thanks ford freda yes you are right , easy job i am just servicing my tin top. thought i beter check it thanks antique

[cezeta]

I just cleaned the filter in the banjo bolt fitting as described above. Did I mention that I hate the Mazda design team

For one I'm not Japanese with hands the size of a small girl and for another why do they use fixings in the factory build up that you cant then access inside the van

The van has a full conversion so the "bonnet/seat" will not go all the way back. I usually remove it but for such a short job I didn't bother so it was a keyhole surgery job.

A few things to consider. when you remove the banjo bolt there are a couple of fibre washers and a spacer that need to be taken off with the bolt. If you don't know they are there then they could fall into the engine bay and be lost on the engine guard Fortunately I have spares but its a pain in the ass you may want to avoid.

Also in order to remove the banjo fitting you will need to undo an Allen key bolt which has very limited access to. if you have long reach Allen fittings for your socket set you will be ok. mine were either too long or too short so i opted for cutting down an Allen key which I could afford to sacrifice. The bugger was slightly corroded too. I replaced the bolt with a stainless hex bolt and a socket or ratchet spanner fits it the ltd space no problem.

once the banjo was removed I initially thought the filter was missing as it is tucked down inside the body of the fuel pump.

after a few attempts I found the best way to remove the locating spring and then the filter was to use a magnetic screwdriver. i think you could damage the filter if you try and hook it out.

the filter is the size of a rubber that you would find on the top of a pencil. ours had caught a fair bit of muck so i cleaned it out with carb cleaner and reassembled it.

I noticed as well that all of the control levers were as dry as a bone so I lubes these with a bit of spray.

I test drove it and .....I think.....it picks up better. A lot of it is in your mind with these things. the test will be at 6 tomorrow morning as its the starting that is the problem I'm trying to cure. It had new plugs last year but that's not to say that they have not failed.

[cezeta]

oh...and thanks for the advice above. even if it was not needed on this van its a worth while thing to do now and then anyway.

[cezeta]

ok, if you are interested:

cleaning the filter had no effect on starting, it still chugs and splatters so next is ANOTHER set of heater plugs, it cured it last December but i hoped they would have lasted more than 12 months.

acceleration has improved noticeably though.

i cant remember the brand so ill make sure they are genuine or bosch ect. if this fails then im going to get the injectors re furbished and if that fails im buying the Mrs a European camper because mazdas are a bit troublesome, ive never had so many things pack up its like owning a classic car

[Veg_Ian]

if this fails then im going to get the injectors re furbished and if that fails im buying the Mrs a European camper because mazdas are a bit troublesome, ive never had so many things pack up its like owning a classic car

...... and Vdubs never go wrong then? Believe me they do, my dad's had a couple of them and both were a swine to work on.

I know that if you get a series of problems with a vehicle you get pi$$ed off and think what's going to go wrong next. I have to say it is unusual to get a lot of trouble with Mazdas. My outlaws had 2 and had no trouble from either. My wife's had a 323 for nearly 4 years and it's hardly been any trouble at all. You do have to remember that our Bongos are typically 10 or more years old and consequently they are at that age when things start to wear out. I'm sure that would also be the case and more so with a european equivalent. I moved to owning Japanese cars over 20 years ago because of their reputation for build quality and reliability over their european counterparts. I still hold that opinion to this day ......

[Veg_Ian]

I forgot to add - also for the money would you get a european vehicle of the same condition and specification as the Bongo - I very much doubt it.

[Ozric]

Mike,

I was thinking the same thing about a database. As I'm a computer programmer, web designer and general computer geek. I'll put finger to keyboard and knock something up.