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power not like it used to be
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 10:36 am
by parawaiting
I have recently refitted my diesel injector pump and since then the bongo seems to have lost its top end power. whilst it would previously happily cruise at 90 all day,fly up hills and surprise many a boy racer with its acceleration, now when it kicks down the revs go up but the power isnt there, it still will cruise at 70 but very sluggish and if you reach a long incline it behaves like a wagon and not the bongo i remember.
I know it could be many things, i imagine something to do with the turbo, but think it may be something to do with my refit of the fuel injector pump. has anyone had similar problems?or any ideas where i should look

Re: power not like it used to be
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 11:20 am
by Veg_Ian
TPS, timing ?
Re: power not like it used to be
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 12:34 pm
by parawaiting
im a bit of a novice with mechanics but learning slowly with the bongo! the timing issue sounds possible , but wouldnt it be more apparent than just non turbo like acceleration? one thing i forgot to mention was that there is a silver fixed pipe about2 cm diameter about40 cm long running from front to back that was a bit gunked up with residue, perhaps that may have smething to do with it
Re: power not like it used to be
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 12:53 pm
by Veg_Ian
EGR? Yes it could do if it's made its way to the inlet manifold and restricting air flow and/or fuel.
Re: power not like it used to be
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 1:06 pm
by bigdaddycain
I couldn't really testify that the blanking of the EGR system will restore the lost performance in your bongo para.. But i did notice a little bit more "get up & go" in my bongo post blanking.
When was the air filter last replaced? Are there any leaves or any other foreign object blocking the air inlet?
Re: power not like it used to be
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 1:17 pm
by Veg_Ian
I wasn't advocating that blanking off the EGR would fix the problem BDC (although I've made my views clear on this in the past). What may have happened here is that gunge from the EGR could be partially blocking the inlet manifold or pipes that go into it. Viz when demand for air/fuel goes over a particular threshold the blockage may prevent one or the other from getting through and hence the loss of power.
That said, strange that this condition should manifest itself now. I would still look at causes that could have occurred as a result of fiddling with the fuel pump ie pump timing or the position of the TPS.
Re: power not like it used to be
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 4:13 pm
by parawaiting
thanks for the replies, i suppose logically the timing is the likely culprit as it happened just after refitting the fuel injector pump, are there any other obvious signs of the timing being out?
Re: power not like it used to be
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 4:24 pm
by Veg_Ian
err loss of power?
Are there any other symptoms like difficult to start, erratic tickover?
Re: power not like it used to be
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 4:31 pm
by parawaiting
that why i said any other symptoms, as it starts and ticks over perfectly and its ok to drive, I drove to and from west wales over the weekend and it was fine apart from not wanting to go above 70 onthe way there. coming back it was ok up to 85 but i did have a bit of a tailwind.
Re: power not like it used to be
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 4:38 pm
by dandywarhol
How did you time the pump?
It's an intricate piece of equipment and has to be done with a dial gauge to a very small tolerance.

Re: power not like it used to be
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 5:28 pm
by bigdaddycain
I'd have thought he'd have lined up the sprocket of the pump with the cast lug on the timing cover? It's timed up then isn't it?

That's why i suggested the basics first, an overlooked detail perhaps?
Re: power not like it used to be
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 5:31 pm
by parawaiting
i thought i lined up the timing marks i'll give that a check to see they are still alligned ok, thanks for all the answers so far

Re: power not like it used to be
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 5:37 pm
by bigdaddycain
How come you'd removed the pump para? (if you don't mind me being nosey?)
Re: power not like it used to be
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 6:22 pm
by parawaiting
i blew the seals cold starting on too high a percentage of veg oil- probably 75%, i replaced all the usual seals and it was still leaking diesel so i removed the pump intent on replacing all the seals myself but realised it was a bit beyond me even with the pictorial guide. and got it done professionally for £200. just put it back on recently when i started having these problems.
just had another thought, if the timing was out would my mot mechanic have noticed? ie would it have effected the particulate test?? it actually passed with a very low reading
Re: power not like it used to be
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 6:36 pm
by bigdaddycain
As an afterthought para... If you are now running straight diesel, and you used to run a veggy mix, you may just be feeling the opposite effect of when you first started to use veggy...i.e remember the first time you used veg oil in your bongo, and it felt like you'd just put an extra 15psi in the tyres? Plus, your engine will be slightly noisier now you are on diesel again...this could give an illusion of the engine having to work harder now than it used to... Just a thought...
