erratic running

[bigpaul]

New member alert!
For the past month or so the Bongo has been having occasional problems. First thing in the morning it sometimes will judder and stall at junctions and loose power completely on a slight hill, this soon goes after a few restarts and it seems to run fine. The next morning it will run fine, and it seems to have no bearing whatsoever on how cold or damp it is. Also I noticed the other evening that it was sluggish when at speed, like it was being starved of fuel and this was when the engine had been running for a good 30 minutes.
The problem has only come on since I ran out of fuel a few months back so I suspected dirt in the filter but my garage say that if this was the case it would be a constant problem rather than the erratic symptoms we have- they said it was more likely an air intake problem. When they checked they found the air and fuel filter clean but noticed that on starting the diesel pump leaked but stopped leaking when it warmed up. I have read some posts here and this seems like a common problem but nowhere can I find any mention of it causing any running problems. The garage were all for taking the pump out and sending it off to be fixed- I'm reluctant to do this if it can be fixed by replacing the seals in situ. Also the garage hadn't checked the Banjo filter which I plan to try today.
So my main question is- could the leak from the fuel pump cause the problems I've been experiencing?

[daveblueozzie]

my brother had similar problems on his bongo, they had to change the fuel pump, luckily for him it was under warranty. not a cheap fix I'm afraid.

[Doone]

Also the garage hadn't checked the Banjo filter which I plan to try today.

What does it run like now you've done that?

[bigpaul]

Couldn't even undo the bolt that holds the pipe in place, without the right tools I couldn't get the leverage so gave up after 30 minutes of cursing. Do you think that could be the cause?

[missfixit70]

You can do it without undoing the allen bolt on the pipe (I couldn't undo mine either) - just undo the banjo bolt on the top, it's a little bit more fiddly, but possible. It could be that, worth eliminating it as a possibility, before going too deep.
It may also be worth taking off the fuel line from the tank & blowing it back through (take off the filler cap), may be a partial obstruction on the pick up. Could also be the tank breather blocked? leave the cap off & see if it happens.
Check there's nothing obstructing the air intake under the bonnet & that nothing has got sucked into the pipework.

[mikexgough]

Mine juddered and stalled at a junction a month ago but that's all....... until 2 weeks ago when after I had raised the rear and put some spring assisters on board (just coincidence) that the next run out was a cut out and stall..... then a run on 3 cylinders back home....never to run again properly until the pump was replaced....after investigations and the usual suspects changed, I did run out of fuel in the summer.....

I changed and cleaned all the usual suspects...but the garage found........my Diesel pump rotor was breaking up and dumped metal swarf in the injectors.....

Just for info...... recent K&N and stainless exhaust so no restrictions....and I always serviced/changed & cleaned filters at 6000 miles....
Mine could have been caused/accelerated by a previous spanner monkey changing the cam belt wrong and setting a tooth out, then compensating by adjusting the Diesel pump to suit..........to be fair pump failure is fairly rare.....but not impossible....my Bongo is at 85,000 miles FYI..........if in doubt....get a specialist Bongo garage to take a look..... I got mine taken and fixed at Bell Hill.... big thanks to Tom and the team down there...

[bigpaul]

Well, removed the banjo filter no problem- (can't see why you'd need to undo the Allen bolt myself) it was spotless- that is until I dropped it trying to get it back in- spent a good hour trying to find it again- what fun. Eventually replaced it, then we removed the fuel pipe and with an air pump blew it back down. Touch wood, it is now running like a dream which is great as the last two days it has been getting worse. So probably a bit of dirt from when we ran out of fuel after all.
Thanks for all your help everyone- you might just have saved me a fortune.
BTW we ran out of fuel just outside of Dunkirk after flooring it from Koln, and this might be the only time ever that a vehicle has completely run out of fuel leaving it with just enough momentum to drift casually onto the next garage forecourt and come to a halt, without any breaking, exactly at the pump. A perfect moment.

[missfixit70]

Fingers crossed it was that simple If it has solved it, make sure you tell the garage

[mikeonb4c]

BTW we ran out of fuel just outside of Dunkirk after flooring it from Koln, and this might be the only time ever that a vehicle has completely run out of fuel leaving it with just enough momentum to drift casually onto the next garage forecourt and come to a halt, without any breaking, exactly at the pump. A perfect moment.

Love that story

I had the reverse once. Ran out on a motorway hard shoulder not knowing there was a fuel station buta short walk away. Waited 2hrs to be retrieved by AA and towed 1/2 mile to it

The only other time I ever ran out was in my Mums Triumph Herald. Lifted the boot and flicked the fuel tank over to reserve position. Now why can't more cars have that (I suppose the low fuel warning light - which earlier Bongos don't have - is intended as the modern alternative).

[dandywarhol]

Mine juddered and stalled at a junction a month ago but that's all....... until 2 weeks ago when after I had raised the rear and put some spring assisters on board (just coincidence) that the next run out was a cut out and stall..... then a run on 3 cylinders back home....never to run again properly until the pump was replaced....after investigations and the usual suspects changed, I did run out of fuel in the summer.....

I changed and cleaned all the usual suspects...but the garage found........my Diesel pump rotor was breaking up and dumped metal swarf in the injectors.....

Just for info...... recent K&N and stainless exhaust so no restrictions....and I always serviced/changed & cleaned filters at 6000 miles....
Mine could have been caused/accelerated by a previous spanner monkey changing the cam belt wrong and setting a tooth out, then compensating by adjusting the Diesel pump to suit..........to be fair pump failure is fairly rare.....but not impossible....my Bongo is at 85,000 miles FYI..........if in doubt....get a specialist Bongo garage to take a look..... I got mine taken and fixed at Bell Hill.... big thanks to Tom and the team down there...

I can't see the timing a tooth out and the pump readjusted causing the pump failure Mike.

Do you always use branded fuel filters? Current electronic pumps are failing due to insufficient filtering from spurious filters....................

[mikexgough]

yes I have always used Blueprint ones from various suppliers that advertise on the Fury site - the last one I fitted after my problems started was from a local motor factor but was indeed a Blueprint too, the thoughts on the timing being out were that it would not have been helpful rather than the absolute reason for failure of the pump...