diesel filter & prime & drain

[shatz]

Ok...i have had a look at previous posts but there arent any that are "diesel filter change for dummies!!!".

I have 2.0DTI...have starting issues as sometimes the car just fails to start (but cranks over and over forever!!!!!) and about 12 hrs later just sitting there..its decides starts up fine!..so as a first step...i was thinking of changing fuel filter and removing any water from the bottom of the housing via the screw (is this neccessary?)

To change filter do i
1)remove centre screw
2)remove top of housing
3)replace filter and replace the top
4)fill diesel into the little screw hole until topped up
5)replace screw ensuring the seal has been changed also

NOTE..the two fuel lines going to the filer housing dont need anything done to them...correct?

with my new filter i got 2 rubber rings...a small one (about 1cm diameter) and a large one (about the size of the filter if not bigger)...where does the large one go?

how do i remove the water in the system and do i do it before the filter change or after?

any help will be much appreciated...by the way im new to this and you'll proberly see a lot more of me around...the forum is great!

[plasma]

Righty'o your starting issues are very probably due to a slight air leak in the fuel system allowing the fuel to drain back to the tank.

No1 Probably causes are the leak off pipes and 't' pieces which you see coming out of the head which are the injector returns which return fuel to the pump, these plastic/woven pipes become brittle and let air in.

No2. Could be fuel filter seal but doubt it.

No3 is injector seals not a DIY job, camshaft has to almost come out to do it, so its a garage jobbie really,

No4 and not seen one happen on a Vec C yet is the fuel pump seals letting air in.

To change the fuel filter your 1-4 is correct except the large new seal you get with it sits in the channel/lip on the top of the fuel filter housing,

To remove water its normally done by undoing a little bleed nipple on the underside of it whilst placing a cup or container under it to catch the fluid. Carefull as the bleed nipple is plastic and can be broken. the theory is water is heavier than oil/diesel and remains at the bottom of the filter.

[shatz]

ok, im guessing the pipes you are on about are the ones circled in the pic...although they are not woven on mine. Could this really be the problem as i would have thought air leaking into the system would prevent the car from starting period (until cranked enough to get the air out and fuel in)....so i dont understand why in the evening the car didnt start after 6 attempts but started 1st time 12 hours later.

thanks for the confirmation on the fuel filter change.

[plasma]

sorry didnt read your first post throughly enough, most of the above applies to bad starting after parking up overnight for example. Bad starting in general could be a couple of things. Temperature sensor giving the wrong reading to the ECU about temp of fuel/etc, pump timing, (seen this before), dont know if these use a crankshaft and or camshaft sensor like a petrol does.. Any info on if the car is hot/cold when bad or when starts ok???

[shatz]

seems to be very random...not linked to hot or cold. Last week after having the car parked up for a few days...i had to crank around 8 times over a period of 10 mins to get it started..(batteries fine then)...at which point it spat out black smoke. What happens is after several cranks of around 8 secs each...it starts to cough and splutter after around 6 attempts if im lucky at which point i remain cranking for longer and pump the accelerator a little....Then it manages to come to life like a grandad of a car! Anyway so on this day...i managed to start it...took it 5 mins down the road, switched off & parked up for 10 mins...then had to crank about 4 looong times to get it started again! HAvnt a clue what it could be and dont want to throw £££ at it on guess work...cars probably only worth £1600 or so and im skint (ish)!

any ideas?

[shatz]

so had a proper look at the leak off...one of them looks a little grimey so cuold be leaking???..as pictured.

Just wandering...i tried pulling this one off and its seems stuck on VERY hard...if i was to yank at it hard and pull it off eventually..how would i manage to plug in the new one that tight...what tools would be required?

[nickyg]

Just checking did you have anymore joy with the cause of your problem, shatz?

I have a 2.0dti and have inspected my leak off pipes also (no grime or pools as far as I can see).

I'm hoping to replace the fuel filter and the seal that comes with it as and see if that may have been the cause of the air intake.. failing that I guess it must be the injectors!

Regarding the fuel filter housing and filter/seal replacement.. can anyone just confirm that the top of the 2.0dti doesnt need any special tools or mad size wrench to remove it? Doesit just lift off when the central bolt is unscrewed?

Also, the fuel lines.. they don't need removed and clamped closed or anything?

I'm kinda hoping it's just a ift up and replace the filter and 2 seals jobbie! :-)


Cheers

[James24]

The top of the fuel filter comes off without special tools - just undo the torx screw in the centre of the cover. This is a long screw that runs down the centre of the fuel filter to the bottom. There is a rubber washer under the head of this screw. There should be a new one with your new filter - along with a much larger washer that fits between the fuel filter cover and housing.

Opening the fuel filter (whether you disconnect the pipes or not) allows air into the system. This allows the diesel to run back into the fuel tank. The fuel pumps in these diesel engines are expensive and not designed to run on air - you may ruin the pump if you crank the engine to try to use the fuel pump to suck diesel through the empty pipes and fuel filter. Search this website for methods of bleeding/priming the fuel system including filling the fuel filter up with clean diesel before putting the top back on, only cranking the engine in short bursts until it starts, buying a proper priming pump, etc. Haynes used to give the cranking option for the Vectra B but state that it should not be attempted for the Vectra C due to the 'delicate' fuel pump.

I wouldn't try clamping the fuel pipes as even the flexible pieces are quite hard and might split or something if clamped.

You may be able to avoid disconnecting the fuel pipes from the fuel filter cover if you can get them to move enough to move the fule filter cover out of the way - consider unclipping them from the bulkhead and/or moving the coolant expansion tank out of the way - tilt it up at the front to release it from the bottom rear bracket then pull it diagonally upwards and forwards to slide the tabs at each site of the bottle out of the top brackets.