Need To Find Pattaya Expert In Diesel Fuel Lines

[PMK]

Hi,

My Ford pickup is showing the classic symptoms of air leaking into the fuel system, being hard to start in the morning and billows of white smoke when it does start. I've changed the fuel filter but it made no difference. I think the best way to track down the leak (or eliminate this from the list of possible causes) is to pressurize the fuel system, which I suppose takes special equipment.

Any recommendations for a mechanic or shop in Pattaya or Ban Chang that would be good for this specific problem?

Peter

[Gary A]

Hi,

My Ford pickup is showing the classic symptoms of air leaking into the fuel system, being hard to start in the morning and billows of white smoke when it does start. I've changed the fuel filter but it made no difference. I think the best way to track down the leak (or eliminate this from the list of possible causes) is to pressurize the fuel system, which I suppose takes special equipment.

Any recommendations for a mechanic or shop in Pattaya or Ban Chang that would be good for this specific problem?

Peter

I have never heard of air in the fuel system causing white smoke. It sounds more like a head gasket, cracked head or cracked block. Have you ever run the engine hot?

[saintofsilence]

White smoke is signs of the engine not being hot enough and un burnt fuel, does your engine have a lot of miles on it,

Is the battery strong when it cranks over it could be low compression or crook glow plugs.

Air in the fuel will cause it not to run.

[Sherlocke]

Hold on a minute - WHITE smoke??? - could well be a sign that you are getting water into the chambers - this would mean a possible blown head gasket. It could also account for why your fuel lines seem OK.

Inefficient burning usually results in black smoke or some grey/white pluming perhaps at first

blue/grey is burning oil

[monty]

Yep, white smoke indicates water being burned, with either the water being in the diesel (unlikely as they don't mix, you more likely won't be able to start at all), or a broken head gasket allowing cooling water to enter the combustion chamber.

[denboy]

Yep, white smoke indicates water being burned, with either the water being in the diesel (unlikely as they don't mix, you more likely won't be able to start at all), or a broken head gasket allowing cooling water to enter the combustion chamber.

I quiet agree that it could possibly be a damaged head gasket. Before you get a mechanic to remove the cylinder head, ask yourself a couple of questions.

has this problem come about suddenly, it is possible that you have contaminated fuel which is not unheard of in this part of the world. A diesel engine will start eventually even with water in the fuel.

Much easier and cheaper to drain the tank and refill than ripping the engine apart. Changing the fuel filter will not cure that problem.

Also if you head gasket was blown the vehicle should tend to overheat.

Whatever you must get it sorted quickly as if it is the head gasket and you continue to ignore it, visions of expensive cracked cylinder heads come to mind.

cheers

[Datsun240Z]

If the headgasket is leaking, then you should notice the coolant level dropping in the reservoir.

[saintofsilence]

I wouldn't be taking the head off without further tests , if it is just blowing white smoke at start up It seem that its not burning properly test the glow plugs first.

[63Tommy1]

If you get a chance to smell the "white smoke" do that, if it smells diesel, alot of it, its leaking, worn-out injection valves, not water.

Any garage could tell you that, so why not try the FORD garage?

Regards,

Tommy

[PMK]

There were conversations here about white smoke and hard to start in the mornings because a small air leak allowed fuel level to drop overnight from the force of gravity.

Anyway, the truck does not consume water, does not run rough or run hot. The battery is strong and it cranks well. This is strictly a first-thing-in-the-morning problem which also indicates it is not water in the fuel system. After maybe 30 secs it runs great for the rest of the day.

Thanks,

Peter

Hi,

My Ford pickup is showing the classic symptoms of air leaking into the fuel system, being hard to start in the morning and billows of white smoke when it does start. I've changed the fuel filter but it made no difference. I think the best way to track down the leak (or eliminate this from the list of possible causes) is to pressurize the fuel system, which I suppose takes special equipment.

Any recommendations for a mechanic or shop in Pattaya or Ban Chang that would be good for this specific problem?

Peter

I have never heard of air in the fuel system causing white smoke. It sounds more like a head gasket, cracked head or cracked block. Have you ever run the engine hot?

[PMK]

Forgot to mention (and couldn't edit) my last post, but, insufficient fuel is listed as a possible cause at http://www.difflock.com/diesel/troubleshooting.shtml "Air in the fuel system can also result in white smoke."

I have never heard of air in the fuel system causing white smoke. It sounds more like a head gasket, cracked head or cracked block. Have you ever run the engine hot?

[Datsun240Z]

change glow plugs?

[BSJ]

I concur with Sherlocke and Monty! H20 means lack of go! Well, in the starting department.....and a drop in performance.

PS: If there is air in the system it's a 5 minute fix. Either the injector pump has a bleed nipple or you can crack an injector to allow air to escape when someone is cranking. Seal it up before they stop cranking. And be careful of high pressure fuel. If it penetrates the skin it gets ugly, so cover up.

Edited August 22, 2009 by BSJ

[gwynt]

If you get a chance to smell the "white smoke" do that, if it smells diesel, alot of it, its leaking, worn-out injection valves, not water.

Any garage could tell you that, so why not try the FORD garage?

Regards,

Tommy

With my experience of Ford garage on Sukumvit I would not take a wheelbarrow there, have tried three times to get, what I believe, not being a mechanic, a front lower ball joint fixed, no chance, have now arranged with a small garage recomended by a thai friend.

[63Tommy1]

If you get a chance to smell the "white smoke" do that, if it smells diesel, alot of it, its leaking, worn-out injection valves, not water.

Any garage could tell you that, so why not try the FORD garage?

Regards,

Tommy

With my experience of Ford garage on Sukumvit I would not take a wheelbarrow there, have tried three times to get, what I believe, not being a mechanic, a front lower ball joint fixed, no chance, have now arranged with a small garage recomended by a thai friend.

See there! a really useful tip.

Well, try A Mazda garage then, its the same car, so you might get help there.

I have 0% experience at any garage in Pattaya, but our Chevrolet garage within walking distance from home is great (at least compared to every other garage I have ever seen, any where), its on Km#2 on Ram Intra Road, in Bangkok.

Tommy

Edited August 22, 2009 by 63Tommy1

[chanthas]

pmk

sounds to me like the fuel is running back when the vehcle is left overnight,thus giveing an airlock in the system.

The problam could probably be traced back to a non retern fuel valve which could be located on the main fuel line into the fuel filter head,or

on the mail fuel line into the fuel pump from the filter head(valvle wich would screw into pump itself) without looking i couldnt tell,sorry,or if it has

glow plugs,check the big fuses which should be located under the bonnet in a not so big fuse box somewere,as the one that controls the glow plugs could

have blown worth a check before changeing the glow plugs. it sounds like it could be a case of trial and error,but firstly i would look to the fuel running back first,

hope this helps in some way

also make sure all the fuel lines and valves that you can check visibly are tight and secure as one of them could have worked itself loose thus sucking in small amount of air,but me thinks if this was the case it wouldnt run at all.

[chanthas]

also pmk

it could turn out to be the actuall filter head itself,because somtimes the fiter head has a non rtn fuel valve built inside,or the the hand primer on the filter head has broken down inside,this used to be a big problam on the ford 1.8diesel escorts and mondeos,classic non starter in the morning,when if they did eventualy start clouds of white smoke .

Also used to be a common problam on the 0813 ford cargo non starter in the morning,turned out to be the non rtn fuel valve which was on the fuel pump.

Yes i no this vehcle is none of the above but most diesels are run on the same principal.

[Lancashirelad]

also pmk

it could turn out to be the actuall filter head itself,because somtimes the fiter head has a non rtn fuel valve built inside,or the the hand primer on the filter head has broken down inside,this used to be a big problam on the ford 1.8diesel escorts and mondeos,classic non starter in the morning,when if they did eventualy start clouds of white smoke .

Also used to be a common problam on the 0813 ford cargo non starter in the morning,turned out to be the non rtn fuel valve which was on the fuel pump.

Yes i no this vehcle is none of the above but most diesels are run on the same principal.

Hurray, somebodies hit it at last. A lot of (no doubt well meaning) but very worrying & expensive crp spouted above. Glow plugs, cracked heads, injector valves? etc.

Its a Ford & its diesel. Change the fuel filter HOUSING before you do anything else. They are inexpensive. I'd say 90% that'll cure your problem.

Assuming the vehicle isn't centuries old & hasn't covered over 150,000 kms, in Thailand i wouldn't even be interested if the heater plugs were working or not as they are so rarely needed, especially if its a DI or Common rail. (Maybe just a little in Chiang Mai at 5 am in the coldest month)

When it gets this bad, start worrying. (check out Hectors comments)

Edited August 22, 2009 by Lancashirelad

[PMK]

Thank you, all.

Chantas and Lancashirelad,

The filter has been changed to no effect, but not the filter housing. Chantas, is that what you are referring to as the 'head'?. Depending on the price I will try that before anything else. If that doesn't work or it is too expensive, then I am back to my original question about a shop to take it to, because my two mechanics do not want to take on tracking down the potential air leak. One referred me to a specialist shop in Rayong (I live in Sattahip), but Pattaya would be more convenient for me. I'll post further - it may be a week or two.

Peter

Hurray, somebodies hit it at last. A lot of (no doubt well meaning) but very worrying & expensive crp spouted above. Glow plugs, cracked heads, injector valves? etc.

Its a Ford & its diesel. Change the fuel filter HOUSING before you do anything else. They are inexpensive. I'd say 90% that'll cure your problem.

[chanthas]

Hi there pmk yes mate i did mean the fuel filter housing, sorry.can you look at it? is it the type that has the hand primer built on top, ie has a big black type button on top that you can put your hand on and push in and out?just curios as i havent worked on the ford ranger before,and if it is this type of housing, i would change that 100% first and give that a go mate.

i would have had a look at it myself but me and my wife have just relocated back to blighty,

[PMK]

Hi Chantas,

Yes, that the fuel filter is exactly the one you describe. I actually went to have the housing changed this morning but the shop did not want to do it, insisting there was nothing on/in it that would be worthwhile changing (honest shop even if they are wrong!). I found out what kind of shop they want me go to - 'raan pump' and that there are several along the south/central Sukhumvit garage strip in Pattaya, so I'll try that soon.

You must be missing LOS to be keeping up with the TV posts!

Hi there pmk yes mate i did mean the fuel filter housing, sorry.can you look at it? is it the type that has the hand primer built on top, ie has a big black type button on top that you can put your hand on and push in and out?just curios as i havent worked on the ford ranger before,and if it is this type of housing, i would change that 100% first and give that a go mate.

i would have had a look at it myself but me and my wife have just relocated back to blighty,

[Lickey]

I bought a new [man rec spec] battery, new heater plugs, new filter & housing for my old escort 1.8d, i put a non return Merc 308D in-line filter before the main filter, and it still would not start,

The only way it would start was pre-heat, turn over engine 2/3 times, turn off, pre-heat again, and it would start almost straight away. like others here, i dont know the Ranger set-up, but worth a try,,,

[INTJ]

If it is the 99-05 Ranger (non commonrail) I had exactly the same problem. Car would crank over for a good 10 seconds before firing up, and also loads of grey smoke. Once it was started in the morning it was OK all day.

The problem was the glowplugs. The smoke was the excess diesel that had been pumped into the engine burning off.

Cheers

[Datsun240Z]

If it is the 99-05 Ranger (non commonrail) I had exactly the same problem. Car would crank over for a good 10 seconds before firing up, and also loads of grey smoke. Once it was started in the morning it was OK all day.

The problem was the glowplugs. The smoke was the excess diesel that had been pumped into the engine burning off.

Cheers

change glow plugs?

[Lancashirelad]

I bought a new [man rec spec] battery, new heater plugs, new filter & housing for my old escort 1.8d, i put a non return Merc 308D in-line filter before the main filter, and it still would not start,

The only way it would start was pre-heat, turn over engine 2/3 times, turn off, pre-heat again, and it would start almost straight away. like others here, i dont know the Ranger set-up, but worth a try,,,

Souns like it could have been the heater plug timer relay at fault......... not keeping the plugs powered up long enough.

By the way, what on earth is a man rec spec battery?

INTJ said:

If it is the 99-05 Ranger (non commonrail) I had exactly the same problem. Car would crank over for a good 10 seconds before firing up, and also loads of grey smoke. Once it was started in the morning it was OK all day.

The problem was the glowplugs. The smoke was the excess diesel that had been pumped into the engine burning off.

Further (and possibly contrary to my post #18 above), I'd been doing some more research into this before seeing INTJ's post.

I concede that it could possibly be a glow plug fault. They can be tested before splashing out for new ones, but do change that filter head first.

Do come back OP & let us know what happens.

Edited August 30, 2009 by Lancashirelad

[Lickey]

Manufactors Recomended Specification,

The glowplugs stay on even though the dash light goes out, if the starter pulls too many amps, the glow plugs suffer, so the battery and starter have to be up to the job in the first place,

My old 1.8 escort had nearly 300.000 miles on it, so i would think everything was in need of an overhaul, hence the double pre-heat, it always worked!

Cheers, Lickey,,

[micky44]

I concur with Sherlocke and Monty! H20 means lack of go! Well, in the starting department.....and a drop in performance.

PS: If there is air in the system it's a 5 minute fix. Either the injector pump has a bleed nipple or you can crack an injector to allow air to escape when someone is cranking. Seal it up before they stop cranking. And be careful of high pressure fuel. If it penetrates the skin it gets ugly, so cover up.

its a self bleeding pump fitted to this model ford, no need what so ever to crack an injector or bleed the pump.

[Gary A]

A friend of mine has a ragged old Jeep with a Mitsubishi turbo diesel engine. It likely has a million kilometers on it, as in worn out. It was very difficult to start. It has a glow plug heater light. The light goes out when the plugs are hot. He had to turn the key on and off out three times then it would start. When it did start there was NO white smoke nor was there white smoke while cranking.

[Sherlocke]

Any "white smoke" whilst cranking is probably just diesel vapour being past through the system.

White smoke when the engine is running would indicate "steam" i.e. water getting into the combustion chamber.

How it is getting there is a matter for testing.

Test the coolant system, is it getting pressurised does the coolant show signs of "pollution"? Test compression etc.

[PMK]

Thanks for your interest.

I can give you an update in that I changed the filter head but the problem remains, leaving the glow plugs or air leaking into the fuel line somewhere else, or I suppose perhaps both. I lean to the glow plugs being the problem even though the smoke is clearly white, not grey, and there is no obvious sign of unburned fuel like a strong odour. It may be a few days until I have the glow plugs checked but will let you know.

I concede that it could possibly be a glow plug fault. They can be tested before splashing out for new ones, but do change that filter head first.

Do come back OP & let us know what happens.