Dirty Diesel

[tim armstrong]

I have a 7yr old Sport Rider 3L turbo diesel. Its now an old car with 275,000Klms. If I leave it for a couple of days without starting, it seems to cough and splutter a bit when you first start it. I have it serviced, but not always convinced by the work. Is there something obvious I'm missing, or is it dirty fuel ? Ideas appreciated. Regards

[soundman]

Possibly a combination of dirty/gummy injectors, semi-burn't out heating plugs, and maybe the pump seals are getting near a date with the reconditioner.

Maybe try buying some injector cleaner as a first step & see if thta improves starting/rough running problems.

[VocalNeal]

Maybe try buying some injector cleaner as a first step & see if thta improves starting/rough running problems.

+1 That's what I would do. Buy the best injector cleaner. At the very least it will emulsify any water in the tank. 275,000 is just "broken in" for some vehicles.

If you live a ways a way from anywhere that has some you could get a local farmer to siphon out your existing fuel and then refill the tank.

Edited October 20, 2010 by VocalNeal

[H2oDunc]

If it stands for a while before it does it it could be water in the fuel. There is sometimes a drain plug on the bottom of the filter housing on some models. Open this and see if any water comes out first followed by diesel ? Also change the filter and check the already mentioned glow plugs and throw a tin of injector cleaner into a tank of fuel.

[tim armstrong]

If it stands for a while before it does it it could be water in the fuel. There is sometimes a drain plug on the bottom of the filter housing on some models. Open this and see if any water comes out first followed by diesel ? Also change the filter and check the already mentioned glow plugs and throw a tin of injector cleaner into a tank of fuel.

Thanks guys, sound advice. It has had quite a bit of work done on the engine, and has become one of those cars that 'you're never going to spend another cent/baht on'. But it generally goes well, so I will persevere with it.

[Kwasaki]

We have a few petrol stations around or should l say fuel stations and the words goes around don't use that one, !!! don't use that one etc !!! they have water in there tanks or they put water in there tanks. !!!

[tellaziz]

We have a few petrol stations around or should l say fuel stations and the words goes around don't use that one, !!! don't use that one etc !!! they have water in there tanks or they put water in there tanks. !!!

Believe it or not, Station fuel tanks have water in them which floats on the top of the fuel, lighter than fuel and stops gas rising. If the station lets the tank run low you could get water for your money.

Sorry I have to disagree. Diesel floats on water as none of it's chemical components have a density greater than 1, which is the density of water. So water will always sink to the bottom of a fuel tank at a filling station as it's a relatively stable environment. This water 'should' be regularly drained to prevent too much contamination of the fuel when it's pumped out.

You are correct that fuel blankets can be used but it's rare to find this at a normal filling station. The controlling regulations for filing stations are primarily related to; safety and environmental contamination. Fuel blankets which 'sit' on top of the fuel can be used to prevent fuel degredation and improve storage safety but inert gasses are normally used (typically Nitrogen). These blankets are mostly used for long term storage and for aircraft fuel where maintaining the Cetane Index of kerosene is very important.

[tellaziz]

If it stands for a while before it does it it could be water in the fuel. There is sometimes a drain plug on the bottom of the filter housing on some models. Open this and see if any water comes out first followed by diesel ? Also change the filter and check the already mentioned glow plugs and throw a tin of injector cleaner into a tank of fuel.

Thanks guys, sound advice. It has had quite a bit of work done on the engine, and has become one of those cars that 'you're never going to spend another cent/baht on'. But it generally goes well, so I will persevere with it.

The advice is good but you will probably have to syphon the fuel from the tank. Do this when there isn't much fuel in the tank as it's best to just dump the contaminated fuel. Changing all fuel filters is also the way to go. Hopefully this hasn't been going on for too long and caused long term damage to the injectors which means replacement. Try the injector cleaner first with new fuel. I wouldn't worry too much about the glow plugs at this point unless you are getting a warning light at engine start.

All fuel tanks get water in them. This water will sink to the bottom of the tank when the vehicle is still. The longer the vehicle stays still, the more water there will be. The fuel outlet from the tank is raised slightly from the bottom so that, at engine start, uncontaminated fuel goes to the fuel pump. When the vehicle moves, the fuel is agitated forming an emulsion with the water. As this emulsified fuel gets into the engine the water in the fuel tank is burnt off. If there's too much water, the fuel becomes too viscous which lowers the Cetane Index of the fuel entering the injectors and can cause them to become corroded and worn. The Cetane Index has a strong influence in determining the length of time from the start of fuel injection to the start of fuel injection in a diesel engine. A higher CI also improves the cold starting of diesel engines.

[Jogden]

Changing the filters is a good safe start. Checking or changing the glow plugs is the next bit to do. Diesel fuel injectors will not pass water through them. The tips will break off as the water will not break down as far as the diesel does. So if you have water in the fuel tank and it gets past the filters, it will get expensive. Hope this helps some.