Hello Brian, thankyou for your reply. Now I understand about the tank angle as mentioned. Will look for a similar type of pump. I was going to drain the tank completely first but I suppose this might prevent the sludge from floating into sight through the sender opening. By the way, I've got a similar pair of slippers ( as visable in your photo) that my friend brought from Morocco and very comfortable they are! Cheers
Got myself a pump yesterday and went fishing for sludge through the sender opening - couldn't see any despite rocking the car up and down.
Then changed the diesel filter and despite having a six month old Purflux priming head - couldn't prime the bugger ( are they really so useless?). So fitted the filter unit from the TRD which is Bosch but no type I've ever seen on a BX ( no primer at all) and it starts.
Went for a drive with a very low tank and it was terrible up hills - stalling repeatedly. Filled up and went up the same hills - no problem. It has to be some sort of tank contamination unless anyone has any bright ideas.
So, I have to drop the tank - sort of know what to do but how long an undertaking is this? With it being zero degrees right now, maybe it's best to wait for Spring?
this could be a useless suggestion but would giving both feed and return pipes a blow through to check for any small blockages help.
assuming that there needs to be a high vacumm pressure to pull diesel through the lines any small fungal bits that may have entered the line may not make it all the way to the filter
I would not drop the tank untill all other possibilities have been eliminated.
This is a strange one, seems to indicate that the feed from the tank to the pump is picking up air at some point, when the fuel is low in the tank.
I would first inspect the pick up from the tank to see if the internal plastic pipe has holed or split. This is located under the black plastic bung next to the sender on the top of the tank.
Remove the two rubber pipes from the unit, may (need 2 new hose clips), tuck them to one side, take care not to loosesight of the ends, undo the retaining ring, and lift out the unit, inspect for debris or split pipes.
If all ok, then inspect the metal flow pipe under the car for rust /perforations, damp areas would give a clue.
If all ok then have a look at the diesel heater block on the back of the engine, these tend to corrode over time, the fix is to by-pass the heater block.
Thanks for replies and welcome along to the club Colin( are you driving a diesel BX?)
Brian, will check these things tomorrow. Yes, it's perplexing and I must resolve it soon because my wife will be driving it while I'm away and I don't want it leaving her stranded.
It's good to know there's advice and support at hand. Will report back after tomorrows investigations in the nicely chilled workshop.. brrrr!
hi todd thanks for the welcome
im afraid im a refugee from the FCF and i drive a (shhhh) xantia
ive just bought a 1994 L plate 1.9d which im told is pretty similar to a late model bx.in a past life i was a hgv driver and i wasnt thinking correctly when i suggested about the blow through of the lines
having read brians post made me see sense and jogged my memory
how low is the fuel level when it starts playing up?? if its not nearly empty then is it possible (not knowing history of car) that it has an incorrect pick up pipe length i know some that will fit a range of vehicles but not reach the bottom of tank.
i have a spare in the loft from a xantia and will check pick up length tomorrow and post results
My money is on that metal fuel supply pipe. They are cheap to buy and easy to replace. It may also be picking up air from a cracked rubber fuel supply hose where it connects onto the almost inaccessible fuel heater .
The hoses have to absorb the engine movement and can start cracking and letting in air.
The reason I suggest this is because more suction from the pump is needed with a low fuel level so it is more likely to draw in air if the supply pipes are less than perfect.
You could fit some clear hose from the filter to the pump to check for bubbles.
What about the possibility of water in the tank? Have you found much in the filter housing ?
The Joy of BX with just one Citroën BX to my name now. Will I sing Bye Bye to my GTI or will it be Till death us do part.
Ok, I had a look underneath and the metal supply pipe seems fine. The hose going into the diesel heater is indeed slightly cracked but these hoses are so fat that it only seems to be surface cracking. I will change it anyway.
Can't check the tank pick-up because the tank is full ( heeding Brian's advice about not opening when full) this seems a possibility.
Regarding Jaba's question about water - I have never found any in the filter so It's looking like air getting in but must wait for the tank to go down before further investigations.
Hi everyone, I'm another FCF refugee with a Xantia 1.9TD (Bosch pump)
Can I just clarify, you suffer poor running and stalling on inclines when low on fuel but not with a full tank, does your engine exhibit any other symptoms and are they cold or hot engine specific?
I think Colin's advice is worth trying; Check for blockages between feed and return lines.
Additionally, if you suspect air ingress, get a clear fuel pipe fitted from filter to pump then you'll know for sure and it's handy for future diagnosis.
You can do the opposite : block the tank vent "T" piece underneath the rear. Then carefully put the tank under slight pressure on the return hose, while insuring the suction pipe is extended to reach the bottom of the tank.
Collect the pressed out "fuel" via a separate hose connected to the suction stud - instead of the fuel feed pipe.
A bike pump is more than adequate using this method.
Also you can pour into your tank any amount of cleaning fluid to dissolve sludge - and safely get it out again.
C U / Anders - '90red16riBreak - '91GrisDolment16meteor - Project'88red19trsBreak
dead cars : '89white 16RS - '89antrasitTRDturboEst - '90white19triBreak
with a Xantia 1.9TD (Bosch pump)