General ducato now hesitating after running low on diesel , blocked filter?

[storminheaven]

hi , ive just got an old 2005, 2 litre ducato mwb van(bj54utx if that helps) , twice now the fuel light has come on and it started chugging 5 minutes later barely making it to a petrol station ,since then , its hesitating momentarily when accelerating at low speeds , im guessing cause i let it get so low , either the crap from inside the fuel tank is clogged the fuel filter or air is in the fuel system? i just got a new fuel filter from halfords , they give me the wrong filter but when i removed the current filter , it wasn't full of crap and looked fairly new anyway ... if there is air in the system , how would i remove it anyone please? is there a bleed screw or when i fit the correct filter im getting today does the system automatically bleed any air ... hoping i dont need a new fuel pump , it was running sweet before i nearly ran out diesel so im guessing its to do with that .. obviously i would keep it over half tank moving forward as the gauge is maybe not too accurate but would be grateful of any feedback please... thanks

 

[bugsymike]

hi , ive just got an old 2005, 2 litre ducato mwb van(bj54utx if that helps) , twice now the fuel light has come on and it started chugging 5 minutes later barely making it to a petrol station ,since then , its hesitating momentarily when accelerating at low speeds , im guessing cause i let it get so low , either the crap from inside the fuel tank is clogged the fuel filter or air is in the fuel system? i just got a new fuel filter from halfords , they give me the wrong filter but when i removed the current filter , it wasn't full of crap and looked fairly new anyway ... if there is air in the system , how would i remove it anyone please? is there a bleed screw or when i fit the correct filter im getting today does the system automatically bleed any air ... hoping i dont need a new fuel pump , it was running sweet before i nearly ran out diesel so im guessing its to do with that .. obviously i would keep it over half tank moving forward as the gauge is maybe not too accurate but would be grateful of any feedback please... thanks

When it ran out of fuel how did you start it? Does it have a hand primer or did you just keep cranking until it started?
Long cranking can damage high pressure fuel pumps as they rely on the diesel to lubricate them.
This also applies when fitting fuel filters.
Does yours have an electric pump in the fuel tank, if so when you turn ignition on you should hear a whirring noise which then stops, hopefully when pressure has pumped the air out and sent it back to the fuel tank.
If yours uses a hand primer, if you run out of fuel or change a fuel filter it is normally to repeatedly operate the primer until you don't hear anymore bubbles in the fuel lines, then engine should start.
If engine is running for a short time it should chase any air remaining out of the system.
However hand primers have been known to leak causing problems.

 

[storminheaven]

When it ran out of fuel how did you start it? Does it have a hand primer or did you just keep cranking until it started?
Long cranking can damage high pressure fuel pumps as they rely on the diesel to lubricate them.
This also applies when fitting fuel filters.
Does yours have an electric pump in the fuel tank, if so when you turn ignition on you should hear a whirring noise which then stops, hopefully when pressure has pumped the air out and sent it back to the fuel tank.
If yours uses a hand primer, if you run out of fuel or change a fuel filter it is normally to repeatedly operate the primer until you don't hear anymore bubbles in the fuel lines, then engine should start.
If engine is running for a short time it should chase any air remaining out of the system.
However hand primers have been known to leak causing problems.

 

[storminheaven]

hi ,thanks for replying , i didnt actually say i ran out , i said i nearly ran out but did make it to the petrol station , ive changed the fuel filter now but its still hesitating on accelerating from low speeds or going around corners etc so im not sure what to try next .. as far as i know their is no primer its self bleeding . funny this has only happened after nearly running out twice , i think the gauge isnt accurate as it starts chugging and kangarooing shortly after the fuel light comes on , im now keeping it well above a quarter of a tank but still be good to sort the problem , its not that bad to be honest but i assume it will get worse .. i only paid £800 for it and have made that back the first week of my courier job so i will prob just run it into the ground rather than possibly pay a garage a few hundred quid plus to diagnose and fit a new fuel pump etc .. any quick fixes/ideas would be great though . thanks

 

[bugsymike]

hi ,thanks for replying , i didnt actually say i ran out , i said i nearly ran out but did make it to the petrol station , ive changed the fuel filter now but its still hesitating on accelerating from low speeds or going around corners etc so im not sure what to try next .. as far as i know their is no primer its self bleeding . funny this has only happened after nearly running out twice , i think the gauge isnt accurate as it starts chugging and kangarooing shortly after the fuel light comes on , im now keeping it well above a quarter of a tank but still be good to sort the problem , its not that bad to be honest but i assume it will get worse .. i only paid £800 for it and have made that back the first week of my courier job so i will prob just run it into the ground rather than possibly pay a garage a few hundred quid plus to diagnose and fit a new fuel pump etc .. any quick fixes/ideas would be great though . thanks

Sorry I meant to say when you ran low of fuel.
From what you are saying it sounds like you have a electric pump in the tank, this is in my mind the better option and as long as you let it prime it's self after changing filters or running low etc. then it shouldn't hurt the high pressure pump.
I tend to agree with you, just keep running it for as long as you can, but I would tend to keep fuel above half.
If it is anything like the Scudo I have , the fuel tank is very long and flat which means as it gets low even on a slight slope it may suck air.
If you have a friend with a diagnostic tool that can read it, any error codes may help, also if fuel rail pressure readings are low this can be a guide re the health of the high pressure injector pump, but then it starts getting expensive, so best just keep running it as long as you can.