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Focus 1.8 TDCI won't start!


jmurray01
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In hindsight I have done something incredibly stupid...  A couple of weeks ago I replaced the fuel filter, filled up the housing and after a few cranks the engine started and all was well.  Afterwards the car would run fine but after sitting a couple of days it would start then stall and re-start with minor difficulty.

Today I took the top off the filter housing again and found the issue was the o-ring hadn't seated properly, so sorted that and erroneously thought as I hadn't removed the filter (and didn't see any fuel spill) that I could get away without filling the housing up as i didn't have a can of diesel to hand.

Alas it started for a few seconds and then just cranked and cranked.  After a few attempts I went and got diesel and filled the housing, but it still just cranks until the battery fails.

Obviously I know I've got an air lock in the system, and without looking online cracked off the main fuel union where it goes to the separate injector pipes, which did release a bit of air then fuel and nipped it back up again.  After looking online I've seen posts saying NOT to do that :no:

Further to that the engine still won't start and now the battery is too flat so I'll need to charge it back up or jump it.  Definitely not the Friday morning I hoped for.

HELP!!

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You will have air in the system i primed my fiesta using a hand priming buble on the return pipe once all buble free fuel i cranked it and it all ok now . If that does not work you may have to bleed injectors.

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I've got the battery on charge now, so hoping that since fuel did seep out when I loosened the injector pipe a good crank with a fully charged battery might do it.  If not I'll loosen 2 injector pipes, crank and then tighten up and see if that works as I read that online.  That said I also read online that loosening the injector pipes at all can screw it up (not sure what "it" would be) so if anyone could clarify that before I do any more potential damage that would be great.

Ah the joys of modern diesels...

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3 hours ago, jmurray01 said:

In hindsight I have done something incredibly stupid...  A couple of weeks ago I replaced the fuel filter, filled up the housing and after a few cranks the engine started and all was well.  Afterwards the car would run fine but after sitting a couple of days it would start then stall and re-start with minor difficulty.

Today I took the top off the filter housing again and found the issue was the o-ring hadn't seated properly, so sorted that and erroneously thought as I hadn't removed the filter (and didn't see any fuel spill) that I could get away without filling the housing up as i didn't have a can of diesel to hand.

Alas it started for a few seconds and then just cranked and cranked.  After a few attempts I went and got diesel and filled the housing, but it still just cranks until the battery fails.

Obviously I know I've got an air lock in the system, and without looking online cracked off the main fuel union where it goes to the separate injector pipes, which did release a bit of air then fuel and nipped it back up again.  After looking online I've seen posts saying NOT to do that :no:

Further to that the engine still won't start and now the battery is too flat so I'll need to charge it back up or jump it.  Definitely not the Friday morning I hoped for.

HELP!!

There are few points to take care of when replacing the fuel filter with 1.8tdci:

- gasket need to be positioned between the lid and the filter. Putting the gasket btw filter and the filter housing is going to cause air locks, in this case you need a new gasket positioned properly

- o-ring is fitting into the filter central hole of the fuel filter and has to sit firmly

- if you got airlock you need to prime the filter casing first and than try to add the fuel in the pipe to the fuel pump (use syringe or so) and than try to start

First check where's air leak than rest should be easy...

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On the 2.0 I saw advise to get air out of the pipes when a new filter is installed and I bought a non return pipe with a plunger and it was impossible. A mechanic advised me just to squirt some fuel into the filter housing through the inlet and the car started no problem.

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Update: Disconnected and primed the hose going to the injectors and after a couple of tries it started.  Success, or at least until the car had driven around locally and then 20 miles from home, upon which after being turned off for an hour decided to go back to not starting!!!

Obviously the car and my tools are now 20 miles apart which is just splendid. 

Frankly I think now I'm ready to put this in the hands of a mechanic and accept my limited mechanical abilities are just that, very limited.

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it does sound like you have a leak in the fuel system so that when standing the fuel drains back down in the fuel tank by sucking air in wherever the leak is. 

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On 7/10/2021 at 4:51 PM, jmurray01 said:

Update: Disconnected and primed the hose going to the injectors and after a couple of tries it started.  Success, or at least until the car had driven around locally and then 20 miles from home, upon which after being turned off for an hour decided to go back to not starting!!!

Obviously the car and my tools are now 20 miles apart which is just splendid. 

Frankly I think now I'm ready to put this in the hands of a mechanic and accept my limited mechanical abilities are just that, very limited.

It could be leak in the fuel system...btw did you check the fuel filter gasket (gasket must sit between the fuel filter casing lid and the filter itself)...this may also cause the air leak

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  • 4 weeks later...

Just to bring closure to this thread, after throwing a hissy fit and refusing to work on the car, I went back to it and fixed it 🤣

Put a new O ring in the filter, had to reuse the gasket but made sure it was screwed tightly, fill the inlet pipe, spray of carb cleaner (I know...) and off she went.

Of course since then in true Ford spirit the EML came on.  I'm sure it has NOTHING to do with the fuel filter charade 😬

  • Haha 1
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Eml - lucky your car is 2006. As   Pre 2008 diesels can’t fail mot for the eml being on. But I think some mot testers don’t know that and they don’t like people telling them they are wrong.

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