On 9/20/2021 at 11:30 AM, hippo4x4 said:

rarely let it go below 1/4 before refilling as not to drag any s*** into the system

This is just a general comment, not specific to this particular case:

The idea of keeping fuel in the tank in order to keep water & dirt in the tank is very common, and like most very common ideas, I disagree 110%!!

With petrol tanks there may be some short term merit, pass the problem on to the next owner! But with Diesel it is always a poor idea. All Diesels have a good, removable filter with space for dirt & water to collect, which is changed regularly, unlike a tank. Water sinks to the bottom (tank or filter), and micro-organisms will grow at the interface. Oil is a natural substance, lots of micro-organisms thrive on it, and Diesel is a hydrocarbon mix they find rather attractive, but they all do need water to live. So on each tank cycle I aim to get as much out of the tank as possible, and in to the filter which I can then discard at the next service.

Filling the tank to the top, especially if the car is going to be left for a while, is a good idea, it reduces condensation inside, which is one source of the water. Unfortunately filling stations are another source of this water, and it does not depend on the price of the fuel. A station with a high turnover, like a supermarket, is less likely to have water in its tanks than a station tank which is filled rarely.

As I said in the 1st line, I don't think this is relevant to dean's problem here, he seems to have ruled out dirty or clogged filters & dirty or blocked tanks.

22 minutes ago, Tdci-Peter said:

 

Filling the tank to the top, especially if the car is going to be left for a while, is a good idea, it reduces condensation inside, which is one source of the water.

 

Hi Peter, what you said has got me thinking...I have a 2007 diesel Focus that has sat on the driveway for over a year, initially during lockdown and then I bought a new car for day-to-day use but aiming to start using the old one again at some point.  The battery is dead and needs to be changed but otherwise all was good last I used it.  It has been left with a nearly full tank of diesel.  I did jump start it up a few times and leave it ick over, but not done that now for many months.  Would you recommend that I do something to reduce the risk of fuel problems later on?

sorry if this takes us off topic, just that the thought came to me just now.

 

 

26 minutes ago, south_bound said:

It has been left with a nearly full tank of diesel.  I did jump start it up a few times and leave it ick over, but not done that now for many months.  Would you recommend that I do something to reduce the risk of fuel problems later on?

I would change the fuel filter, but probably not till after using up the existing tankful. Unless you get any problems that seem to be fuel related, when you might need to change it before and after using the tank up. Filters are always a pain with the Ford reluctance to install lift pumps in the tank! I don't know of any additives to lengthen fuel life, and they would do no good now anyway. This biological growth problem seems to be very variable, I have kept a can of diesel for over a year without problems.

And be wary of waxing. Now is a good time to start using it. I don't know whether the car has winter or summer fuel, nor how long the "winterisation" lasts. Once the wax crystals form, they can take a very long time at a much warmer temperature than needed to form, to fully disperse again.

I have a can of diesel buried under a pile of stuff in a brick outhouse...it's been there for over 6 years.  I daren't risk using it now but will be interested to see if anything has grown in it.  I'm expecting a full ecosystem to have formed in there by now!  

5 hours ago, Tdci-Peter said:

This is just a general comment, not specific to this particular case:

The idea of keeping fuel in the tank in order to keep water & dirt in the tank is very common, and like most very common ideas, I disagree 110%!!

 

i've been driving diesels for 30 yrs and always kept above 1/4 tank  and never thought of it that way which makes sense easier and cheaper to filter change. that might be my issue 1/2 tank of water lol.

 

on another note do the focus diesels have a vapour purge valve in engine bay seen a youtube video from USA but didn't state if was diesel or petrol  if the diesels do have these valves from what was said could be a possible issue.

 

cheers 

1 hour ago, hippo4x4 said:

do the focus diesels have a vapour purge valve in engine bay

No, I am 99% sure they don't. This is usually to purge petrol vapour from the charcoal canister used to prevent petrol from evaporating into the air. Diesel evaporates so slowly that there is no need to catch the vapour.

From the way the tank level varies on each occasion, and that the filter was clean, I doubt very much if you have 1/2 tank of water . I always decant fuel from the filter change into a clear jug, and let it settle so I can see if there was water in the filter housing. I have never seen a visible amount in my car, which does not do a high mileage, so it sits with little fuel in the tank for a week or so quite often.

The 1.8 has quite a large filter housing, with air vent valve at the top & water vent valve at the bottom. But due to Ford not fitting either a tank pump or a priming system, these are useless unless I were to park nose down on a 1 in 5 gradient! As the filter is at the highest point (on level ground), these valves would only ever let air in.

 

23 hours ago, Tdci-Peter said:

I would change the fuel filter, but probably not till after using up the existing tankful. Unless you get any problems that seem to be fuel related, when you might need to change it before and after using the tank up. Filters are always a pain with the Ford reluctance to install lift pumps in the tank! I don't know of any additives to lengthen fuel life, and they would do no good now anyway. This biological growth problem seems to be very variable, I have kept a can of diesel for over a year without problems.

And be wary of waxing. Now is a good time to start using it. I don't know whether the car has winter or summer fuel, nor how long the "winterisation" lasts. Once the wax crystals form, they can take a very long time at a much warmer temperature than needed to form, to fully disperse again.

Thanks Peter, I'll keep that in mind.  I will probably change all fluids and filters when I get it back on the road anyway, but keep the fuel filter on till I use the first tank full.  Hopefully it won't cut out like the OP has described, but will let the forum know at the time.

17 hours ago, Tdci-Peter said:

No, I am 99% sure they don't.

 

thanks once again for your help 

 

 

i'm doing a scan after every drive at the moment to see if any codes show up, in the mean time I'm carrying 20L of diesel plus a hand pump 4ft of tube a spare fully charged battery  and set of jump leads just in case .Avoiding motorways as last time i was in middle lane just over taking a LGV  

I'm just hoping following the Ford recall visit and software update the issue has gone but still not as low as 1/2 tank yet (unless the amount has changed again) still around the 3/4.

i miss my old montego diesel so much less to go wrong  

update to this post

i have only changed the diesel filter and then had the recall software update done but the issue seems to have gone now.

i'm currently at half tank and its not let me down so not sure if was filter or software that fixed it but filter looked clean.

 

anyway thought i'd pop update just incase someone else has same issues filter and make sure your recalls upto date.

 

cheers for all the replies

On 11/7/2021 at 12:42 AM, hippo4x4 said:

update to this post

i have only changed the diesel filter and then had the recall software update done but the issue seems to have gone now.

i'm currently at half tank and its not let me down so not sure if was filter or software that fixed it but filter looked clean.

 

anyway thought i'd pop update just incase someone else has same issues filter and make sure your recalls upto date.

 

cheers for all the replies

i have same problems has u same car 2009 diesel focus estate did u solve this out i know its a old post but worth a try i have changed filter had a look at sender unit cut a hole in floor under back seat to get at it lol 

12 minutes ago, Ian livsey said:

i have same problems has u same car 2009 diesel focus estate did u solve this out i know its a old post but worth a try i have changed filter had a look at sender unit cut a hole in floor under back seat to get at it lol 

What are your codes?