Misfiring After Almost Running Empty

[tobester70]

Stupidly almost ran out of petrol on 2 occasions tho the second wouldn't have been so drastic had the nearest garage not happened to have run out of diesel! Anyway, ever since my Mondeo MK3 tdci 2003 estate has been misfiring above 30-40 miles an hour. Not massively but noticeably. Seems to improve with use but then reverts on next drive. I've assumed because of letting the fuel run low and that there are bits now in the pipes but still doing it 2-3 weeks later. Might an EGR valve clean be in order or could it be more serious than that. I've learned my fuel management lesson!

[DELRIO]

yea possibly a dirty clogged valve. stick a bottle of redex valve cleaner in the fuel tank, it seems to have sorted mine out!

[Lenny]

Id avoid redex as it strips oil from internal parts, its almost too good at cleaning if you like; strips everything

Magic bullet is proven to be better or STP pre MOT kit,

Anything except redex,

After using fuel additive to clean out the tank id get the fuel filter changed,

This will also help engine efficiency,

The fuel additive will wash everything through to the filter,

Your best then changing filter to remove the dirt,

Perhaps carry a 5ltr tank full of petrol in the boot to prevent running on empty,

[stef123]

I hope you haven't caused any damage to the pump of injectors by running it that low on fuel as they cost mega bucks to replace!

[DELRIO]

damn i wish id known this as i wouldnt have used redex and i only recently had a new fuel filter fitted BEFORE using it!

Ooi how often would you recommend replacing fuel filters? is it an annual/10,000 mile thing?

cheers

Del

[tobester70]

Ah cheers Del, Leonard and Stef. I appreciate your advice and thank you for your time. I'll get right on to that. Presumably this all fits with a little black smoke on acceleration from the exhaust. Cheers

[Lenny]

damn i wish id known this as i wouldnt have used redex and i only recently had a new fuel filter fitted BEFORE using it!

Ooi how often would you recommend replacing fuel filters? is it an annual/10,000 mile thing?

cheers

Del

Generally every 20,000 or if its run empty to be honest,

Also depends on the quality of fuel your buying if the place has good storage tanks

[stef123]

I used to change mine every year religiously but I started cutting them open only to find that there was no dirt or crud in it. So the filter on the car just now can go for another 6-12 months for me.