D5 fuel filter metal particles

[Bernard333]

experiencing various problems with my V70 D5 at 125k Miles. recently changed the fuel filter and noticed very small metal particles in the sludge in the bottom of the plastic housing , this didnt ring any bells until yesterday when looking on the dieselbob blackburn website .Diesel bob says that this is a sign that the fuel injection system is in danger of disintegrating ! thinking about it I suppose this is a possibility as excess fuel is returned from the injection system to the fuel tank and I suppose any metal particles would end up dropping to the bottom of the fuel filter. The metal particles were very small but glittering in the sludge , am I being a hypochondriac or is this a real sign the injection system is doomed ? The fuel consumption and starting are all ok and provided you dont need full power then the engine seems ok . A recent diagnostic run by a garage showed everything fine and no fault codes but there is an undiagnosed problem with engine power and possibly the electrical fuel pump. One electrical fuel pump failed and was replaced , could the particles be from the failed pump ?

[Peter Milnes]

That is certainly one possible cause of particles in the fuel and would most likely be due to the failed pump. For peace of mind I would recommend a change of the fuel filter to rid yourself of the particles. If they return with the new filter it would look as if the newer pump could be failing as well. What is the interval for filter replacement? I would tend to change the filter every 50-60,000 miles.

All the best, Peter.:car-smiley-031:

[Chesh740R]

Ok It wasnt on a D5 Engine, but on the 460TD, I was experiencing odd running problems but the car was still driveable,
I had metal particles in the fuel bowl, that came back as soon as I cleaned them out and placed a new filter in. Taking the sender unit out the top of the fuel tank showed the bottom of the tank glinting with lots of metal particles.

And not long after the the Diesel Injector pump finished eating itself and packed up compeltey and I had know choice but to fit a replacement.

[shimon340]

hi there

I thought I recognized your name from the V70 cutting out post.

Metal in the fuel filter is often from the high pressure pump failing. Faults with the high pressure pump either supplying low or high pressure can also cause the cutting out problems you seem to also experience, the pressure regulation isnt as it should be. alternatively, small particles from the pump may now be blocking the injectors causing poor running.

have you managed to get in contact with Howard yet?

where I work at the mo, when a HPP disintegrates, we change all the injectors too to prevent later running problems. I know that is expensive though :(

what exactly happened to your low pressure pump/tank pump again to lead you to replace it?

Shimon

[Bernard333]

Hi Shimon ,
Yes its looking like its going to be expensive ! The original electrical pump was replaced following the car losing power as I was driving at about 50 mph , went one for a mile or two then stopped dead . Got it started again for a further mile then had to be towed home ( lucky was near home ) , managed to get the car started a few days later ( needed to invest in a high power battery charger but worth the money in this situation ) . Headed off for the garage and then car stopped again on the way , garage diagnosed that the electrical pump had failed , they ran diagnostics but no error codes or other readings . Fitting the Denso pump from a Toyota seemed to do the trick but also at the same time the garage had added five gallons of diesel and I am now thinking that the second fuel pump may also have failed shortly after , they did a pressure test and I trust them that it was ok at the time . When you loosen the drain plug on the bottom of the fuel filter housing with ignition on should there be appreciable pressure ? In my case there isnt , the fuel just runs out slowly and there is not much if any noise from the fuel pump . Car is not running rough at all and the fuel consumption is 50mpg + . It took a while to learn that the fuel tank needs to be kept 70% full otherwise car will not run at all but maybe this should be telling me the replacement pump isnt working ?

[shimon340]

hi there

for some reason I cant reply to your message from the pcs at work.

Im seeing Howard tomorrow night and I believe he is at the garage all this week. Try calling again this week. When are you next in manchester? Would you be able to bring it in?

regards

Shimon