HI, I have an LDV Convoy, 1999, with the non turbo Transit engine fitted. Over the last few weeks, top end power has reduced considerably. The motor pulls fine at low revs, but the top end performance is rubbish. I have changed the fuel filter, to no avail. I think the engine itself is fine, compression wise, or it wouldnt pull well at low revs. The engine sounds fine, no missfires, rough running or smoke. I suspect an injector pump problem , but as I have little experience with these engines, its a bit of a guess. Is this a common fault with these motors? Any help, suggestions from any of you who know these engines will be much appreciated, before I place myself at the wallet ripping mercy of my local diesel engineer!! Thanks in anticipation,
check for blocked air filter, damaged exhaust or collapsed baffling, mal adjusted throttle cable or anything loose or restricting full throttle operation, also check cam timing if it has a belt ( in case it has slipped a tooth).
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What about the air filter?
And while you're at it, check the whole inlet system to see if it's obstructed. If it's bad you'd expect smoke[1] but not if it's just a bit.
[1] Reduced inlet flow which the injection system can't detect unless it's got a flow meter, which I don't think that model had. same fuel, less air = smoke if it's bad. If it's only slight it may not be noticable.
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Given what you've said about there being no smoke, rules out any restrictions in the air inlet system (such as airfilter or EGR problem). The next step is a quick test drive, to see just how flat the engine is. Select a suitable gear (normally second or third does), and accelerate flat out until you hit max revs. If the engine struggles until it nears max revs, then feels as though you get a bit extra go as it finally nears max revs then the piston on top of the pump is most likely the fault. If you look at the top of the injection pump, you'll see an assembly that is held on with (iirc) 4 bolts and has a round section in the center. If you remove the bolts, inside this sits a piston, which wears slightly, and replacing the piston cures it.
If however the engine is flat all the way to max revs, then it could be several problems. You've already changed the fuel filter so that rules that out. So the next thing I'd be checking is for is any fuel pipes that have rubbed through, especially the main pick up pipe from the tank to the fuel lift pump (this may show a damp patch if leaking, whereas any other pipes would visibly be leaking fuel). The usual rubbing area is on the mounting bracket for them at the top of the bell housing, but check them along the full length under the van aswell. The next possibility could be the fuel lift pump. Easiest way to check is by substitution (know anybody else who'd let you swap it to try??). Also check that the heat shield is installed around the lift pump, as the fuel may vaporise if it's missing. The last check is to check the engine timing, as it is known for these belts to jump teeth. Also worth making sure that a modified tensioner has been fitted (original tensioner was held on by two 13mm headed bolts, the new tensioner is held on by one 17mm bolt). The timing check is normally done last, as it's the first step for removing the injection pump. Failing that, then the most likely problem is that the injection pump is starting to break up internally. Sometimes metal flakes may show up in the fuel filter (drain the fuel filter into a clean white container and see if there's any sparkly bits), but not always.
From experience, I would say the fault most likely lies within the injection pump, but you should always eliminate the simpler problems first.
Everything seems ok apart from metal bits in the fuel filter, I will try the max revs test this afternoon, when the engine is hot. It looks like the injection pump, and the old wallet will be a bit thinner in the near future (isn't life great?!!!) Thanks for the help chaps, much appreciated.
was the lift pump drawing in air,it went to our local ldv garage and it was something to do with the earth starps,can only assume glow plugs pump area but it cured it and it goes like a train now,try ringing your local ldv garage apparantly they told us its a common fault.
An earth fault on the basic 2.5di would only cause an immobilizer fault, which would normally cause it to cut out, or refuse to start. It certainly wouldn't cause lack of power. Certainly on the turbo'd ones with fly by wire, a bad earth can cause endless problems.
Other thing is, not all ldv's used the transit engine. There were a lot of peugeot engines around that era as well.
It all depended on size/weight/power as to what engine came with them. I'm sure most of the larger ones had transit engines by then, but certainly alot of the smaller ones still had pug engines, and did have until only a few years ago.
It is a basic Ford 2.5 "banana" engine, no electronics. I had a pug engined one before this one. The Transit engine does 32 mpg, Pug did about 28. Had to fit new injectors to the Ford about 2 years ago, about =A3180, Pug injectors cost a pittance, now the pump has gone on the Ford, it is turning into an expensive motor. Has 87000 on the clock am begining to suspect it may have been clocked when I bought it 3 years ago, or maybe I've just been unlucky. I've recently started doing a bit of building work and am pulling a trailer, short distance, fairly regularly, and have seen
5=2E4 Tonnes on the weighbridge a few times, so I need all of my 71 bhp!! Dirt cheap petrol and a small block Chevy would be my ideal solution. Fat chance!!!
/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? my Bosch pump looks very similar, I think the chances of it working OK with my 1999 engine are probably slim. I've dropped myself in the s#*t before, buying bits like this, due to compatability problems. As the cost of getting my pump done is likely to be =A3500+ I am looking at alternatives, may consider S/H engine and either swap complete, or fit all the injection gear onto mine. May even find
76PS Tranny motor and benefit from an extra 5 BHP!
Ford use Stanadyne injectors which can't be serviced/overhauled, meaning they have to be replaced if faulty (only upside is they are cheaper to buy new than conventional injectors).
The 87k is probably the correct mileage. I've seen pumps break-up at far lower mileages.
I'm guessing somebody has tried running the engine on petrol at sometime point during it's life, as it's a good way to burn the tips of the injectors, and damage the pump. If you do get the pump repaired, the repair shop will probably tell you the injectors will need replaced, but provided the engine still runs fine, I wouldn't bother. (Out of the countless pumps I done at work, I only ever had to change one set of injectors).
If you go for a s/h engine/pump, make sure you swap the immobilizer module from the back of the pumps, as it'll save having to get the immobilizer reprogrammed (or you could just do away with the immobilizer...).
I've come across a pump from a 1994 Transit, on ebay, 18K miles since an expensive recon. Looks very similar to mine apart from it has a whapping great solenoid on the offside of the pump, pulling on a lever, not sure what this is, stop or immobilizer or something my rather small brain hasn't thought of. My van doesn't have an immobilizer, and the stop solenoid is on the back of the pump, above the injector pipe connections . I have Stanadyne injectors, so if '94 transits had these injectos then I assume I could fit some of these if mine aren't compatable with the pump and Ford didn't alter the dimensions of the injectors between 94 and 99.
Advice on any of the above will, yet again, be much appreciated. Thanks
From the description, it actually sounds like a Lucas pump. Lucas pumps were fitted to the pre-facelift vans (they didn't have the wideangle mirror, and the front grille surround was black plastic - newer ones have a painted grille surround)
I don't know if they're interchangeable or not. I've only ever changed one Lucas pump and that was a few years ago, so don't remember much about them. The only difference I can think it wouldn't fit, is where the pump bolts on to the engine front plate. The only reliable way to find this out, would be to speak to a friendly ford dealer, and ask them to check the front plate part numbers between the two models. The other problem would be the Lucas pumps weren't used with an EGR valve, so you'd have to disable the EGR valve (removing the butterfly is the easiest option).
As for the injectors, all the dimensions are the same. The only difference may be they are set at different pressures, but most datasheets should contain that information (should even be in the Haynes book of Lies)
Its a Bosch pump, but its all a bit irrelevent now, as I have taken a gamble and bought it this evening. The injectors dont sound like a major problem, I will obviously be able to find out more when it arrives and I get some serial numbers off it. On a different note, I dont reckon much to these rotary pumps as far as reliability is concerned. I'm obviously no expert, but have had quite a lot to do with older engines, tractors mostly, with inline pumps, they seem to go on for ever. I know of a Ford 5000 (late
1960s) which has done well over 20,000 hours, had two rebores,( worn out, not blown up,) and is still on the same pump. A set of injectors in it every few years and it runs fine, plenty of power . It isn't exactly smoke free, but then what diesels weren't from that era. Thanks again for the help, hopefully everything will be OK. The next few days will tell!!
The problem with the inline pumps was they can only rev to a certain speed (how many inline pumped engines can rev above 4000rpm?) unlike rotary pumps which can go quite a bit faster.
Rotary pumps used to be just as reliable as inline pumps, but with emissions pressing for ever higher injection pressures, meaning even smaller tolerances, the slightest bit dirt or breakdown of lubrication will lead to rapid pump failure. Coupled with sulphur being removed from diesel, reducing the lubricity of the fuel doesn't help the matter. I've seen some modern pumps fail just because they've run dry.
As for the tractor, it'll be running on red diesel, which still contains a fair whack of sulphur, but I'd imagine even that'll be getting removed sometime in the future, which means all these old tractors which have run perfectly fine for decades, will suddenly be experiencing injection pump failures.
As for a ford 5000, I never knew they could last for 20,000hours. In fact I wouldn't of thought any ford from that era would last that long. I know of a couple MF135s that have well over 10'000hours, and are still going strong on their original engines....
The 5000 belongs to a mate of mine who lives miles away, havent seen it for a while, but he used to have it permanatly hitched to a feeder waggon. It is pretty knackered, everything is just worn out. Front axle, king pins and steering are particularly amusing, and you certainly wouldn't want to use it for field work all day. Its too small for the implements he has now anyway. As I said before, it has had two re bores that I know of, so effectively it is on its third engine, but I'm pretty sure it has the original injector pump. I once worked on a 4 cyl Gardner, I'm pretty sure the pump was pressure lubricated, with oil from the engine. Proper job!
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