bleeding fuel after fuel filter replacement

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roma042987

roma042987

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Bj40 totally new to diesels. I know I should have filled the new filter with fuel before installing but I did not. Replaced filter ran till it ran out of fuel 30sec. Now it won't start. I found the prime pump and pumped it couple hundred times still wont start. At this point I started to take the fuel filter back off to put fuel in it but when I cracked it loose it started running out so I know it has fuel at least up to that point. What can I do now?
Thanks-
 
You ran the engine out of fuel?

You need to bleed the whole thing again.

  1. Bleed the Fuel Filter
  2. Bleed the IP
  3. crack the injector lines at the injectors and bleed those

That's the basic gist of it. The FSM outlines all of this. FWIW, I took everything apart, and reassembled everything without fuel in it at all, and it took a lot of pumping, but it bled out just fine. Besides, you should know how to bleed your lines.

Dan
 
There should be a small "bleeder valve" somewhere on the top of the fuel filter housing. While using the hand primer loosen this valve until you get a steady stream of fuel. What you are experiencing is not so much a lack of fuel as it is probably trapped air.
Hope that helps.....1978HJ45
 
There's the bleeder bolt on the fuel filter housing (I believe, because later B series engine have an obvious bleeder screw), and also a bolt on the side of the IP, pretty high up on it, towards the diaphragm that you crack open to bleed while pumping the primer pump. Then you crack open the injector lines at the injectors, and have someone crank the engine while holding the pedal to the floor. Once the fuel starts squirting/seeping out of each line, tighten it.

At some point, the engine will start and idle very badly, at that point, you need to close the rest of them, and then crack them open one by one with it idling to bleed them and get it to a smooth idle.

Dan
 
While I admit nothing works 100% of the time however from my experience "bleeding" at the filter was all that was required to remove the air and start the engine. Just make sure that there is a steady stream of fuel coming out of the bleeder valve ( not spitting and sputtering with air). This procedure has worked on my 3B, H, 2L-TE and 13B-T.
Good luck.....1978HJ45
 
If all else fails crack each injector line at the cylinder heads, now crank the engine till the air bubbles are gone or clear fuel is seen. As the lines clear tighten them starting with the clearest fuel, the engine should start running pretty nicely after this.

This works quite well seeing I just ran the same process on a Mercedes engine which was accidentely given water instead of diesel.
 
Well I bled the filter bled the ip started it and bled the injectors.
Thanks.
Now back to diagnosing the original problem absolutely no power barely accelerates in 3rd and 4th gear. Fuel filter didn't help I think a compression check should be done next but I don't have a gauge for diesels
 
No power can be a whole lot of things but compression check is a good start. It should be in the 400 + psi range and pretty much even on all four. Check for air leaks in you fuel line and return lines if you had that much trouble priming it there may be a leak there too cutting your power. After that your looking for bad injectors or dying injector pump the list can go on. I had a friend who thought he had a dying engine and found the rear breaks locked up from rust on the park break levers. Might be just that simple

Good luck
 
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