But we still have trouble…
The van starts well and runs smoothly and powerfully for a while – say for 10 or 15 miles or so – but then will suddenly completely loose power without warning. It’s as though I’ve taken my foot off the accelerator pedal, except that I haven’t. If I then take my foot off the peddle for a second or two, it picks up again and runs normally, but often the fault will recur several times in quick succession although the engine never actually cuts out. Sometimes, having done this, it will then run smoothly again without further problem. Needless to say, when the garage takes it out it runs perfectly!
The fault often occurs when were ‘cruising’ in the 50-60 range and going slightly up hill (not steep), but it can occur at almost anytime.
They’ve replaced the fuel filter but it didn’t cure it and are now proposing that we check the fuel tank next (which isn’t covered by the warranty). I never run the tank low and wonder whether they’re just clutching at straws. A knowledgeable friend thinks air might be getting into the fuel system, perhaps via one of the seals on the fuel pump, but this would be expensive to test.
The other two potential red herrings I’ll throw into the ring are:
1) The glow plug light on the dash never seems to go out by itself – I just wait what seems a reasonable time then turn the ignition – at which point it always starts and the light goes out immediately.
2) It’s smokier than I was expecting following the rebuild and smells quite oily after switch off. However, the sump oil level has hardly changed so I wonder whether it’s just the normal diesel smell.
I’ve just been made redundant, so further expensive repairs are out of the question. And we’ve already spent thousands and still haven’t got a reliable van.
I’ve checked back through the posts but can’t find anything that quite matches, so any help and advice would be very welcome.