Starting suggestions after fuel filter change

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Chefdaddyscoti

Active member
I know this is an age old discussion, but this is my first time to change a fuel filter on my 1988 2.5td. I have ordered a new one so I wanted a pre emptive strike on how to properly get it primed and started again.

I made the mistake of opening the drain plug and just letting a little water and debris out, and now it wont start. It started for a brief moment, but died.

I have the cartridge style filter, and what i thought would be the bleed screw just unscrews the bottom part of the filter to get the new cartridge in.

I have read and played with getting the prime lever in the right place to get it to pump up, but I am getting bloody fingers trying to access it and it only seems to pump partially and will not harden up with pressure.

I did not want to do the wd-40 trick of starting a diesel, because i know how fragile this motor is. unless its ok to do it.

I am planning to put a 200 or 300tdi in it next year, just wanted to get a little more life out of the 2.5td before I did a swap

I am not a mechanic but I have done a lot of the work on my truck thus far, but need you advice in laymans terms of how to bleed the lines and get her cranked

thanks in advance. I have only had my Defender about a year, but we are really getting to know each other really quickly. Lol:)
 
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DiscoDavis

Well-known member
lift pump is cam driven. You will need to try like 20 times just split second cranking it over to get the lobes to line up right where it can pump correctly with the little hand lever. IE use the starter motor to jolt it ever so slightly and pray it eventually lines up (it will).

Once it is lined up you open the bleed crew at the top of the filter assembly and hand pump until diesel comes out.
 
The Dro

The Dro

Illustrious
If you have a stock 19j fuel pump... use the manual lever to prime the engine. This will be better if you have a second sets of hands...
aka a helper :)

Loosen the injector pipe No 1, put a rag under it and prime it until you get diesel out of it... Once you get diesel out, tighten it. Don't loosen it all the way, just enough for it to "leak".

Repeat for injector 2, 3 and 4.

Good luck.
 
The Dro

The Dro

Illustrious
Forgot to mention that you need to crank the engine to get the cam into the right position... the lever will only work if the cam is sat on the lobe of the camshaft.

Hope this helps.
 
The Dro

The Dro

Illustrious
You have to bleed each cylinder... it looks more complicated than it is.

Half a turn to loosen it up... press the pump a few times. repeat 3 more times.

Should take you no longer than 15 minutes.
 
AdamSanta85

AdamSanta85

Well-known member
It took me one time of changing the fuel filter to realize there must be a better way. I installed an electric pump.
 
javelinadave

javelinadave

Administrator
Staff member
Robert Davis will wave his finger at me for saying this but............ Stock is simple when it comes to the fuel system. Land Rovers world wide have driven hundreds of millions of miles with the mechanical lift pump. I am also a LR purists so I say learn to prime it and go with the stock setup. You could also use a Mighty Vac type device on the filter bleed screw and lessen your lift pump priming by probably 90%.
Better yet install a self bleeding 200 or 300Tdi already!
 
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Chefdaddyscoti

Active member
I went with the "The Dro" 's way of cracking each injector a 1/4 turn. Started right up!). And in response to other comments. Yes. A 200 to 300tdi is in my near future;)
 
The Dro

The Dro

Illustrious
Chefdaddyscoti said:
I went with the "The Dro" 's way of cracking each injector a 1/4 turn. Started right up!). And in response to other comments. Yes. A 200 to 300tdi is in my near future;)
Click to expand...
Glad to see that it worked...

That was the first thing I learned when I got my 2.5TD. A lot different than the V8 I'm used too. :)
 
AdamSanta85

AdamSanta85

Well-known member
javelinadave said:
Robert Davis will wave his finger at me for saying this but............ Stock is simple when it comes to the fuel system. Land Rovers world wide have driven hundreds of millions of miles with the mechanical lift pump.
Click to expand...

FWIW if the electric pump fails, the lift pump still works. If the lift pump fails, the electric pump still works. It's extra redundancy as well.
 
javelinadave

javelinadave

Administrator
Staff member
Adam,
Each to their own.
I prefer my coffee black, my cheeseburger plain and my fuel system as it left the factory. What some people see as redundancy I see as overkill.
I went with a 300Tdi due to its simplicity. No ECU and no electric lift pump in the tank. I get what you are saying but I reject the need if you know how to fix it and carry a spare.
Quick question, did you add a switch and relay so it only works when the engine is running? If not that little electric motor is running and making heat as it pressurizes fuel into the stop solenoid creating another potential issue.
Also go with a Delphi lift pump for quality and durability. I have one on the engine and one in the spare box.
 
nas90tdi

nas90tdi

Well-known member
I am also anti electric pump.The theory is sound and it definitely works. But, then so does the factory system. There are a million of these truck driving around with the mechanical lift pump doing just fine. Some people get a bad lift pump, no question it happens. But, I don't see it worth re engineering the system over that.

Robert is going to yell at me now.
 
AdamSanta85

AdamSanta85

Well-known member
javelinadave said:
Quick question, did you add a switch and relay so it only works when the engine is running? If not that little electric motor is running and making heat as it pressurizes fuel into the stop solenoid creating another potential issue.
Click to expand...

Yes I wired it off of a relay. When the stop solenoid opens, the fuel pump turns on, primes system/returns fuel to the tank. I also have a Delphi lift pump.
 
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