Priming a diesel 205

Hi chaps,
Am having a problem pursuading fuel to come through the
pipework so I can start my 205D which has lain neglected for a few months.
It was drained of diesel, so the first thing I did was put a gallon of
diesel in the tank using a gallon fuel container. Charged up the battery
and the low fuel light flickered, then went off when I went into preheat
mode. Enough fuel I thought. I left the ignition on to keep the solenoid
energised, and started squidging the primer bulb. It will not firm up,
which means it's not drawing fuel up, but when I opened the water drain on
the filter, diesel pours out. Tried to fire it up, but it will not catch.
It gives a cough or two with a puff of smoke out the exhaust, but that's
it.
Is there a more robust priming I can do to get the bugger to fire and keep
firing?

 

See my answer to your later post.

 

easistart works suprisingly well.

 

I don't think that is going to suck up the missing fuel though.
Cheers.

 

Itdepends, I can't remember if there's a lift pump on a 205, but if not
then it quite often will suck up the missing fuel.

 

I remember as a young lad being asked to pump the primer like b*****y for an
age before it would start, whilst my buddy turned the engine over... :-/

 

Priming fuel to the injection pump is only part of priming a diesel.

It's beena while since I done one of these, so the finer details may not be
right.
Either open the fuel filter bleed screw (if fitted) or remove the fuel feed
pipe to the injection pump from the fuel filter head. Operate the primer
until fuel free from air comes out. Tighten / reattach the hose. Now operate
the primer until you feel increased resistance.

Now you need to crack open the fuel injector pipes at the injectors. Just
crack open a couple (1/4 - 1/2 turn is enough). Now crank the engine over
until fuel free from air starts spurting out. Stop cranking the engine, and
tighten the injector pipes. The engine should now start (even though a bit
lumpy to begin with), but if it doesn't, repeat the procedure with the other
two injector pipes.

Under no circumstances put your hands near the injector pipes, while they're
cracked open. The fuel pressure is high enough to break through your skin
and cause severe medical problems.

 

<a long list of things to do when priming>

When I changed the fuel pipes on my BX (XUD - same engine as the 205), I
just primed it with the button on the filter. It took absolutely ages, but
got there in the end. I think 'pump until you're really bored, then do it
about 5 times as long' should do it.

There was a bit of air left in there which caused a couple of misfires, but
that soon cleared and it was running fine.

cheers,
clive

 

By finer details, I meant things like where the bleed screws are, which
depended on what fuel filter and injection pump were fitted (had the option
of several different fuel filters IIRC, aswell as both CAV and Bosch pumps
on the XUD engines).
There is also the possibility that he primer is knackered (common for the
delphi filter top ones to fail), which means that fuel may not be getting
pumped. Hence the removal of pipe/opening of bleed screw to check fuel is
actually getting pumped up.

The principles of bleeding a conventional (ie. mechanical pump) diesel are
essentially the same (prime fuel to injection pump, then prime fuel to
injectors). You don't always have to crack open the injector pipes, but it
means the injectors get bled far quicker, with less chance of doing stupid
things like burning out starter motors.

 

I suspect that my primer bulb thing may be buggered. I changed the fuel
pipes on this 205 last year and never had this problem. Also I'm
beginning to wonder if I have enough fuel in the tank mind you. The low
fuel light is off but there is a known gallon of diesel in the tank.
mebbe I need a bit more to get the pressure up. I'll try again tomorrow
after I've fitted the new brake cylinder to my ZX. It's all go here at
the moment.

 

The older Pugs and citroens can have 1 0r 2 problems with the fuel,
supply, first the metal pipes corrode and get pinhole leaks , if you
have an air leak you aint never going to lift any diesel.
secondly some of them have a metal block on the back of the coolant
manifold on the rear of the engine block as a fuel heater , steel pipes
araldited into the block , with different expansion rates eventually
they leak..... more air in the system . The old lucas girling type
primers are notorious for not pumping. the later bulb type are not too
bad , but the button type primer is also prone to air leaking. I note
the car has stood , something is not pumping or is leaking air in .

The old air filter off , burning rag/ blowlamp held by air inlet still
works (much less damaging than easy start), allow just the end of the
flame to be dragged into the air inlet whilst cranking.
Steve the grease

 

How does that work?

 

Same as a flame start, you put some pre vaporised fuel into the chamber.
Easistarts easier & less likely to set your engine on fire.

 

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the

I've never felt good about Easystart - many an old hand used to say
engines got 'addicted' to it. Turns out they were right - the detonation
levels can bugger rings and the engine won't cold start from that point
on. My own misgivings were based on that, but mainly from the nasty
noise an Easystarted engine was making as it fired. I didn't know
exactly what was taking place inside, but on general principle I thought
it didn't sound good.

Otoh, I've found the burning rag/blowlamp method to be reliable, cheap
and simple. Never set a car or truck alight with it either - yet.

 

It's the same principle though. We used to supply ether starters for high
altitude applications on diesels, flame starters for cold temperatures.
You've got to really overdo it to damage the rings.

 

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the

Problem is, plenty people don't know how much - who ever reads the
instructions? A small amount will suffice, but yer average EasyStart
user just wellies it in.

 

I've tried a couple of times, I reckon there just isn't enough fuel in the
tank (a known one gallon), even though the low fuel light fickers then goes
off. Tomorrow I'm going to chuck another gallon in and pour some down the
fuel filter. Battery is back on charge.

 

Yay, a bit more diesel, and the primer worked !!!