C5 deisel fuel problems i think (help)

[marco f1]

hi all can anyone help me, my C5 is a 54 reg 2.0 hdi diesel 138 bhp, i fill my car up with shell diesel right ro the brim and it runs great but as the fuel starts to go down about half a tank it seems to hold back on power ( its like i have got a caravan on the back ) if i keep it at a speed of about 35mph and i can feel it holding back then it seems to clear and flys. this happens at all speeds but not all of the time but last night the fuel was just under quarter of a tank and then it started to mess about again it was like it was running out of diesel ( jerking and spitting ) but checked the computer and it said 91 miles left in tank. i stopped the car turned it off then started it up and it was still the same i also took the diesel filler cap of just to see if ther was a vacuum it the tank and still the same so i put £20 of diesel in it and it was ok. this problem has been intermitant for awhile but it seems to be getting more and more so i had service on it fuel filter air filter oil change and still the same. is there any more fuel filters on these cars or only the one under the bonnet.. so can anybody help me.
oh there are no engine man lights or service lights on

marco f1

[oneday]

sounds like your fuel level sensor in the tank could be giving you the wrong info computer is only a guide and is not always correct

[JohnD]

The same thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I've got my car in Spain and I was driving with half a tank full. I went down a long steep hill. Then up a similar hill with several bends. It was dual carriageway and I speeded up to overtake some HGVs so probably the half tank of fuel would be sloshing about on the bends. When I levelled out at the top of the hill and the carriageway was single, I got the jerkiness and no response to slight pressure on the pedal. It continued so for three or four miles, then reverted to normal behaviour. It hasn't happened since.

Steve at Coastline taxis - a member on here, finds it happens with some of his C5 when they travel on a certain hill in his area. He believes that its caused by momentary fuel starvation due to the angle of the fuel level.

[oneday]

91 miles of fuel left in the tank the fuel level must be low about 1.5 gallons of fuel for an hdi or less depending on how you are driving so on hills and bends is will be possible for it to pick up air.

[marco f1]

thanks guys for your replys..... the fuel level sessor is it easy to replace or is it a compleate part and were is it on the car...

merry christmas to you all

regards marco

[oneday]

its in the tank with the fuel pump access from under rear seat. best done with near empty tank or the tank can warp with the weight of the fuel witch will make it nearly impossibe to reseal. or you can reset the readings with a lexia to give closer readings. i think the float is part of the fuel pump so you might juat get away with a good clean.

[marco f1]

hi do you think it will be wise to change the fuel pump if its all in one as i have noticed there is a buzing noise comming from the back but not all of the time, so the pump might be on its way out,

regards

marco

[oneday]

might be wise to check it out you shouldnt be able to hear the pump at all only for a couple of secs when you first turn on the key

[Peter.N.]

If you can hear the pump running for any ammount of time in normal driving I would suspect its sucking air in which could be the cause of your problem.

Peter

[marco f1]

thanks guys i am going to have a checked out now christmas is over... priced them up at euro parts one was about £40 and the other one was £90 but they both looked the same a yellow pump with a sender unit on the side but thay call them a fuel feed unit...so it must be the same one as it says fitted in tank


thanks again

marco f1

[oneday]

i would check the one in the tank first it may just need the pickup cleaning

[marco f1]

i would check the one in the tank first it may just need the pickup cleaning

hi there i dont want to sound stupid but what do you mean by the pick up ?

regards

marco f1

[Hell Razor5543]

The pickup unit is in the fuel tank (obviously) and does get gunged up over time. See CitroJims' second post on the following link for a photo that shows the problem well;

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/v ... =3&t=42242" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This can be cleaned, but do so when the fuel tank is nearly empty, otherwise it can get messy.

I hope this is of help.

EDIT; Just spotted you have a C5, so I don't know where the access point is for the pickup. Sorry

[marco f1]

thanks hell raiser it might not be the same but i know what i am looking for now

regards

marco f1

[oneday]

remove the pump and check where the fuel enters the pump also check bottom of tank to see how clean it is