Hi guys .

I have the 88 trooper - 2.2 turbo diesel, it isn't on veg' as yet.
Yesterday it started normally but I drove 2 kl and it then started loosing power , as if it was running out of fuel.
It coughed a bit and then picked up again. 2 mins later it died right off and I crawled home in 2nd , thats as much as it could manage , and dieing worse. It felt like fuel starvation , what would you think .

A few hours later I went out to try it, first try turned but wouldn't start, next try started 100% normally. I idled it for a few mins and then switched off . I'm suspecting fuel crap clogs maybe , had settled while it was sitting , so I didn't want to pump them up again.

How do I check the fuel filters and lines and will checking then let in air and if so , how do I bleed or expel the air again once done.

My water filter normally had some in the bottom of it but it appears to look full now but won't drain out when I release the valve at bottom. This ' could ' have something to do with me trying a bit of acetone through the last few tanks - they say acetone may gel up any water in system and cause hassles in diesels so you must have the water filter.

Mind you , I could be wrong but I can say the water filter looks full now and won't drain where as a few wks back I'm sure I noticed just a small amount in bottom.

Thanks in advance
Cheers

Blaster: I have no first-hand experience with the diesel Trooper engine, but your description of the symptoms match a clogged filter (or other restriction upstream) in any other diesel system.
To "check" the filter, replace it with a new one. Bleeding air from the system is covered in most shop manuals - get one if you plan to keep the vehicle (I recommend a factory shop manual). My '86 Isuzu factory shop manual describes a priming pump on top of the filter housing. Your '88 may be different. It says to pump it 30-40 times to prime the filter after changing it. Since it says nothing about opening a bleed vent I assume the one mentioned is always open to return any air bubbles back to the tank automatically.

The manual also says that, to drain water from the separator, open the drain plug 5 turns (put a hose on it first) then pump the primer "about 10 times" until water is drained from the filter. It isn't expected to drain out from simple gravity.

If the new filter clogs quickly (less than a few thousand miles), then you've got junk in your fuel tank and it will need to be cleaned out. If you're collecting a lot of water in the trap, then your fuel source is probably contaminated. If you're collecting a lot of "other stuff" in the trap, then your acetone experiment may be contributing to the problem.

The fuel tank pickup on my '86 gas Trooper is pretty easy to access from under the vehicle. Hopefully yours is too. Be sure the tank is nearly empty before removing the pickup/sending unit - it's located mid-way up the side of the tank.

You didn't mention what fuel you've been using. Biodiesel or diesel, or something else?

Cheers,
JohnO

Hi Johno , thanks very much for the help mate, lifesaver .
Apart from the acetone , only a couple of oz, which made the thing go like a rocket by the way , I've also been experimenting with sump oil.
On the acetone was as if the car had had a service, flew. V/free moving and the first batch actually got roughly about 30% MPG increase. I used two more batches well under the recommended amount,touch dubious , but the car drove v/well but the MPG began getting back down to normal. For me with good diesel thats around 33-36mpg.
That was a mth or so back , this last couple of tanks I've been studying up on recycling sump oil and have put in roughly a 15% batch each time , only two batches to date.
The sump oil blend had an oz or two of Kero in each batch,they recommend a percentage per batch .
Power was sluggish on sump oil though , I also added a tiny bit of acetone to hopefully boost flow. Seemed to help ! Mines the 88 2.2 diesel turbo completely stock.

I found that pump you spoke of , strange looking washer setup at the top of water filter. Pumped that through and what water there was seemed ok actually. Some black unblended sump oil tho also came out to though so I've drained the tank hoping to see more and hopefully the problem. But the tank fuel blend was v/good , hardly any diff' to straight diesel actually so I'm not sure where I'm at now.
When I checked the lines earlier , before draining tank , there was nothing in them . What all that means , don't know . Maybe back flowing or something , or maybe a block stopped it coming up , can't tell as yet.
I hope to bleed the system next , start and see what happens after cleaning tank and water filter.
Will let you know.

Cheers
Blaster

This message has been edited. Last edited by: blaster,

Hi guys

Well , here's a lesson for us - it was the fuel filter. It just wasn't letting enough through anymore.
I discovered it by running the water filter line directly to the system and bypasssing the fuel filter , something someone suggested. Off it went and running perfectly.
So I've put in a new filter and the cars back to normal.

Thanks for your help
Cheers