1.6 TD CUTTING OUT

[badersbus]

Hi All.
Looking for a bit of a steer and advise if possible. My son has rebuilt his caddy now and put a 1.6 TD 1v motor in which has been rebuilt. Pump is from a Passat GTD i believe , it has the top LDA.
Everything has been rebuilt inc injectors , pump,new filter , lines absolutely everything. The engine starts and drives , but it has started to loose power when accelerating. It feels like you are running out of fuel but tank is 3/4 full. It does not splutter and cough , just seems to loose power and slow dies. It did start doing it when you were travelling say 50 - 60mph and approaching a junction , dip the clutch to change down and it will just fade out. It is doing it all the time now and is un-driveable.
It feels like fuel starvation , is it sucking air when a big demand is made on more fuel ?.
As i said it will start and idle , but when first fired up after the rebuild started in an instant , it now takes a churning over to fire as if fuel is leaking back away fromn the pump and air getting in somewhere , but no signs of leaks and it is having to "re prime" itself.
It has a primer bulb before the filter on the feed pipe also
Couple of pics.Obviously some of the pics are when the build was in progress but you get the picture of the layout





A

[theman53]

I would check for air in the lines, leaks at the pump, and fill it 100% full just in case. Then check and make sure your cam gear didn't slip and the timing is all where it is supposed to be with the belt and the pump. If all that checks out I would bypass your primer bulb and put a new filter on filled with fuel. That will for sure introduce air, but it should eliminate some questions. Then I would start asking questions to whomever built the pump.

[libbydiesel]

Put clear lines before and after the pump if you value having an operation vehicle as much as style.

[R.O.R-2.0]

take the primer bulb out too.. any vacuum at all will suck those things closed, and make a HUGE fuel line restriction..

ive never liked outboard primers on cars. leave them on the boats..

[libbydiesel]

I always use an outboard primer bulb on the return to prime every pump I install, but I use a spare IN bolt and fitting and as soon as the pump is full I remove the bulb.  They are very quick, easy and effective but I would not personally keep it on the car.

[flowmastergfunk]

That engine bay looks amazing! I hope my project looks remotely close to as good as yours when I am done! A+ work!

Was that truck always a diesel chassis or did it used to be gas? I want to agree that you should remove the bulb after you get it primed but if it was converted from gas to diesel, the problem could be at the tank.

Put clear lines before and after the pump if you value having an operation vehicle as much as style.

Certainly a good idea even though your fuel lines look so neat and tidy as is! I just came to realize that I never see the clear Mercedes style prefilters in VW engine bays. That might also be a good quick replacement for you bulb pump. Instant viewing chamber

[rodpaslow]

I'm not saying this might be it, but a n\a I still have would slowly die because of the connection to the fuel cut off valve not having a good connection.  The copper had slight corrosion on it and it would feel like it was slowing and then would die. My $.02

[ORCoaster]

This project looks very nice indeed.  I think to match your quality of lines you could pop in a couple of those glass in line filters and not have to destroy the work you have done.  But for sure get a sight on those lines for bubbles.  Could you tee in a vacuum gauge on the pump side of the filter?  That will tell you if you have a restriction from tank to and through filter. 

The way this problem is described it will be hard to find the problem in the driveway I suspect.  That gradual reduction of fuel seems to me to come from a vacuum or collapsing line or plug in the line someplace.  have you blown air back through the tank?  Check the air trap gizmo in the rear fender and all of that?

What fun is it to get far from home and cut out?  None, that I know of.  Your son on a date might think otherwise. 

DAS

[badersbus]

Ok guys. Thanks for all the input, help and suggestions , problem is now sorted.
Primer bulb was the culprit. We can only think that when the engine was demanding more fuel the primer bulb was vacuuming and collapsing on itself. There was no leak , must have just been restricting the flow. We just cut the bulb out and put a quick piece of tube in there and no problems at all. You can guess that my son does not want to leave "just a bit of pipe" in there , he's a bit of neat freak lol.
Thanks for the help everyone 

[ORCoaster]

Good place to splice in a sight glass or something like it and still be neat about it.  Glad you didn't have the perverbial gunk in tank or water box delima. 

[slowcaddydan]

i must say that

YOUR ENGINE BAY LOOKS AWESOME  

[8v-of-fury]

i must say that

YOUR ENGINE BAY LOOKS AWESOME 

Too clean for me, lol. I'd rather drive my car than make googly eyes with it. But  I will admit, it does look nice.

[ORCoaster]

I do see one problem that might come up with the super clean engine bay.  There is no divider between the engine and the intake of the heater box.  So any oil drips, fuel leaks, steam from road water on the engine is going right into the interior.  You are going to smell it plenty, and in the case of rain up from the wheels in the fall or winter might not be so good on a cold windshield even with the heat on.  Can you just imagine the condensation fogging up the inside as you drive in traffic. 

I would be fabricating a barrier in there.  DAS

[knikula]

first time posting here...

maybe your fuel tank is not vented thru the gas(!)  cap, and that's the reason the primer bulb collapses...not sure if the tank could be crushed/deformed by the injection pump sucking it empty...sweet engine bay, by the way...

good luck...

[badersbus]

I do see one problem that might come up with the super clean engine bay.  There is no divider between the engine and the intake of the heater box.  So any oil drips, fuel leaks, steam from road water on the engine is going right into the interior.  You are going to smell it plenty, and in the case of rain up from the wheels in the fall or winter might not be so good on a cold windshield even with the heat on.  Can you just imagine the condensation fogging up the inside as you drive in traffic. 

I would be fabricating a barrier in there.  DAS

This is probably true ORCoaster.
It has done about 100 miles now of mixed driving roads and seems not too smelly as yet, certainly no nasty smells in the cab. When the standard leaks from gaskets happen it may start to smell , but the exhuberance of youth cannot be dampened and he wanted the rain tray out for the "look" ... Kids eh.
In all honesty it will not get used in the rain ,he has it as a sunday car in the summer on a limited mileage over June , July and August.
I asked him what he will do if he gets caught in the rain . He said head for the nearest fuel station and wait it out till the rain stops 
He has washed the car with a hose and nothing has got through the heater basket , due to his cunning water deflector he has made lol