1.6TD sputters and dies....

[Corrado_VR6]

I've had a problem lately with my 92 1.6TD and noone seems to know the answer to this issue so i figured to ask the experts hehe.
First off the car has a very hard time starting, needs two to three tries to get her going. Once it starts it runs for about 10 mins before she starts to missfire / sputter and eventually dies off.
Now it seems like a shortage of diesel but but everything is in proper working order, even the timing is right on the DOT. Now this is where it gets tricky.
I have removed the fuel filter and hooked the two fuel lines directly to a gas can feeding diesel into the pump (bypassing the filter), and the car runs like a champ, no sputtering or missfires what soever however as soon as the filter is hooked back up again the regular symptoms start to occur. It seems like our search has narrowed itself down, the problem lies somewhere from the filter and back, its not the filter since its new. Anyone have any clues on what the problem could be??
Does anyone know how many psi the pump puts out that lies in the fuel/water seperator tank?? I'm starting to assume it is, but not sure what to do. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[jtanguay]

burn your money had a thread going on where he was cleaning the in tank screen... it was very very dirty!!! i don't look forward to cleaning it, but i will once i get a few days off in a row

[Doug]

If I am reading your post correctly it sounds like you need to replace your fuel filter under the hood. The paper media gets saturated with water and will not allow the fuel to flow properly. Try that first. Secondly drain, service or bypass the water separator on the bottom of the car body under the back seat. At that age they all start to fracture, leak and eventually interrupt the flow of fuel from the tank. There is no primary pump in the tank. The injection pump does all the sucking which is why the system has to be unobstructed.

[BlackTieTD]

what i would try from here is to set it up like you have, with the gas can, but INCLUDE the fuel filter in the jerry rig. then you be able to rule the fuel filter in/out. bad filter? replace/drain it. good filter.... then you have a bigger problem. probably a clog in tank as mentioned and maybe a line.