Last week on the way to work my diesel Clio 1.5 dCi died on me. The engine lost power and then cut out, the stop light came on and I coasted to a stop in a very handy lay-by. Opened the bonnet and immediately noticed that the fuel priming bulb was sucked flat, obviously a fuel starvation problem. Called out a chap who tracked the problem to a fungal infection in the fuel tank where the slime had blocked the fuel feed inside the fuel tank. The chap muttered something about cheap supermarket fuel with a high percentage of bio-diesel being the cause of the fungal infection.
I purchased some stuff to kill off the fungal infection and carried on driving for a week without any problems.
Yesterday on my way home from work the engine again lost power, but didn’t cut out, and the stop light came. It happened when I put my foot down for more power as I pulled away from a roundabout. When I took my foot off the accelerator the lights went out and the engine picked up. Testing the problem as I drove along I discovered that the problem only manifests when you apply the accelerator hard and the revs go above about 2500rpm and you are travelling forward. It does not do it when you are stationary, you can rev the engine past 3000rpm without any problems.
I have cleaned out the fuel tank, put new clean fuel in, changed the fuel filter as I thought that it might be partially blocked by the remnants of the now dead fungal infection, although that would negate the fact that you can rev the engine past 3000rpm when stationary???
Anyway, the problem is still there - when you accelerate hard the engine losses power, the stop light comes on, back off the revs and the lights go out and the engine carries on as normal.
Anybody got any idea what might be causing the problem?
I purchased some stuff to kill off the fungal infection and carried on driving for a week without any problems.
Yesterday on my way home from work the engine again lost power, but didn’t cut out, and the stop light came. It happened when I put my foot down for more power as I pulled away from a roundabout. When I took my foot off the accelerator the lights went out and the engine picked up. Testing the problem as I drove along I discovered that the problem only manifests when you apply the accelerator hard and the revs go above about 2500rpm and you are travelling forward. It does not do it when you are stationary, you can rev the engine past 3000rpm without any problems.
I have cleaned out the fuel tank, put new clean fuel in, changed the fuel filter as I thought that it might be partially blocked by the remnants of the now dead fungal infection, although that would negate the fact that you can rev the engine past 3000rpm when stationary???
Anyway, the problem is still there - when you accelerate hard the engine losses power, the stop light comes on, back off the revs and the lights go out and the engine carries on as normal.
Anybody got any idea what might be causing the problem?
