My 1993 XM 2.1 SD Auto L322 VCV

[xmexclusive]

Leaks in the pipework before the filter and at the filter head typically allow fuel run back.
This always gives poor starting particularly after standing overnight or longer.
As for leaking eventually maybe but for example the fuel heater can be removed and permanently repaired.
That may have already happened, if so why go to the trouble of cutting it out.
From your description it sounds as though your have air ingress or fuel restriction somewhere filter to injector pump.
Finding an air inlet point is a sod.
Sticking the bulb in as a temporary item will let you build up considerable pressure in the dodgy pipework.
Air leak points buble with diesel and are quickly pinpointed.
If that shows nothing then you are into checking for flow restricting crap in the suspect length.
If the crap has or makes its way into the pump rebuilding the rest of the system will not help.

John

[Aerodynamica]

Gotya, ill fit the bulb in. This fuel heater: is it bolted on to the cylinder head?

[jonathan_dyane]

Sounds very like the fuel heater to me, it is bolted to the cylinder head and is easily bypassed; my first step would be bypassing this and changing the diesel filter.

Just to make you aware I've heard many times that one should never use copper in diesel pipes as it can damage the diesel pump (or is it perhaps the injectors) however I have observed this done many times with no apparent ill-effect. I probably wouldn't though...

[citroenxm]

Greame, I wouldn;t THINK about removing the heater, just bridge the fuel pipes that go into it, and take out out of cuircuit...

The short ride was the fuel from the filter to the pump, then the gap was the section of run back fuel that the pump pulled through before fuel was resotred..

[Dieselman]

If it was air int he pipes I wouldn't expect the car to travel 400 metres before quitting.

What exactly happened when it lost power, were you stationery or moving under power? If it was when stationery i suspect the torque converter lock-up clutch might have stuck engaged.

[citroenxm]

I would, as theres a pump full of fuel, plus a filter... enough to start and move slightly...

By that time, the pump has pulled the fuel up from the Tank.. Fuel Heater I BET!!

[Dieselman]

My Mandarin one was suffering air leakage and would fire then cut after about 2 seconds. The volume of fuel flowing is significant.

[Aerodynamica]

If it was air int he pipes I wouldn't expect the car to travel 400 metres before quitting.

What exactly happened when it lost power, were you stationery or moving under power? If it was when stationery i suspect the torque converter lock-up clutch might have stuck engaged.

To add more details: it started instantly, I let it idle for a while as i sorted out my coat and plugged in the ipod etc, so about 30-40 seconds then set off. It's a residential street but a one- way system so I must go up 100yds turn and head up a hill for 300yds to the junction at the top where I stop on the footbrake with it in drive. Off the foot brake and it seemed to be 'stuck' or unable to rev like the throttle wouldn't raise revs though it did move (fairly sure the pedal was a little harder to push) and then it recovered after about 3 seconds.

It didn't do it at all later friday and was perfect this morning.

Only think I can add is that the car is pretty sluggish from cold, I am not sure if it's a fault or if this is what diesel autos are like till they're heated up. I find that it has poor shifting skills on the first 1/4 mile then seems to waken up. Travelling up that initial hill (not steep but long 2-300 yds) it seems to want to rev right past 2000 rpm and would hit 3000 if i didn't hold it at just over 2200rpm as any less than this and it pulls up that street at something like 20mph, again this all cures after a bit when it's all heated. On Friday when this happened I admit I took it right to the top of that hill at higher revs and stopped at the top. Pulling away it does this 'no throttle' thing.

I'm pretty sensitive to Diesels - I shudder at the thought of revving it from cold as I work in Cummins Diesel and have seen what can happen in the engine test cells to an engine that wasn't 'ready'.. but on Friday I broke through the barrier of comfort past 2.2k rpm. I am not sure why this abuse would cause this but I'm pretty sketchy on my automatic transmission so not sure.

As an aside: I started it up at 8:20pm last night after a cold rest of 5 hours, it started instantly and I let it warm a bit. I then drove to a filling station about 3 minutes away and switched off. 5-6 mins later I'm restarting it and give it full glow plugs, cranking over took longer to catch than 9 mins previously, a characteristic my Xantia 1.9TD shares. But why is this? Surely the cylinder head is heated up on this restart and of course I gave it full 'plugs so would think it'd instantly start like a heated petrol would..

[Dieselman]

I used to find my 2.1 Auto sluggish from cold...well, just sluggish really, though it was OK if you held it on the brake and floored the accelerator...

It was OK as an auto, but in hindsight, I should have ordered a manual.

[Aerodynamica]

I hear what you're saying and I would've preferred a manual but I find this to be quite pleasant out on the open road.

But any ideas what happened given more details?