Diesel not starting after tank ran dry

listermint

Hey All,

The other half left the tank run dry on Volvo V60 1.6 D
After tow home and filling tank with around 10 litres of diesel. She will turn over start up and then die within a few seconds.

Tested the intake to fuel filter it's ok, tested outflow of filter and it fills a jam jar half full in a couple of cranks.
Opened each line on fuel rail until fuel appeared on crank then closed

Removed injectors and gave them clean, they were gunky. But only external clean.

No joy still the same turn over runs and then cuts out in seconds.



Any ideas ?

Hal1

Did you try this procedure? from 9.20 minutes on. It shows how to get the car to self bleed the air after replacing a fuel filter. Sure it might be similar to your own.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hqkrb7jhy-U

vandriver

listermint wrote: »

Hey All,

The other half left the tank run dry on Volvo V60 1.6 D
After tow home and filling tank with around 10 litres of diesel. She will turn over start up and then die within a few seconds.

Tested the intake to fuel filter it's ok, tested outflow of filter and it fills a jam jar half full in a couple of cranks.
Opened each line on fuel rail until fuel appeared on crank then closed

Removed injectors and gave them clean, they were gunky. But only external clean.

No joy still the same turn over runs and then cuts out in seconds.



Any ideas ?

I vaguely remember my mechanic having an absolute nightmare starting my C4 1.6 hdi(still the same engine?).He sprayed something out of an aerosol into the top of the engine till it caught.

Dia_Anseo

I remember I had a similar problem with the same engine in a 2005 Ford Focus after cleaning an injector bed, I ended up rolling it down a hill and putting it in 2nd/3rd gear while cranking the engine and it started.

Apparently the same engine fitted in the Peugeot has a bleed bulb making life much easier.

listermint

Hal1 wrote: »

Did you try this procedure? from 9.20 minutes on. It shows how to get the car to self bleed the air after replacing a fuel filter. Sure it might be similar to your own.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hqkrb7jhy-U

Nice vid. Didn't know the prime procedure. Tried it no joy.

May have to change the filter and try vacuum the line from it.

Pain in the arse , missed the first half of the match today towing it back.

R.O.R

I had the misfortune of running out of diesel in an S40 previously, thankfully just outside the office as someone dropped it back with a sniff of fuel left, and I was heading to the local fuel station.

The S40 had a very shallow tank - not sure if the V60 is the same, but took 15L of fuel before it would restart. Really feckin annoying as we had 2 full 5L cans of diesel, so put those in, wouldn't start, rang our Volvo dealership who told me it's a shallow tank and it self bleed's so just lob more fuel in. Had to head up to the fuel station in another car, stuck another 5L in and off it went, then back to the fuel station again to top the Volvo off and re-fill the empty container so there was still 2 x 5L of diesel in the garage.

Try another 5L of fuel before panicking.

listermint

R.O.R wrote: »

I had the misfortune of running out of diesel in an S40 previously, thankfully just outside the office as someone dropped it back with a sniff of fuel left, and I was heading to the local fuel station.

The S40 had a very shallow tank - not sure if the V60 is the same, but took 15L of fuel before it would restart. Really feckin annoying as we had 2 full 5L cans of diesel, so put those in, wouldn't start, rang our Volvo dealership who told me it's a shallow tank and it self bleed's so just lob more fuel in. Had to head up to the fuel station in another car, stuck another 5L in and off it went, then back to the fuel station again to top the Volvo off and re-fill the empty container so there was still 2 x 5L of diesel in the garage.

Try another 5L of fuel before panicking.

I'm off to get another 5 litres again now. Put about 12 in it. Changed the fuel filter this morning. Primed the line using a shop vac can't see air in the line anymore so I think that ends ok

listermint

So tried another 5 litres. Should be about 18 litres in it now. The dash still says empty tank though but I presume that all sets itself after the car is running a while.

I can hear the tank pump whirrr when ignition 1. But it stops after about 3 seconds.

But when full ignition. engine starts up runs and turns off about 4 seconds in

kirving

I don't know that engine, but is there a possibility of an air lock by the fuel pressure sensor, and the engine is just turning itself off in response to that?

listermint

Kevin Irving wrote: »

I don't know that engine, but is there a possibility of an air lock by the fuel pressure sensor, and the engine is just turning itself off in response to that?

That would make sense. I'm getting P115a and P115b on the reader.

Seems to indicate the ECM is saying fuel sender is saying low fuel.

Would that be the pump in the tank or the fuel pressure sensor on the rail sending that code?

Steamed Clams

Had an almost identical issue in a mk1 tddi Focus, engine started perfectly but would shut off after a few seconds. Fuel gauge read zero but most definitely had 30+ litres in the tank. Turned out the fuel level sender had dislodged from the tank (they're located on the tank floor on them rather than mounted to the top like usual setups), and also had a burned track on the sender. The ECU would turn the engine off to prevent the pump running dry when the level sender read zero, but that check only appears to happen after the engine has started.

Pulling the connector off the sender under the rear seats confirmed the problem, engine ran away fine with no fuel level sender. Replacement fuel sender from a mk3 Mondeo correctly located was all it took to sort. Given the relationship between the Mondeo and V60/S60, it's quite likely your car has the same pump protection in the ECU when a faulty sender returns an empty signal...

kirving

My fathers Mk1 Focus had similar if I remember correctly. Got home on fumes late one night and the following day it wouldn't start. Needed a new fuel pump after going dry. Could be related, but I'm not sure. Certainly seems to be a controlled / failsafe shutdown if you're seeing that P115b code.

listermint

Steamed Clams wrote: »

Had an almost identical issue in a mk1 tddi Focus, engine started perfectly but would shut off after a few seconds. Fuel gauge read zero but most definitely had 30+ litres in the tank. Turned out the fuel level sender had dislodged from the tank (they're located on the tank floor on them rather than mounted to the top like usual setups), and also had a burned track on the sender. The ECU would turn the engine off to prevent the pump running dry when the level sender read zero, but that check only appears to happen after the engine has started.

Pulling the connector off the sender under the rear seats confirmed the problem, engine ran away fine with no fuel level sender. Replacement fuel sender from a mk3 Mondeo correctly located was all it took to sort. Given the relationship between the Mondeo and V60/S60, it's quite likely your car has the same pump protection in the ECU when a faulty sender returns an empty signal...

Pints are for this man.

Car was at a slight incline in the garden where I parked it so was concerned the level was angled. So jacked up left rear side to see any change. None.


Pulled out back seats and there are two sets of cabling either side going into large rubber grommets. The way volvo handedly designed this the sender can only be got at by dropping the tank. So I had to guess which side cabling was the sender and which I assume was the fuel pump. I gauged the pump was the one with 4 cables to the sender's two.

Pulled the connection to the cable with two on it and started the car. She started up fine and is still running now.

For anyone wants to know the sender is on the drivers side rear passenger seat. The other side is most likely the pump cables. The connection to the sender is roughly the middle of the rear bench seat light grey plug.


So now it's running .

Cheers all, was close to booting this car.

listermint

Follow up note. Ran for ten minutes. Cleared all codes. Replaced sensor connection. Then ran again for the more. Stopped started it numerous times. All good.


Seems like the sensor just needs to be hard reset by disconnection. Or once the pump gets up and running fully the sensor then resets itself.

No need to new sensor from what I can tell.

Was sure I was heading for some problems and euros swimming out of my pocket.

Picture below if the sensor connector location for reference.

mikeecho