Starting Difficulties - Can Anybody Help Please

[dugracer]

I wonder if anybody would mind offering some advice or guidance.

I have the 2.0 D4D Rav4 (2005 model).

Just recently I have had some issues when starting my Rav.

Here are the symptoms: When the fuel level is below 1/3 of a tank and the car has been left over 12 hours it fails to start, the engine cranks over just fine but will not fire (Battery and starter are both fine).

Current solution : If I pop the bonnet and manually pump fuel (from the hand pump above the fuel filter) after about 20 pumps it gives solid feedback at which point I can jump in and start her up no problem, she also then runs just fine (no noises or sluggish engine behaviour).

If I have anything over ½ tank of fuel then I get no issues at all so currently I just keep refuelling whenever the level drops below 1/2.

My theory is this that somehow the fuel is draining back from the engine whenever the car is left after running, When there is plenty of fuel in the tank it prevents fuel from draining back by creating a gravity fed head of fluid at the rear of the fuel system. I’m guessing that some form of non return valve somewhere in the fuel system may have failed. My potential quick fix was to fit a simple in line non return valve between the filter and engine.

Can anybody advise if I am on the right lines or if there is anything else that I should check before going down this route?

My Rav has new Battery, new oil / filter, new air filter, cam belt was done over a year ago, I do have a Lindop chip fitted but have it disconnected currently until I can fix this problem.

Looking on the forum for anybody with similar symptoms I saw a few people pointing advice towards the fuel filter as the potential culprit – my fuel filter was replaced by Toyota July 2012 but the problems have only started since this July. My Rav is garaged every night and there is no sign of any external fuel leakage under the car or on any of the under bonnet components.

Thanks in advance for any help /advice that anybody has to offer.

[Big Kev]

Hi Jamie.....until cured, can you park facing slightly doonhill.....? (Ah know how flat Lincolnshire is....) I seem to recall there is some kind of NRV or return pressure valve employed somewhere.....rubbish....?

[dugracer]

Thanks Kev, I'll certainly give that a try, as you say though hills in Lincolnshire are few and far between, I could borrow some ramps and reverse it up onto those once the level gets low in the tank. The inline NRVs are only about ten quid so I was kind of hoping that might fix it, it would just mean a cut in the fuel line and then clip each end to the NRV.

In all honesty though I'd rather know what was causing it and fix it properly I just don't want a massive bill as it was only a few months back that I had to have the DMF replaced leaving me with 36pence change from £1000!!!

I did wonder if it was the fuel filter head but I am not getting those strange whining noises that other members have demonstrated in here.

[Tech01]

Air-in-fuel can be seen by inserting a piece of transparent tubing - usually between fuel filter and HP pump. Make sure any temporary joints are not leaky.

Chris

( . ) Remainder of text edited out by O.P.

[anchorman]

Chris - there is a pump on a petrol but not as far as I know on a diesel and the only way to prime the fuel is with the hand primer.

Jamie - you are absolutely correct that the fuel is running back and I think the valve is in the filter head. Kingo will post you one as long as you cough up into the pie fund.

[LeeADAB]

Would my petrol RAV have a hand primer too or just the electric pump. What about a NRV? If it does that may be another thing to add to the list of possible items to investigate fo my issues..

Hope you get your Rav sorted Jamie. VERY nice looking three door!! How much did the alloys cost to powder coat? Mine are bubbling now and will need a refurb at some point. Cheers, Lee

[Tech01]

( . ) Text edited out by O.P.

[anchorman]

I looked in my manual too Chris but I'm fairly sure that is petrol only.

[dugracer]

Thanks so much guys for all of your help advice and tech info, I think I will try to add an inline NRV straight after the fuel filter (using an added piece of fuel line so that I don't have to cut the original fuel lines) If this works It should narrow the fault down to the fuel filter head, in which case I will swap it and place a parts order with kingo.

I had all 5 wheels done by a guy in Grantham, they cost £300 if I remember correctly, all done in 1 day which I was very impressed with, drove it in at 8am with bubbling silver alloys and away at 5pm with shiny blacks. Think the company is called classic coatings, I would recommend them to anybody looking for a wheel refurb.

[Tech01]

Don, my apologies - Jamie too. You're absolutely right, the petrol has a submersed fuel pump (with what looks like two filters), and a single delivery pipe leading away. The diesel has no pump in the tank, but a 3-pipe connection to the same corner position, plus a 4-way electrical connector (presumably for the twin fuel-level senders). Boob.

Have edited the previous posts down to zilch ( . ) so as not to confuse further.

Slapped wrists.

Chris

[dugracer]

I finally got around to fitting an inline Non return valve just before the fuel filter. So far so good as it seems to have taken the problem away.

NRV was £8 and a length of diesel pipe + clips was £4.

I added a short length of pipe so that I didn't have to cut any of the original fuel pipework.

In case anybody stumbles upon this post with similar problems you may be able to fix yours equally as cheaply.

Quite nice to have a cheap fix after the massive repair bill when the DMF disintegrated.

Thank you all for your help and advice.

[Big Kev]

Good result and update, Seamus min.