2008 D4D juddering on low fuel.

[acrmnsm]

My 2008 57k miles D4D has developed a weird problem, when it gets to 1/4 tank or less it starts to misfire (I think) it judders ut to 3000rpm. 
When I refill it goes away?
Ok I could always keep the car above 1/4 tank but .....

[Dippy]

Has the fuel filter been changed recently? That would be my first thought.

[acrmnsm]

I dunno, but I will check! Is it easy to change?

 

[Auris James]

Water in the bottom of tank?

James.

[RAV4-D4D]

+1 on changing the fuel filter.

Haven't done it on your car but it's likely to be easy enough to do if you want to diy - make sure you wear gloves and have plenty of rags as you will probably spill a little diesel when you remove the filter.

 

 

 

 

[Stivino]

There's no need to make a mess.  Removing the nut on the bottom of the filter allows you to drain it before removal, it also lets you look at what you have drained to see its condition.

[philip42h]

22 hours ago, acrmnsm said:

I dunno, but I will check! Is it easy to change?

 

Anchorman's YouTube tutorial on the subject ...

[Stivino]

27 minutes ago, philip42h said:

Anchorman's YouTube tutorial on the subject ...

LOL.  Turning the filter upside down to drain it from the pipes when all he had to do was remove the bottom nut.

[APS]

On 12/20/2020 at 8:34 AM, acrmnsm said:

My 2008 57k miles D4D has developed a weird problem, when it gets to 1/4 tank or less it starts to misfire (I think) it judders ut to 3000rpm. 
When I refill it goes away?
Ok I could always keep the car above 1/4 tank but .....

If you've had the car serviced at Toyota they should have replaced the fuel filter. Do check with them.

Mind you, from my experience a clogged fuel filter often result in hesitation or loss of power during acceleration - i.e. when the engine needs the most fuel. 

The fact that it only happens when the tank is low could be because contamination in the fuel tank - debris or water. It would also result in loss of power.  

[Stivino]

Debris, unless flotsam, will always be at the bottom of the fuel tank and is the first to be drawn regardless of how much fuel is i in the tank.

[APS]

On 12/21/2020 at 6:31 PM, Stivino said:

Debris, unless flotsam, will always be at the bottom of the fuel tank and is the first to be drawn regardless of how much fuel is i in the tank.

Correct. However, the 'concentration' or contaminant to fuel ratio increases, and the fuel is also allowed to slosh about more as the level goes down so you may only notice it when fuel is low. I fixed a problem just like this, only a couple of months ago.

Engine cut out during acceleration or turning (or both) but only when the tank was less than quarter full. In that case it was a mix of rust and water. Modern cars have plastic tanks so rust should not be an issue.

Fuel filter is probably a more likely cause. 

[acrmnsm]

Sorry for the late update, changed my filter for an original one and problem has gone away. Thanks for the advice all. 

[igormus]

On 12/20/2020 at 11:34 AM, acrmnsm said:

My 2008 57k miles D4D has developed a weird problem, when it gets to 1/4 tank or less it starts to misfire (I think) it judders ut to 3000rpm. 
When I refill it goes away?
Ok I could always keep the car above 1/4 tank but .....

bleed both fuel filter and pump from the air

cheers \ Igor