Silsoe Triangle

[Daisy]

Those of you BXers frequenting the A6 between Barton and Clophill will know the little roundabout at Silsoe.

Driving home tonight, Daisy shut down as I was braking on the approach to the roundabout - all warning lights came on, engine cut out, but lights and hazzards worked. She restarted again ok -
Only done about 60 miles since last fill up (and yes, I did put diesel in, before anyone asks)

Any ideas for possible cause?

Anne Marie

[mat_fenwick]

Any missing periods of time? (Did you have a nice Christmas BTW? )

My first check would be the stop solenoid on the diesel pump - small cylinder on the top with a wire going to it. It's possible this is making a poor connection with the wire becoming brittle from age/vibration/heat. Try wiggling it with the engine running - if it doesn't cut out that's unlikely to be the problem.

[Daisy]

[quote="mat_fenwick"]Any missing periods of time? (Did you have a nice Christmas BTW? )

What???????? Are you refering to me or Daisy (I frequently miss periods of time!)

She did cough a lot when I started her up this morning after a few weeks of nonuse

[mat_fenwick]

That was just my attempt at humour...suggesting that you may have missed Christmas (like the reported Bermuda triangle myths where people's watches show incorrect times afterwards).

Coughing after inactivity isn't necessarily linked - I'd still think an electrical problem for the cutting out.

[Vanny]

How bright are your headlights?

I used to get this some times with the 1.9TD engine, turns out the alternator was goosed allowing the battery to slowly drain, and application of the brakes, and i assume the lights, would be enough to tip the whole thing over the edge. Oddly it would happily restart afterwards! I did regularly suffer from flat batteries in the morning around this time!

[Daisy]

Any missing periods of time? (Did you have a nice Christmas BTW? )

.

lol - wish I could miss Christmas

Anyway....

Headlights good (far superior to those on the Xant that I have been using for the past few weeks). Alternator fairly new, as is the battery.
French electrics......

Thanks for the suggestions guys

Will perhaps save the Bermuda (Silsoe) Triangle / abduction by aliens excuse to explain why I forgot to pay the credit card bill last month (senility most likely)

AM

[MULLEY]

Sludged up fuel filter? Fine when pressing on, but lifting off the throttle & the revs coming down, there isn't enough suction to pull the fuel through, it gets starved & the engine stops, or as mat has suggested? Have you noticed anything else, such as its not quite as nippy as normal etc....

[Daisy]

Thanks Matt

That may be a possible cause as I usually run her till the fuel light comes on, and she did sit for about four weeks with a virtually empty tank, so maybe some grot in the line was the problem.
As for loss in performance, after driving a TurboD ([Xantia] I was reajusting to Daisy's n/a gentle drive again, so hard to tell at that point
Or the problem may be electrical....
see if it happens again

Anne Marie

[Vanny]

French electrics......

Spanish on the BX i believe.

[mat_fenwick]

I can't see how the fuel filter would affect it I'm afraid - the lift pump will still be sucking dependant on engine speed, but a greater proportion returning to the tank with little engine load. Fuel filter problems would show up at maximum demand, when little is being returned to the tank.

Puzzling though, if there's no obvious poor connection...

[Daisy]

Xantia is going into Robs (Chevronics) tomorrow, and I will be following closely behind as the indicators on the Xant have packed up. Will run it by him as well.

[MULLEY]

Sorry, i meant tank filter rather than fuel filter, mine was gunged up so no fuel was getting to the pump