Help ...E39 530d wont start!

[chrisjvm]

Evening Shiters...

 

I ran out of diesel last weekend put a gallon in and after much cranking it fired into life.

(Was parked slightly uphill at the time)

 

Got home last night switched off fuel level was low ... Will I ever learn!

 

Went to start it this afternoon and it just turned over ... thought maybe by a stroke of luck I'd managed to get home and possibly there was no fuel again so I put 2 gallons in but no joy ....If you have any eyed ears chaps they would gratefully received.

 

I have to be at work at 6am and I live in the sticks (have pumped up bike tyres as a back up plan but by golly its hilly around here )

 

 

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I'm a mechanical idiot, not an actual idiot thats mechanical rather an idiot when it comes to fixing cars, but I had problems similar to this with my one (9 years ago) and it was the pump under the floor roughly under the passenger seat.

Hopefully someone will post something more useful, but maybe hitting that , a la ado16 petrol pump might help!

[sierraman]

Might not be bled through properly, or air in the system. I'd look at that first.

 

On a diesel the pump relies on the fuel its pumping to lubricate it so it might have damaged the pump, but I'd try the above first and make sure it's primed properly. I don't know the set up with these but it might be possible to fill the filter up with diesel to help it start up.

[Richard]

.

[Bren]

Bleed and prime fuel system.

 

Be warned - this is the type of thing that kills modern diesels. Never mind letting it run out - keep it above quarter of a tank.

[Honey Badger]

Blocked fuel filter after pulling a load of shit from the tank when it was run low?

[Fat_Pirate]

I used to have one of these, the pump in the tank was weak and would do this with less than a quarter of a tankl. Shaking the car from side to side would help, shifting fuel from the other side of the tank (it's a saddle shaped).

[SiC]

I've had a car which the fuel pump was killed by running low on fuel - the one in my avatar in fact! The pumps rely on fuel to keep them lubricated and cooled. As they get older and weaker, running them dry can finish them off very quickly.

[chrisjvm]

Just an update ....

 

In taking the fuel filter out to prime it Mr Hamfisted managed to break the pipe on the side of the filter housing so I'm definitely cycling to work (unsmiley face)

 

Got to get hold of a filter housing now 

 

Thanks to all who suggested solutions and gave advice... Much appreciated.