- all decisions are 'guesses' and range from easy cost free to harder and pay for
- 5 times a strong suggestion its on the LP side suggests the low pressure side needs to be eliminated first
- the easy cost free first is the (1) spin on fuel filter or (2) the white screw on water drain tap vibrating loose
- allowing flowback of fuel and ingress of air is a classic LP symptom where air gets past the tiny 0 ring

If it turns out not to be the above its still an essential eliminated stage.

 

The thing is that when this first happened to me (and it has happened more than once) when the heater plug was pulled from the fuel heater housing you could actually smell the fuel. There is a kit to replace the heater/fuel filter housing. It is something every owner should do, if not already done. The replacement part has a different plug so you have to get the wiring loom for the fuel heater too. There are other things that might go wrong, but this is by far the most likely.


I don't have the part number but you are likely to find it online - it is a couple of years or more since I did it. Maybe Richard (tfb) has it?


I would suggest you NOT buy it at a breaker - you may get the old version. I see you have a 2007, the same as mine, so you will have no lift pump and the fuel heater/filter attached to the "front" of the engine more or less under the alternator. Earlier models had the filter under the body of the car near the rear axel.

 

Yes I do have the same fuel heater and filter system as yourself with the primer on top. When I prime the fuel in the morning it starts first turn of the key. There is definitely leak back or air getting in somewhere. I will do some searching now to see if I can find it.

Accelerated up a hill earlier and the car tried to cut out but didn't and went in to limp home mode I believe as it wouldn't change up out of 2nd. Luckily I was within a few hundred metres of home.

 

999 out of 1000. Stop safe. Switch IGN off & key out. Key back in, switch on, puter resets the LimPO, off you pop ! It might go back into limp in 500 yards or 500 miles, who knows. The thing is a reboot of the computer BUS might well allow you again to travel motorways at 70MPH as a get you home in and out of and up and down speed cruise control [different BUS].

 

OK... I am not saying it absolutely has to be the fuel filter/heater but it is a vey good bet. If I was you I would remove the fuel filter and inspect the sealing surfaces. Check that the water drain valve is airtight too. Then pull out the heater plug. As I remember the plug is female and the socket recessed male. As often as not and definitely in my case there will be a crack between the two pins in the male socket that lets air in and some small amount of fuel out. I could certainly smell the fuel as soon as the plug came out. It seems a ridiculously small crack to let enough air in to upset the engine - but it does. I supposed that the pins heat up causing the problem that is less obvious when cool. If you carry through with this you will, at least, know that the Achilles heel of the VM engine is OK - although you should not expect it never to act up again... at least you know what an uncommanded engine stall likely means.

 

Accelerated up a hill and it tried to cut out but went into limp mode...Wonder if you might find P0235 for that one, as I have that fault but I remedy it by not flooring pedal and if it does happen it resets itself when parameters on fueling comply.
Yet to sort that turbo pressure problem out whether pipe leak or Turbo variable vanes sticking.

 

No don't have that code. Still p0514 (old battery sensor fault) p1130 and p0340 but I have no idea when these actually appeared as the key dance is extremely random. Sometimes the individual codes can flash 30 times each or the other day p1130 for instance only flashed once?? Cleaned out the intake temperature/boost sensor and that was covered in sludge. Will take it out again and apply heat to it and see if it goes open circuit with increased temp?? Will also try the same with the cam and crank sensors. Is there an easy way to fit a clear pipe from the filter to IP? Looks tight spaced and fiddly plus looks like I may have to cut the pipe??

 

Wow think I had a small heart attack after receiving a quote from JNL engineering of £281 for the fuel filter housing. Didn't include a new loom and they couldn't guarantee it being the new up rated filter housing either? Rang chrysler, £125 for filter housing and £17 for the loom! Still expensive but heaps better.