[BlueSuzy]

Baleno efi motor
Vit efi tank
Vit pump

Just recently i have let the tank run low on fuel to sorta test how far i will get with the vit efi tank.

When the tank is getting low i normally get this power loss situation, Its not a miss but motor drops out for a second then comes back to life with normal flat ground driving.

Now it happened with a Full tank today twice in the 1st 10 mins, then went away (1Hr driving)

*My fuel filter is the original filter from the efi conversion, should i change it? Been in about 6mths if you count all i've driven her..

*Would it be bad fuel? The tank was clean when i put it in 1mth ago?

*Would it be the vitara fuel pump slowly dieing?(Not happy if it is)

*The TPS has been fine for ages, as this was my problem (same story) in the begining of the conversion.

I need this urgent because im planning a 2week trip away from home leaving this monday!!!!!!!!Any help would be muchly appreciated!!!!

[nick.gooding]

Hey mate,
i have the standard 1.3 in my Zook.
But mine use to do that same thing.
wouldnt let fuel through untill the engine was warm.
My mate whos a mechanic tol me to take my fuel filter off and see if its blocked.
take it off and blow through it.
That could be the problem.
Still havent changed mine but if i let it warm up just sitting there running it doesnt do it when i go to drive it
Hopefuly that helps.

[Fluffy]

start by changing your filter..
the more you run your car empty the more chance you have of sucking shit up off the bottom of your tank..

a lot of people i know never let their cars get below 1/4 tank for that reason

i really gotta change mine as its starting to play up also

if that fails ...... i dunno

hope that helps
Steve

[BlueSuzy]

Ok, Hmmm, Will have to get one today, Put it in sunday! Drive off monday! Argh!

The funny thing was, No shit should be in the bottom of the tank, Its new clean 1month ago/4 filled tanks ago!

[31zook]

Try blowing the fuel lines back. mine was doing the same thing till the point of stall, and i found a stick and a bolt in my tank. the stick decomposed, became lots of fuel filter cloggers and the bolt was just confusing?

[BlueSuzy]

I dont think mine is that bad!

I run my high pressure filter before the pipelines.

So pump, filter, fuel pipe lines, motor.

[woody1]

Unless the injectors are crook.
Try not to let ya fuel get way to low being a EFI , the injectors don't like it.
But saying that you would think if you've done it quite a few times ya fuel pump would might stuff up.

Woody

[Brett]

a blocked fuel filter will stay blocked till you fix it.

what are your rubber lines like? i have had them suck flat in old rubber lines before a pump and on tight bends (in the rubber line) kink and not let fuel past. all rubber lines need to be efi rated too

also check you connections in the pump wiring, it could be just shorting out for a sec and that would be fun to find

[BlueSuzy]

Ok all sounds good so far

Hasn't happened since 10 am friday, drove home from work fine.

When i did conversion, all new hose lines. I'm guessing it may be the filter.
I did the wiring also, so if it is shorting, i know where it all runs! Lucky..

[buzbox]

REPLACE the fuel filter. I can't believe someone suggested cleaning it out, Have you ever cleaned out your oil filter and re-used it?

For the price of the filter and half an hour on your back, it would not only solve your issue but potentially decrease fuel consumption, increse power and extend the engine's life.

Personaly I'd change the spark plugs, fill with premium fuel and add a bottle of a decent injector cleaner to thoroughly clean out the lines.

I have worked at a well known car shop for over 6 years, and I must say that the fuel filter, brake fluid, power steering fluid are the least maintained things in a car.

[BlueSuzy]

I never clean filters. Unless its an air filter

[Scrawny]

I never clean any filters. I give the air filter a light tap on a hard surface to knock any loose dirt out but if it's too dirty I just replace it. I never blow them out with compressed air.

[buzbox]

Just following up on this thread,

As luck would have it, this happened to me yesterday leaving me stranded. I've been using premium fuel since I have bought my Vitara, I guess it free'd up some crap in the tank and left me stranded. Funny thing is I had bought the filter the last week and have been putting it off.

This is the last of the blackness that came out.



The Ryco catologue listing suggest's a filter that costs about $60 I remember that my previous car (Lancer) used the same filter part number so I did a quick cross reference and found that Z440 is an equivelent and costs about $25



Just a tip I lernt the hard way, When replacing fuel filters, especially EFI wear safety glasses / goggles. I was glad to see that there is a pressure relief screw on the Vitara but fuel splashing on the diff and vapour hurts when it gets in your eye's. And obviously work in a well ventilated area otherwise you get high.

[BlueSuzy]

I worked out my problem few weeks ago. My fuel relay behind my dash was clicking on and off when the motor would die. My fuse for the relay/pump was working loose! Fixed now and lucky it was simple.

[krat]

I have done numerous searches and found this old thread.
Mine is a 95/96 Vit with a Z440 fuel filter as shown, but the Ryco site lists a Z464. What one should I use.
And would someone who has done this filter change, please give a simple step by step procedure for the job.
I have real concerns when dealing with high pressure fuel systems.

Thanks heaps,
Kev.

[atari4x4]

Hey Kev, attached is the page from the FSM about relieving the fuel pressure...

It's from the 2.5l GV manual but it's the same procedure across the range of EFI cars, just the location of the fuse differs.

My computer is have a fit trying to extract the filter replacement section, I'll have another shot at work tonight. But it's essentially remove/replace once the fuel pressure has been relived.

[royce]

Z440 is a universal filter, Z464 has specific brackets to hold the hoses in teh right spot

How I change it

With a cold engine (so has sat for a few hours to help reduce fuel pressure)
Put safety glasses on
on the end of the fuel rail on the engine there is a screwed in bung (its jsut above the thermostat housing), stick a rag under it and loosen it to relieve the pressure (fuel may spray but never has for me)
in front of the tank is the filter, you need a spanner to hold the nut built into the filter and one (or socket) for the banjo bolt holding the hoses on, undo both hoses (fuel will come out, be out of the way)
undo the stupid long clamp bolt that holds the filter in its bracket
remove old filter
put new filter in, dont do up bracket yet
refit both hoses and banjo nuts but jsut start the bolts, dont do them tight
do up filter bracket bolt
do up banjo bolts
clean down spilt fuel so you dont get a fire
do bung up on fuel rail again

turn key on for 2 seconds then off, do this 2 or 3 times to help prime

crank till it starts, let it idle and look for leaks

finished



the 1.6 doesnt have a fuel pump fuse and the relay is hard to get at plus running an engine dry sucks so I like my way

[krat]

Thanks guys,

Sounds like an easy one.
I'll give it a go as soon as I chase up a new filter.

Kev.