# X trail Dieselfuel pump problem PLEASE HELP!



## Chalky_White (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi all, please please can somebody help? I have just bought a used X-Trail 136 DCI. Registered September 2004 and only covered 26,000 UK miles. 
After 1 day, every so often, (particularly low speeds and low gear, ie: in town), the car decides to go in to "limp mode", where I can not get the car to do more than 20 mph! The cure appears to be to turn off the ignition and turn it straight back on again & it seems to work fine for a while before it does it again. If I drive at speed on major roads I dont have a problem. The local franchised Nissan dealer is wanting to charge £1500 to supply and fit a new on board diesel pump, but surely with a high pressure common rail pump they either work or they do not? Would the problem not be electrical/sensor orientated as it is an intermittent fault and I can go for 100 miles between towns without the car missing a beat?
Anyone out there had this type of problem before and could help I would be really grateful. Thanks in anticipation.


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## Browna21 (Jan 4, 2008)

Sounds just like the problem I had I had at 50k miles when I put my foot down the car would judder but if you applied your foot slowly the car would slowly accellerate up to 80 mph plus.Faced with spending lots of my hard earned cash decided to change the cheapest item first.The fuel filter under the bonnet (being it had never been changed) Dead easy to change (approx 30 mins, screw off/screw on) and only costing £13 from Halfords.it did the trick.Hope it helps.


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## longleaf (Dec 11, 2005)

Had the same problem with mine about 4 weeks ago.Took it to the dealer and they changed the filter and a diaphram on the back of the pump.Mine had the same symptoms as yours , but also had the warning light on the dash on all the time.If the warning light is on it will have recorded a fault code and the dealer will beable to plug it in to the diagnostics computer and give a definate answer
Your other option is to find an independant diesel specialist and let them have a look.Nissan are not always the best option for this type of fault.
I was lucky enough to have taken 2 years extra warrenty so it cost me nothing......


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## Chalky_White (Mar 7, 2008)

longleaf said:


> Had the same problem with mine about 4 weeks ago.Took it to the dealer and they changed the filter and a diaphram on the back of the pump.Mine had the same symptoms as yours , but also had the warning light on the dash on all the time.If the warning light is on it will have recorded a fault code and the dealer will beable to plug it in to the diagnostics computer and give a definate answer
> Your other option is to find an independant diesel specialist and let them have a look.Nissan are not always the best option for this type of fault.
> I was lucky enough to have taken 2 years extra warrenty so it cost me nothing......


Thanks for that. Unfortunately I have never had a warning light on the dash? Nissan have put it on to the diagnostics computer already and it came up with a fuel pump fault, however they stated that it often does when the fuel filter is clogged, on this occasion changing the filter has not cleared the fault on the diagnostics. They are now saying that 80% of the time changing the filter is the answer, now it could be faulty wiring around the ECU/faulty pins could be the answer for 10% of the time or 10% of the time changing for a new pump is the solutioin. Surely though the mechanics of the pump must be working or the car would not work perfectly well out of town? It is only in town that the problem arises?


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## uk_owner (Jul 3, 2006)

Chalky
Sorry to disappoint you but this is the problem allot of dCi owners have had including myself. 
The problem lies inside the high pressure pump, I believe it is down to a sticking pressure valve, your fine when you drive around but once you pull up and idle for a minute (like sitting at traffic lights) when you pull away you have no power and cannot rev above about 2500 rpm because the pressure valve has stuck. Switch engine off and re-start and the valve is forced to re-set, this is why the engine management light does not come on, but don't worry, it will eventually. 

I lived with this problem for a couple of months, initially it only happened once in a while but by the end it was every set of lights/road junction etc. That is when the engine light started to come on.

My car was under warranty at the time, the AA came and looked at it and told me what the problem was (see above) and towed it to my local Nissan garage who took three weeks fixing it.

Now, as yours is out of warranty, I am sure a diesel specialist will be able to investigate your problem and might be able to remove the pump and just replace the valve saving you the cost of a whole new pump.

Also might be worth talking to Nissan customer services as your car is still quite low mileage, you may get a good will contribution towards the repair (your 6 months out of warranty and only 26,000 miles, most manufacturers have a sliding scale for this sort of thing). With some argument you may be able to push up the percentage they offer you, maybe all the way to 100%??

Good luck anyway and let us know how you get on.


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