Sometimes traveling is not fun.
80 kilometers after a regular oil change, Milady starts acting up.
Oil Change
Yesterday we did a quick oil change, good service at the garage in Udaipur that seemed very professional. They changed the oil, the oil filter and the fuel filter and checked the other liquids.
When back on the road the car performed well, even better than before it seemed.
The first problems
Then after some hours driving, when going up a hill, the engine seemed to hold back, but nothing to worry about I thought. The next hill was more of a challenge and in the end the engine stopped. No power at all!
Road Side Repair
We stopped by the side of the road and I started thinking what was wrong. At the garage I had seen that the mechanic bleeded the system at the top of the fuel filter. I tried the same and realized that the priming pump didn’t build up sufficient pressure. Luckily I had a spare mechanical diesel pump, so I started taking out the old pump. When finally the pump was out I saw it performed okay, so I placed it back. In the meantime two mechanics had arrived, they advised me the pump was probably not well and they replaced it with the new pump.
After that the power of the engine seemed to be back for a short time, but after hundred metres the power reduced again. Now also the mechanics didn’t know what to do and left, leaving us standing by the side of the road without telephone reception.
A Tow to the Garage
We managed to reach a nearby house and the family luckily had some very weak telephone reception with a different provider. We managed to reach the garage we found earlier that day. After some discussion we decided the car needed to be transported back to the garage, so a crane truck was arranged.
Finally at 1:30 AM we arrived at the garage for a short night on the driveway of the garage.
The Experts at Work
The next morning we got up early and right after our breakfast the mechanics started working on the engine. Check the fuel filter, remove the lift pump again, check the fuel lines to the engine, check the pump again, check the fuel filter again…
When timing was right (4,5 hours time difference) I sent a message to Robbert Janssen, my garage in the Netherlands. He advised me to check the filter again, check the pump etc. and check the supply line from the tank. This is what went through my mind last night, the fuel supply line might be slightly blocked. The mechanics already suggested an additional electrical pump and are about to install it. At my insistence they blow the fuel supply line with air. To the big surprise of all mechanics, the engine runs like before, no additional pump needed.
Clean Fuel Tank
They do suggest cleaning the fuel tank and I agree, the sludge in the tank may have built up during the years.The fuel is drained from the tank and it turns out that there is indeed quite a bit of junk in it.
A beautiful ending in Udaipur
After filling the tank with the filtered fuel we can go on our way again and we find another place to spend the night at Fateh Safari Lake in Udaipur.
We end the evening with a delicious meal at restaurant Savage Garden with a beautiful view of Udaipur at night.
