Replacing TD5 Fuel pipes

[white90]

Even after the recall of the TD5 disco's due to concerns of fuel pipes and ABS/water sensor/fuel pump wiring harness abrading against each other and causing a leak - it seems that the fuel pipes rubbing against the chassis still happens and further leaks are quite common. The Disco in this thread had been recalled and the fuel pipes had been replaced, wiring shroud replaced with a smooth plastic sheath, and re-routed to keep them seperate. However, the fuel pipes continued to rub against the chassis and another leak developed on the high pressure line - causing fuel to be sprayed all over the chassis, tank, underbody, drivers side rear wheel, and due to wind turbulence through driving - up the back door, bumper, rear windscreen, and spare wheel. There's no drain plug on these plastic tanks, so the less fuel in the tank - the better, as you have to take the weight of it.

Tools required are-

A bucket!

24mm spanner, 24mm socket, 21mm socket (if you have the std towing bracket)

17mm spanner, 13mm socket (if you remove the fuel filter assembly)

Pliers (stub or long-nosed)

15mm socket

14mm socket

13mm spanner

10mm socket

Selection of meduim and short extension bars

Philips screwdriver

Thin blade screwdriver

Medium blade screwdriver

6mm socket

Wheel brace/27mm socket

2 x Axle stands

Jack

Breaker bar/some way of increasing leverage.

Disconnect the battery - 13mm spanner.

Remove the rear load space floor covering and a round panel will be visible. Remove the 6 x philips screws to expose the fuel pump/sender.

Note that the pipes are colour-coded - there is a coloured band on each pipe and the fitting clips are also the same. It's important that the pipes go back in the same position, so make a note of them before removal.

If the pipe connections are dry/dirty - spray them with WD40. Then compress the two 'legs' of the pipe clip and pull the pipe out of it's fitting.

The clips have to be re-used, so carefully remove them from the pipe ends with a thin screwdriver and press them back into the pump housing in the same colour pattern - they should click in place.

Slacken the rear drivers side wheel nuts a small amount, raise the vehicle with a jack under the rear axle and then place axle stands under the chassis. Remove the wheel and lower the jack until vehicle weight is on the stands.

The pipes to fuel filter are also colour-coded, but may not appear so due to the amount of dirt covering them. Again, the pipes have to go back on the same way, so clean the end fittings, slide the coloured shrouds back so that they stay on the filter housing, then disconnect the 4-pipes. The clip fitting are different to the opposite ends - there are two square tabs that you have to squeeze in and then pull the pipe end off the filter housing. I found it easier to do the work with the filter housing out of the way - if you choose to do this, then remove the two 13mm head bolts/17mm nuts that secure it to the chassis mounting bracket.

When you disconnect the pipes - a small amount of fuel will drain down, so put a bucket or similar container underneath to catch it. You could also use your clothes, hair, face, arms, driveway, etc Fuel loss is only a tea-cup full, so no gushing fuel everywhere.

Towing bracket support arms next. The two at the front are 24mm nut & Bolt. These should be very tight, so a breaker bar or some method of improved leverage will be needed. The two on the chassis are 21mm head bolt and 24mm nut.

There are 4 nuts holding the tank to the chassis (15mm towards the front and 14mm at the rear) - spray them with WD40

Filler and breather pipes next. Originally the filler pipe fixings are security clips, and they have to be cut off and then replaced. The dealer has replaced the inner clip with a normal jubilee clip, so a 6mm socket of screwdriver to undo it.

Breather pipe is the same and there's a third pipe you can't see in the picture that is disconnected in the same way as the filter pipes.

The fuel tank strap has to be released on the driver side only. Slacken the tensioning bolt a few times (15mm spanner and socket), then undo and remove the two 10mm bolts (a plate with two captive nuts will drop out at the same time).

Place a jack under the tank with a piece of wood to cushion/prevent damage to the tank, then remove the 4 nuts and captive bolts.

The tank is now ready to be removed. The drivers side of the tank goes over the top of the chassis rail, so the tank has to be lowered at an angle in order to remove it. Passenger side down until it clears the chassis rail on that side, then slide the tank sideways until it clears the drivers side chassis rail, and then lower the tank to the ground and remove it.

Not a very clear picture, but as the opposite side of the tank goes down, the filler stub gets closer to the floor pan. When the tank is low enough to be removed, the stub is touching the floor. Take great care how far you lower the tank as it's possible to snap the stub if you just 'dump' the tank.

Far enough now to remove the tank slightly sideways.

Slide the tank out from under the vehicle - you can now see the fuel pipes clipped to the top of the crossmember. Lever the clips out, disconnect the 4th pipe, which is forward of the fuel filter on the inside of the chassis rail.

The fuel pipe set (4-pipes), will now come away as a complete assembly.

The culprit - high pressure line from the filter to the engine.

Other pipes were showing signs of rubbing, so it's a good idea to replace the whole set.

What you get for £56

Clip the new assembly in the same way as the old ones - manipulate the pipes until they are in the correct pattern.

Replace the tank - making sure the breather/filler pipes are routed correctly. Remove the coloured shrouds you left on the filter housing as you connect each new pipe in turn (they have new shrouds on and the old ones are just left there to prevent any mistakes). Each connection should make a positive click as it engages - the filter ones have to be pressed quite hard. The new pipes are just as likely to rub through as they are in the same position as the old ones. To prevent this I added the old pipe clips along with the new to keep them away from the chassis and also wrapped them with PVC tape where they are close to the chassis.

The fuel lines are in general very poorly mounted on the vehicle and it's not surprising they fail. The ones I replaced had only been on the vehicle for 2-years.

Once all is assembled and the vehicle is lowered, re-connect the battery and turn the ignition on. The fuel system will self-bleed, so expect some wierd squirting/squishing noises from the tank/filter as it does this. Keep an eye out for leaks, but if the connections have clicked, then it's unlikely you will have any. Once the pump has stopped making funny noises, you can start the engine.

Now spend several hours in the bath/shower to remove the stink of diesel

Les.