engine 'hunting'

[hirschhs]

Hi
the '97 diesel has a strange fault... at idle it 'hunts' - or at least that's what I'd call it in a petrol engine car. The revs start to increase and reduce by enough to make the car rock slightly back and forth. I tried cleaning the air inlet pipes and the little glass bulb; also tried setting the revs higher by adjusting the circlip on the the throttle (thinking that might be a temporary measure) but if anything, it got worse! The only clue I can offer is that it won't do it immediately from cold but after a few minutes, it starts. Sometimes it does it less and sometime more but I can't identify anything different which would cause it to be more or less.
Any ideas gratefully accepted!

[Captain Jack]

Possibly injectors - they tend to make the car "wobble" at idle.

[madmadmax]

what pump is the car fitted with and whats the engine size?

[gumby6371]

If it did it from cold and then smoothed out I'd say diesel filter as mine did that with veg in the fuel tank.
Might be worth changing it anyway and making sure there is no air trapped in the fuel lines.

[hirschhs]

Thanks for the replies...
The engine seems to be a 2088 cc; is that possible? That's what the 'log book' says... As to the pump type, I don't know; where would I find the answer to that?
So if it's injectors, should I change them or just clean them?
Questions bring more questions!

[steve_earwig]

2088

2.1td XUD11BTE/P8C with Lucas EPIC pump (unless someone's been playing...)

When mine did this I changed the injectors - viewtopic.php?f=1&t=19911&p=198426&hili ... ft#p198426

[hirschhs]

thanks Steve. I'll first check the fuel filter (as it's a little cheaper to do!) and then on to the injectors. Sounds very likely actually... I'll update when / if it's resolved.

[hirschhs]

as a matter of interest: is changing the injectors a 'home mechanic' job or best left to a specialist?

[steve_earwig]

It should be do-able, it's all in the Haynes. My problem was I couldn't get the right spanner - it needs one with a slot in the side to clear the wire for the lift sensor. I couldn't actually find one here and even my usual Pug franchise said they didn't have one and I ended up taking it to an injection specialist for them to do it.

[Captain Jack]

My needle lift sensor was dead on the 2.1TD. Didn't hunt but was down on power and very occasionally cut out at high-ish speeds.

I took it to my local Lucas garage - cost £150 for the injector and labour.