Bleed fuel lines – Discovery 3 / 4 / RRS
Small leaks or a completely empty tank can cause air to enter the fuel system lines. This air then causes the fuel to no longer be pumped properly, resulting in various error messages in the display and/or an engine that will no longer start.
To get the air out of the system there is a simple but effective procedure:
The first thing to do is to open the hood and take off the engine cover.
Motor cover, is only plugged inTo remove the engine cover, first unscrew the cover from the oil filler neck. The hole is best covered with a clean cloth, then the cover can be pulled off upwards (it is only plugged in). Then screw the oil cover back on.
Under the engine cover there is a small valve on the fuel line which looks like a tire valve.
Motor without cover
Fuel system bleeder valveNow switch the engine to ignition and wait about 30 seconds. The car now starts the fuel pump (which you should hear if it works). You should repeat this procedure very often, preferably 20 times (remember your battery voltage, if possible!.) The tank should be filled with fuel, that’s probably logical 😉
Afterwards you unscrew the protective cap from this small valve in the engine compartment and you can press down the cap (just like with a car tire) with a sharp object (Attention: Put on protective goggles). This procedure should be repeated until pure fuel comes out of the valve and no more bubbles come out. The ignition must of course be on.
Afterwards reassemble everything and take care that you do not forget the cover and that no dirt gets into the oil connection.
(These instructions and pictures are based on a Discovery 4 3,0 TDI SDV6 MJ2012 – but on a 2,7 TDV6 it should look identical)
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