Water or air in injection system

[simplyshaker]

Driving along quite merry when the Transit started loosing power, then stalled 'cause I couldn't keep the revs going before reaching a set of lights.
Managed to start her again, and got another 100m on before she stalled again, power was bad throughout.
The engine was making a sort of rasping, tappets sort of noise if you know what I mean.
Filled her half full with some fresh fuel but it continued like that on the next test run, so I tried undoing the bottom of the fuel filter were only a small amount of what I think was diesel came out. I decided to take off the deisel filter completely and give it a check to see what sort of condition she was in (I hadn't got round to changing the filter since buying). Anyway, she seemed clean enough so I emptied her out and put her back on.
The next test drive was ok but it wasn't a long distance, and at the end of the day the same distance back was fine too.
With it being quite cold here at the moment, I was wondering if it could be water in the diesel, or maybe some air finding its way into the injection system.

What sort of symptoms would I expect to find in both cases ?

Thanks for the help.

2.5 diesel Transit '89 SWB

[ake]

Its possible that the water in the bottom of the filter had frozen which then expands and chokes the filter, a new filter is the first thing to do

[simplyshaker]

Took the van for a longer drive today, all seems well since I emptied the filter, so I would think its something like air in system or like you say, a water problem. Will be changing the filter as soon as I can get hold of one anyway.

Do the symptoms correspond with water in the fuel ?

[ake]

If it has frozen, Yes

[simplyshaker]

But if it had frozen (which it could have done because it was -7 that morning), would I not have had problems from the start up. I did drive around a bit before the van died on me, and I don't just mean 100m, It had idled a while while I scraped the ice off the windows too.
Thats why the frozen water idea just doesn't seem to fit for me.

The fuel level was low in the van when it happened at first, but I've been a lot lower in the past. Then it continued when I put fresh diesel in.
Like I said, the problem seems to have gone since I emptied the filter, even though the filter didn't seem that dirty to me.

Im just worried that the problem will come back because I can't find out whats caused it.

I'll just have to keep going like that, and if it happens again hopefully the draining of the filter will get her going again.

Its not the time of year for doing any sort of mechanics outside

[Altransit]

The water in the filter won't always freeze until you have driven a distance, the cold air hitting it does the damage as you drive forwards

The one and only time I have ever had the experience, I was returning from picking up a load in the van, and had done a 7 mile journey to the depot, and had had the van idling outside for half an hour before loading. The fuel system froze up on me half a mile into the return journey just as I was negotiating a mini-roundabout, fully loaded!

[sidspop]

Same sort of symptoms to leak off mod???