I took my project 99 2.5 out for a maiden run. I bought it knowing it had a cold/hot start issue and you needed to crank the snot out of it to fire up but then it would run perfectly.... lift tank pump and FIP timing needs sorting. On the way back from my 10 mile run, where it had also sat idling for about 20 minutes getting washed, it started to slowly die on me.... ! A lot of cranking and up she fired.... a few minutes later she died and so on, managed to limp home. Now she cranks for ages and eventually fires and runs for about 10 seconds before dying.... crank the snot and she fires up runs for 10 seconds and dies, she can be revved up while running but then slowly drops and stalls? I have checked for immobiliser issues, resynced becm etc.. for good measure and stuck a can of diesel in for although gauge shows half a tank. I am going to put an electric lift pump in the engine bay and crack an injector to check flow. There is a slight leak around injector one but from experience that could be a leak off pipe issue and shouldn't stop it from running. My question is (if you are still reading this?) should I be looking at the FIP as the culprit even though she runs well when running? Previous owner had just put a new fuel filter on but the diesel is a few years old.... might be a blockage, would back blasting with air line be an idea? Any tips or experiences would be helpful? James

I would plug into the diagnostics and get some live data. Check all the sensors for 'sane' readings, particularly temperature sensors.

Chris. L405 - 4.4SDV8 Vogue
P38 - 4.6V8 HSE
Land Rover series IIA V8

Wasn't one of things on the P38 diesel that the fuel lines went porous over time, memory is not as sharp as it used be?

One of the common BMW diesel engine issues affecting that engine and other variants (not just in the L322) was degradation of the o-rings in the fuel system allowing fuel to leak back to the tank over time and/or prevent rail pressure building up quickly enough (or at all) to allow starting under certain conditions. 2012 (L322) 4.4TDV8 Vogue SE, RSE, Fuji White over Arabica.
Previous V8s: BMW 645Ci, P38 4.6, P38 4.0, Merc CL500
Previous others: Honda x1, Volvo x7, Rover x6, BMW x6, Ford x1, Mercedes x2, Skoda x3, VW x2, Renault x2, Citroen x1, Mazda x3, Nissan x1, Audi x3, Kia x1, Fiat x4, Subaru x3, Austin x2, Triumph x2, Jeep x2, Hyundai x2, Lexus x1, Mitsubishi x1, Saab x2... and some others I've forgotten!