Broken down, again!

G'day guys!
Really sorry to start a new thread but need some quick help.
So basically I'm at Oodnadatta and for the last 150ks the car has been having major issues. It's like it's running out of fuel. Can't get the revs up as they keep dropping down so crawled into Oodnadatta doing about 50ks an hour for the last 150ks.
Engine light came on once then went away.
Had the motor rebuilt about 6000ks ago and apart from using oil the last 2000ks it's been driving great, and Threedogs has given me abit of help with the oil usage.
My only guess is something to do with the fuel line? Any advice would be great, have limited wifi here and no phone signal.
Drove from Leigh creek this morning and can't recommend the track highly enough! Just this little issue has me stuck at the moment!

Hi mate, that really sux - very annoying. What engine is it, but more info will help? Does sound fuel related possibly air getting in. Check all lines for damage and all clamps. Dodgy fuel or water in it maybe. Drain the tap on the filter or pump some through and see how it looks.
The oonadatta is a bloody good drive, hopefully you can get it sorted.

Might be air getting in could also be dirty filter corrigations might have shook up some crap in the fuel tank
if your a 3l check the maf and intercooler hoses

Yeah it's a 2003 zd 3l.
I changed the MAF sencor about 10000ks ago so don't think it's that.
A bloke at the pub said there's been a few people that have had the same problem and turned out to be air in the fuel line.
What's the best way to check it?
I gave the pump on top of the fuel filter two quick pumps. It's really easy to push down, is it mean to be hard? And if there is air in it do I have to take a hose off or something to get the air out while I pump it?

Should be fairly firm to push down, keep on pumping it and see what it does. You can open the drain tap at the bottom or any hose on the outlet side, see if it's flowing good or has air bubbles coming through. Not sure on the 3L but most injector pumps usually have a bleeder you can crack.

Long shot, but had a similar issue a few years back in my original 3L patrol. Underneath the intercooler there is a vacuum controlled shut-off valve. It is held open by a little metal clip unless the ignition is turned off which is when the valve closes, starves the engine of air and causes the engine to shut down. If the clip comes loose or drops off due to the corregations it will allow the shut off valve to move freely inside the air intake starving the engine of air in various stages. A typical sign is when you hit a dip in the road the engine will have a little moment when it appears to be starving for fuel when in fact its starving for air as the flap inside the shut off valve has actually partially closed then opened again.

Try blowing some compressed air back up the air intake to force the valve to open fully and see if that fixes your issue. With the valve open fully the engine should run perfectly. If it does for a bit then the problem occurs again ( which could be some days later ) this little $5 clip could be your issue. Cheers Brad

I also agree with comments above, the primer on the top of the fuel filter should be quite firm, try taking the outlet hose off the filter, using a clean rag around an air gun to seal the fuel filler hole in the main diesel tank force some compressed air into the tank, this will pressurize the tank forcing diesel up the air line and through the filter. Do this for a bit until diesel and no air is flowing out of the filter, re-attach the fuel hose prime it ( should be firm ) and see if you have full pressure again at the filter.

Mudrunnertd had a similar issue a couple of years ago, he found a crack in the hard line as it goes over the spring tower from stone damage and vibration

Have you cleaned the maf at all? Being on dirt, the maf cops a fair bit. It could be dirty or its just dead. New or not, its electrical. it can happen. You got a spare maf?

yes sounds like air in the fuel line as others have said it should be hard to pump, you may have to crack an injector to get rid of the air.