power loss on 2008 Ducato 2.3

[DavidAcorn]

Hi everyone, I wonder if anyone can please help with some advice.

I was driving along on a motorway when 20 miles into my journey the cruise control deactivated and the van from this point on became noticeably down on power particularly on even the slightest gradient.

The EGR solenoid valve had become very noisy and hence I replaced this but my problem of power loss persists. I purchased Multecuscan and have the code of "P0402 high signal from EGR" I even temporarily fitted an EGR blanking plate, (now removed) which changed nothing

I have since replaced the throttle body and the MAP sensor but all to no avail.

Once my faults are cleared and I run it the P0402 code returns once I reach approx 2800 revs.

I have yet to remove the EGR or change the MAF.

The replacement EGR solenoid was run for approx 200 miles before I changed the Throttle body and seems to be ok.

I would be so grateful for any suggestions before I dive in further.

Regards David

 

 

 

[colin]

My standard answer (from painful experience) check the intake from air filter to air mas sensor for mice.

[DavidAcorn]

Thank you for your response.

Unfortunately I've had that before and while I did still check that, I had previously incorporated mesh into the air intake ducts to stop this.

David

[laimeduck]

When I had a power loss on my 2004 vintage 2.8jtd engine as you describe, it turned out to be the Turbo waste gate. This was about 6 years ago ? Has not happened since it was cleaned. I was advised to " give it some welly" at high revs every so often to keep it clear. Seems to have worked.

Others, who know better, will no doubt say it's not the same problem .... but it may be worth considering?

Jeremy

[thebishbus]

Just a long shot. I had loss of power on my old 2.8 id TD. Turned out to be a clogged diesel fuel filter.

Brian B.

[DavidAcorn]

Thank you, its all worth considering. I'll give that a bit of further research. We regularly did fast motorway driving so I think we blow the cobwebs off, but turbo related must be on the suspect list.

Funny thing is, that its power, though not nearly as bad, is similar symptoms to what Colin suggested about the mice.

 

[DavidAcorn]

Thank you for your response.

I should have said I changed that first.

Regards David

 

 

[euroserv]

Hi,

 

I don't come here very often these days, and it could be a while before i do again but since i am in the neighbourhood....

 

The EGR solenoid produces vacuum to operate the EGR valve. At this model year there was no electrical measurement of the position of the EGR valve; the ECU just assumes that the movement requested has been achieved. The EGR valve on the 2.3 Ducato is very reliable and rarely gets clogged up (like Ford or PSA engines do), so we can usually rule this out. You should check for a hole or tear in the pipe from the solenoid to the EGR. It does happen and can cause strange results.

 

When you changed the Throttle body, did it come with a new cable? Later (and vastly batter) TB's require a connector lead because the pin configuration is different. The plug on the existing loom will fit but it will not work properly.

 

Once you have ruled all of that out, i would be looking for a wiring fault. This can become very time consuming but is the cause of most issues on Fiat Ducato's.

 

Most electrical faults relating to the running of the engine can be found in the engine loom that runs from the left side of the ECU. More specifically, the injector cables and most other sensors are crammed into a plastic tray above the glow plugs at the upper front of the engine.

 

My money says the problem is in there.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Nick

[DavidAcorn]

Thanks for your reply Nick.

 

Having read your earlier posts, and gaining very useful information from them, I am thrilled to have your opinion and guidance on this.

 

I did indeed change the Throttle body complete with the new lead.

 

When I last connected up my Multiecuscan I also had a fault code alongside the P0402 of P0683 "Preheating control unit Signal High - Fatal". So maybe this is also pointing to a wiring issue near the glow plug area.

 

I will have a good check over the EGR pipes for damage then methodically work through the wiring as suggested.

 

Thank you for your time, I'll report back the results for anyone else experiencing this.

 

[DavidAcorn]

Well here's an update so far.

I've checked the wiring for faults and haven't found anything unusual and replaced the vacuum tubing.

But what I have found that the EGR solenoid has failed again.

This is after a new throttle body with its new connecting cable. I checked the function of the solenoid before a test run down the road which was fine but it would appear that it blew the solenoid within a minute of traveling.

One thing I haven't done is remove the EGR valve from the engine.

Is it possible that this has stuck. thus meaning the EGR solenoid overheats because its held in position as its vacuum pressure is not moving the EGR valve?

I know one option is to fit a new Solenoid and run the van without the vacuum pipe fitted but this would be an expensive test if it burns another solenoid.

 

Would very much appreciate opinions on this.

Thanks David

 

[DavidAcorn]

Well the problem is solved.

After a thorough investigation I found that the spigot on the turbo charger waste gate which connects to the wastegate actuator had become detached from the arm. This in turn allowed the wastegate lever to drop down resulting in loss of turbo performance.

The spigot is normally fixed with a single spot weld, which had obviously failed. Its right at rear of the engine and only realistically accessible if you have ramps or a pit. I was able to carefully Mig weld it back in place without removing it and its now all good.

Strangely it didn't result in a turbo fault code, just the code of P0402 EGR

The EGR solenoid is now ok, I assume these were overheating due to the confusing data from ECU and sensors.

One other noticeable thing is that, while It turns out that I didn't need to change the Throttle body, the van runs so much smoother with the new one.

Thanks everyone for your help and a particular shout out to Nick Fisher, who's history of informative posts give great confidence when tackling these issues.