Engine problems with AutoSleeper Symbol

[Stephen]

Does anyone share a similar problem, or do you have advise?

We have an Autosleeper Symbol based on Peugeot Boxer chassis, year 2002, diesel 1.9L HDi. cc1997

Since new it has had a re-ocurring problem.

Whilst driving, the red warning light on the dashboard - "engine auto-diagnosis lamp" will come on. This lamp is associated with "injection, ignition, emission". The engine loses power and drops to a speed of 20mph maximum. After several seconds (time variable) the engine will pick up speed again to normal running only to drop again usually within minutes. It can happen only once in a journey, or many times. The vehicle has been to a Peugeot dealer more times than we can remember, they put it on the electronic tests system, and it could run for twelve months or so without problem........and then, as now, we find ourselves in the same situation. We never really get an answer from the Peugeot service agent.

This has been going on since the vehicle was new. Peugeot themselves were less than helpful in the early days.

Does anyone share the same experience, or has some suggestions as to what the problem may be.

[rupert123]

Stephen - 2008-06-29 1:32 AM

 

Does anyone share a similar problem, or do you have advise?

We have an Autosleeper Symbol based on Peugeot Boxer chassis, year 2002, diesel 1.9L HDi. cc1997

Since new it has had a re-ocurring problem.

Whilst driving, the red warning light on the dashboard - "engine auto-diagnosis lamp" will come on. This lamp is associated with "injection, ignition, emission". The engine loses power and drops to a speed of 20mph maximum. After several seconds (time variable) the engine will pick up speed again to normal running only to drop again usually within minutes. It can happen only once in a journey, or many times. The vehicle has been to a Peugeot dealer more times than we can remember, they put it on the electronic tests system, and it could run for twelve months or so without problem........and then, as now, we find ourselves in the same situation. We never really get an answer from the Peugeot service agent.

This has been going on since the vehicle was new. Peugeot themselves were less than helpful in the early days.

Does anyone share the same experience, or has some suggestions as to what the problem may be.

 

Could be anything that shuts engine down into safe mode. Cannot understand dealer not being able to detect problem as fault codes will be stored. Suggest you go to another dealer or get local recomendations for an independant diagnostic specialist.

[Terrytraveller]

Hi Stephen,

 

As you have not had a catastrophic failure of any major or minor parts from new, but a history of intermittent faults, I believe your problems are either connectivity caused by bad or damp and corrosion of electrical connections and possibly printed circuit boards (pcb).

 

Some jobs/checking you can carry out yourself, as they are very time consuming and so will be expensive if left to a garage, other jobs you might want to give instructions to a mechanic/auto electrician. I would go about this fault finding as follows.

 

1. disconnect vehicle battery negative and leisure battery negative, tie out of the way leads back, as they have a habit of reconnecting themselves!

2. Locate all plugs and sockets, disconnect one at a time and examine for corrosion (green or white deposits), bad connections of conductor to pins and crimping, also look for signs of burning caused by arching. To test if wire (conductor) is broken or intermittent inside covering (sleeve), pull each wire and note any stretching. If the conductor inside is broken, the wire will stretch further than a similar piece of wire that is not broken. The pins in both the male & female plug and socket are locked into place by a spring tab, its not uncommon that one of the pins will be pushed back from its locating notch, causing an intermittent bad connection. Apply a little WD40 to each connection before re-connecting.

3. ECU you may want to instruct an auto electrician as to exactly what you want him to do! – remove from vehicle, check plugs sockets as detailed in two above, examine for signs of water entry and discoloration of PCB (land area and nodes), dry joints (very unlikely these days with flow soldering techniques, but not unknown).

4. Their diagnostics should have indicated a sensor breakdown either intermittent or total. These sensors send information to the ECU and can cause the vehicle to go into a limp home mode. If they found no indication of a sensor malfunction, then both the sensor and wiring to the ECU should have been proved okay.

 

I hope above has helped a little – Regards Terry

 

[onecal]

Hi,

Check your EGR valve first, and get your Exhaust checked for blockages,

Also you need to check the inlet manifold as it will be blocked up .

Then just follow up the good advice Terry has forwared to you,

Regards,

Brendan.

[roger s]

I am not suggesting this is your problem but a few years ago I remember a chap I know having this warning light problem on an Autocruise (pug boxer) and it turned out to be the engine to chassis earth lead of all things that was causing it, give it a try you never know

[Derek Uzzell]

Stephen:

 

Suggest you ask MMM's "Interchange" consultants for advice via

 

interchange@warnersgroup.co.uk

 

just in case something similar has been reported to them previously.

 

I think your motorhome's motor is a Peugeot-badged Fiat unit, so you might also try contacting Essanjay Ltd

 

http://hometown.aol.co.uk/essanjay/index.html

 

as this company is a motorhome/Fiat specialist and has been able to provide expert advice to forum members in the past.

 

I'd be tempted to think that the fault lies with the ECU module itself as, to the best of my knowledge, once a vehicle's engine-management system slips into 'stagger home mode' (which yours seems to be doing), it normally stays there indefinitely, or at least requires the ignition to be switched off/on to reinitiate the basic settings. But your fault apparently self-corrects while the vehicle is being driven. A glitchy ECU might also explain why there seems to be no diagnostic memory of the fault when your Peugeot dealer has examined the vehicle.

 

 

[onecal]

Hi,

A blocked exhaust does not always bring up some fault codes. The exhaust converter may just be blocking from time to time. The ECU may not be picking this up as some of the sensing pipework may also be blocked.

Please check all electric connections and clean before getting any expensive work carried out on the ECU unit.

 

Regards,

Brendan.