billandjune Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 For the past several years we have been the owners of an Auto sleeper motor home on a Ford Transit chassis, The problem I have experienced, when I let the van coast to traffic lights, Mini Island, or behind a slow moving vehicle, (in gear no revs), I get a drop in power, the engine management system light comes on and stays on. If I can switch the ignition off and back on again whilst coasting it seem as though the engine resets and get full power. Also if I stop the vehicle switch the ignition off and after a while back on again then I get full power. If I change down the gears or keep the engine revving a little whilst coasting I don’t get a problem. When this first started I was told I had filled up with some dirty fuel. Cleaner fluid was put in a nearly empty tank and a few miles later I refilled the tank. This seemed to solve the problem. A couple of months ago I did a trip of over 100 miles and didn’t get any loss of power until I was within half a mile of home when I coasted to an island. But it happened again during May twice, this Holiday weekend I have done a round trip of 150 miles, with no problem. Any ideas what’s going on here. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 Posting the year and engine may help . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 If it has a diagnostic socket have you had the faults read, although it might well not show anything for an intermittent fault. It might be a sensor or an electronic engine control glitch?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billandjune Posted June 16, 2012 Author Share Posted June 16, 2012 Ford Transit 2.5lt, Diesel Year 1998 (S reg) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billandjune Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 HI Colin, The vehicle is an Autosleeper ON a Ford transit 1998 2.5 turbo Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroserv Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Hello Bill, There were some pretty serious problems with Transit Turbo vehicles back in the day and these were centred on the throttle control valve. It sound like yours is sticking when it changes from 'on power' to 'idle' position. If I were you I would take the vehicle to your nearest Bosch Diesel centre who will either have a fix for it or deliver some costly news. These engines were shunned by fleets because of the throttle body problems, because at the time the problem always resulted in a new throttle body which was something like £1300! I have no doubt that there are less costly remedies now, but the Bosch centres are the place to start, and if they say it needs a throttle body and the cost is still prohibitive you could try the likes of Euro Car Parts or Andrew Page who may have a supply of cheaper items by now. Best of luck and let us know how you get on. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billandjune Posted June 23, 2012 Author Share Posted June 23, 2012 Hi Nick, Thanks for the info, that sounds serious costs to me. but will do as you suggest, and let you know the outcome. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 My 1996-built Herald Templar motorhome's Transit 2.5 litre 100PS turbo-diesel motor very occasionally did something similar. I'd be driving along at a steady speed when there'd be a sort of mild 'thump' and the vehicle would hesitate as if the brakes had been applied momentarily and immediately released. The engine-management warning light would flash (but not stay on) and the motor's power output would now be way down. Stopping the vehicle, switching the ignition off and then restarting the motor restored full power. It only happened a couple of times - once in the UK just after the vehicle had been serviced and (several thousand miles later) once in France. As I couldn't provoke the fault, it happened so infrequently and I knew how to 'fix' it, I never attempted to identify the cause. I don't think Transit Mk 5s have much diagnostic 'memory', so (unless you can get the vehicle to a specialist when it's in its 'power loss' state) the fault may not show up on a diagnostic tester. It's possible that a Ford dealership will be aware of this unwelcome characteristic if it was common to the Transit Mk 5 breed and you might try asking about it on the Ford Transit forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Countryboy33 Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 I had a similer problem on my 54 Transit last year. Two garages I visited could not identify the problem. I took it to my local Ford dealer and they diagnosed a faulty solenoid which they replaced. solved the problem but cost £555 ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billandjune Posted June 25, 2012 Author Share Posted June 25, 2012 Hi Derek, thanks for the info I will follow it up. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spospe Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Bill If you have not yet had a look at it, the Transit Forum at: http://fordtransit.org/ is worth a read (and a search using their search tool). The right section for questions regarding the MK5 Transit is: http://fordtransit.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=4&sid=9c71650d113769f92f989c1346ab76b4 or possibly: http://fordtransit.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=2 A word of advice: for the most constructive help always quote full vehicle details in you first post. Many of the folk on this Forum are real experts who service Transits for a living and can be a little 'abrupt' at times, so be warned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spospe Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 euroserv - 2012-06-19 1:52 PM Hello Bill, There were some pretty serious problems with Transit Turbo vehicles back in the day and these were centred on the throttle control valve. It sound like yours is sticking when it changes from 'on power' to 'idle' position. If I were you I would take the vehicle to your nearest Bosch Diesel centre who will either have a fix for it or deliver some costly news. These engines were shunned by fleets because of the throttle body problems, because at the time the problem always resulted in a new throttle body which was something like £1300! I have no doubt that there are less costly remedies now, but the Bosch centres are the place to start, and if they say it needs a throttle body and the cost is still prohibitive you could try the likes of Euro Car Parts or Andrew Page who may have a supply of cheaper items by now. Best of luck and let us know how you get on. Nick Did not the MK5 Tansit use the Lucas Epic (not Bosch) system? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 spospe - 2012-06-25 9:53 PM Did not the MK5 Tansit use the Lucas Epic (not Bosch) system? Yes, but there's still a sporting chance that a Bosch specialist might be able to identify Bill's motorhome's fault. I did search through the Mk 5 part of the Ford Transit forum myself, but it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. There are plenty of examples where a vehicle has suffered power loss, but they all appear to have other symptoms (like heavy smoking from the exhaust) that point to, say, an EGR-valve fault. I could not find anything resembling Bill's (or my Herald's) problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroserv Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 spospe - 2012-06-25 9:53 PM euroserv - 2012-06-19 1:52 PM Hello Bill, There were some pretty serious problems with Transit Turbo vehicles back in the day and these were centred on the throttle control valve. It sound like yours is sticking when it changes from 'on power' to 'idle' position. If I were you I would take the vehicle to your nearest Bosch Diesel centre who will either have a fix for it or deliver some costly news. These engines were shunned by fleets because of the throttle body problems, because at the time the problem always resulted in a new throttle body which was something like £1300! I have no doubt that there are less costly remedies now, but the Bosch centres are the place to start, and if they say it needs a throttle body and the cost is still prohibitive you could try the likes of Euro Car Parts or Andrew Page who may have a supply of cheaper items by now. Best of luck and let us know how you get on. Nick Did not the MK5 Tansit use the Lucas Epic (not Bosch) system? I don't actually know, and have thankfully never had to find out! What I do know is that when I was first looking to buy van in 1997 I went to auction sites to buy low mileage ex-demo vehicles. I noticed that Fiat vans that had a £1000 to 1200 premium for a turbo engine from new, were commanding a similar premium used. Transits with Turbo's however not only did not attract the premium prices, but in fact struggled to get any bids at all. I asked the traders, then dealer people that I knew along with some fleet managers and al said the same thing. "Would not touch 'em with a bargepole" was the typical response. I am told that these engines were Ford's first foray into 'drive by wire' for the accelerator and it did not work properly. When the receiver module failed; it was part of the throttle body and the whole thing had to be replaced. I guess it is catastrophic failures like this that drives the engineers to acheive reliability in the long run, so it is to be expected. It is also probably why Ford were the last manufacturer to go Common Rail in vans. They let people like Mercedes make all the mistakes first! Whether it is a Bosch device or not; their centres are among the most experienced repairers in the land and I am sure that they will have seen the problem before and will know what to do about it. Not all are equal though; I can recommend TT Automotive at Loughborough, but there is another specialist nearer to Leicester that does not know it's exhaust port from it's arm hinge, so hold on to your money until all options are considered. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 As has already been said, the Transit Mk 5 used a Lucas Epic engine-management system (versions of whiich were employed by other manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz and LDV). A manual for the system can be found here http://www.giordanobenicchi.it/tecnica%20camper/EpicServiceManual.pdf If there was a major "throttle control valve" problem with Transit Mk 5s, then I'm not aware of it, nor does GOOGLE identify references to it. It may well be that there were faults with Mk 5s that put off fleet managers, but a lot of Mk 5s were sold in the UK and many are still functioning. Just like the Fiat X250 'judder' caused widespread concern among motorcaravanners, it may be that hearsay comments caused similar concern about the Transit Mk 5 in the LCV trade market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billandjune Posted June 30, 2012 Author Share Posted June 30, 2012 Hi Derek, Many thanks to you and all the other persons who have contributed to the Forum regarding the Ford Transit problem, If and when I find out what the problem is I will let you know. Again many thanks Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banjo Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Hi Bill I have recently bought a S reg auto sleeper and am having the same problems with power loss you describe on coasting. My ems resets and power returns on restarting the engine. My vehicle has only done 18000 miles and started to malfunction about 1000 miles ago. What was the final verdict and remedy with your own vehicle. with regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Banjo - 2013-12-12 8:01 AM Hi Bill I have recently bought a S reg auto sleeper and am having the same problems with power loss you describe on coasting. My ems resets and power returns on restarting the engine. My vehicle has only done 18000 miles and started to malfunction about 1000 miles ago. What was the final verdict and remedy with your own vehicle. with regards Welcome to the OutAboutLive forums. I note that 'billandjune' last logged on here some 18 months ago (July 2012) and that this was the only thread Bill posted to. Consequently, I think the chances of you getting an answer to your question via this forum are slim. However, an e-mail address juneyeomans@yeomans2.plus.com was provided, so I suggest you try using that to contact Bill/June direct to see if a solution to the fault was ever arrived at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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