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Boxer loss of power - HELP!


Stargeezer

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After a nightmare winter, rounded of nicely with a broken gearbox, recently got the van, on a 1999 Boxer TD, sorted. But it's really slow and smokey compared to how it was. I thought it was because the derv was old (I have since been told that it starts to degrade in a few weeks). So I expected things to improve as the newer diesel worked its way through, but so far (about 200 miles) things haven't improved.

 

It starts fine, ticks over and runs "OK"... but it's not as perky as before. Doesn't like hills. As usual cash is tight. I have had smokey Mondeo diesel before. The garage man poured in a bottle of something into the tank, a few minutes later it passed the MOT emmissions test.

 

Gentlemen and of course ladies, I welcome your input.

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To get to the bottom of your problem knowing that some form of additive has been added to your fuel tank which is causing excessive smoke and loss of power I would drain the tank of the old fuel and put some new in. That way you will know that if the problem still exists it won't be the fuel and you can look elsewhere. The fuel filter could also be seriously clogged, starving the engine.

good luck.

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As you say you have limited means but the first thing to do which is cost free is take the air filter off and start the engine to see if the exhaust starts to run clean. It could be a simple matter of air starvation. You might even find a mouse nest in there if your motorhome has been laid up for some time. As I have said previously you also need to change the fuel filter. If it ran ok before it was laid up it could also have contaminated fuel in it, water or something else. The 1.9 engine is usually trouble free but like all things needs regular servicing.
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The first thing you need to do before adding anything to the diesel is to check that there are no holes or tears in the large pipes that go between the turbo and the intercooler. One or more of these may have been removed when the gearbox repair was doe and is perhaps not attached properly. The other cause of smoke is a hole in the intercooler. You will be able to find the hole if you look closely at either side of it and look for an oily patch.

 

After that, and assuming that you don't have a blocked air filter or need to change the fuel filter you need to get the injectors tested as one of these may be over or under-fuelling.

 

Did the engine oil level go down during your 200 mile test? If so; read on.....

 

The turbo may seem ok and be spinning up as you would expect but if it has not been used for a while it is possible that the oil seals are leaking. If this is the case it is possible for the turbo to suck the engine oil out of the sump and chuck it out of the exhaust in a dramatic and catastrophic fashion.

Be prepared!

If the engine should suddenly rev up without any input from you and loads of smoke comes out of the exhaust....

Stop the vehicle immediately.

Apply the handbrake as hard as you can.

Select 3rd or 4th gear

Lift the clutch up very quickly.

This should stall the engine. If you try to switch the engine off with the key it will not stop while the oil is being burned. The ONLY way to stop the engine from self destructing is to stall it!

 

I know the above seems extreme and perhaps a little scary but you should be prepared for these things!

 

If you can't afford to get it fixed now; don't use it until you can. If the engine goes bang; the vehicle won't be worth much, will it?

 

Let's hope it's one of the simple things mentioned earlier!

 

Nick

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