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power loss on hills

Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:39 pm
by berrega
When I'm driving on flat or down hill everything feels fine.
However small gradients seam to be another matter.

If I slowly depress the accelerator and allow the power to build up 'in its own time' It will gradually pick up power and momentum.

However if I depress the accerlerator quickly it does one of three things.

1) I loose power, take my foot off the accelerator, but seam to get some power when I take my foot off
2) the engine revs climb to about 4000, the engine will be vibrating and complaining, It'll then suddenly 'kick' forward the revs will drop to 2000 and I'll get some power. but then I'll be going too fast, so I'll have to take my foot off the accelerator, and then have to break.
3) I floor the acceleraror and it just ignors me so I give up, and go back to letting the power climb gradually.

I shall start looking through all the past posts on this.

Have I missed anything?

1) ‘cold start’ Exhaust valve sticking
2) Blockage in fuel tank
3) Change the fuel filter
4) Loose turbo pipe
5) Re-Check banjo filter
6) Check air filter
7) Check air intake blockage
8 Blocked fuel cap
9) Collapsed exhaust baffles
10) Turbo boost fuel line not connected
11) Air intake pipe come off manifold
12) Blank off the EGR
13) Throttle position sensor

Re: power loss on hills

Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 1:15 pm
by mikeonb4c
berrega wrote: Unfortunatley it is looking like I have wasted £1100 on having a new turbo, because it obviously hasn't fixed the problem
That's a bummer. That's a lot of money for no result. Who decided it was the turbo that was the problem? If it was a garage, they should be owning some responsibility for having misdiagnosed it. Have a search on here for 'throttle position sensor' or 'TPS' in case the problem is connected to that. Good luck and keep us posted. 8)

Re: power loss on hills

Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 1:29 pm
by francophile1947
Very similar symptoms to mine, before losing power drastically over about 100 miles. A new fuel filter fixed it :D - has your's been changed and the banjo filter cleaned?

Re: power loss on hills

Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 1:30 pm
by berrega
The glow plug light came on, the error code said 'wastegate', the garage said the Turbo needed furth investigation, I bought one, so untlimately its my fault.
Since then they discovered that the boost pressure valve wase seized. So pressumable the wastegate acctuator was also siezed.

its sounding like my whole system is full of gunk, so at this point I'm assuming the cold start exhaust valve is seized...

Re: power loss on hills

Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 1:32 pm
by berrega
I have a new fuel filter which i need to put on.
I had a look for the Bango filter and couldn't see one.

So either its missing, or I did fish around in the whole long enough...

although I probably shouldn't have done it in the dark :-)

Re: power loss on hills

Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 1:36 pm
by francophile1947
berrega wrote: I had a look for the Bango filter and couldn't see one. So either its missing, or I did fish around in the whole long enough...
It's only a little wire mesh thimble at the bottom of the hole - I used a cotton bud to get mine out as they are quite fragile.

Re: power loss on hills

Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 10:21 pm
by berrega
Nope, no spring, no thimble filter.
The ear bud just goes all the way in.

Re: power loss on hills

Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 10:46 am
by wonkanoby
standard boch part so a local disel workshop might be able to supply them

Re: power loss on hills

Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 2:32 pm
by Alacrity
Is the gearbox responding as it should? (I take it that it is auto). For example when you put your foot down does it change down & does the engine then just rev without pulling? Or is the gearbox leaving you in a high ratio all the time?

Re: power loss on hills

Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 2:38 pm
by berrega
To be honest I dont know how it is ment to drive.
But this is my experience

If I try and drive it on an incline and depress the accelerator above 2000 revs. The rev counter needle jumps up from 2000 to 3500, the engine over revs, then the engine kicks forward and the revs drop to 2200, then when ease of the accelerator the reverse happens, the engine kicks again and the revs jump up to 3500 and then back down to 2000.
After this has happened a few times sometimes when I depress the accelerator I get no power. The revs stick at around 2000 and the speed maxes out at around 65.

Re: power loss on hills

Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 9:44 am
by Alacrity
Well on a normal light throttle pull away, engine hot, you should feel 3 positive gearchanges 1-2, 2-3 & 3-4. You should then feel what appears to be another gearchange at approx 40mph (light (town speeds) throttle) which is the lockup clutch in the torque converter engaging. If you then put your foot down it will downshift (how many gears depends on how fast you are going & how far down you depress the accelerator) & the vehicle will accelerate. If the engine is down on power then the gearbox will downshift but the car will not accelerate so you just get revs & no go. Of course if the transmission is slipping then it is a different matter all together, the feeling is exactly the same as a manual car with a slipping clutch (which in reality is exactly what it is but the clutch(s) are inside the transmission) but it is a bigger problem.

Re: power loss on hills

Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 10:16 am
by Nevets
P'm sent 8)

Re: power loss on hills

Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 11:13 am
by berrega
The garage tell me that the power loss is simply becuase the ECU has put ther vehical in 'limp home mode' or 'safe mode'

Accepting this as true, it seams as If I wont be able to solve this problem, until I can solve the error code issue.

which is still looking like a turbo related matter...

Re: power loss on hills

Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 11:38 am
by Alacrity
If the gearbox has gone into limp mode it will be stuck in 3rd gear only. The hold light would normally be flashing unless the trans ECU has lost its power source (or someone has removed the bulb :shock: - it happens!). Not sure a turbo problem would cause the trans to go into limp mode though (put me right here someone if you know better) - has the trans ECU been read for codes?

Re: power loss on hills

Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 11:52 am
by berrega
Yes the first error code was 'wastegate' the Turbo was changed but this didn't fix the problem,
I new error code was thrown up with was x1228 'boost pressure valve' they investingated and found this had seized.
they cleaned this and replaced it.

They said that that their computer coudn't find any other error codes.
Yet the annoying yellow light is still flashes as soon as the engibne gets warm,
and then i loose power and ther abiltiy to build acceleration gradually.

once that light is flashing the accerater become unresponsive and the rev counter just jumps up and down with the van
kicking forward and then slowing...

so you are saying because the glowplug light is fliashing and not the hold light, that the problem is more lightly to be fuel starvation or turbo pressure loss, than the vehical being in safemode, unless the hold light bulb has been removed?