Diesel Van Fault

[chade]

Hello,

I have a 2002 Vauxhall combo van, a 1.7 DI diesel. Unfortunately I have bee n having trouble with it. I noticed it was occasionally loosing power for a fraction of a second when being driven. I hoped it was a bit of dirt worki ng it's way through the system but unfortunately things got worse. When I c ame to start the van it ran for a few seconds then stalled. Then it would n ot start. Now it occasionally starts but then quickly stalls even with plen ty of revs. There is diesel in it and I changed the fuel filter about 6 mon ths ago.

I tried looking up the symptoms online and they seemed to match a clogged E RG valve. So following the Haynes manual I took off and checked the ERG val ve which was surprisingly clean. I refitted the ERG but there is no change.

Although I checked it for being clean I did not test the ERG valve in any w ay - as I could not for the life of me figure out how it worked! I am now w ondering about the way forward. Having looked on Ebay I see a guy is sellin g some recovered ERG valves like mine as item 263426685335. According to th e Haynes manual it connects to a solenoid, which I guess controls it and co uld be faulty.

Is the way forward just to blank off the ERG valve with a cheap plate off E bay? If that fixed it it would give me a check on where the fault is. Or is it more complicated than that? Or am I barking up the wrong tree completel y?

TIA.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I think you arer barking up the wrong tree.

My guess is fuel pump.

Plug in a diagnostic. See what fuel pressure is.

[Fredxx]

Is there software that can get fuel pressure for Vauxhall diesel from an ELM port? Does the basic EOBD software provide for this?

[The Natural Philosopher]

dunno, but the only things that have ever caused mt desiels to misfire on ALL cylinders were either a turbo hose - black smoke everywhere - or a fuel pump.

[tabbypurr]

een having trouble with it. I noticed it was occasionally loosing power for a fraction of a second when being driven. I hoped it was a bit of dirt wor king it's way through the system but unfortunately things got worse. When I came to start the van it ran for a few seconds then stalled. Then it would not start. Now it occasionally starts but then quickly stalls even with pl enty of revs. There is diesel in it and I changed the fuel filter about 6 m onths ago.

ERG valve. So following the Haynes manual I took off and checked the ERG v alve which was surprisingly clean. I refitted the ERG but there is no chang e.

way - as I could not for the life of me figure out how it worked! I am now wondering about the way forward. Having looked on Ebay I see a guy is sell ing some recovered ERG valves like mine as item 263426685335. According to the Haynes manual it connects to a solenoid, which I guess controls it and could be faulty.

Ebay? If that fixed it it would give me a check on where the fault is. Or is it more complicated than that? Or am I barking up the wrong tree complet ely?

You need to get the fault codes read so you know where to start. I'm guessi ng you mean an Astra, which are prone to one of the engine computers failin g.

NT

[Bill]

In message , Fredxx writes

I don't know about a Vauxhall, but it's very likely that a 2002 diesel doesn't comply with any particular OBD standard.

Certainly the two 2004 diesel vehicles I've had needed special (cheap or free) software that I had to find.

The basic scanners I've tried on these elderly vehicles haven't given much useful information.

[Fredxx]

That was my understanding. There are some free applications for some manufacturers but they have flaws.

Diesel cars/vans didn't have to implement EOBD port until 2004, so the OP will likely be stuck.

I would have hoped TNP might have checked before firing from the hip.

[Bill]

In message , Fredxx writes

With the Jeep, a man in Estonia had written software for PC and Android and offered it free. It was excellent and, after a local garage had worked on the engine and had to push the vehicle back to their premises, it took me under a minute to roll up, get out my mobile phone and diagnose the fault.

You had to be lucky, though because some of the fake Chinese ELM327 implementations in the bluetooth OBDII plugs don't seem too clever.

With the Range Rover, the BMW system for that cost well under a tenner. It has diagnosed a list of faults that I need to get round to. When the suspension died, it pointed to a sensor linkage, which a local garage repaired cheaply. The suspension then had to be reset, which I had to do with my diagnostics. Getting the Chinese diagnostic tool working involved some d i y. I had to repair a dry joint and install a small strap in the hardware, and remove the virus from the software, but my complaint drew a further 50% refund.

In neither case did the garages, with their highly expensive industry standard diagnostics, get anywhere. The extremely poor local main Jeep agent didn't even have any diagnostic tools that covered my Jeep.

Yes, there are flaws, but, if you hope to keep a vehicle, its well worth a bit of effort and perhaps a little d i y to sort out workarounds.

[chade]

sing you mean an Astra, which are prone to one of the engine computers fail ing.

It is the van version of a Corsa.

For this kind/age of Vauxhall you are able to do a "pedal test". This is wh ere you switch on the ignition with the accelerator and brake down and a li ght on the dash gives a sequence of flashes which correspond to fault codes . Unfortunately the sequence it currently gives is code for "no faults stor ed". Although I guess this maybe because I disconnected the battery to remo ve the EGR valve. Unless any faults should be stored in a way to survive po werloss?

[tabbypurr]

essing you mean an Astra, which are prone to one of the engine computers fa iling.

where you switch on the ignition with the accelerator and brake down and a light on the dash gives a sequence of flashes which correspond to fault cod es. Unfortunately the sequence it currently gives is code for "no faults st ored". Although I guess this maybe because I disconnected the battery to re move the EGR valve. Unless any faults should be stored in a way to survive powerloss?

Maybe after it next happens you'll get a code, I don't know

NT