Fuel addative fault

[Peter86]

Hi guys, im new to the forum and new to owning a 406 and i am seeking some advice. I have a 406 2.2 executive estate and the "fuel addative" fault is didplayed on the screen, and a light is on the dashboard. The previous owner said he changed all the relevant sensors and gave up on it in the end. The car runs fine, but im worried it will damage the CAT in the near future?
Does anyone know whats causing the fault? and will it damage the CAT if i ignore it?

You help is much appreciated.

[steve_earwig]

Hi Peter, welcome aboard

Umm, is you car an HDi perhaps?

[Doggy]

Hi Peter & Welcome

Excellent choice of gentleman's carriage, if I may say so.

Assuming Steve's right and you have a 2.2 HDi, you have the dreaded FAP system

Until very recently, curing problems with this system could involve a replacement diesel particle filter, (FAP), re-filling the diesel additive tank and getting the necessary counters reset by your friendly Pug dealer. This little lot can rush you £500 - £700!

It is now possible to remove the FAP element, additive system and reprogramme the car to run happily without it, at little cost, (under £100 if you do nothing yourself - less if you roll your sleeves up).

Have a look here and here takes a bit of digesting, but you'll get the idea.

If the error you have means the additive is not being injected into the fuel tank, it is likely the FAP will block fairly quickly. If this happens, it should be gradual - occasional ANTIPOLLUTION FAULT and engine managemnet light, possibly blocked diesel filter warning light, (if your car has one). Tends to become more frequent, then go into limp mode. Ultimatley will become difficult to start, smokey when it fires up, permanent limp mode.

What year is your car BTW?

[paulrudrum]

i had mine done cost me £645.

[Peter86]

Cheers for the welcome guys and some very good information.

This thread has provided more infomation than anyone i have ever asked, most people just say not to "mess with it"
Taking the whole system off is the answer and i am intreged to find out your results. My car has only just coverd 80k (2001 model HDI) and like you said, do not want to be going down the old £500-700 Pug route!
I have had no issues with the system yet, limp mode/start-up e.t.c like you have mentioned, all i have is the diesel"addative fault" displayed on the centre console on start up, and the FAP light on the dash is permenantly on. Im pretty sure recently the system has been re-filled, ill have to look through the receipt, not that im botherd because i want to rip it all off (i like your plan )
I am also glad to hear that it makes a noticeable power gain, because i find it very slugish at low revs (will also be looking at re-map in future) although i think most of it is due to the gearing, it seems very high geared.
You mentioned you disconnected the wiring for the pump but not the level sensor, do you have any pics of which onr to dis-connect/leave connected?


Also, the light on my centre dispay (where the radio channels are e.t.c has gone off) is this just a bulb behind?

Thanks again

[Doggy]

Right, lets see....

Bear in mind the couple of threads are more of a historical record of how the subject developed than a 'how-to' - I really should re-write it as a straightforward guide, but its 'finding the time'. Anyway, you can, (& should), jump to the conclusions.

If you get the ecu reprogrammed to delete the DPF, you don't need to worry about disconnecting anything else. The additive tank, sensors etc. could all be removed, but it's not essential and certainly not urgent.

Once the ecu is done, it is inevitable the FAP will block, probably within a few hundred miles, so the element needs to be removed.

How you plan the opertations depends on whether you are comfortable with reading & downloading files to your ecu - for this you need a programming lead, (search eBay for Galletto 1260), prices vary from about £12 - £25, I bought one from a UK seller in case of problems, but I guess they're all the same.

(Be aware that if you make a mistake in downloading to your ecu it can end up 'locked', your car won't start and it'll need a specialist to reprogramme it off the car.)

You need to copy your own ecu file, (making several back-ups!), then you can download a de-FAPPED version. Several of these already exist, but if none is suitable, your own can be converted in seconds, using software called Ecusafe. (I can do this for you - it's easy sending these files as e-mail attachments).

My suggested order of actions:

1). Prove you can download a de-FAPPED file that works, then restore original.
2). Bash out the FAP element
3). Re-install the de-FAPPed software.

This is a complex subject - there are at least two and possibly three variants of ecu and files are not compatible with older / newer editions.

You can expect an economy improvement as the car will not longer waste fuel regenerating the DPF. If yours is significanlty blocked it will be adversly affecting performance, but there are other potential causes for the symptons you describe.

If you're lucky, there could be a re-mapped 180 bhp version avaialble too.


The MFD is lit by 3 twist-to-release bulbs

[Peter86]

Dogs life, many thanks for your reply again - very helpful!!

Im presuming this is the way you did yours? or are you planning to do it (the e.c.u flash) To be honest, i think i will wimp out when playing with the ECU, as i have had nightmares in the past, mind you if it locks you can get it unlocked for £50, iv had quite a few done (previous engine conversions iv done) so maybe not such a big worry.
As for the physical work, removing the internals e.t.c im happy to do.
I look forward to your future instructions (when you get the time)

(thanks for the MFD advice, ill change that on weekend)

[Doggy]

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=12487#p110797

There you go.

[Peter86]

Dogslife- spot on. Thanks very much for your info, i will try all of the above over the winter for definate and let your know how i get on. (time to buy a galletto)

Pete