2.0 HDI power delivery problem

[pugface406lx]

Hi there....anyone any idea whats wrong with my HDI 2.0...2000 W REG......The power delivery is very poor and almost stuttering from low revs right thro until about 3000 rpm when it seems to take off. The car feels like its holding back when the torque and turbo should be kicking in.! I pulled out to overtake a car on the dual carriageway at 2000rpm and it just sat there not wanting to go.....then cars were queueing behind me waiting for me to put my foot down but I was doing! When it finally starte to pick up it stuttered and jumped somewhat until 3k revs showed up and then it was almost like someone had let the horses go!

This has been an ongoing problem that I dont know how to fix...its been on a planet diag but they said it seems ok but maybe a tad slow on power..('boost pressure' did show up on saved reading however)..also a few times I noticed the speedo needle drop to zero and the power drop off until the speedo came back on whence the power seemed to jump in again...this maybe 2 different problems though?

Help would be very much appreciated as the car is a nice looker and engine is still very quiet at this mileage!

Cheers
puggy

[Doggy]

Not sure, but I think others have mentioned vehicle speed sensor problems affecting performance?

Anyone?

[ZilogJones]

Faulty clutch switch could cause performance issues too. Can you hear the turbo at all?

[D9406]

Not all HDi's have clutch switches, mines a 110 and it doesn't have one.

[pugface406lx]

Not sure what a clutch switch is or does guys....could you explain?
The turbo seems to hesitate more often than not....almost like the power delivery sometimes feels like an old vauxhall Cav i used to have which suffered 'damp' and hesitated alot when under power!
This car seems really flat alot of the time when picking up from low revs....then stutters and when finally gets up to 3000 revs plus takes off as though the turbos just kicking in....but i know the turbo has finished its duties at this revs so it must be simply letting the engine go!!
I can hear turbo whistle yes but the power doesnt feel as though its there when under load...in fact it gets a bit embarrassing in a stream of faster traffic wanting to get by!

[keppler]

Not sure what a clutch switch is or does guys....could you explain?
The turbo seems to hesitate more often than not....almost like the power delivery sometimes feels like an old vauxhall Cav i used to have which suffered 'damp' and hesitated alot when under power!
This car seems really flat alot of the time when picking up from low revs....then stutters and when finally gets up to 3000 revs plus takes off as though the turbos just kicking in....but i know the turbo has finished its duties at this revs so it must be simply letting the engine go!!
I can hear turbo whistle yes but the power doesnt feel as though its there when under load...in fact it gets a bit embarrassing in a stream of faster traffic wanting to get by!

If you can hear the turbo whistling as if its spinning up then it probably is spinning up, if it "doesn't feel as though its there when under load" then i'd suggest that it's a fuel delivery issue tbh. A few months back I had a similar problem to yours with almost exactly the same symptoms but just at slightly different revs. I solved mine by unplugging the maf sensor and taking it for a spin. All symptoms went away and i had to get a new maf sensor. The fact that you say that the car is taking off like a bat outta hell come 3000revs tells me that the ecu is holding something back from the engine and its most likely diesel.

[ZilogJones]

The clutch switch normally restricts power (and boost?) when the clutch pedal is pressed, but if faulty it could be doing this all the time. There's another thread or two about it here. It's also used for cruise control where fitted.

Not all HDi's have clutch switches, mines a 110 and it doesn't have one.

Is it a multiplex thing? I forget...

[grasmere59]

Fuel filter blocked? I used to have an old diesel escort van and i knew when it was due a filter change as it lost power and and felt dead flat on acceleration.

[Editor]

A few months back I had a similar problem to yours with almost exactly the same symptoms but just at slightly different revs. I solved mine by unplugging the maf sensor and taking it for a spin. All symptoms went away and i had to get a new maf sensor. The fact that you say that the car is taking off like a bat outta hell come 3000revs tells me that the ecu is holding something back from the engine and its most likely diesel.

+1. I've just bought another 110 last week (after a remapped 2.2HDI) & thought it a bit slow si disconnected the MAF & it drove exactly like you're describing. I know about MAFs from my T4 van. Yes, standard evaluation is to disconnect the plug. It's the same kind of power delivery after that then it's likley the MAF sensor is goosed. Other forums suggest spraying circuit board cleaner into it & but NEVER touch the components. On the T4 it's regarded as a service item-the Bosch ones seem only good for about 70k miles. It is a different arrangement though, but it's the same principle-heated element & a sensor. Think of it like a an old fashioned light bulb-one day the element will burn out.

Tip-do NOT get a cheapy off ebay. I did this, it showed 'known good' in VAGCOM, I had turbo issues for a year until I thought about it & replaced it with the proper Bosch MAF. Instant solution! GSF say that virtually all of their customers report ebay MAFs are nothing but a problem.

HTH

[XonL]

Hi, my 406 Est 110 Hdi, 2000W,105k miles, has a simular power problem. When driving gently, in traffic it acts ok. BUT demand extra power into a roundabout, or up a slope and you have nothing until 3000rpm. As the throttle is lifted back to the upper third of its travel to maintain a steady mph,(after getting up a slope, or ramp) the silly thing then finds more power and speeds up.

It can't be trusted to GO at junctions, I have to think like I am on my push bike.
The car is as fast as a 2 litre should be using only first third of throttle and then slower than a 2CV with your foot to the floor, WHY?

Got the car in Feb 2012, had a full service before Easter, then did over 1500miles on autobahns at Easter on part throttle doing 75 mph. Fuel consumption is good, not done the mpg, and the turbo works ok.
Reading the posts suggests the MAF or the EGR, are parts to check... Umm, --- where are they and what do they both do?

[DrRog]

MAF Mass air flow meter, a device usually just after the air filter that measures the amount of air going into the engine. required on all turbo engines as they vary the amount of air they squash into the engine. Usually a cast metal tube with an electrical box on it. At higher power demands the engine management system may ignore it and simply use maximum fuel, hence the omph at higher revs. A common thing to go wrong on many vehicles.

Someone help with the other please

[XonL]

Ta Rog, years of non turbo petrol engines, then change to a turbo diesel, it has loads of new bits, missing bits, dont no wot it is bits.
The other car, Seat, has so much engine stuffed into the space, changing the headlight bulbs is almost impossible without first remove....that I have tryed to ignore its oily bits.

[XonL]

A further update on my engine problems. At the last service the exhaust down pipe and cat? ( the section passing under the gear lever ) were replaced. This transformed the car, possibly the same effect as knocking the cat out and remapping stuff. The engine does still not have the thrust in the back, but pulls better......... Now the speedo transducer has turned the speedo into a JOKE 20mph to 140mph and back to 20mph in a blink. The car runs best at the moment when the speedo is dead. If it shows any "speed" at random, the ECU takes the info and adjusts the fuelling. So the Pug stumbles along speeding up and down, as if it is driving on hard sand then into soft sand and out back onto firm sand.
Oh and I clipped Bambi's mother, a doe, late one frosty night..........got dints in n/s corner of bonnet and the n/s headlight shell has broken its top mounting, and deer fur is stuck in a crack on the bumper on n/s. Could have been much worse, when I passed the scene 2 hours later Volvo est was claiming the carcass, I did not stop to help!

The Seat Cordoba meanwhile has blown fuses and showing no speedo, with abs / pwr steering / handbrake fault lights, and a mad fuel gauge. Garage said sell it, the problem is pointing at a mass of wires outside a ECU. If you can ignore the buzzers and lights it drives like normal.
BLOODY CARS !

[DrRog]

Sounds like you need to throw some cash at a competent technician or you are going to be trapped in a swap-a-part lottery.

It is a recurring theme of modern ownership that cars which where sold at a considerable premium on a claim of longevity and economy of ownership have once again proved to be inadequate.

I do like diesels but its a big gamble owning one out of warranty.

[steve_earwig]

It's not just diesels

...on a claim of longevity...

That's only as long as the warranty lasts, then you're just another way of making money as you try and keep your ageing motor going against the odds.