Many problems & don't know where to start

[Namele55]

Hi everyone, I'm hoping at least to get some advice on whats been going on with my 308 1.6 hdi, all in one day I might add
Friday morning went to start the car as usual, seems it didn't want any of it & took a while to fire up. When it did it was really rough like it was misfiring & was bellowing out thick white smoke along with it, after about 5 mins it settled down so I set off to work, no problems & it was a normal drive, no smoke, running fine & though nothing else of it.
Got in the car after work & the same again, very rough smokey start up & noticed straight away that the temp gauge was at half way, then the radiator fan fired up, stayed on for the entire journey home & stayed on for 10 mins after the engine was switched off!...hmmmm strange
Got home, left the car & tried to 'self diagnose' on Google...
Saturday morning, checked the oil & it seems to have over filled itself, like way up past the maximum level, up onto the metal!
Checked the coolant, it's clear & the level is as it should be, oil filler cap is clear with no gunk, but pooling around the injectors.
Tried firing it up, same rough smokey start up as the previous day, the temp gauge started half way the was fluctuating between half to the STOP ENGINE light was flashing & started beeping away!
So after 'diagnosing' on the tinterweb I'm led to believe it's either....
Coolant temp sensor faulty
Thermostat
Water pump
Failed injector
I also noticed a small red wire coming from behind the radiator towards the battery just hanging there with no idea where it's supposed to be attached & can't see where it's been disconnected from, a black wire that was with it was earthed to the chassis in front of the fusebox, I'm assuming it's from the radiator fan switch/relay....
I hope someone on here can point me in the right direction & hopefully not the scrapyard!

[doctle]

Did you scan it?

[white exec]

?? coolant temp sensor misbehaving:
- temp gauge showing high after lengthy park-up
- sensor telling ECU that engine is hot, when actually cold, so no approproate glow-plug action or injection adjustment

Just an idea.

[Namele55]

Just the temp sensor?
I figured that was one of the problems which could cause some of the others, I think I'll get one as they're cheap enough & replace the one that's on to see if that solves anything.
I don't think that would cause the excessive amount of oil thats accumulated though
Thanks for the reply by the way ☺

[Namele55]

No I've not had it scanned as yet, I'm gonna have to get a mobile mechanic to have a look before I risk it on the road just in case the maybe dodgy sensors are cloaking something more sinister

[Hell Razor5543]

Make sure the mobile mechanic is using a decent code reader, and not a simple generic one. French vehicles are a law unto themselves, and most generic readers struggle to understand them. There are Forum members with Lexia clones (these can read PSA vehicles) who are willing to help out. Here is the list/map of them;

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=56452

Oh, to the Forum, by the way.

[EDC5]

Ok don’t start the engine with too much oil in it! You will destroy it.

At first glance it could be an injector has got stuck and is flooding diesel in, some of which has ended up in the sump.

[Namele55]

That's what I thought but with so much other stuff going on at once I'm just trying to get my head round it all....
A scan would show that up no doubt?

[EDC5]

A Diagbox tool would read all codes stored on the vehicles ECU's. Hopefully there’ll be some codes stored in relation to faulty injectors.

Are you able to drain the excess oil/diesel mix from the sump? I don't think running the engine with the oil level too high is a good idea.

[Namele55]

I don't have access to a ramp & because it's been lowered it's too low to get underneath
I'm thinking it would need to be towed to a garage....

[EDC5]

Ok, maybe you could pump the fluid out through the dipstick with one of these:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/60W-Transfer ... 685c822d8d

But yeah, a tow to a garage would probably be the best bet.

[white exec]

It'll either be fuel in the sump, or just possibly coolant/water, which would sink to the bottom, and maybe not show on the dipstick. Would expect water to be picked up by the oil pump though, and circulated/emulsified. Fuel the more likely. Best to drain it.

[wheeler]

The oil level creeping up can also be a sign of DPF problems. when the DPF is regenerating it massively over fuels the engine, if the regeneration fails or is interrupted it can cause the excess diesel to go into the sump.
Certainly do not start the engine like this or it could run away & kill the engine.
You must completely drain it & re fill with fresh oil before going any further, do not be tempted to just take a litre out to get it to the right level as the oil will have been diluted with diesel.

[GiveMeABreak]

You need to provide the VIN, so we can determine if you have a DPF fitted - not all 1.6 HDi models have them fitted.

[Namele55]

Thank you, I've ordered an oil transfer pump from eBay so will give that a go when it arrives. So once I've drained the oil & refilled with fresh, it should be ok to start up?