C5 2.0 HDi 2002 - Seriously Lacking Power

gilli2003 · Post by **gilli2003** » 26 Oct 2010, 20:59

Bought a C5 2.0HDi only a couple of months ago. Has driven superb up until now but now am noticing a serious loss of power. When accelerating my foot seems to be right to the floor. I have no overtaking power at all. I've no warning lights, no 'limp home' warnings, no 'service warnings'. Car just seems to have no guts. The engine doesn't appear to want to go anywhere over 3500 revs, It just sounds like it's screaming.

I am prepared to have a little nose around (although I have no experience with cars), I suspect from reading posts, possibly an air leak. Where should I be looking? The car does have quite a loud whistling noise which I guess could be a noisy turbo????? - or maybe an apparant air leak.

Somebody suggested I unplug the MAS to check if it makes a difference, but worried that if I do so, then I will then be plagued with the 'anti pollution warning fault' - would I be right in thinking this?

Any help would be hugely appreciated.
;0) Regards, Gilli2003

Post by **RichardW** » 26 Oct 2010, 21:21

Hi Gilli

Sounds like you have burst a turbo pipe somewhere - the big fat ones running over and under the engine. There was a thread not that long ago where someone had similar trouble and ended up replacing all the hoses before they found the one with the split in. If you rev the engine with the bonnet open and the covers off the engine, you might be able to pinpoint where the hissing is coming from - but then again with no load on the engine you might not....

gilli2003 · Post by **gilli2003** » 26 Oct 2010, 21:24

Thank you Richard, - you've given me somewhere to start. Weather permitting will give that a go tomorrow.

Cheers ;0)

Post by **myglaren** » 26 Oct 2010, 21:25

Definitely check for air leaks first off!

I am having a similar but not identical problem and being singularly unsuccessful in tracking it down.

Rubbish acceleration up to 3,200 revs then it's off like a scalded cat?
All the pipes have been off, checked, cleaned and replaced.

Worked better than ever before for a week, then reverted to slug mode.

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 26 Oct 2010, 21:25

Is your C5 HDi a 90bhp or 110? What miles has the car done.

A search for an obvious air leak would be the best place to start, see if you can hear where the whistling is coming from. After that take off the MAF and drive the car, seem if it feels any different.

Even though the car has no warning messages displayed, a session on a LEXIA could well unearth the problem, as fault codes can be stored without the car giving you any fault messages.

That would be the next thing id try, after a brief check that all appears well id get it to someone with a Lexia and see what that tells you. These cars are brimming with software and thats what its designed for, among other things, to help diagnose.

gilli2003 · Post by **gilli2003** » 26 Oct 2010, 21:27

I believe it's a 110 bhp and it's just hit 128,000 miles.

Post by **myglaren** » 11 Nov 2010, 21:14

My turbo has been wonky for a while now. Doesn't cut in until 3,400 - 4,000 revs.

Terminal indolence has precluded an remedial attempts but since going to Manchester earlier this week, it displays the engine management light + service light, sounds a beep on startup and the dreaded "Antipollution Fault".

Needless to say it engages limp-home mode and limits the revs to 3,000 - except when it can't be bothered. Which means the turbo rarely kicks in

Had a dreadful time getting to my daughter's new place tonight as there is a fairly long steep hill out of here. 40mph tops

(usually 70+).

Returning home half an hour later, longer steeper hill, passed everything else at 90

(kept the pace up while I could).

Going to Manchester I was stuck for ages behind an 07 Audi TT doing 40 on the M62 (level ground) presume he had the same problems. Couldn't overtake as I was turning off and not sure where the exit was. At least mine will do 70 in limp-home mode, when it eventually gets there.

Battery is shot too

Smiled (Schadenfreude) at the conked-out 10-reg Mercedes CLS600 that held eight lanes of traffic up for 20 minutes while they pushed it off the motorways where they merge.

I do like them though, something to do with the droopy, sad-looking styling

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 11 Nov 2010, 21:39

Thats not good Steve, its more than likely a sensor problem?

You dont too often get the antipollution fault warning on the 2.0 8V HDis, Hopefully a Lexia will be able to give you some clues now its logged a fault.

New cars are not what they should be, getting out of Newcastle centre the other day at rush hour was made even worse by there being a 60 plate Corsa broken down in my lane!

Post by **myglaren** » 11 Nov 2010, 21:50

It could be any one of many things or a combination of several.
I am convinced the turbo problem ir trivial - a leaking hose. They have been checked and nothing found but it went better than ever after the check - for a week

Took me an hour to get into Newcastle last Friday morning.
Took me 15 minutes to get home last night at 17:30 - usually the worst time you could possibly pick but I was stuck in the hospital 'til then.

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 11 Nov 2010, 21:59

With the problem coming and going, i would say its more electrical, a hole in the air piping would always be a hole. Does it whistle more than normal?

I do it three times a week, got to be there for 9.00, i set off at 7.20! Usually i spend around 40 minutes on the A19 and then 40 minutes in crawling traffic into the city centre. Without the traffic i can get home in 35 minutes, its a 70 mile round trip.

Post by **myglaren** » 11 Nov 2010, 22:05

Citroenmad wrote:With the problem coming and going, i would say its more electrical, a hole in the air piping would always be a hole. Does it whistle more than normal?

I do it three times a week, got to be there for 9.00, i set off at 7.20! Usually i spend around 40 minutes on the A19 and then 40 minutes in crawling traffic into the city centre. Without the traffic i can get home in 35 minutes, its a 70 mile round trip.

No - I haven't hear any whistling for ages, could barely hear the turbo at the best of times.I did wonder if the cat may have collapsed.

I used to work in Jesmond. Was supposed to start at 9:00.
Negotiated flexitime, used to go in at 6:30, aiming to finish at 15:00 and avoid the rush.
In actuality avoided the rush as I rarely got away before 21:00

Chris570 · Post by **Chris570** » 12 Nov 2010, 08:03

Just to clear this one up for the OP it was me that had the leaky boost pipes at £210 for a set of new ones it really smarts the wallet!!

mine did bring up the engine light and chuck it into limp home mode and i would expect the same fault to present that symptom as well as the ecu will detect low boost pressure. and then turn the turbo off for a good laugh

HDI · Post by **HDI** » 12 Nov 2010, 10:22

Sounds like a boost leak somewhere, if so the ECU will have gone into limp home hence the lack of revs and power.
I recommend you don't drive it like that though, the turbo could overspeed and be seriously damaged.

Post by **myglaren** » 12 Nov 2010, 10:30

HDI wrote:Sounds like a boost leak somewhere, if so the ECU will have gone into limp home hence the lack of revs and power.
I recommend you don't drive it like that though, the turbo could overspeed and be seriously damaged.

Hmmm

Just done around 1500 miles with it in that state.
As the turbo rarely boosts at all is there still a likelihood of damage? It is very noticeable when it does cut in.

Post by **myglaren** » 16 Nov 2010, 14:59

Another week gone by and it is just the same - more or less.
Yesterday I made a short trip, around three miles.
It was pretty hopeless, 40mph max, wouldn't rev beyond 2,800 and wouldn't pull either.
After standing for approx ten minutes I came home and it flew, revving freely to well over 4,000 and pulling like a train in all gears. No whistling or other worrying noises.

Made exactly the same trip today and it repeated the performance precisely.

It is still showing the EM and Service lights.

I am wondering if there is a cold start problem, i.e. sensor thinks it is warm and the engine only picks up when it is warmed up a bit.

Doesn't explain the boost problem which is now more intermittent than before.

Could a collapsed cat cause this? Had the pipes fore and aft of the cat welded recently.