308 1.6 VTI EP6 Faults

[GM92]

Hi, new here and saw really useful info on some old threads.

I have a 58 plate Peugeot 308 1.6 VTI and back in Jan when we had the really cold weather I got the dreaded Depollution System Faulty message and an engine warning light.

It cleared itself after a couple of days and then came back and has stayed back since.

The car starts and runs fine in low gears but struggles to accelerate in higher gears and going up hills.

Scanning with a cheap OBD2 shows the following fault codes:

Code: Select all

Car Scanner ELM OBD2
DTC report
Selected brand: Peugeot

============1==============
P0013
Raw code: 0013
ECU: Engine control unit
Status: Confirmed
OBDII: Camshaft position (CMP) actuator, intake/left/front, bank 1 - circuit malfunction

============2==============
P0010
Raw code: 0010
ECU: Engine control unit
Status: Confirmed
OBDII: Camshaft position (CMP) actuator, intake/left/front, bank 1 - circuit malfunction

============3==============
P0597
Raw code: 0597
ECU: Engine control unit
Status: Confirmed
OBDII: Thermostat heater control system - open circuit

============4==============
P0598
Raw code: 0598
ECU: Engine control unit
Status: Confirmed
OBDII: Thermostat heater control system - circuit low

============5==============
P2090
Raw code: 2090
ECU: Engine control unit
Status: Confirmed
OBDII: Camshaft position (CMP) actuator B, bank 1 - circuit low

I've checked the exhaust solenoid and it seems okay, a garage replaced the inlet solenoid but no joy.
Interestingly, disconnecting the inlet solenoid and clearing the codes only the P0010 and P0013 codes come back. Disconnecting the exhaust solenoid changes nothing so I suspect it's something shorting on the inlet circuit.

Does anyone have any ideas what could be the issue or able to help with a diagram?
My VIN is VF3**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff]

Thanks,
George

[GM92]

Anyone know if this is the same ECU?
viewtopic.php?t=68934

[GiveMeABreak]

I must of missed your original post George.

Leave it with me for a while and I should be able to get your some info shortly.

[GiveMeABreak]

Here are the fault code details for you:

Fault Code:	P0010
Description of Fault:	Inlet variable timing electrovalve control fault: Open circuit. Detection of an open circuit on the power stage of the inlet camshaft dephaser solenoid valve (For more than 0,5 s). Conditions of activation of the diagnostics The following conditions have to be met: - Engine management ECU in main triggering phase - Battery voltage between 9 and 17,9 V - Engine running and power relay jammed for 2 seconds - The output terminal has gone through the high and low statuses
Conditions for Fault to clear:	No fault codes found : P2089 - P2088 - P0010 (For at least 1 second).
Downgrade Modes whilst Fault is active:	Change to butterfly mode (Engine operation ; 2 types of operation, butterfly or valve lift in nominal mode) Deactivation of the richness regulation Deactivation of the adaptation of the inlet camshaft Deactivation of checking of the canister purge
Symptoms:	Lack of power Emissions outside the norms Excessive fuel consumption
Suspect Areas:	Control power stage of the inlet camshaft dephaser (Open circuit)

Fault Code:	P0013
Description of Fault:	Exhaust variable timing electrovalve control fault : Open circuit. Conditions of activation of the diagnostics The following conditions have to be met: - Main wake-up - Battery voltage between 9 and 17,9 V - Engine running and power relay jammed for 2 seconds - The output terminal has gone through the high and low statuses
Conditions for Fault to clear:	Check that there are no fault codes : P2091 - P2090 - P0013 (For 1 second).
Downgrade Modes whilst Fault is active:	Change to butterfly mode Deactivation of the adaptation of the exhaust camshaft Deactivation of the adaptation of the basic richness Deactivation of checking of the canister purge
Symptoms:	Emissions outside the norms Excessive fuel consumption
Suspect Areas:	Exhaust camshaft dephaser control power stage

[GM92]

Hi GiveMeABreak,

Thanks for the details. Those symptoms are exactly what I'm experiencing. Sluggish and only getting about 30mpg. Do you have a diagram of the circuit or details of the P0597, P0598 and P2090 codes too? If I unplug the inlet solenoid these 3 codes disappear.

Many thanks,
George

[GiveMeABreak]

Here you go - I only put up the remaining faults you had, but here are the rest:

Fault Code:	P0597
Description of Fault:	Controlled thermostat control fault: Open circuit: Coherence. Detection of an open circuit or overheating on the power stage of the controlled thermostat (For more than 0,5 s). Conditions of activation of the diagnostics At least one of the following conditions must be fulfilled: - Engine management ECU in partial triggering phase - Engine management ECU in main triggering phase - Voltage between 9 and 17,9 V - Engine running and power relay jammed for 2 seconds
Conditions for Fault to clear:	No fault codes found P0599 - P0598 - P0597 (For at least 1s).
Downgrade Modes whilst Fault is active:	-
Symptoms:	Possibility of deactivating the air conditioning compressor (declutching)
Suspect Areas:	Wiring of the thermostat Power stage of the engine ECU

Fault Code:	P0598
Description of Fault:	Controlled thermostat control fault: Short circuit to earth. Detection of a short-circuit to earth on the power stage of the controlled thermostat (For more than 0,5 s). Conditions of activation of the diagnostics At least one of the following conditions must be fulfilled: - Engine management ECU in partial triggering phase - Engine management ECU in main triggering phase - Voltage between 9 and 17,9 V - Engine running and power relay jammed for 2 seconds
Conditions for Fault to clear:	No fault codes found P0599 - P0598 - P0597 (For at least 1s)
Downgrade Modes whilst Fault is active:	-
Symptoms:	Possibility of deactivating the air conditioning compressor (declutching)
Suspect Areas:	Connector Thermostat Power stage of the engine ECU

Fault Code:	P2090
Description of Fault:	Exhaust variable timing electrovalve control fault: Short circuit to earth. Short-circuit to earth on the power stage of the exhaust camshaft dephaser solenoid valve (For more than 0,5 s). Conditions of activation of the diagnostics The following conditions have to be met: - Engine management ECU in main triggering phase - Battery voltage between 9 and 17.9 V - Engine running for 2 s
Conditions for Fault to clear:	Check that there are no fault codes : P2090 - P2091 - P0013 (For at least 1 second)
Downgrade Modes whilst Fault is active:	Change to butterfly mode Deactivation of the adaptation of the exhaust camshaft Deactivation of the canister purge function
Symptoms:	Emissions outside the norms Excessive fuel consumption
Suspect Areas:	Control of the exhaust camshaft dephaser Electrical harness

[GM92]

Thank you! These three only clear if I leave the inlet solenoid unplugged, maybe the ECU doesn't perform the further checks in that case. It sounds like P2090 is likely the root cause. Interesting that's on the exhaust side though. I've already cleaned ingress of oil, some of the connectors and the earth point at the top front near the coils. I'll see if I can trace back further.

[GM92]

I had a disastrous day yesterday, I tried a few other things in an attempt to narrow down the issue.

• Removed the connector to the thermostat and cleared the codes. Only P2090 came back and of course a new code for the thermostat (P0118)

• Without the thermostat and the exhaust solenoid connected I only got P0013 and P0118

And then I did something which has killed the car, seems like a bad earth or something is shorting as everything is clicking. Open the door and it sounds like the central locking is trying lock and unlock over and over. Dashboard flickering and if I press anything or try start the engine the power just cuts out. I can't see how messing around with the solenoids and the thermostat connections would cause such behaviour.
The only other explanation is that I got the car cleaned about an hour or so before, maybe some water has got in somewhere.

I've disconnected the battery and am at a loss for what to do next.

[GiveMeABreak]

1) Instrument needles going haywire and on the dash and warning lamps flashing on and off like a Christmas Tree are an indication of a battery that's had it. I've seen this on 2 separate cars without warning - a friends' Xsara and my C5 MK II which did the same thing - having a spasm when switching the ignition on with clicks as well as the other signs mentioned. In both cases the battery was shot. There is little warning - the batteries seem to work to the last, but when they go they go. Anything over 5 years of use and the battery is probably coming to end of service life.

2) When disconnecting the battery, always follow the BSI Reset / Battery Disconnect / Reconnect Procedure as failure to do so can result in electrical problems.

[GM92]

Hi Marc, thanks for the info, I have not been doing point 2! Hopefully I haven't caused issues there.
I was able to get the ignition in a state where it was on with the doors closed that I was able to perform a scan.
I see P0562 which would correlate with what you're saying.
The battery itself is reading okay with a multimeter (12.56v) and the visual indicator is green but it is old. I've never changed it and have had the car for 6 years.

[GM92]

Hi Marc,

I managed to take the battery to Quickfit and it was completely knackered despite voltage and the health indicator being good. They tested it and it was only reading 45CCA.
I went and got a new one from GSF yesterday. It seems that I was on a wild goose chase with the shorting issue as after installing the new battery I'm not getting any fault codes and performance has improved!
So I'm about 200 quid down and it was just the bloody battery all along!
Thanks for all your help.

George

[GiveMeABreak]

No problem George, thanks for the update. Modern cars have a lot of electronic systems and can have anywhere of 20 ECUs and upwards. Some even continue to operate for a while or permanently after the vehicle has been locked. AS the battery ages it has less and less capacity to store a charge, so may indicate being healthy, but when power is taken it rapidly falls below that needed to start the vehicle and operate other systems.

[GM92]

Hi Marc,

I was greeted by the Depollution System Faulty message again today and am getting a P0011 code when scanning. Are you able to provide the details of this one? I fear the cheap solenoid I bought has failed already! When starting the car it sounds a little rough initially. I'm not sure whether it's causing any other issues while driving etc, at least not enough for me to really notice.
I cleared the code and it immediately came back as "pending" but having started and stopped several times since it hasn't caused the engine warning light to come back on yet. I guess the conditions for it to trigger the light are different to the previous issues.

Thanks

[xantia_v6]

The rough noises from the engine at startup are more or less endemic with the EP6, and are due to the timing chain whipping against things until the hydraulic tension damper receives full oil pressure.

Whether this is a problem depends on how stretched the chain is and which of several hardware upgrades were fitted when this one was built. If the noise is a really sharp clattering, or lasts more than 5 seconds, I would have some concerns.

[GM92]

Thanks, in that case it's probably normal as it's only as it's starting but then it idles a little low for a good few seconds (or normal before idling a little high). I'm not sure what's normal RPM when idling.