Hydrophobic Xantia HDi

Post by **RichardW** » 01 Dec 2003, 13:17

It was very wet here in (not so) Bonny Scotland on Saturday, and my mate's Xantia HDi had a bit of a strop about it. He was driving and was getting a loss of power, followed by the engine warning light coming on, then the engine cutting out. Stop, wait a few seconds and it would restart OK - till the next time. When it got to every couple of miles he gave up and got it towed home. Left it overnight to dry out, and it seemed OK on Sunday...
So-
1. Anybody know if it's possible to read the ECU fault codes using the 'paper clip' method or similar?
2. Anybody know if you can buy a code reader for a similar price to getting the local stealership to do so?
3. Anybody know if there is a particular exposed cable connector that might cause this?
Ah, for an old tech motor with no computers!

wheeler · Post by **wheeler** » 02 Dec 2003, 02:10

i dont think there is a lot you can do about reading the fault codes without a decent machine,it could also be difficult to find the fault without one but as it was happening when it was wet theres a couple of things you could look at.
Water getting into the airflow meter or its connector,if even slight moisture gets in it will start to corrode the fine wire inside it,remove it (just a couple of hoseclips) & inspect it for any corrosion,also check for any dampness or moisture in the air filter & its housing while you are there.
Check the electrovalves for the turbo & EGR for the same thing,water in the connectors,valves or pipes.there may be 2 or 3 of these electrovalves depending if its a 90 or 110.they are situated around the o/s/f strut mounting area,little black tubes a few inches high with a 2pin connector & two black rubber pipes.
Thats all i can think of just now it may be worth a look,Scottish weather sucks [:(]

Simon Canfer · Post by **Simon Canfer** » 03 Dec 2003, 18:04

The symptoms sound just like a low-pressure diesel pump on its way out. Or the engine management thinking it is!
Just a thought.
Simon Canfer

Post by **RichardW** » 03 Dec 2003, 19:17

Thanks for the thoughts guys - apparently it was still playing up on Monday (wet again I think) so he took it to the stealership who have claimed the computer is not showing any fault codes (even though the warning light is on...) and racked up £100 labour to find this out. Hmmm. I think it's going to be something simple, but is going to be difficult (and or expensive!) to fix until something really does give up. I had thought about the LP pump, but even that is not easy / cheap to repair....

wheeler · Post by **wheeler** » 04 Dec 2003, 04:31

was the EML coming on while the car was still running or was it just comming on due to the car cutting out ? it is possible for the EML to come on with no fault codes registered.was the ECU checked for software updates (ie downloaded) to rule it out,i should think so for £100.
when the LP pumps fail it tends to be a non start rather than cutting out or lacking power.

Post by **RichardW** » 06 Jan 2004, 13:45

Just doing a bit of housekeeping on old threads I started.....
New lift pump cured my mate's car, BUT....he managed to write it off between Christmas and New Year (muppet!), so he's back to square one anyway. Not a good Christmas for cars round us (see other post about AX timing belt), and my Dad had to buy a new tyre as he'd got a screw in it. Drove back with fingers crossed. Not looking forward to changing the drop links on my Xantia as on recent form it's going to be a 'mare......
Oh well, onwards and upwards....

oilyspanner · Post by **oilyspanner** » 06 Jan 2004, 23:26

Drop links come off really easily with a mini grinder!
Stewart