Limp Mode?????

[Dazza63]

Im not sure if it is limp mode or not I have a 2008 Spanish built Nav manual and it has only done it 3 times but I hope someone has experienced it as well. First time went to take off from traffic lights put my foot down to go a car came thru the lights I lifted my foot quick car jerked and then I could go no faster then 5kph. Second time a mate borrowed it dont know what he done but same thing and then on Saturday I was driving along 80kph for a second it revved up and did same thing but i could do about 10-15 kph. I get no lights on the dash at all I just have no acceleration power. You stop for about 10-15 mins restart all good, Any ideas.
Thanks for any replies greatly appreciated.
Dazza

 

[Old.Tony]

It's not the ECU-induced limp mode, which allows up to 2,000rpm or a max speed of around 80km/h.

You've got something else happening in there, while the turbocharger might be a prime candidate, the SCV might also be - but not the usual way, because usually the SCV limits you (with no lights or error codes) to 80km/h and really poor acceleration.

I'd check the plug on the SCV, throw a bottle of injector cleaner in the tank and closely examine the vac hoses to see if there's any sign of cracks or splits, and whether or not you can easily turn the hose on its connection (you should NOT be able to).

EGR might (not my first suspect) also be responsible - testing a sticky valve is as easy as blocking the thing off (do it on the intake side, takes hardly any effort and you'll know immediately).

 

[Ewood11]

Im not sure if it is limp mode or not I have a 2008 Spanish built Nav manual and it has only done it 3 times but I hope someone has experienced it as well. First time went to take off from traffic lights put my foot down to go a car came thru the lights I lifted my foot quick car jerked and then I could go no faster then 5kph. Second time a mate borrowed it dont know what he done but same thing and then on Saturday I was driving along 80kph for a second it revved up and did same thing but i could do about 10-15 kph. I get no lights on the dash at all I just have no acceleration power. You stop for about 10-15 mins restart all good, Any ideas.
Thanks for any replies greatly appreciated.
Dazza

Hi Dazza, I had the same problem with my 2008 D40 Spanish, all the evidence pointed towards a broken Suction Control Valve, so I replaced it, a fiddly job but easier enough, but it was still going into limp mode. I took it ito a couple of mates workshops and they couldn't help. In the end I decided to bite the bullet and took it into a main dealer so they could do a full Scan. The guy was really helpful, plugged in his laptop and diagnosed the problem and fixed it in about 30 seconds. Turns out that I was correct in replacing a faulty SCV but the onboard computer needed to be told that I had installed a new one. Job done. Hope this helps

 

[bringthenav]

Hi. You could also have leaking boost at any one (or more) of the clamps from the turbo baffle hotpipe connector (the most common spot) which is under alot of pressure.

If u see oily residue on or around or under the baffle (i did) its a sure fire sign.

I replaced my baffle with a mild steel pipe i had laying around that was right size & a silicon joiner on the turbo outlet side.. as the baffle had oil residue and alot under it & the clamp at back was a proper 2cm approx turbo clamp, however one at front was a normal autospares type clamp & i had residue back soon & the steel pipe was getting oil get out of it & over its outside under the joiner making the front clamp able to leak just a slight amount of boost.
Being smooth steel without ridges at front & back wasn't a help.

Before i sorted that i tightened/replaced every intercooler & hot pipe clamp.
Some are behind the grille etc which u can get to with bit difficulty or easier if u take the grille out.

I noticed a few were not even very tight! Thatd cause limp modes.
And did!

Prior to that i did the EGR block and that helped with power loss ALOT & stopped me blowing black smoke at all & restored alot of lost power.

I also noticed my fuel filter plastic round front bleeder knob dial was not that tight, so i tightened it up a fair few more hand turns until it didnt seem to move.

I reckon i was getting limps from that too. Seemed to have now zero limps for a week or so. Plus so much restored power and engine performance & Excellent better turbo leak free performance.

It only has to leak the slightest bit of boost to cause all sorts of drama plus lose a couple psi.
With the boost guage i fitted from the boost sensor on the d/s back of intercooler behind the grille i can conveniently watch the boost all the time. Seemed great maybe up to 18-20.

I noticed my limp modes come back & had about 20 of them!
On motorways going 100 then pressing to accelerate uphill anynore than a light feather causing it, at 80, anytime i stabbed the throttle,
Even getting so bad the other week as random limo mode without accelerating at all while rolling at 60!
Last couple times i couldnt even restart the car immediately and clear it as usual. Never had CEL on dash at any point either by way, never.

I had to wait a min, prime the fuel primer in engine bay (a trick i notived worked if the car wouldn't turn over right away that made it start)

I was quite a perplexed what could be still doing it now & why it was getting worse.

I had a realisation back to the turbo outlet hot pipe baffle clamps.

I was correct & lucky i thought of that! As im good now
( hope it stays that way!)

I cleaned the steel baffle pipe n silicon joiner up of all oily residue which had seeped to the outside at the front not very super heavy duty standard clamp.

I put not 1 but 2 big turbo clamps at the front side of the silicon joiner.

Did them up super tight over the baffle (in my case mild steel pipe).

So now the turbo outlet hot pipe baffle area is 'major' done up right & heavily sealed.

I now have no limp modes,
Turbos boosting to about 21psi,
And i can stamp on the pedal to the floor if i like any gear, any time anywhere & am getting zero limp mode, zero breakdown..

And i am making epic power & turbo performance.

So pays to check & replace all those hot pipe and intercooler pipes & vacuums hoses on solid .. no cracks, and doing egr & the fuel filter drain dial clockwise turn a few careful hand turns without breaking something by an overtorque..
As i think air can get into the fuel system and cause problems like yours as well.

Probably good idea do these 1 by 1 so u can rule them out, but the hotpipe & intercooler ones seemed the biggest cause on mine.

Could always be the scv too.
For sure. Worth replacing,
Then doing the ecu & fuel reset after wards by disconnecting the neg battery terminal & holding down the brake 10-30secs. Then do battery neg back up. Then do a couple modest/light drives at least for 10 mins a time, then turn car right off after each 10 min.

That has the ecu and fuel sys relearn the new scv has been installed,
etc etc & fuel and driving habits and with a bit of luck, youll not have that problem any more.

Good luck

 

[Dazza63]

Thanks guys I really appreciate all the help I will do each one in turn process of elimination. It just gets very annoying and frustrating when it does in in traffic here in Brisvegas. All the advice given is so worthy of a boof really, so valuable from tried and tested processes.
Again thank you so much for all that I will keep you updated as I go thru the processes.
Highest regards To All.
Dazza63.