Little Help please and my story so far

[keef]

Hey all..ok heres a short version of my story so far.. acquired a 2006 signum 1.9 cdti (150 bhp)..full history but 160,000 miles mostly long motorway trips..last owner a friend of mine had the car from nearly new and thousands of pounds later in repairs he just got sick and wanted rid..ok so far iv replaced alternator..had the spanner light on running rough..noticed swirl flap rod was just lying there done the quick fix all the flaps were moving ok got bar back on..now the spanner light has went off..car 2 days later going into limp mode all the time..pedal test wouldnt work tried both ways..so cleaned EGR valve and boost switch and now seems to have worked..today exhaust emissions light is constantly on..spanner light is off..what could this be?is there any common problems for this light just stays on..car seems to be running ok?...also another question can glow plugs cause limp mode?.. i say this as 3 tips have snapped in head..the car starts ok..and also never had any problems just for future reference until i get them out...cheers all

[DieselWig]

Have you plugged the EGR back in after cleaning it out? If left unplugged the spanner light will go after a few restarts and you will get a permanent emissions light. Car will drive fine though (in fact better!).

[jonnyaykroyd]

Sounds like sticking EGR valve. At first it stuck open (egr sticking open can feel alot like limp home mode - no power at all) and now it's stuck closed. With it stuck closed you wont have any power issues but the ECU will detect EGR malfunction and on the third start after the fault occurs the spanner light changes to the MIL. Only way to confirm is to read the code that causing the MIL.

Glow plugs when faulty usually put the spanner light on for a few minutes after starting, then the spanner goes out. I cant see why glow plugs would cause limp home, they are not essential to running once the engine is started. They are just to preheat the cylinders to aid initial combustion.

[gsxrster]

only real way is to get codes read mate .
"tips snapped in head" ? not entirely sure what you mean here ????
by reading codes you can pinpoint the fault , then no need for guesswork .
cheers

[keef]

Yea plugged it back in..the light wasnt on until after i cleaned the valve..but it is plugged in right..

[keef]

the plugs had ceramic tips and had been in car from new..they just crumble off...the new ones i bought dont have ceramic tips they are all metal...

[keef]

is there any diy ways to get codes? pedal test doesnt work..?..iv also got a egr blanking plate to go in when it arrives..

[keef]

Sounds like sticking EGR valve. At first it stuck open (egr sticking open can feel alot like limp home mode - no power at all) and now it's stuck closed. With it stuck closed you wont have any power issues but the ECU will detect EGR malfunction and on the third start after the fault occurs the spanner light changes to the MIL. Only way to confirm is to read the code that causing the MIL.

Glow plugs when faulty usually put the spanner light on for a few minutes after starting, then the spanner goes out. I cant see why glow plugs would cause limp home, they are not essential to running once the engine is started. They are just to preheat the cylinders to aid initial combustion.

Thanks for that mate...can you tell if the egr is stuck can you free it off?also if this is the case and i fit the blanking plate do you still need the egr valve working correctly?..sorry mate im new to these engines..

[XPCobra]

Get the codes read, Becoming bored of these guessing threads.

[DieselWig]

Check the How2 for more info on cleaning the EGR, but both the sprung valve and solenoid pin need to be free moving. You should be able to move both with little effort with your hands - thumb pressure on both and they should spring back easily. If they feel gritty or they need excessive force (subjective, I know) then there's something not right.

What blank have you ordered? The complete blank, or the Fiat/GM one with holes in?