spanner light on 2.2 dti and goes in to limp mode

[thelad]

I wonder if anyone out there can help with a problem I'm having with my 2004 signum 2.2dti.

The spanner light comes and it goes in to limp mode with loss of power and ticks over at about 500rpm. This only happens once I driven the car for 45 mins or more and the engine is at full operating tempreture. It normally happens when I try to accelerate, sometimes hard, sometimes gently. Either way the spanner light will come on and go in to limp mode.

It's been down to the local vx dealer twice and they replaced the EGR and Mass Air flow sensor. Both times they've taken over a week to come to their best guess and made me wait over a week to source an EGR valve.

I've been using some of the very helpful information that people have posted and checked and cleaned the boost sensor (with WD 40) and checked the boost hoses.

The problem is very similar to that posted on the thread below,
http://forum.vectra-c.com/showthread.php?t=40764

Any help outhere wouldbe very grateful.
thanks

[Duncan]

You've definitely checked all the boost hoses thoroughly, especially the undersides that are out of view? Apparently it only takes a really small split to cause the problem as obviously that small split opens up when under boost.

If you're absolutely sure that you've thoroughly checked them all, then I'm not sure.

[thelad]

Hi, Thanks for that, I only managed to remove one of the hoses and the more I think about the more sense it makes that it's one of the hoses.

I'm going to remove the other one and examine that, I'll most likley replace both to be on the safe side.

Thanks again, I'll let you know how I get on.

[Pete]

Must be that time of year, mines started doing that this morning!

[thelad]

I've got mine at the local garage now and although he's not 100%, he's had a couple of others in with similar problems.

He replaced the boost sensor and that did the trick for them. So he's going to do the same on mine.

He's also checked both the boost hoses and has given them the all clear.

Cross fingers it does the trick. I'm getting well pi**ed off with the problem and would love to get it fixed once and for all.

It also means that the local VX dealer is as **** as I thought, cause all they do is stick in the diagnostic reader and if it tells them that it's ok, then they guess that us "customers" are wrong. At the end of the day I reckon if the diagnostic reader told to run off the end of a cliff they would.


Anyway, I'll let you know how it goes.

[bogbody]

My 2004 Signum did this. Subtly different in that it would die when lifing off the accelerator and slowing for a junction or roundabout. It would sit there at the give way/stop line doing 500rpm with bursts up to 1000rpm, not respond to the throttle and sometime go into limp mode with a spanner light on. This turned out to be the throttle body. Done 2 weeks before the Network Q warrenty expired!

[ceptimus]

My 2.0 diesel Signum was doing this for the last few months.

I inspected all the hoses and pipes but couldn't see any leaks.

I bought a cheap fault code reader off Ebay (£30) (look for Elm 327 interface) and that said the fault code was associated with the EGR valve.

So last weekend I dismantled and cleaned the EGR valve, also the part of the inlet manifold immediately above the valve. There was some build-up of sooty deposits but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting.

I've done a thousand miles this week and the spanner light has stayed off! Before I cleaned the EGR, it was sure to come on a few times during every journey of 100+ miles.

It's a fairly easy job to do, but you need some of those 'star' socket spanners to undo the fasteners on the manifold and EGR. The EGR valve is the thing on the front of the inlet manifold - it has two water pipes connected to it, plus an electrical plug just above the oil filter. Remove the water pipes and plug them with old biros or similar to avoid spilling too much coolant. Then undo the two star fasteners (Haynes manual incorrectly says there are three fasteners) and the EGR assembly will pull out. The top part of the inlet manifold, immediately above the EGR also comes off when you remove a few fasteners, and that allows access to clean around the EGR pipes.

You can get some spray cleaner for EGR valves, but you also need to carefully scrape off the carbon build-up using a blunt screwdriver, and some old toothbrushes or similar to finish off. It's a filthy job. Wear some disposable gloves and/or plenty of barrier cream or you'll spend days trying to get your hands clean afterwards.

[superstuper]

My Vectra 2.2 DTI had the same problem in the same situations, was the throttle body.