Any suggestions please?

[Alamo]

Hi all,

Called briefly at Cowm Quarry on sunday and met a few of you, so it was good to put faces to a few names and I hope to meet you all there again when I finally get my 3.0L in shape.

Although this is my first Surf, I've driven enough vehicles in my time to know when there's something just not quite right. I also realise I'm talking about 2 ton vehicle here, so I never expected to be setting any land-speed records....but there doesn't seem to be any go in it at all. At standstill I can easily red-line the RPM (only done very briefly), but 2500 RPM is about max when moving.

I ran the OBD check routine yesterday and both the engine check light and O\D OFF light blinked continuously. Then I disconnected both batteries overnight to reset ECU and repeated OBD today with same result....am I right in thinking this means everything, including auto gearbox, checks out "NORMAL"?

One thing I have found is that the short length of pipe from the large silencer box on the exhaust, which couples to the tailpipe, has broken away from the silencer box completely. This basically means that the tailpipe section is floating around. I realise that a broken exhaust may have some effect on performance, but is it likely to be to such an extent as to make my surf feel very sluggish?.....in a way I hope the answer to this is "Yes it would", because I've just parted with another £135 for a replacement silencer section from Rough Trax.

Other than replacing the silencer when it arrives, can anyone please make any suggestions as to where I look next? Also, has anyone got pics of the location of the ECU and TPS in the 3.0L Auto please?

Thanks in advance

Alan

[Tallyman]

I had the exact same part break on my exhaust and it caused no difference at all in performance, so that's unlikely to be the fault. Have you tried changing the air filter. If that's dirty it can have an effect on power. Also check that your turbo is spinning up properly, without any leaks. Other than that try the search facility for similar threads.

[Alamo]

Thanks Mike.....suspected as much!

As well as the exhaust, I have also ordered fuel, air and oil filters from Rough Trax. Hoping they will be waiting for me when I get home later tonight...although it may be a little too late to do anything at all by that time so will leave it until tomorrow.

Much appreciated

Alan

[chrisinflight]

Hi Alan,
If the filters have`nt been changed for a long time then it could be that.
The exhaust wont have such an effect. Less restrictions in the exhaust may result in a slight gain in power.
As the 3 lt. have a turbo fault light and not a "turbo-working " light, I would not rule out a faulty turbo as the light may have been tampered with.
Hopefully some more advice along soon........ one thing is for sure- your surf should fly and you can come and drive mine if you`d like to see how it should accelerate.

[Alamo]

Hello again Chris and thanks for the reply,

The guy I bought the surf from has given me the receipt for a service (oil and filters) he'd had done just over a month ago at a cost of £155. Like yourself I'd also suspected this to be filter related but I've no reason to believe they were not changed as they all look new and the engine oil hasn't gone completely diesel black even yet. I suppose it could be a faulty fuel filter as I had one of those on a Transit van a couple of years ago which had a slightly similar effect. Anyway, the three replacement filters and exhaust section arrived from Rough Trax yesterday so I will have a better idea at weekend when I get a bit of time to change them.

Thanks also for a test drive of your truck....a trip over to your neck of the woods sounds like a good idea to me. Not so much for me to drive yours, but for you to put mine to the test and see what you think. If its not an inconvenience, could I please make some arrangements to do this at a time suitable to yourself?

Alan

[chrisinflight]

No problem, sat. morning, sun. or mon. is fine this weekend. Just send me a Private Message and let me know.
cheers,

[davemaxx]

i've fitted a boost guage on mine and i now watch that rather than the revcounter - seeing that it's an auto, the turbo starts working at around 1900 and peaks at 2500 revs at a maximum pressure of 10 psi,
i press the ect button to make it dwell in lower gears within the power band climbing hills and stuff,
i woulnd't calll mine a nippy run around, but i wouldn't call it a slug either. i've known a couple of people who have said that their vehicles preform slugishly and i've found that the back brakes are siezed half on.
other than that i would check that the egr valve aint stuck open and spoiling the fuel air mixture,(i dont believe that it would show up on a fault code test if it was) you would have to pull the vacume pipe off it and connect a simular bore pipe and gently suck on it (about the same pressure as a ciggaret) and see if you can feel the valve open and snap shut.
if the egr valve is stuck open it will tick over on the drive and rev as freely as any other motor but take it for a drive and it will act like a bag of ****.

[chrisinflight]

Nice info. Dave, and Alan- check the rolling resistance- the vehicle should roll on the slightest of inclines in neutral of course. Sometimes the rear shoes do stick and you can back them off manually.

[Alamo]

Hi Dave and Chris, thanks for the info regarding the EGR valve. I've just added it to my list of things to do this weekend.

Dave -
Read quite a bit recently on the web (inc one or two things on here) about boost gauges and had considered adding one to the other list I've been putting together. The only trouble is, I doubt I'd know how to interpret the readings if I had one. Just out of interest though, where exactly would I get a boost gauge, and could I fit it myself or is it a specialist job?

Chris -
Have already tested the rolling resistance....infact binding brakes were one of the first things I did check for and everything seemed ok.

I've just been trying to PM you as asked but have now realised that I must subscribe to be allowed that facility so have emailed you instead.

Mods - A cheque will be in the post first thing tomorrow for the subscription.

Alan

[gwh200]

whilst your undr the bonnet fella,check all your vacumn hoses related to the turbo

[davemaxx]

i got the boost guage from ebay, a psi one with a vacume hose about £15, very easy to fit, i havent botherd connecting any wireing for its internal light, i will post a picture of where to fit it at a later date if you get one and need any directions.

[Alamo]

Update:

Sussed it.....or at least improved it I think.

Fitted a new air filter yesterday then started the engine to have a feel around for signs of cracked hoses or anything else under the bonnet. Whilst on the passenger side I noticed air was being blown from a rubber grommet on top of the air filter box. Found some kind of sensor with wiring attached tucked away behind the fuel filter that fit the grommet perfectly. Unfortunately I didn't have a camera handy at the time but will take some pics and post them soon.

Chrisinflight has kindly offered to take my truck for a test drive later today so I should have a better idea by then.

[davemaxx]

[QUOTE=Alamo;442104]Hi all,


Although this is my first Surf, I've driven enough vehicles in my time to know when there's something just not quite right.


i think your the wrong side of the turbo for this blowing gromet to cause a masive performance problem

[Alamo]

It doesn't make sense to me either and I'm not a mechanic......that's the reason I posted here.

I'm still in the process of trying to get my head around this one, but so far it seems that if I remove the sensor before starting engine (from cold), then the power loss is very noticable and each gear is being held a lot longer. It doesn't seem quite as bad if the sensor is removed AFTER engine has been started and warmed.

[Sancho]

Sounds like a MAF sensor or something. Why don't you just plug it back in?