XUD 1.9TD engine noise woes - ECU at fault?

My 98 Citroen Synergie 1.9TD has been giving me grief since it had it clutch changed in December.

I got a bloke to do the clutch and I couldn't grumble considering the little amount he wanted (£60, but I ended up paying another £20 as a sweetener ). He made one little mistake which surfaced the day later, the earth strap on the gearbox was loose so it obviously wouldn't start. I traced and fixed this but noticed the engine noise/smoke had gone up and the performance has dropped.

I chose to post in the andyspares forum to see what I could up with. My post is backed up with pics of the engine bay :-

formatting link
This left me checking my TDC sensor, but nothing appeared wrong with it. Neither does anything seem wrong with my rev increase and fuel timing increase devices on my Bosch injection pump.

I've since done a bit more research which brings me to this fresh post.

My 1.9TD was one of the last produced since the car is a November 98, i.e prior to the HDI engine. The car does have an ECU with an EOBD 16-pin connector under the dash. Its not just for things like airbags because when I unplugged the TDC sensor and the cold start advance solenoid plugs, the ECU light comes on. ( incidentally the light isn't on during this problem )

I've got two scenarios in mind at the moment and I'd appreciate any feedback on these plus any other suggestions as to the cause.

1) Could the loose earth strap problem (after the clutch change) have bugged the ECU and its sending an out-of-synch signal to the pump ? Is it possible to manually reset the ECU like by disconnecting the battery,,,,or does that sound too easy...

2) As I did with my Audi80 TDI, I change the oil every 10k on this car and use Millers XFE full synthetic oil. Its now got 120K miles and due a service, but I've noticed this winter that the dipstick chamber is very sludgy/watery. Some people tell me that the 1.9TD should have an oil change every 6K but my Citroen service book definately says 10k intervals. Anyway, I'm wondering whether a sludge/crap build up has somehow effected the needle lift sensor on no3? injector that feeds the ECU. This crazy sounding theory came from something I read about overfilling oil in VW TDI engines creating a lift sensor failure.

I'd like to venture into connecting cars to computers. I saw one of these cables on Ebay which is an EOBD - RS232 unit. Can anyone advise whether this would work with Citroen/Renault/GM/Ford cars ?

formatting link

Thx

Reply to
Ebodscki
Loading thread data ...

Some people tell me that the 1.9TD should have an oil change

10K meaning 10,000 kilometres? That's correct. 6,000 miles for an oil change and filter according to the book. I used to err on the generous side and serviced the old Xantia tdi -XUD engine at 4,500 miles and it's still going strong with over 160,000 miles up. DaveK.
Reply to
davek

davek ( snipped-for-privacy@brentmere53.fsnet.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Currencies in £, so I'd guess 10k = 10,000 miles.

Sounds feasible - it's not unknown for service intervals to stretch as time goes by. Helps to sell new cars on "low service costs", and it's not the first owner that pays the *real* cost...

Reply to
Adrian

Some people choose 6K miles , I choose 10K but use high quality oil. My last diesel car left my possession in perfect condition with 260K miles, I was thinking of keeping it til passed 300K but got bored and wanted a newer car

I've double checked and its 10000 miles in the Citroen service book, but I concede this newfound sludge is making me consider shortening the intervals on this particular car because its not used for long runs, mainly school runs

....but in any case can we keep the post on course and only address the fuel mis-timing rattle(pinking).

Reply to
Ebodscki

Which car? My 1994 (Xantia XUD tdi) book stated oil change and filter at

6,000 miles. The Xantia hdi is at 12,000. DaveK.
Reply to
davek

I think this is the clue. The one thing which clogs up these engines is lots of very short runs. Take it out to a stretch of quiet road out of town, and floor the accellerator in second. Keep it there for at least twenty seconds, preferably longer. That should clean most of the crud out of the system and give it a chance to behave normally. And do an oil change while your'e at it. I asume that the cam belt was changed at the correct interval - not more than 70k miles. I would also guarantee that the Citroen service book also has a figure rather less than 10k for more demanding situations, like lots of short runs, mine does.

Reply to
brian

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.