Tue 28 Oct 2008 16:23 2000 2.0 Error code help please! - symon

Hi all, I have had my van error codes read as follows: P1521,P1608,P0230,P0191 Can anyone tell me what my best course of action to take next is! I have had trouble with my W REG HDI Partner van cutting out and it feels like its being starved of fuel! the guy that read these codes wasnt sure what i should do next and seemed a bit vague about it. I think that 1521 relates to the clutch switch. 1608 coolant temperature alert. 0230 fuel pump primary circuit failure 0191 i am unsure other than the in tank fuel pump related beit electrical or the pump itself. I would appreciate any help or advise on what i should do next. Thankyou in advance, Symon. {volume of subject header turned down} Edited by Dynamic Dave on 28/10/2008 at 18:41 Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Tue 28 Oct 2008 17:22 2000 2.0 ERROR CODE HELP PLEASE!! - Screwloose

Symon As you've surmised; P1521 and P1608 are not going to cause cutting-out. P0191 is "Fuel rail pressure sensor - range/performance problem" and P0230 is a guess by the ECU that the low-pressure side isn't working properly. It's reasonable to extrapolate that you have fuel pressure problems; but there's nothing solid to go on. A failing tank-pump is one possibility - or a blocked fuel filter [have you been using anything naughty?] - or a loss of rail pressure from something like a faulty injector. [Leak-off test needed.] Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Wed 29 Oct 2008 18:49 2000 2.0 ERROR CODE HELP PLEASE!! - symon

Hi Screwloose, I am changing the pump and its relay as a matter of course as to clean the gause filter the tank has to be droped out anyway while its out I might as well. I have taken the unit out of the tank and found that the gause is very clean and not that dirty or blocked certainly not enough to cause this problem! I have heard that the pump will cause the symptoms that I have been experiencing and the relay is only £16 figured i may as well do the pair! I have run it on 60% deisel with 40% cooking oil for a short time as the price of oil went up it was no longer worth the hassle. I have never run it on neat oil. I am sure that the gause filter in the tank would have been alot more clogged up if it was down to this. I am no expert tho and am sumising here! I would like to thank you for input and i guess that once i have re fitted the tank and relay will just have to see how it pans out! how is a leak off test performed and would it be something that i am best leaving to a garage? High pressure diesel is dangerous or can be and am sure that great care must be taken when working on it! Regards, Symon. Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Wed 29 Oct 2008 19:10 2000 2.0 ERROR CODE HELP PLEASE!! - Screwloose

Symon You can not - repeat, can not - use anything but good quality diesel in an HDi - they don't even like supermarket fuel. That piece of information opens up a whole range of faults associated with "bad fuel" - you are not, by far, the first to have wrecked their car following idiot advice. Garages are awash with them. First replace the entire fuel filter housing. Then open the old one and check for steel fragments - if you find any, then replace the entire fuelling system; anything that the diesel has touched must be renewed. Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Wed 29 Oct 2008 20:29 2000 2.0 ERROR CODE HELP PLEASE!! - symon

Screwloose, Ok that sounds serious, I am assuming you mean the fuel filter on the engine not the gause filter in the fuel tank? I will do as you say but I recently done a basic service ie: new oil filter air filter and fuel filter and when i removed the fuel filter i found nothing in the filter housing certainly no steel fragments. I have stripped down the in tank sender unit which also houses the fuel pump and gause filter and nothing in the way of steel fragments are present there! Does this mean I may be lucky or do i have to start ripping the fuel lines/high pressure pump and injectors out and replacing them all? because if i do then the van simply isn't worth spending in excess of £2000 maybe less if i sourced second hand, but on parts like we are talking about thats surely not a viable option. This may seem like a stupid question to you as you are obviously well qualified in diesel machanics but why steel fragments and not gunge or gunk? Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Wed 29 Oct 2008 21:00 2000 2.0 ERROR CODE HELP PLEASE!! - Screwloose

How recently did you change the fuel filter? Was this after using the veggie oil? There's still nothing solid to go on; but use of unsuitable fuel is a big factor to take into account. Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Wed 29 Oct 2008 22:08 2000 2.0 ERROR CODE HELP PLEASE!! - symon

hi, I changed it last week and I ran oil mixed diesel over a year ago now! these symptoms have only been in the last 3 months. I have done 2 full services since then and have always cleaned the filter housing before re fitting the new one and have never come across any steel fragments ever! May i ask why steel fragments? I can understand blockages and residue being a factor due to the viscocity issue with the oil and maybe this causing the in tank fuel pump to fail or even burn out all together but why steel frag's? Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Wed 29 Oct 2008 22:26 2000 2.0 ERROR CODE HELP PLEASE!! - Screwloose

The tank pump has bronze gears and sheds brassy fragments - some of which are small enough to pass through the 6-micron fuel filter and damage the 2-micron clearance high-pressure pump - the main reason why tank-pump failure is often followed by HP pump failure. Once scratched and damaged, the high-pressure pump starts to shed hardened-steel frag. This damages the injectors and is circulated back through the fuel return to contaminate the whole system, returning through the filter and compounding the damage to the pump. Changing a damaged pump on it's own just leaves the new pump at the mercy of the frag from the old. That's why a complete new system is the only way to go - even a tiny amount of the steel frag will just start the whole process off again. If you have no fragments; then pump damage is unlikely. [Never change just a fuel filter element on an HDi for the same reasons.] Concentrate on a tank-pump failure; or remove the regulator and check that the o-rings haven't been damaged by the veg oil and that there's no frag trapped in it's tip. A gauge check of the low-pressure side would be useful too - look for a min of 2.5 bar; the return valve in the filter housing can get stuck open by bad fuel too. Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Thu 30 Oct 2008 17:39 2000 2.0 ERROR CODE HELP PLEASE!! - symon

Hi Screwloose, I have changed the complete sender unit including lift pump for a new one, I have run some cleaner through it and filled the tank half way. I found no traces of frag anywhere in the fuel system and i also cleaned the tank out while it was off. Before I done this job it was cutting out on me but now i have finnished the job and am happy to report that the problem seems to be gone, well for now anyway! I have done 50 miles since and had it idleing for 45 mins and no sign of the itermittent cutting out so Fingers crossed. I may have got away with it this time but lesson learned dont trust anyone who say's you can run a percentage of veg oil in an HDI you may get away with older motors but is it worth the potentialy expensive risk! NOT REALLY! I would like to thankyou Screwloose for all your helpful advise and for sharing your wealth of knowlage and expertise with me, Top Man :) I will keep you informed if anything goes wrong. Regards, Symon. Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Thu 30 Oct 2008 17:53 2000 2.0 ERROR CODE HELP PLEASE!! - Screwloose

Symon Surprisingly enough; I'm all for well-informed people using whatever fuel is suitable - in appropriate cars. Unfortunately; common-rails operate at the very edge of what is technically possible and are never going to be a good place to experiment. A failing tank-pump is fully consistent with your fault-codes; maybe it had to work a bit too hard pumping that thick veg oil - although routine failures are not unknown. Reply | Report as offensive | Link