Help please, on big trip and tdci running badly

**POD** · 28th May 2014, 08:04 PM

We are on day 2 of a 9-week trip and already the car is starting to take the joy out of it, has been surging intermittently which is becoming worse and more frequent. We are currently camped off the side of the Stuart Highway and anticipating another unpleasant drive tomorrow. It is a fairly rapid surging, almost a shudder, that occurs mostly at light throttle cruising, although this evening it was doing it whilst pulling up a long incline. Was making my wife's head shake back and forth, very unpleasant driving. Power seems to be okay, perhaps down a bit but hard to tell as we are heavily loaded. I first noticed it a few days before we left, thought at first it was a rough road surface but it became more noticeable after a day or so. I pulled the EGR valve off and cleaned it before we left home, was not as clogged as I had expected and made no difference. I have visually inspected the intercooler hoses and can not see any splits or areas rubbed through.
Have read the fault codes, have 0404-73 EGR stuck closed, and 0299-00 turbo A under boost condition.
Long post I know but trying to provide as much info as possible in the hope that someone can advise me what to check, will check in tomorrow in the hope of the usual AULRO problem solving.
We've been looking forward to this trip for 5 years and the defender is not playing the game!
Almost forgot to mention, 2008 tdci 2.4 Puma 130.

**PAT303** · 28th May 2014, 08:49 PM

Change your fuel filter,easy stuff first. Pat

**Chops** · 28th May 2014, 09:57 PM

Hi Pete,
I'm really sorry to hear of this, and I hope I'm very wrong in what I say here, but I've just gone through what sounds like an almost identical experience when we did our SA trip at Easter.
Suffice to say, its having the injectors replaced as we speak. Lucky for me, I'm covered by insurance.

How long since your fuel filter has been changed? I've been advised they need to be done like every 20K at least, (its a 40K job in the book). They've worked out that mine has had a gut full of water because the filters not been done enough.
At a petrol station, "apparently",, it is acceptable to have up to 3% water contaminants within fuel

.
Once water has entered the injectors, its all over. The only real way to check this, see if you can get to a dealer and ask them to run the "Pilot Program", which checks the injectors. This will cost you, but you'll have a definitive answer.

Other than that, check your MAF and MAP sensors, and check your Turbo hoses for lamination,,, I'm hoping its one of the later scenarios.

All the best with it Pete, nothings worse than dramas on a trip. Give us a ring "anytime" if you want more info.

Marcus

**POD** · 29th May 2014, 12:01 AM

I changed the fuel filter last week, in fact almost immediately before the problem started. I have a spare with me, will change it asap. I think there's a dealer in Alice Springs. Will give them a call.

**BilboBoggles** · 29th May 2014, 07:06 AM

I've head that some times the fuel filter might not seat correctly in the housing or a bit of dirt damages the seal letting air in. A small air leak will give odd hesitations.

**BilboBoggles** · 29th May 2014, 07:08 AM

A ford dealer can also service the engine as it's used in a transit. Some say they may be better at it too....

**rar110** · 29th May 2014, 07:31 AM

Check the sedimenter? I don't think the 130 has a sensor to say it needs a clean out.

n plus one · 29th May 2014, 09:23 AM

Originally Posted by POD

I changed the fuel filter last week, in fact almost immediately before the problem started. I have a spare with me, will change it asap. I think there's a dealer in Alice Springs. Will give them a call.

Sounds like the filter could be an issue - is your spare filter a good quality unit?

**PAT303** · 29th May 2014, 11:34 AM

If you have crap in the tank remember it'll just clog your new filter also. Pat

schuy1 · 29th May 2014, 05:25 PM

I would do the filter. Diesel is bad for balls of algae in the tank. They tend to float about and block intake piping and can be pushed into new filters. more so if suddenly the vechile is used a lot, like going from pottering about to long trip with movement and frequent fillings.
Cheers Scott

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