Thread: Loss of Power Disco3 when Towing

Any fault messages on the dash? I had an issue a little while back towing my camper. Road was a little hilly and I wouldn't call the weather hot, but it was over 30. I had a drop in power twice nearing the top of a couple of hills along with engine fault displayed on the dash. Seemed to me to be going into limp mode. Stopped and restarted each time and away it went. Once I dug into it with my IID tool I believe it may have been the turbo actuator sticking (cant remember the exact fault code of the top of my head - its at home somewhere)and there where no other fault codes apart from a couple of EGR codes that are always there

The engine will de-rate to protect itself in dangerously hot operating conditions.Were you using sport or auto,also were you using cruise control???
Andrew

Were you using cruise control?
Have had something similar once when I was being lazy and let the car find it's own way up a long climb, speed dropped off a bit and then had similar minimal power.

Hi Andrew, I was driving in Auto without Cruise Control , No warning messages

Originally Posted by LandyAndy

The engine will de-rate to protect itself in dangerously hot operating conditions.Were you using sport or auto,also were you using cruise control???
Andrew

More than likely its just the vehicle looking after itself in hot weather.
Not done any serious towing with my D4 yet.Have read in hilly terrain its best to use sport.It wont use top gear and makes better use of the torque converter lock up which should generate less heat.
Resume auto when its flatter country.
I may be wrong,its what Ive taken in from others posts.
Andrew

My first thought when it happened to me was its getting to hot. But I would have thought that would trigger a specific fault code. I did start monitoring the temps with my IID tool once it happened

None of us in WA have ever seen a hill like Toowoomba hill and at 40 degrees it will not be good for the drive line. My D4 was in first gear at about 60 kph , not pushing anything too much, towing a 2.2T (loaded) Kimberley Karavan home from the dealer up that hill. My son's D1 TDI300 with nothing but two people on board was in first gear and slowing down at about 40kph flat out. As well as being steep it goes on forever.


My guess is that the transmission temperature was getting high and the engine derated to reduce the temperature, especially if it returned to normal once over that hill. I've had it happen on a beach at Esperance when I was hooking along at 90 in high range trying to keep up with my son in law in his 80 series. He was driving in the hard sand through water and I was further up the beach in softer sand. The car just kept slowing down until eventually I had to stop. I just put it in low range and drove properly instead of like a racing car and all was good. No errors or anything else recorded.