Engine system fault D3

[Tinman]

Hi Guys. My wife was driving to work today in our my09 D3 sitting on 70klm in duel lane when the car through up a engine system fault. It put the car in limp mode lowered the vehicle and decelerated to 5klm in seconds she had no where to go except into the centre green strip of the road. She turned the car off locked and unlocked it which cleared the faults, she then started on her way after 5 minutes it happened again this time she called me for advise. I had left my nannacom in the car so I got her to plug it in and clear the faults. All the faults cleared and she drove home with the nannacom connected in case it happened again about 25 minutes. I jumped in the when she got home and checked for faults nothing to display so I disconnected the unit and went for a run got 50 meters down the road and it happened to me, I limped home plugged the nannacom in and read the faults 9 including fuel rail pressure low plus lost communication with engine control module/power train module plus more I cleared all ecu's then went for a drive with the nannacom plugged in drove for 20 minutes unplugged the unit and drove some more. The car goes like a dog shot in the a*** not a problem. Cannot get the car to fault. Have been driving it for a lot of the day without a problem. Has anyone had this happen to them or shed some light on this problem.

[jonesfam]

I had a similar problem 12-18 months go with our 09 TDV6 D3.

It, after many $ spent replacing fuel pumps & stuff it turned out to be a hole in a fuel line that was letting air in but not letting fuel out!

Ours would fault once or twice, go well for a month then fault again, steadily got worse.

Have you tried a hard re-set?

Jonesfam

[sheerluck]

Fuel rail pressure can be a number of issues, from the low pressure pump, to the HP pump to something as simple as a fuel filter.

Has the fuel filter been replaced recently?

[Tinman]

Thanks guys have changed the fuel filter a couple of months ago. So thats new havnt seen any fuel leaks as when I do my services I go over everything to make sure that everything is running right as the boss uses it everyday to travel to work. The codes are p0087 u2023 u0100 u0146 u0401 u0402 u0416 u3003

[sheerluck]

How confident are you in your battery and alternator? They're worth taking a look at. As is the connectors to the modules behind the main battery.

[Tinman]

Put a new battery in about 4 months ago replacing the original battery over six years off the original not bad. Alternator charging at 14.2 volts still the original. The oem seem too last longer than the aftermarket. The boss is not happy with venturing out by herself after this episode.

[A.J.M]

DISCO3.CO.UK - View topic - P0087 Code


Others who have suffered similar symptoms and the fault code P0087 report a fuel pump issue.

Check the link and see if it sounds similar to your own issues.

Could be something to check out.

[Tinman]

I think I may have found the culprit checking the battery voltage before startup 12.45 v good but starting the car the battery only will charge to 13.9 -14v doesnt vary up to 15v then drop down so the alternator is only charging to 14v not sure if this alternator is suppose to do that or it should be variable. I have had this car since October last year without a problem. My old D3 had a variable alternator in it. I have a spare alternator that had failed in my last D3 and had a new diode pack fitted I might get this fitted and see what happens. I have put the car onto my battery charger and will charge it up and see what happens

[Tinman]

Hi Guys, I think I may have found the problem. Drove the car all weekend without a problem. When I checked the battery voltage it was fluctuating between 13.8v to 13.9v I checked it a number of times over the weekend with the same result. Seemed a tad low for me. The wife drove to work on Monday and the problem came back three times she wasnt amused with the situation. She drove home problem free. I thought I would put a new alternator in and see what will happen. Car now charging at 14.2 to 14.3v much better. Took the car for a 100 klm run ran perfect. Checked for faults on returning home no faults were logged. I think my alternator must have been on the way out and low voltage has caused these faults to appear. Fingers crossed this was the problem

[vee8auto]

if you feel inclined, dismantle the non-drive end of the suspect alternator and have a look at the diode assembly. Typically as the diodes fail they will show signs of over-heating or internal rupturing. if a number of them look kaput you can rest assured you have caught the problem.
If no damage is obvious, then you should keep the alternator and have it tested as it might be a good spare.

If the diode assembly is shot you can buy a new one for about $50 delivered to your door. I can provide the ebay (Ireland) link if you want.