08 D40 auto 2.5TD Limp mode problem

[Ballistix]

Hi all,
Im a newby so please forgive me if its posted in the wrong section and I know its been posted by others with similar issues but nobody's is exactly like mine.
I have a pain in the backside D40 2008 auto 2.5lTD, I've forever had problems since I bought it second hand over a year ago but this new one has me stumped.
Ok at first I pull up to a stop in heavy traffic, when I went to accelerate forward normally the accelerator cut out and I went no where, car still running but I could put my foot flat and got no revs and nothing, after rolling along at 2kms an hr it sorta came in and out of power but kept shuddering while the accelerator cut in and out, turned car off and on and all sweet off I went paranoid as all hell, 10 mins later it happened again, next day pulled up at a set of lights- same thing happened- accelerator cut out and plenty of upset horns behind me, turned car off/on and all sweet, then it continuously happened every so often when it felt like it but eventually got worse where it would do it coming up to a set of lights but still doing 10-20kms then accelerating again, its never thrown a code from these cut outs, then it did it at 60kms cruising along but I kept pumping accelerator to see if I could snap it out of it but it stalled, as you know with autos your constantly on and off accelerator to keep it from speeding but its when I back off the accelerator and put it back on it does it. It doesn't do it every 5 mins and I cannot make it do it either I can accelerate hard at any speed and its fine it just does it when it feels like it usually after 10- 20 mins of driving it. Now obviously this is limp mode and ive read so many similar issues on here but seems nobody has found an actual fix that ive read, has anyone found the actual cause of this issue? after it stalled it brought up an EGR valve malfunction code, I took this to Nissan but they were rude and did not want to listen to anything I said, they scanned it but codes were wiped clean so I told them I didn't want the car back until they found the issue, $380 later they tell me I need new injectors and want 4 grand, I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them so drove the car home and that's where it sits. I really want to try and avoid replacing part after part which will get super expensive really quick and still may not fix the problem, it does run a little rough on idle but always has, it had a full service and every filter was changed, I did read a guy who had exactly the same problem but from brand new and fought with Nissan for 10 or so weeks but they eventually gave him a new car so the problem was never solved lol, if anyones found the answer pleeeeease I would sure love to know!!! haha cheers guys

 

[Ballistix]

Oh and I also found if I was taking off from a stand still once it got to the point where it felt like it wanted to do it -if I stalled it up it wouldn't cut out however when I stall it up id have to do it a couple of times sometimes because I could feel it try to cut out with my foot still on the brake so kept stalling it up until I felt it free itself up. weird

 

[nuckin futs]

have you tried cleaning your MAF sensor.

 

[Ballistix]

if I can find it ill give it a crack cheers @nuckinfuts

 

[nuckin futs]

its next to the air cleaner on the pipe that goes to the turbo. youll see an electrical plug and it has 2 small screws holding it in. remove the plug and the 2 screws and it will slide out. be careful with it. use maf sensor or electrical cleaner to clean the diodes inside it. do not touch them with anything just use the spray to clean them. let any excess spray evaporate then reinsert the sensor. best to do an ecu reset after cleaning

 

[Ballistix]

ah legend! i'll give it a go tomorrow thanks mate will let u know of the outcome

 

[kernels]

EGR valve issues are very easily solved by blocking the EGR, sticky post at the top of the section to cover that.

Next off, with a turbo diesel I always suspect the SCV (Suction control valve), they can sometimes be cleaned and rotated 180 degrees. This is a no-brainer to try.

It sounds like you have a OBDII scanner of some sort, I would get one of the cheap bluetooth ones and have it going to my smartphone, that way you can instantly check things when you're having a problem. Also have a look at the output of the throttle pot box, make sure the signal always matches what your foot is doing.

Could be MAF or Turbo related, in particular check the vacuum hoses that control the turbo, but from your symptoms it doesn't sound like it is.

There are a few injector cleaners available specifically for turbo diesels, cant hurt to run one through.

Lastly: If you've been having problems since you bought it, it's likely that the same problem has been there to some extent since you bought it. Many of us can confirm that our D40s are fantastic, fast, reliable and comfortable. I'm sure when you sort it and regain some confidence in it, you will love it too.

 

[Black_Outlaw]

Having been through much hair pulling drama's with my 2008 D40 - I fully understand where you are coming from.

I'd like to add to the list to REMOVE, CLEAN and TIGHTEN all your EARTHS on the car.. The ones near the ECM, the one from the Battery to the Block.. The one from the Alternator to the body.. Make sure they are all clean, and tight and have a good clean connection. I replaced my earth strap from the battery box to block as it has green corrosion on it and I wanted to make 100% sure it was not the cause of my fault..

Clean the MAF sensor.. They get very black with blow-by oil.. Really disturbing how much actually.

I don't think it's your SCV, but it never hurts to remove, clean and replace..

Again, it does not sound like a EGR fault, but blocking it is a 5 minute job, so do that too..

Check your battery terminals are clean and tight.

Check the connector under the throttle pedal that it is clipped in tight and free of any dirty / water. If in doubt spray some contact cleaner to ensure it's all good.

Check your connectors underbonnet as well..

It took me a year to sort mine - it turned out to be moisture in the ECM plug that kept causing my Nav to go into limp mode, throwing up a Camshaft Position Sensor fault..

 

[Ballistix]

well I thank you both for the kind info it seems I have quite a list to go through now haha, I don't have a scanner the mechanic I use always runs a scan, when I bought the car it had a few minor issues that were fixed and thereafter kept having small annoying problems that were hard to find and also because everytime I dropped the car off to the mechanic the problem wouldn't happen for him so always a needle in a haystack, the annoying thing is it never throws a code but hopefully its a cheap simple fix, the vacuum lines to the turbo were just replaced- it was the last problem I had before this one where I drove home without a turbo haha the lines were cracked and corroded, once I get the time I will go right through with this list and eliminate them and ill let u know how she goes. Oh and another quick question- hows your turning circle? mines the worst on any car ive ever owned and for an example its a 3 point turn to pull into a car bay at the shops, apart from that I love the car its really good on the beach especially with the auto, hopefully I have a good run with it after this!

 

[Black_Outlaw]

What turning circle. Mack trucks can turn tighter. Let us know how you go and what you find. Great depth of knowledge here on this forum.

 

[kernels]

Yeah, turning circle is terrible. You can get a bluetooth ELM327 obd2 scanner on ebay for about $20, well worth it.

 

[Ballistix]

haha so its not just mine then good to know, will do

 

[Ballistix]

Ok finally got an update for ya's, had to wait for the scan tool to come in but I'm so glad I bought it because it's awesome, I cleaned the MAF sensor and drove it around 20 minutes and all was fine, then today I drove it to work then all the way to Perth (1hr in stop start traffic) then pulled up the driveway and it cut out but what good timing! When I turned it back on it threw up an engine light which is what I'd hoped for and the code came up as a P0409- EGR Sensor "A" Circuit. My EGR is not blocked off so I'm hoping if I block it off it will stop it if it is the actual problem!? Will do it over the weekend and update again

 

[Ballistix]

Another update with another disappointing result, blocked the EGR valve today, run some injector cleaner in it while I was at it and drove it home the hr drive and all went well but once again as I pulled up the driveway it stalled. I have decided this car is definately female and does not like driveways for some reason! Onto the next item on my list, extremely frustrated but once I find the part that's doing this I'm going to have a bonfire and watch it burn and celebrate.

 

[kernels]

Another update with another disappointing result, blocked the EGR valve today, run some injector cleaner in it while I was at it and drove it home the hr drive and all went well but once again as I pulled up the driveway it stalled. I have decided this car is definately female and does not like driveways for some reason! Onto the next item on my list, extremely frustrated but once I find the part that's doing this I'm going to have a bonfire and watch it burn and celebrate.

Hey mate, blocking the EGR will not fix an ECU EGR fault. The EGR is a valve that opens and closes. The ECU tells it to open, then checks that it did open. If it doesn't open or close fully as instructed by the ECU, it throws a error code. Blocking means that you have no gas flow, but the ECU may still go into deliberate limp mode if it senses the EGR not working.

For us that have had our EGRs blocked from day one, the valve is still opening and closing as the ECU commands, we just don't have any crap clogging it up, that's why we shouldn't have any trouble with it.

In your case it may be worth removing the EGR valve and trying to clean it out so it can move freely, but you may have to replace it, even if it is not getting used.

 

[Ballistix]

Ah ok I never thought of that, any idea on where to buy a new valve from and rough price? My mechanic did suggest it once before but I figured if I blocked it it would bypass it but obviously not, the cars stalled 3 times the last 2 days now, cheers mate

 

[jonney]

try a good cleaning of this egr unit firstly as i would say a new egr unit might suprise you in costs. $$$ some guys fit the egr block off plate too late in K / life not realising the damage or should i say the build up of excess carbon accumulated in the inlet manifold [ like a blocked artery ] should have a manifold clean before fitting this block off plate .

 

[Rumpig]

Don't quote me on this, but on some cars egr systems I believe you can take the actuator (motor) off the top of the egr valve and remove a sleeve that connects the actuator to the valve. The ecu is none the wiser and the actuator works as normal but the valve doesn't open. Not sure if it's possible on the Nav because some cars look for a change in MAF values when the egr operates.

 

[kernels]

Don't quote me on this, but on some cars egr systems I believe you can take the actuator (motor) off the top of the egr valve and remove a sleeve that connects the actuator to the valve. The ecu is none the wiser and the actuator works as normal but the valve doesn't open. Not sure if it's possible on the Nav because some cars look for a change in MAF values when the egr operates.

I have been wanting to try this for a long time, but putting the plate in was just too easy. Would be well worth it for Ballistix to try though.

 

[Ballistix]

Rumpig I'm pretty sure I've read on here somewhere that it can't be done for the fact the computer does check? I could be wrong though lol, yeh Jonney I saw a photo yesterday of how bad they can get and no doubt mine would be the same, I will be cleaning it out for sure once I know how lol, I'm also going to replace the suction control valve as well as I've heard it's a common problem known by Nissan aswell, just need to find the correct number so I can order the right one