Hey guys. Hopefully this is the right place for this - sorry in advance if it isn't.

I purchased a MK2 1.8l Zetec 2008 3-4 months ago and all was fine until about six weeks ago when I got a engine malfunction light out the blue whilst driving home. I pulled over, switched the engine off and back on which cleared it and continued the journey without issues. Over the next week, the issue would occasionally return - without any change to how the car is driving - and a quick engine off and on would fix it.

Over the next couple weeks I paid extra attention to my driving and realised that it only really comes on when I try and build up speed too quickly or the car has to work a bit harder. If I drive conservatively, I rarely see the warning. There might be an excessive amount of smoke from the exhaust but I am unsure of colour (the previous owner put on a very dark tint to the back window and it can be difficult to see, however I had my suspicions and my partner drove behind me today and mentioned it was smoking but wasn't able to tell what colour). 

I have noticed that the turbo might be taking a while to kick in and I don't remember this being the case previously. The other day it was struggling a bit as I was going up the hill and then it felt like it suddenly shifted and off it went.I don't know if this issue is related.

Any idea what this could be? I am pretty skint right now so taking it for a service that might not give me any indication of the issue isn't really an option. I have considered that it could be a filter issue but I really don't know enough about cars to know if I am right. I did buy a fault reader and I didn't have any luck with that

 

If you can do anything here get a code reader on it and see if you can pull anything, theres many a cause for EML under load but you could literally go on that many routes it's hard to offer much opinion other than the basics, when was last service, what sort of miles do you do, have you checked connectors and sensors, etc.. (In particular may be worth checking crank position sensor) and is the airflow good, intake clean/not gummed up.. not to be a pain, is just the list goes on 🙃

6 hours ago, Danny_H22 said:

I got a engine malfunction light out the blue whilst driving home. I pulled over, switched the engine off and back on which cleared it and continued the journey without issues. Over the next week, the issue would occasionally return - without any change to how the car is driving - and a quick engine off and on would fix it.

Over the next couple weeks I paid extra attention to my driving and realised that it only really comes on when I try and build up speed too quickly or the car has to work a bit harder.

Is the engine making a slight hissing or whooshing noise as the turbo builds up? The turbo underboost error can be caused by a leak in one of the intercooler hoses, and in my experience this error can disappear quickly, and be cleared by an ignition off-on cycle. Also many basic code readers can not detect it, but Forscan (under £20 if you have a laptop) can.

Hose and pipe leaks in the intercooler system are very common on the 1.8TDCI, and quite easy to find, though you often have to feel for them as they can be out of sight). Also can be quite a cheap fix, especially if you can replace it yourself.

A clogged fuel filter is less likely to cause smoke, it will reduce fuel. A hose leak reduces air, so can give smoke.

On 11/10/2019 at 11:37 PM, WireyWhenWet said:

If you can do anything here get a code reader on it and see if you can pull anything, theres many a cause for EML under load but you could literally go on that many routes it's hard to offer much opinion other than the basics, when was last service, what sort of miles do you do, have you checked connectors and sensors, etc.. (In particular may be worth checking crank position sensor) and is the airflow good, intake clean/not gummed up.. not to be a pain, is just the list goes on 🙃

Sorry for the late reply. I managed to get a code reader on it and it gave me two codes: P010F and P0380. The first code is related to the mass or volume air flow sensor and the second is the glow plug or heater circuit. Since making this post, the actual engine light (not just the engine malfunction light) has come on and stayed on. I erased the fault with the reader but it came back shortly afterwards. Car is due its MOT next month and I am worried that I the issues are going to be an expensive fix. Any suggestions on how I should approach fixing/assessing this myself? I am a complete car novice so a lot of the research I have done has gone completely over my head.

On 11/11/2019 at 12:32 AM, Tdci-Peter said:

Is the engine making a slight hissing or whooshing noise as the turbo builds up? The turbo underboost error can be caused by a leak in one of the intercooler hoses, and in my experience this error can disappear quickly, and be cleared by an ignition off-on cycle. Also many basic code readers can not detect it, but Forscan (under £20 if you have a laptop) can.

Hose and pipe leaks in the intercooler system are very common on the 1.8TDCI, and quite easy to find, though you often have to feel for them as they can be out of sight). Also can be quite a cheap fix, especially if you can replace it yourself.

A clogged fuel filter is less likely to cause smoke, it will reduce fuel. A hose leak reduces air, so can give smoke.

I would say the engine makes a whooshing sound, yeah. It is hard to hear because the car is pretty loud at the best of times. 

I have read the codes now and it returned P010F (mass or volume air flow sensor) and P03080 (glow plug or heater circuit). Any idea what my first step would be to assess or fix these?

45 minutes ago, Danny_H22 said:

it returned P010F (mass or volume air flow sensor) and P03080 (glow plug or heater circuit).

First check the glowplug fuse, it is one of the big, bolt down jobs in the engine bay fuse box. I once found mine had gone, and replaced it with two strands of 30A domestic fusewire (it is 60A), as a temporary fix. That was about 8 years ago now though! Then monitor the battery voltage with a multimeter while turning on the ignition when the engine is cold. The voltage should drop by about 0.5v to 1v while the plugs are energised. The voltage on the glowplug wire terminal near the engine can also be checked. Expect 9v to 11v while energised.

For the MAF, first step is to feel around the air hoses from the turbo down under the air filter to the intercooler, and up from the other side of the intercooler past the coolant reservoir to the engine. There are 4 sections of rubber hose. The metal pipe down under the air filter has been known to rust through also. Splits can be anywhere in these hoses, though at the ends is most common, and usually out of sight round the back! Any oil sprayed out near the hoses is a good clue to look for.

Also check the little pipe from the MAP sensor (the pressure sensor right on top of the engine) to the manifold. I have this break on my car.

The P010F code is a performance/correlation code, so does not mean the fault must be the MAF. The engine airflow is calculated from RPM and the MAP sensor and the inlet temperature sensor (IAT). This is compared with the MAF reading, and the difference is used to control the EGR. So unfortunately there are a lot of possibilities.

The MAF is mounted on the outlet of the air filter. It is worth having a look at it, both the wiring and connector, and inside to verify no visible blockage or oiliness. The air filter protects it quite well, and faults with it are not very common on this car.

A blanking plate for the EGR can be used to eliminate EGR problems. These cars run quite well with the EGR blanked, it does not put any warning light on in my car. A visible plate would be an MoT fail now to a really eagle eyed inspector, but it is still useful as a diagnostic aid. (I perhaps should add here that since replacing my EGR actuator, the car now runs better (more MPG) with it than without it, and it is not blanked!)

I would recommend Forscan as a diagnostic tool for this job. I seem to recall that my basic reader did not read the P0299 error that I had due to the broken MAP hose. This error puts on the Engine systems light (the cog in my car), not the main MIL (engine lamp). Forscan is Ford specific, and found the error ok. It can also log sensor readings while driving, which can sometimes help in cases like this.

What month is your car on 2008. I think mot manual says pre July 2008 diesel won’t fail for having engine management light on if all else ok. But you might need to remind mot testers of this. Assuming I have remembered correctly

On 11/10/2019 at 5:47 PM, Danny_H22 said:

I am pretty skint right now

 

31 minutes ago, isetta said:

I think mot manual says pre July 2008 diesel won’t fail for having engine management light on

Good point there, if it is an 08 reg, it may give a bit more time.

From the current MoT manual (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mot-inspection-manual-for-private-passenger-and-light-commercial-vehicles/8-nuisance#section-8-2-1-2)

Engine malfunction indicator lamp (engine management light or ‘EML’)

Turn on the ignition and check that the engine malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) illuminates and then goes off. On some vehicles it will be necessary to start the engine before the MIL goes off.

You need to inspect MIL fitted to diesel vehicles with 4 or more wheels and first used on or after 1 July 2008.