Hi,

My EML came on last night whilst driving home from work. Had no power, the turbo didn't seem to be spooling.

It was fine for the first 20 miles of my journey, stopped for 20 mins whilst waiting for the other half, and that's when I noticed the loss in power

Put a ODB reader on it today and got a P0299 Turbocharger Underboost. Having had a quick search on here and checking my intercooler pipe as far down as i can reach (which seems fine) I am at a loss as to what it could be.

I suppose I am hoping its nothing major and something I could look at doing myself.

Anyone got any ideas?

Cheers

EDIT - forgot to add, its a 1.8 TDCi on 89k :)

more than likely to be a dodgy hose on intercooler you may have to remove the pipe to inspect properly :D

Yea the more I think about it the more I think I need to just take it out and look properly! Is there anything I need to be careful of when removing it? I haven't done this before (or even better a rough how-to lol)

Cheers

Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC

ive not done a 1.8 but just take your time ,preparation slowly slowly catchy monkey, I am sure someone will come along and offer a how to,undot clips remove hose and gently move anything else out of the way, like I say just take your time , it will be worth it once you have either found the problem or eliminated that its not at fault :D

So I took the 90 degree rubber pipe off I keep reading about...it's fine :(

So I put it back on and no EML! Took it for a quick go around the block and still no power when the turbo should kick in. Anyone have any other ideas before it goes to the garage?

I'm sensing a big bill :(

Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC

Hey i have exactly the same issue there is about half a dozen pipes that link the intercooler to the turbo behind the grill and under the car. I am going to check all mine at some point this week also make sure there isnt any holes in the intercooler too.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Ford OC mobile app

My focus 1.6tdci intermittently went into limp mode over the space of 2 years everytime putting a code out on my eBay OBD2 reader(£5) of p0299 turbo underboost, I took it to a local garage who couldn't find anything wrong, took it to a dealership expecting the worst(a new turbo and a massive bill! ) they plugged it in and found the fuel filter was full and needed changing, £170 for the diagnostics and fix :) my advice is if you get these symptoms, change the diesel filter first as a local garage will do it cheaply could save you being ripped off for a new turbo!

On 11/08/2014 at 5:57 PM, sfrano said:

So I took the 90 degree rubber pipe off I keep reading about...it's fine :(

So I put it back on and no EML! Took it for a quick go around the block and still no power when the turbo should kick in. Anyone have any other ideas before it goes to the garage?

I'm sensing a big bill :(

Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC

Hi. I'm going through the same problem. I have done everything apart from take it to the garage which I also do not want to do lol. 

Do you remember what the problem was 

You could also check whether your vnt actuator is working properly. As it is an electric actuator this may be the reason why it's giving a EML throwing a code up. If you can get an OBD II ELM327 with HS-CAN/MS-CAN switch and use with FORSCAN, you may be able to find out what to check as they have some good fault diagnosis routes to explore. I had a similar issue but without the EML as i've got a 1.6 TDCI which has the Vacuum actuator but still threw up the underboost fault code on interrogation.

Hope this helps.

On 10/22/2016 at 9:32 PM, Remi Whitelock said:

Hi. I'm going through the same problem. I have done everything apart from take it to the garage which I also do not want to do lol. 

I am assuming you have the 1.8TDCI, like the OP. Details will be different for other engines.

The main causes for turbo under boost are:

Air leaks, in the hoses etc. Rubber hose from turbo, under airbox. Metal pipe under airbox, held on with one nut on gearbox. Rubber hose to intercooler. Leaks in intercooler (look for damage through front grille). rubber hose up to top of engine. Metal pipe beside coolant reservoir. Rubber 90deg hose to inlet. Blanking plugs (aerosol tops, jars, etc) in both ends with a small pipe sealed in to one end would allow a pressure test of the intercooler, by blowing into it.

Faulty MAP sensor, hose to MAP, or wiring  & plug to MAP. This measures the turbo boost pressure. It is mounted on top of the cam cover. About 2.4 Bar abs is the normal max boost.

Faulty turbo actuator, including connector & wiring. It may be possible to see this moving when revved on the driveway, but would need a helper.

Jammed Turbo. Remove the hose from airbox to turbo, you should be able to see the compressor wheel and be able to turn it carefully. It should rotate freely. Another symptom of failed turbo would be oil or metal debris in the pipes from turbo to intercooler. There will usually be traces of oil due to the crankcase breather, but a failed bearing will often lose lots of oil.

Forscan can read the MAP signals, and may be able to read actuator position. It is a very powerful system:

-------

Forscan is a powerful Ford specific system, Cost £15.00 for the interface. Needs a computer of some sort. (COM port, USB, Bluetooth or WiFi interfaces available). You will find a lot about ELM327 & Forscan on this site, which together provide a very comprehensive diagnosis & maintenance tool. James (jeebowhite) has done a nice guide: http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=21196

Forscan works best on a Windows laptop, with a USB ELM. The Tunnelrat one (below) has been reported to work well by several people. Forscan is also available for iOS & Android for some tablets & phones.

For a USB ELM327 adapter, see

https://tunnelrat-electronics.fwscart.com/

Wireless ELMs are also available (bluetooth & WiFi), but are often not as reliable as the wired ones. Also they are rare in the "modified" form which is needed to access the 2nd Ford bus system. This 2nd bus is the MS-CAN bus, and links all the car interior electronics like door modules, and the BCM (aka GEM). But a standard ELM will still work with all the Underbonnet Modules (PCM, ABS etc) and with the IC (Instrument Cluster).

For an bluetooth wireless ELM, which one user at least says works with Forscan, see the KW902: https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2546172.m570.l1313&_nkw=kw902+elm327&_sacat=0

The Forscan programme is free (in Windows format) and you can get it from:
http://forscan.org/download.html

Edited August 26, 20205 yr by Tdci-Peter
Update some links

On 19/01/2016 at 10:49 AM, RichardAce said:

My focus 1.6tdci intermittently went into limp mode over the space of 2 years everytime putting a code out on my eBay OBD2 reader(£5) of p0299 turbo underboost, I took it to a local garage who couldn't find anything wrong, took it to a dealership expecting the worst(a new turbo and a massive bill! ) they plugged it in and found the fuel filter was full and needed changing, £170 for the diagnostics and fix :) my advice is if you get these symptoms, change the diesel filter first as a local garage will do it cheaply could save you being ripped off for a new turbo!

Update,  symptoms came back again so got the fuel filter changed again and tank cleaned out,  but alas still no joy,  finally took it to a local garage recommended to me who. Could not find anything wrong until he opened the air box.   I'd been changing the oil and filters myself for 3years but not the air filter which was now clogged up causing oil to be drawn out of the engine onto the maf sensor clogging it up! Lesson learned! Always change the air filter every year! Oops! 

Yo. How Yoxall doing? I got a P0299 code on my smax but no change in power output and was wondering if it could be just a sensor malfunction.