Peugeot 307 1.4hdi Losing Power and Burning Smell

vodafrank

I have a 05 reg Peugeot 307 1.4hdi which in the last while has begun to seriously lose power...and revs. Some days it drives just fine, and then others it barely creeps over 35mph, and less on hills. The other thing is that when the car is idling the engine wont throw out any more than 3500 revs. Also, after a while, there is a burning smell detectable, especially when driving it for a while? There is no engine management light lit on the dash either, which has my local mechanic stumped? He tried a new Air Flow Meter on it, but that didnt solve it, and he reckons it wont show up on the diagnostics when there is no warning light displayed??? Can anyone throw some light on this?? Thanks!

Row

It maybe worth while checking the egr valve as they don't always show
up a mil light...The cats on these can also blockup.

vodafrank

Row wrote: »

It maybe worth while checking the egr valve as they don't always show
up a mil light...The cats on these can also blockup.

Cheers for the reply Row; the car is dying a death today; only throwing out 1500rpm when standing still, and barely creeping on the road. I have it book in with the local dealer for a diagnostic check on Friday. Would a blocked cat or fuel injection problems cause the acrid burning smell I can get?? Thanks

Row

The injector seals can also pass throught compression which can cause a burning smell in and around the engine bay..If bad enough your engine would
lose power...is there a hissing noise in and around the engine like pressure leaking....??
I'm suprised that your anti pollution message is'nt showing....

omj

I have 05 reg 407 1.6hdi and have had lots of problems - 1 of them being loss of power. i had to have turbo replaced before xmas. Local dealer quoted approx €2000 for parts labour & vat (possibly more) for genuine Peugeot part and about €1500 for non-genuine. I took car to dealer in NI and had job done there with genuine part for £1000 all in. I hate this car, lovely to drive but everything that goes is sooooooooo expensive to replace. I have prob spent excess €5k at this stage.

vodafrank

Row wrote: »

The injector seals can also pass throught compression which can cause a burning smell in and around the engine bay..If bad enough your engine would
lose power...is there a hissing noise in and around the engine like pressure leaking....??
I'm suprised that your anti pollution message is'nt showing....

There is an unusual sound from the engine alright, a kind of whizzing or i suppose hissing, which at first I didnt take any heed of because I figured it might be the turbo, but it doesnt sound like how the turbo should sound. The local mechanic ruled out turbo problems because he said the car would pollute the place with black smoke if it was turbo trouble. There is no excess smoke from the exhaust. The car is a few miles overdue a service alright but i assume this wouldnt have anything to do with it??? My own guess to be honest is a fuel feed or injector problem...but that burning smell still bugs me!?

Row

vodafrank...Check around each injector for a blackish substance...if one
or more injectors has this then you will need to get the seal replaced.
Leakinf injectors will cause a burning smell around the engine bay
and even in the cabin.
also been a few miles over a service won't cause this problem..:)

Row

omj wrote: »

I have 05 reg 407 1.6hdi and have had lots of problems - 1 of them being loss of power. i had to have turbo replaced before xmas. Local dealer quoted approx €2000 for parts labour & vat (possibly more) for genuine Peugeot part and about €1500 for non-genuine. I took car to dealer in NI and had job done there with genuine part for £1000 all in. I hate this car, lovely to drive but everything that goes is sooooooooo expensive to replace. I have prob spent excess €5k at this stage.

:eek::eek: €5k...Just curious how you spent this amount...
The turbos don't just fail for no reason....The biggest factor for failing
turbos are..
1)not using the correct grade of oil.
2)pushing out service intervals to far.
3)dpf problems causing back pressure on the engine/turbo if blocked.
Did peugeot replace the turbo oil feed lines....as its part of the job when changing out a turbo....??

baldoyleautos

vodafrank wrote: »

I have a 05 reg Peugeot 307 1.4hdi which in the last while has begun to seriously lose power...and revs. Some days it drives just fine, and then others it barely creeps over 35mph, and less on hills. The other thing is that when the car is idling the engine wont throw out any more than 3500 revs. Also, after a while, there is a burning smell detectable, especially when driving it for a while? There is no engine management light lit on the dash either, which has my local mechanic stumped? He tried a new Air Flow Meter on it, but that didnt solve it, and he reckons it wont show up on the diagnostics when there is no warning light displayed??? Can anyone throw some light on this?? Thanks!

Even when there is no engine light on the first thing before spending much money is to get it plugged into a diagnostics machine

vodafrank

Iv just had an update from the garage this morning, they're working on the car at the moment...it appears it is a fuel feed problem, perhaps a pump fault, but they wont know more until later. Anyone know how much a fuel pump replacement might cost before I'm quoted a robbery???!:rolleyes:

Row

Did they replace the fuel filter...?? if it was restricted it may bring up
low pump pressure faults....can they monitor the fuel pressure on live data..??
have they checked the cables feeding each injector..??

These fuel pumps don't normally give much trouble but if you got bad diesel
or put in petrol by mistake it can cause havoc.

If it comes to it this may be a cheaper alternative... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HIGH-PRESSURE-DIESEL-PUMP-1-4-HDI-BOSCH_W0QQitemZ160397730399QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item255873225f

vodafrank

Row wrote: »

Did they replace the fuel filter...?? if it was restricted it may bring up
low pump pressure faults....can they monitor the fuel pressure on live data..??
have they checked the cables feeding each injector..??

These fuel pumps don't normally give much trouble but if you got bad diesel
or put in petrol by mistake it can cause havoc.

If it comes to it this may be a cheaper alternative... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HIGH-PRESSURE-DIESEL-PUMP-1-4-HDI-BOSCH_W0QQitemZ160397730399QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item255873225f

Thanks for the link Row. I'm not sure whats happening with it at the moment. Im at work while the car's in the garage!! Its like waitng to hear news from the hospital!! Anyway, i'v never accidentally put petrol in it, and i usually get Diesel in the same garage. The only thing I would say is that I have a habit of driving the car on very little diesel for too many miles. I usually dont fill up until she's on the vapours, which I'd say does my fuel pump no good at all.:o

Row

Letting the fuel run low is'nt a good habit to have...it does'nt make it easier
on diesel....:)
It sounds like there guessing the problem...they could turn around and fit a new hp pump and you could still have the problem.....:rolleyes:

I think its time to get it on a good diagnostic m/c and check the hp pump pressure on cranking...idle..2k..etc which can tell if the hp pump is doing
its job or not.

Has the garage got any diagnostic equipment ???
if not then you should bring it to someone who has.....
other wise they will be throwing parts into it at your expence...:eek:
Best of luck with it.

GERMAN ROCKS

vodafrank wrote: »

Thanks for the link Row. I'm not sure whats happening with it at the moment. Im at work while the car's in the garage!! Its like waitng to hear news from the hospital!! Anyway, i'v never accidentally put petrol in it, and i usually get Diesel in the same garage. The only thing I would say is that I have a habit of driving the car on very little diesel for too many miles. I usually dont fill up until she's on the vapours, which I'd say does my fuel pump no good at all.:o

ya be careful. theere could be dirt in the tank which gets used when the diesel is low and will **** up everything. anything to do with the diesel must be spotless for these engines

vodafrank

Row wrote: »

Letting the fuel run low is'nt a good habit to have...it does'nt make it easier
on diesel....:)
It sounds like there guessing the problem...they could turn around and fit a new hp pump and you could still have the problem.....:rolleyes:

I think its time to get it on a good diagnostic m/c and check the hp pump pressure on cranking...idle..2k..etc which can tell if the hp pump is doing
its job or not.

Has the garage got any diagnostic equipment ???
if not then you should bring it to someone who has.....
other wise they will be throwing parts into it at your expence...:eek:
Best of luck with it.

Well guys the car is fixed. You wouldnt believe the problem. There is some kind of asbestos ball in the exhaust system that is designed to act as a moisture absorber. The ball became misplaced in the exhaust and lodged in a position where it was causing the exhaust to block, smothering the engine. One of the lads in the garage knew instantly what was wrong. They did put it on the machine but nothing showed up...except this. They took the ball out completely and it was absolutley clogged with sooty type substance. I saw it myself. The mechanic said theres no need at all for this thing in the first place, and he has seen it to cause trouble before. Its about as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike! Anyhow I have the car back now, and its driving better than ever! 100%. Sometimes its the simplest things!!:D

Row

Great news and thanks for letting us know what the fix was...:)

Thats asbestos ball in your exhaust is the cat...here a diagram of the cat,turbo of the 1.4 hdi.
Number 10 is the cat...:)

Tells

So are they any good? The 307's?

I like the look of them and I've been toying with the idea of getting one particularly the 1.4 hdi model. Cheapish road tax and fuel economy. Is it a chance you take that you might get a bad one?

I've been looking at this one in particular http://www.gumtree.ie/dublin/94/52504994.html

Sorry to change the subject..

Cheers.

vodafrank

Tells wrote: »

So are they any good? The 307's?

I like the look of them and I've been toying with the idea of getting one particularly the 1.4 hdi model. Cheapish road tax and fuel economy. Is it a chance you take that you might get a bad one?

I've been looking at this one in particular http://www.gumtree.ie/dublin/94/52504994.html

Sorry to change the subject..

Cheers.

Well to be honest I have over 200k on mine an this is the first trouble i'v had. I know there are some horror stories about peugeots, but i think you can be unlucky with any make or model. My family have bought peugeot diesels for the past 15-20 years and have never had a minutes bother. Peugeot diesel engines have a good rep in general, but some of the secondary features, eg elec windows etc etc can be troublesome. But from my experience you wont go too far wrong with a peugeot diesel, but avoid petrol at all costs. Maybe someone else will have an opinion to the contrary, but I find them good by and large. Plus they are superbly comfortable which is one thing the french have gotten right. It drives like a mini MPV, from a drivers position viewpoint.

vodafrank

The other thing I forgot to mention is that the 1.4 HDi is superbly economical...I can get almost 80 mpg on a long journey. They run on the smell of diesel...a thoery which I can say i have tested to the limit!:)

Row

I know of a taxi in belfast that has a 307 1.4 hdi with 220,000mls and
flying it....:)..which was chipped from 75bhp to 90bhp around 40k ago.
I had one for awhile but it was alittle under powered @75 bhp it
really needs alittle more oooomph.
but as vodafrank already said the are very easy on diesel...:)

ladyneedinghel

Have you still got the same car, if so did the asbestos ball in the exhaust system when removed fix the problems you had to date . Have you had any other troubles since. Im concidering buying one but i am a little nervous that in the long run it will be more expensive