2011 Renault Megane 1.5dci 110 injector issue

angrybeaver

Hi All,

Hope someone can assist with some advice.

A few weeks ago when driving home I got a Engine Failure message and a red light on my 2011 Renault Megane Estate 1.5dci. 105k miles on the clock.

Then a check injection system message flashed up. The car went into Limp mode. Lucky I was only miles from my local independent mechanic. Thinking back I had noticed an odd miss as the car accelerated on very odd occasions then fine for days.

He ran diagnostics and showed an issue with injector 3 & 4. He suggested I source 2 Used injectors from A scrap yard as new they are 400 odd new. I did this And the mechanic received them And installed them.

With the 2 injectors installed he couldn’t get the car to start at all. Speaking with a contact in Renault the mechanic said the car should fire up if injectors are good then will need coding after or Check ignition will remain.

He removed the second hand injectors with my existing 2 and the car started immediately and he says is since running like clockwork?? I said were they loose initially maybe? He Said definitely not. My independent mechanic is baffled as the car even when I turn it off and on again in his yard before the diagnostic the car was running perfect and didn’t at all seem like 2 injectors.

Could this have been dirty fuel as I know the diesel filter needs changing. I obviously don’t want this to happen again as I’m often away on work miles and don’t want to get stranded.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

listermint

It's certainly plausible that the injectors had dirt in them or the lines to them had dirt in them. But usually the filter should be doing their job stopping that.

Maybe thank your stars she's back.

angrybeaver

Any other input or advice would be great,

It’s a very common engine surely has happened before to someone.?

Thanks

BrianD3

Diesel injection issues/diagnostic are tricky - a lot of mechanics aren't very good at this or don't have the right equipment. "Bolt on diagnostics" is a common strategy.

A generic OBD reader may give misleading fault codes. E.g. I had problems starting my 1.5 Dci, check engine light was coming on. Connected my reader and it gave faults for an injector, glow plugs and camshaft position sensor. Brought to mechanic who I think had a similar reader as me. Wanted to change the injector and glow plugs and was making a big deal out of the whole thing but thankfully rowed back on it, realised his limitations and said I'd be better off going to a diesel specialist of which there are a few around the country. Decided to have another look at it myself. Unplugged the camshaft position sensor, oh wait, that plug felt like it was a bit loose :eek: Plugged back in. Cleared codes, car starting fine, check engine light off. No repeat of issue.

Point being I could easily have ended up spending time and money and had hassle due to farting around over a loose plug.

In your case yes it sounds possible that there could have been something in the fuel. It wouldn't take much given how fine the tolerances are.

One other simple thing to check is the condition of the low pressure fuel lines in the vicinity of the hand pump and fuel filter. A bad kink here will result in running problems, hesitation and possibly misleading fault codes. This also happened to me after a main dealer changed a fuel filter and left a hose kinked afterwards, Unfortunately you can't assume that any mechanic/garage is competent.

angrybeaver

BrianD3 wrote: »

Diesel injection issues/diagnostic are tricky - a lot of mechanics aren't very good at this or don't have the right equipment. "Bolt on diagnostics" is a common strategy.

A generic OBD reader may give misleading fault codes. E.g. I had problems starting my 1.5 Dci, check engine light was coming on. Connected my reader and it gave faults for an injector, glow plugs and camshaft position sensor. Brought to mechanic who I think had a similar reader as me. Wanted to change the injector and glow plugs and was making a big deal out of the whole thing but thankfully rowed back on it, realised his limitations and said I'd be better off going to a diesel specialist of which there are a few around the country. Decided to have another look at it myself. Unplugged the camshaft position sensor, oh wait, that plug felt like it was a bit loose :eek: Plugged back in. Cleared codes, car starting fine, check engine light off. No repeat of issue.

Point being I could easily have ended up spending time and money and had hassle due to farting around over a loose plug.

In your case yes it sounds possible that there could have been something in the fuel. It wouldn't take much given how fine the tolerances are.

One other simple thing to check is the condition of the low pressure fuel lines in the vicinity of the hand pump and fuel filter. A bad kink here will result in running problems, hesitation and possibly misleading fault codes. This also happened to me after a main dealer changed a fuel filter and left a hose kinked afterwards, Unfortunately you can't assume that any mechanic/garage is competent.

Excellent info Thanks,

Could you or anyone else recommend a decent diesel Mechanic In the Limerick Area?

angrybeaver

angrybeaver wrote: »

Hi All,

Hope someone can assist with some advice.

A few weeks ago when driving home I got a Engine Failure message and a red light on my 2011 Renault Megane Estate 1.5dci. 105k miles on the clock.

Then a check injection system message flashed up. The car went into Limp mode. Lucky I was only miles from my local independent mechanic. Thinking back I had noticed an odd miss as the car accelerated on very odd occasions then fine for days.

He ran diagnostics and showed an issue with injector 3 & 4. He suggested I source 2 Used injectors from A scrap yard as new they are 400 odd new. I did this And the mechanic received them And installed them.

With the 2 injectors installed he couldn’t get the car to start at all. Speaking with a contact in Renault the mechanic said the car should fire up if injectors are good then will need coding after or Check ignition will remain.

He removed the second hand injectors with my existing 2 and the car started immediately and he says is since running like clockwork?? I said were they loose initially maybe? He Said definitely not. My independent mechanic is baffled as the car even when I turn it off and on again in his yard before the diagnostic the car was running perfect and didn’t at all seem like 2 injectors.

Could this have been dirty fuel as I know the diesel filter needs changing. I obviously don’t want this to happen again as I’m often away on work miles and don’t want to get stranded.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

Just for information to close this out.

I got to the bottom of the issue.

Crack In the diesel hand pump allowing air into the system intermittently. Nice cheap fix. Changed the hand pump new fuel filter all sorted. It initially came up as injector issue as that’s what was failing with the air in the system.

Took the car to the car clinic on Windmill Street Limerick. Excellent service and very reasonable price. Excellent at diagnostic, not just what the computer says.