Volkswagen Touareg 3.0 TDI engine jerks

Intake swirl flaps

This new post reflects a failure registered in the flap motor of the intake manifold used in 3.0 TDi Common Rail engines of the Volkswagen Touareg. They have two electric motors, one for each bank.

The function of these two motors is to configure the spiroid swirls of intake air, depending on the regime and load of the engine.

At low regimes, the swirl valves are closed, improving the quality of the mixture. Between 1,250 and 2,750 rpm the swirl valves open continuously; from 2,750 rpm onwards the swirl valves stay fully open. In start-up phase and in emergency phase the swirl valves are also fully open.

SYMPTOM

The vehicle responds with some unusual jerks. The engine failure engine light stays lit.

Bearing failures

The main causes of premature end of life of the bearings are: improper lubrication, contamination, excessive overload, improper use and/or mishandling or improper installation.

Statistics concerning the causes of premature end of life of these elements are the following:

Chart on the causes of premature degradation of bearings

A premature end of life of the bearings means an additional expense for the customer, since they are expected to last as long as the vehicle, although for the reasons above this is not always the case.

  

CONTAMINATION:

Bearing contaminated by foreign particles

Contamination by foreign particles can cause problems with the correct operation of the bearings.

Dust, dirt or any kind of foreign particles can affect the lubrication of the bearings.

Water is a particular contaminating agent; an amount of 1% water in grease or oil can mean reduced lubricant life. Humidity and water contamination produce a chemical attack and corrosion in the bearings. 

Lack of power in Audi and Volkswagen 2.8 and 3.0 petrol engines

AUDI A6 2.8 Engine

This post discusses a failure caused by a marked lack of power, especially at high engine speeds or in the torque transmission phase, in 2.8 and 3.0 petrol engines of the Audi and Volkswagen brands.

                               

The engines motors affected are the following:

AMX PASSAT 3.0 engine. (Petrol). AUDI A6 ACK 2.8 engine. (Petrol). AUDI A4 ABC 2.8 engine. (Petrol).

SYMPTOM

The vehicle does not deliver adequate power and on the other hand, the vehicle has poor torque delivery.

PROCEDURE AND SOLUTION

Engine start-up failure in BMW models

Today we will describe a failure that affects the X6 35 xdrive aut. E71 (30 6D 5) model of the BMW brand, specifically a failure related to the engine.  

AFFECTED VEHICLE

BMW X6 35 xdrive aut. E71 (30 6D 5)

SYMPTOM

The engine does not start.

FAILURES REPORTED

Failures codes reported by the DDE engine control unit.

507D – Parking lock deactivated erroneously.

CF37 – CAS messages in the wrong K bus.

CAUSE

Hybrid Technology in Honda Civic IMA

The Civic Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) Hybrid System is based on an electric motor mounted between the engine and the transmission. This motor assists with extra torque which considerably reduces the vehicle’s pollution levels.

The Civic Hybrid Technology recovers and transforms the energy that is lost during deceleration and braking. This technology stores the electric power in order to assist the engine when electric power is required.

It should be noted that the engine uses two ignition coils per cylinder, as well as the variable distribution system VTEC.

The electric motor works at 158V 3-phase AC, and it is used to start the engine and also as a generator that charges the battery. That is to say, the electric motor acts as a starter motor and an alternator.

The 158V battery is formed by 20 modules of 6 cells, each one connected in series. Each cells voltage is 1.32V.

Technological advances in the automotive sector are going at breakneck speed

Recently there has been news of successful tests, for the first time in Spain, of a PSA Group vehicle driving autonomously (but without dispensing with the driver) over the nearly 600 km of motorway and highway separating the Group’s two factories on the peninsula at Vigo and Madrid.

This pilot test was conducted on 23 November 2015. To that end, a few days beforehand, the DGT had to establish a framework for carrying out tests on vehicles with autonomous driving on open traffic routes.

A few months before, the French constructor had already carried a test with this same vehicle, driving the distance separating Paris and Bordeaux . 
They are not the only ones working on autonomous vehicle systems. We remember the Google car and also Nissan with its Nissan Leaf Intelligent Driving which undertook tests in Tokyo Bay.

Speed Sensor Failure in Renault Vehicles

Today we are going to describe a failure that affects several Renault models, in particular a failure related to the speed sensor connector (TDC).

AFFECTED MODELS

The affected models are the following:

Twingo,

Modus

Clio, Clio II, Clio III

Megane, Megane II

Scénic, Scénic II

Kangoo

Laguna, Laguna II

Espace, Espace IV

Vel Satis

Logan

Fitted with the following engines:

F8Q, F9Q

G9T

K9K

M9R

SYMPTOMS

The symptoms that are produced in this incidence are as follows:

Engine does not start

Engine does not accelerate smoothly

Engine does not run smoothly at low engine speed

Engine stalls

EGR Valve Failure. Sometimes the engine does not start or it stops while on the move

In this post we are going to show you a common failure in many 1.6 HDi vehicles with engines developed by the French PSA group. Currently these engines can be used in Citroën and Peugeot 1.6 HDi, Mazda 1.6 MZ-CD, Ford 1.6 TdCi and Volvo 1.6D. 

SYMPTOM:
Sometimes the engine does not start or it stops while on the move.
The engine warning light stays on constantly.

If we proceed to the reading of the fault codes, the following stored codes may be detected:

EGR 1.6 HDi

Depending on the engine, the causes of failures can be different.

In the case of the fault P0698 – Sensor Reference Voltage C – Circuit low, it consists of 5 V power supply from the Engine Unit to a few sensors the most likely problem is the EGR valve is internally shorting the 5 V supply from the engine control unit.

For those vehicles in which the power supply of the throttle position sensor is independent, the fault code that will appear will be P1586.

Some other fault code may appear, but it will probably be caused by the engine stop.
   
DIAGNOSIS:
1-   Verify the power supply voltage of the EGR valve position sensor.
This sensor is incorporated in the electric EGR valve itself. It shares an electrical connector with the EGR actuator command.

A different pin arrangement may be used for the connectors of the different manufacturer. It is recommended to use the wiring diagram of the vehicle manufacturer.

Renault Scenic II Parking Brake Failure

In this new post we are going to show you a very common failure in the Renault Scenic II parking brake system, in any of its models.

The parking brake system of this vehicle is an electric one and the failure makes the locking of the rear wheels impossible which are responsible for keeping the vehicle stationary when it is parked.

If we proceed to the reading of the fault codes using the diagnostic machine, it shows the following codes: C1162, 5162 or DF043 (Parking Brake Failure).

Diagnosis

In order to repair this failure, act as follows:

 

1º.-  Check the power supply and the ground on the R2 connector (in black) located near the bar of the driver’s door.

PIN 1: Power supply after 25 A fuse 1 of the 1531 box (red cable). (See wiring diagram of the system at the end of the document)

PIN 2: Ground (black cable).

2º.- Check the R2 connector located under the driver’s seat (see attached image). Make sure that it is not damaged and it does not show signs of rust.

How to Register Your Workshop in Google My Business?

Google My business? What is it?

Google My Businesss is a service that Google proposes in order to register a company or a business in Google Maps, the famous online map service that millions of people use every day on the Internet. It is a completely free geolocation tool that allows promoting your business online in a very efficient way. So to sum up, Google My Business allows the company to appear in a more relevant and outstanding way in Internet searches in Google Maps and in Google search results page.

Locations of workshops in Madrid on Google Maps

Is it useful for the workshop business?

Knowing that more than 80% of the users who surf the Internet do so in order to find a local business or a company, Google My business can definitely be very useful for a workshop because that will allow  the workshop to position itself on the Internet in a quick and relevant way facing thousands of potential customers. 

On one hand, to appear in a prominent place in the Google or Google Maps results pages allows giving a lot of visibility to your business and optimally promote it, which can logically allow attracting new customers. On the other hand, since the introduction and massive use of Smartphone (telephones that allow surfing on the Internet, such as: Iphone, Samsung Galaxy, etc.) with applications that allow the users to locate geologically businesses and offers, attracting customers through geolocation applications like Google maps is becoming even more effective.

Google My Business offers its users an analysis tool (Insights) that allows obtaining relevant information about the workshops customers: where they come from, what keywords they use when searching online, how many printouts of your profile are made on the Internet. Moreover, you have the opportunity to send out promotions and special offers using your Google My Business profile (for instance, winter maintenance campaign, official inspection, 4x3 shock absorbers, etc.).

Internet users have the possibility to leave reviews and comments in the empty text fields and the workshop can answer them from its Google My Business account. It is a direct communication channel with your customers that allows you to obtain opinions, evaluation and recommendations in order to improve your business.

In brief, Google My Business can provide a competitive advantage to the workshops that want to distinguish and stand out from their competitors; especially in big cities where there are many active workshops.

How to register in Google My Business?

Regeneration of the particulate filter with catalytic recovery

The job of the particulate filter is to retain the ash particles that are generated in the diesel engine during the combustion process, thus preventing the ash particles being emitted to the atmosphere.

To prevent the filter from becoming saturated these particles are periodically eliminated by means of a process called regeneration, which consists of combusting the ash particles into other less harmful particles by raising the temperature through catalytic processes.

There are two types of diesel particulate filters:

             -   Particulate filter with catalytic additive

             -   Particulate filter with catalytic recovery

The first requires a cerine (eolys) based additive fluid which facilitates the regeneration process and the second type of particulate filter does not require an additive because it burns the particles in a dry state.

Particulate filter with catalytic recovery

This type of filter uses a ceramic monolith with a platinum coating that acts as a catalyst.

The current trend is to fit these types of filters because they are easier to produce and do not require maintenance because they do not have the additive system.

For the ECU to be able to calculate the degree of filter saturation it needs to be able assess the soot content of the filter.  The particulate filter has two pressure ports, one before the filter and one after the filter.  If there is a significant pressure difference between the two pressure ports then the system will start the regeneration process to remove the ash particles.

Filter regeneration can be carried out in three different ways:

Lack of power in Opel 1.9 CDTi 16V engines

This bulletin investigates a common fault relating to a loss of power that affects the Opel 1.9CDTi 16V engines fitted in Astra-H, Vectra-C and Zafira-B’s.

This fault occurs mainly at medium to high engine speeds and can trigger fault codes; P1109, P1125, P1901, P2075 and P2279.

MAINTENANCE SERVICE

Firstly check that no fault codes are recorded that indicate an ‘intake air leak’ and secondly check that the exhaust is clear of excessive black smoke, this is to eliminate the possibility of a restricted EGR valve, another common problem with these engines. Thirdly, it is advisable to check the condition of the pressure and vacuum hoses as these are known to collapse and deteriorate with excessive heat. 

If the previous checks have proved inconclusive and/or there is no black smoke from the exhaust, it is advisable to inspect the intake manifold variable switching system.

Improve your Google position (basic SEO techniques)

Having an optimised, professional website does not necessarily mean having good positioning on Google, as many of you know there are internal algorithms and rules within Google that make optimal positioning in its ranking more complicated.

But although it is long-term...there is a solution!

We are giving you 4 pieces of advice to improve your SEO:

The disengagement of 1st and 2nd gears in Ford vehicles

On this occasion, we are going to describe a fault that affects diesel models from the FORD manufacturer, specifically a fault detected in the gearbox and that affects the first and second gears of the MMT6 and VMT6 gearboxes.

AFFECTED MODELS

The affected models are:

• FORD MONDEO MKIV Manufactured from 2011 with gearbox MMT6.
• FORD S-MAX Manufactured from 2011 with gearbox MMT6.
• FORD C-MAX Manufactured from 2011 with gearbox MMT6.
• FORD FOCUS Manufactured from 2011 with gearbox MMT6.
• FORD KUGA Manufactured from 2011 with gearbox MMT6.
• FORD KUGA MKII Manufactured from 2011 with gearbox MMT6.
• FORD TRANSIT Manufactured from 2011 with gearbox VMT6.
• FORD TRANSIT MKVI Manufactured from 2011 with gearbox VMT6.

SYMPTOM

1st and 2nd gear disengage without warning and selection from the driver

CAUSE

How do you react to negative opinions on the Internet of our workshop?

Once your workshop is on the Internet, it is a fact that you are exposed to receiving good and bad opinions, constructive advice and derogatory remarks, which may be real or not.

There are good and bad practices relating to this very direct and free communication that exists on the network, in this article I will try and explain how to differentiate between them and how to deal with them.

Studies show that  5% of these opinions are false, it is the competition itself that writes on our social networks or pages with the sole intention of losing us customers.

We know that a poor opinion, in spite of it being false can generate mistrust among future customers of the workshop and, therefore, reduce sales.

Ford EcoBoost Engines

These engines follow the modern trend of ‘downsizing’, manufacturers are developing smaller capacity engines with fewer and smaller cylinders and yet develop similar or greater power outputs to larger capacity engines. 

Ford Motor Company is the car manufacturer responsible for the new EcoBoost engine project.  This range of new petrol engines offers more economy, more power and due to their high-efficiency, less impact on the environment.

These new EcoBoost engines have many advantages for example, lower internal friction, lower mechanical loses and due to their compact dimensions and they are lighter, reaching optimal operating temperature quicker than traditional engines.

Ford technicians have managed to achieve a 20% reduction in fuel consumption and a reduction in CO₂ emissions by 15%.