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: