Hi I'm new here so please bear with me. I could do with some help from someone who has a good working knowledge of how the 1.9 cdti egr valve and monitoring system works.
My daughter bought the above vehicle, basically a Vectra C 1.9 cdti with a modified rear end. She bought it knowing it had the CEL/MIL light on and being informed this was because the vendor had blanked the EGR valve but had not had it deleted in the ECU, which made sense. After buying it we found it was blowing black smoke on acceleration.
Eventually found the swirl bar was off so bought a remanufactured one, which stayed on and worked! But the car still blew black smoke and had the MIL light on although to be fair the performance was good.
Eventually after researching we decided on a swirl flap delete kit which was fitted and the manifold and EGR valve fully cleaned up along with the MAP?boost sensor, the throttle body had been cleaned out and drained a few weeks prior to this. Removing the manifold on these engines is a nightmare but we got it done eventually. No more black smoke....success!! But the b****y MIL light still comes on even after the codes have been cleared. OBD scanner shows a P0400 code.
We took the car for a Tech2 check at an independent garage, free I might add, which they said was showing p0401 insufficient flow. They said the EGR would be the problem.
Had an auto electrician test the EGR with a special scanner tool which showed the valve was sticking a tiny amount and again advised change the EGR valve.
Bit the bullet and invested in a genuine Peirberg EGR valve and cleared the p0400 error. Came back after a few minutes running! The car though runs just fine now!! Have since replaced the MAP sensor with a genuine Bosch item again the code came straight back after clearing the codes. Replaced the MAF with a known good one and again the code came back a few minutes after having been cleared.
I hate EGR valves! Nothing but problems!
Decided to check the wiring and found that the two connectors inside the plug where reading voltages but can see that the valve has been opening as it should by the small amount of carbon on both sides of the circular valve plates.
Anyway after researching some more set about checking the EGR cooler and feeder pipes to see if they were blocked. The cooler was a little sooty but not at all blocked, to be doubly sure used a steel cable to feed down the cooler bores and then washed out with petrol. Refitted the whole lot and guess what another 4 hours wasted!! Yes still have the dread p0400 code.
The only code the car has been showing now for the last month or more is the dreaded P0400, nothing else is recorded.
Almost at my the end of my tether with this now.
Only things I can think of now after researching a lot more are a small chance of the exhaust being blocked because of a damaged DPF. Doubt this is the case as the car flies now and I don't think they fitted the 2004 Signum with a DPF anyway.
Or that it could be that the wiring loom to the EGR is below par somewhere, but where to look, beyond the first foot or so and it just all disappears into the main engine loom.
Last option is that there is a problem with the ECU.
My daughter has been advised to change the lambda sensor but I'm loath to do that as their is no indication this is faulty.
Really hoping to find someone here who can give some expert advise on were to go from here. Don't want to go to Vauxhall as they will want a fortune and will insist on changing all the stuff already done at our expense and still end up in the same boat as now.
My daughter bought the above vehicle, basically a Vectra C 1.9 cdti with a modified rear end. She bought it knowing it had the CEL/MIL light on and being informed this was because the vendor had blanked the EGR valve but had not had it deleted in the ECU, which made sense. After buying it we found it was blowing black smoke on acceleration.
Eventually found the swirl bar was off so bought a remanufactured one, which stayed on and worked! But the car still blew black smoke and had the MIL light on although to be fair the performance was good.
Eventually after researching we decided on a swirl flap delete kit which was fitted and the manifold and EGR valve fully cleaned up along with the MAP?boost sensor, the throttle body had been cleaned out and drained a few weeks prior to this. Removing the manifold on these engines is a nightmare but we got it done eventually. No more black smoke....success!! But the b****y MIL light still comes on even after the codes have been cleared. OBD scanner shows a P0400 code.
We took the car for a Tech2 check at an independent garage, free I might add, which they said was showing p0401 insufficient flow. They said the EGR would be the problem.
Had an auto electrician test the EGR with a special scanner tool which showed the valve was sticking a tiny amount and again advised change the EGR valve.
Bit the bullet and invested in a genuine Peirberg EGR valve and cleared the p0400 error. Came back after a few minutes running! The car though runs just fine now!! Have since replaced the MAP sensor with a genuine Bosch item again the code came straight back after clearing the codes. Replaced the MAF with a known good one and again the code came back a few minutes after having been cleared.
I hate EGR valves! Nothing but problems!
Decided to check the wiring and found that the two connectors inside the plug where reading voltages but can see that the valve has been opening as it should by the small amount of carbon on both sides of the circular valve plates.
Anyway after researching some more set about checking the EGR cooler and feeder pipes to see if they were blocked. The cooler was a little sooty but not at all blocked, to be doubly sure used a steel cable to feed down the cooler bores and then washed out with petrol. Refitted the whole lot and guess what another 4 hours wasted!! Yes still have the dread p0400 code.
The only code the car has been showing now for the last month or more is the dreaded P0400, nothing else is recorded.
Almost at my the end of my tether with this now.
Only things I can think of now after researching a lot more are a small chance of the exhaust being blocked because of a damaged DPF. Doubt this is the case as the car flies now and I don't think they fitted the 2004 Signum with a DPF anyway.
Or that it could be that the wiring loom to the EGR is below par somewhere, but where to look, beyond the first foot or so and it just all disappears into the main engine loom.
Last option is that there is a problem with the ECU.
My daughter has been advised to change the lambda sensor but I'm loath to do that as their is no indication this is faulty.
Really hoping to find someone here who can give some expert advise on were to go from here. Don't want to go to Vauxhall as they will want a fortune and will insist on changing all the stuff already done at our expense and still end up in the same boat as now.
