[fitzy89]

Hello all

I've been reading about this for hours and I'm going round in cercles not really knowing what my car has got and what it hasn't and more specifically, what to do when the dreaded message comes up.

I've got a 2002 (September) 406 2.0 HDi 90, earlier today the message came up and it went into limp mode as others have described on here. And wow, limp mode really does suck as I'm sure you're aware the lack of acceleration is down right dangerous.

After doing a bunch of reading on my mobile while out I thought my best/easiest course of action would be the 4th gear method so I booted it home flat out in 4th gear for most of the way, barely able to get a notch over 45-50 but over the 12 mile journey home it appears to have resolved the message and it's operating normally again and limp mode has gone.

I do intend to get diagnostics run on it, I would like to know if the ECU stores a history of past problems, so if the car is fine now, would it still show up the cause of the antipollution message that it had earlier on?

Also, I would like to know if my car has for the fluid bag thing (can't remember the name) that needs replacing now and then? I've seen conflicting reports that it's only on the 110 or 2.2 models but I'd just like to know for sure really before it lets me down. And does it have the DPF as well, is the DPF and fluid bag present on all models that have DPF or do some have DPF without the bag? I'm fairly new to diesels so just trying to learn what I can really to prepare for any future disasters.

And finally, knowing that driving at high revs in 4th gear has resolved the problem, does that help identify the cause at all?

 

[reliable406]

Your car is a 90 so has no real problems to worry about it was probably just the egr valve misbehaving

NO DPF
NO FLUID
NO CAP SENSOR
NO BOOST CONTROL SOLENOID

Fit a blanking plate to the egr valve if it keeps doing it

 

[fitzy89]

Thanks so much for the quick response and that's what I was hoping to hear.

If I end up needing to blank the EGR, does the ECU need any changes at all or a remap to make it behave properly?

 

[reliable406]

No just blank it you can also plug the vacuum pipe to the solenoid but its not really needed blanking it is enough

 

[fitzy89]

Hi again. Just another quick follow up on this one. Today the issue happened again on the M25 of all places, cruising at 30-40mph on a motorway with heavy rain and spray, with my young son and inlaws in the car was dicing with death to say the least! But luckily knocking it in neutral on the downhill parts and revving over 3000 for a few miles did the trick again to fix it, pulled into a service station, restarted, no more limp mode or dashboard light.

So now I'm making the decision on whether to clean the valve or blank it off. My car has done a few miles at 165k and likely has a bit of wear, I don't know what, if any, maintenance has been done before I got it earlier this year. If I blank off the valve, due to the age and mileage is it likely to cause any issues with emissions at the next MOT?

I've found the plates on ebay, cheap as chips as others have suggested, should I use the one with or without a hole in the middle?. I've had a quick look for guides or a video but haven't had much luck for the 406, are there any tricks or anything to make the job easier? I've heard it's a bit of a ball-ache to get the tools in there and take the bolts out. Do I just remove the valve and leave the pipes there? Any other bits need to come off with it? I'm new to diesels so not sure exactly what's involved.

 

[Ginger Magic]

Hi mate - you need these.

There is a slot instead of holes so you can simply loosen the EGR ( a small 10mm spanner is all you need ) and slide the plate in then tighten the EGR back up :thumb:

EGR valve blanking plate Ford 2.0 TDCi Peugeot 2.0HDi Citroen 2.0 HDi Volvo 2.0 | eBay

My mate had a Picasso Hdi90 that had the same issues as yours, I just unplugged his MAF sensor and it sorted his car out, maybe try this if the blanking plate doesn't do the trick, although blanking the EGR can only be a good thing.

 

[kevinday284]

hi fitzy89
i had the same on my 406 2.0 hdi i call peugeot dealer in Folkestone and ask the parts department if my car had the dpf tank fitted and no my car hasn't so its worth giving your peugeot dealer a call coz i work with peugeot all day but more of the partners and bippers and boxers so i have a good relationship with my main dealer

 

[fitzy89]

Hi mate - you need these.

There is a slot instead of holes so you can simply loosen the EGR ( a small 10mm spanner is all you need ) and slide the plate in then tighten the EGR back up :thumb:

EGR valve blanking plate Ford 2.0 TDCi Peugeot 2.0HDi Citroen 2.0 HDi Volvo 2.0 | eBay

My mate had a Picasso Hdi90 that had the same issues as yours, I just unplugged his MAF sensor and it sorted his car out, maybe try this if the blanking plate doesn't do the trick, although blanking the EGR can only be a good thing.

Thanks for the info, I've ordered one of the plates.

I was also just reading this about disconnecting the blue plug, while I'm waiting for the plate to arrive (and some time to fit it) is it worth giving this a go? If so, should I leave the plug off once the plate EGR is blanked as well?

 

[reliable406]

No need to remove the electrical connection just blank it and see how it goes but to be fair it could be something else causing the limp mode so don't pin all hopes on this curing it although it is quite likely the cause there are other possible reasons but its best to start with the easiest

 

[fitzy89]

Thanks for the replies again. While I'm waiting for the blanking plate to come in the post I decided to put a can of Wynns EGR3 through it and wow what a difference it's made. Revving feels so much smoother, it idles smoother, acceleration has shown a huge improvement it's like driving a petrol car again very quick off the line, pulls through corners much nicer. The smoke and soot that came out of it was very impressive too,

I did it in a public car park knowing the noise and mess it would make, the car park is nicely blackened and you couldn't see through the smoke it made, looked very much like this (at 8:55) https://youtu.be/1DhYk3Mm8HQ?t=526

Overall though the Wynns seems very good I'm really impressed. I'll still blank off the EGR in the warm weather but will likely take the plate out for the winter months as others have suggested it's bes to have it active in cold weather.

 

[fitzy89]

Sorry for the double post. I've got another update. Today I received the blanking plate and have just fitted it. I haven't taken the car for a drive yet but gave it a quick run up and since fitting the plate there's a very noticeable lack of throttle response when revving it, when moving the throttle body by hand under the bonnet, the first 1/4" to 1/2" of movement doesn't rev up the engine at all (it used to) and overall rpm rises slower as if there's a loss of power somewhere. When revving it there's also what I assume is exhaust gas coming out of the EGR valve itself around the 'vent' holes on the bottom of the domed part. I'm just heading out for a drive so thought I'd post this quickly and ask for opinions on if this is normal behaviour or not. I'm taking my tools with me just in case I get stuck so I can remove the plate

 

[reliable406]

With the blanking plate fitted there should be nothing going through the EGR !

 

[Ginger Magic]

Did you fit the blanking plate above or below the copper gasket?

Also, was the throttle cable clip disturbed at all during the installation? Is the throttle cable pushed back into the clips on the bulkhead?

 

[fitzy89]

Hi again, I worked it out after a 10 mile drive earlier I noticed the pedal sitting low and didn't have much travel then I noticed the outer sleeve of the cable was loose on the throttle body, it was the clip I must have knocked it off by accident and lost it when fitting the plate earlier (which is odd as I wasn't working anywhere near it), I've put a couple of cable ties on there as a temporary fix and it's performing much better now, as I would have expected. Much better low end torque and economy increase of roughly 7mpg and through most of the journey was showing upwards of 44mpg
Not my photo but appears to be a wire clip I've somehow lost: http://206gti.net/throttle-cable/Hi-Res/02.JPG

Which side of the plate should the gasket go, on the exhaust side I would guess to seal it off good? I had to take the gasket off as I couldn't get the plate in the gap with it in place it was too solid and I couldn't prise it apart enough to get them both in together but the visible smoke was coming out of the valve cone-shaped part (the holes around the edge of it) not where the plate was, would this indicate a dodgy diaphragm? This was the blank I got and fitted it as shown in the pictures here: EGR blanking plate Peugeot Citroen Fiat 2,000cc 8valve HDi blank block Slotted | eBay

 

[Ginger Magic]

Okay, the end you blanked is the inlet manifold end, so the EGR valve is opening as usual but the gas has nowhere to go as the other end is sealed so the gas is coming out of the UFO shape.

You can either move the blank to underneath the EGR valve instead, or disconnect the vacuum pipe that comes out of the UFO shape, so the EGR stays closed.

If you replace the clip, make it so it won't come off again by tying a piece of wire around the sides to form a loop :thumb:

 

[fitzy89]

Thanks so much everyone, this site is amazing.

Thanks Ginger I'll disconnect the vacuum host in that case that should do the trick then. Is it closed by default (and vacuum opens it) or the other way about? Wondering if I need to vacuum it and put a clamp on or anything to keep it closed.

 

[Ginger Magic]

HI, when I removed my EGR completely I had a look at how it works.

There is a sort of plug inside that is facing down, and when vacuum is applied it 'lifts' the plug which opens the hole and lets the air through.

So you are correct, its closed by default and opened with vacuum.

No vacuum, no lift, no gas coming through..:thumb: