New lady member.... be nice 😃
 

Hi everyone.

Nice to meet you ! I'm Janine, and I own a Volvo s40 2.0 d.
I purchased my car around 2 months ago. And have had nothing but problems with it since day one :(

I'm here as a last resort before I give up and sell my beloved car! (I will try to attach photos for you to see).

Anyway, the car, no matter what gear/revs, hot or cold, it does this crazy juddering. Like, a feeling you're being towed, or kangaroo juice in it or like I'm playing with the accelerator- on off on off.
I've changed the turbo, thinking that was the issue (tbh, it did have a broken blade) that however didn't fix the problem. We changed the Maf sensor, turbo boost control solenoid, boost sensor , actuator position sensor, the car no CAT , has EGR blanked off, but not on the ECU.
There's a possible ABS sensor out. But the issue is definitely engine related. I really need some help, someone who's good with the fuel side of the car & injector side. I'm skint, so so skint after spending so much money on it already. So, if anyone has any ideas at all, please do email me or reply here. Thanks so much for reading , and I can't wait to hear from you!

Janine x

Hi and welcome to the forum....
I guess you bought it privately then ? Otherwise I'd be running it back to the dealer to have it sorted.
You list the work you've had done, who assessed this and did they state that it would cure the problem ?

Would a faulty glow plug cause these issues?

Do you know of anyone that can get it on Vida/Dice to check for error codes?

Be aware that an EGR blank-out is an illegal modification to the emissions system and an instant MOT fail in the UK.

If you bought it from a dealer, demand the dealer reinstate the emissions systems to be compliant with MOT regulations

Otherwise, you can be failed at an MOT test and will have to reinstate the EGR at that time.

Not if the engine is at normal operating temperature.

Glow plugs are only used for starting, and then only when cold (like <10°C)

A juddering stuttering engine is more a sign of a misfire.

Find yourself a Good indy or main dealer with Vida&dice
get a readout from the car with that and you will know what is wrong with it

Hello, thanks for your replies everyone.
So, my fella is an engineer and is good with cars, he's done most of the work, we also have a family member who owns a garage. We've had it on vida and the only things that shows up is the turbo actuator. But this has been fixed. Another fault is the ECU. Previous owner of the car came to visit last week and try to help too. But we're all just stumped. Could it be a simple fuel filter?

I also bought the car with all this work done EGR , CAT removal etc. I know the risks, so I'm not concerned about that. Does anyone know here if this could be a fuel related issue?

If it is a misfire, VIDA will log it.

It can also monitor a large amount of engine data in real time, and log many problems that are too infrequent to cause a fault message (ENGINE SERVICE REQUIRED) to appear.

Of course, given that the catalytic converter has been removed and the EGR blanked off, the motor will never run properly as Volvo intended.
The operating parameters will not all be what the VIDA manual says, and you need to accept that and then use your head to figure out what should be normal for your modified engine, now that the baseline for "normal" has been altered.

But always start with the basics:

Run the injector tests in VIDA to check injector performance. You can see very quickly if all 5 cylinders are performing equally and within their normal operating parameters.

Check the air intake system is properly sealed and free of leaks: use visual observation first and then a smoke machine if you can get one. A leaky system will cause air/fuel mix errors but would have to be really broken to cause lumpy running. Sometimes really broken does happen: the charged air pipe falls off the turbo - and this causes loud whoosh noises and performance problems above around 2000 rpm. But will idle more or less OK.

Check DPF filter soot levels are within limits. This is a calculated reading, but tells you what the engine is thinking. However a blocked DPF will cause the engine to go into limp mode, and the car will tell you the issue exists. A DPF that is not full enough to trigger limp mode won't be noticed by most people.

Check the air filter is clean (but it has to be incredibly dirty to cause problems like you describe)

Check fuel pressure is OK and stable, replace fuel filter it unknown when it was last replaced. Do not use any form of diesel cleaner additivie.
If additive was added recently, but the fuel filter was not changed, then definitely change the fuel filter. You may have loosened gunk in the tank and moved it to the fuel filter.

Ensure the fuel tank is at least 50% full, to ensure you are not going to suck up muck at the bottom of an empty tank.

VIDA shows a large amount of data and shows many captured errors that may not yet be frequent enough to log an engine fault.
Print out all those errors to PDF, and then copy and paste the data from the PDF (or from the VIDA webpage) into this forum.
Make sure you print out the entire car: all modules, including those without errors, so that forum members can understand what is fitted to the car.
It will help the forum members immensely if they can see exactly what VIDA says, without any detail being lost in translation.

If you do not want people to know exactly what car you have, and help to stay anonymous, you can hide the VIN if you want.

Sorry but I don’t think that you do....

EGR blanking on the earlier 2.0d doesn’t usually cause problems and an MOT tester will probably never spot it but the CAT removal is obvious to all - including the police and DVSA though they aren’t likely to pull over many S40’s unless the exterior is also modified.

My point is that you bought a modified car, and those modifications are not ones that would have been done by a reputable garage or tuning company, so I would question whether they were done well and what else has been done to the car in the mistaken belief that it will improve it? We have had new members on here before that bought de-cat’d cars and it soon became obvious that it was really done because the old cat became clogged due to injector/overfuelling issues, often arising from bodged upgrades and tuning boxes.

My advice would be it is pointless and expensive (as you have found) trying to sort the car as it is - your best option is return it to standard spec (shouldn’t be too expensive, use second hand parts). Once it is running well and as it should do, then make any modifications you want to, one by one and assess the impact of each. If it has a tuning box - get rid of that too as they are usually hopeless.

The issues that you describe do sound fuelling / air leak related though.

So I’m sorry if I’ve not been nice to you.... but not giving you a honest opinion isn’t being nice either....

Good luck.

And one more consideration:

Do you have children or do you want children?
Do you want them to live a good life?

If you do, stop poisoning the planet unnecessarily with a vehicle modified to emit higher emissions than was ever intended by the manufacturer and the law makers...

I am in my 50s and have lived through the dirty diesel era, and am now seeing clean diesels, and I enjoy breathing in clean air.
I have seen and experienced the direct impact in my lifetime of improved emissions standards on diesel vehicles.
Don't go backwards.

Not entirely correct, my V50 run far cleaner with the EGR blanked. I saw a much lower particulate emissions and better mpg. Change the fuel filter if it hasn’t already been done, I’ve heard quite a few issues have been caused by a mucky fuel filter.

TT

bull****
no such thing as "clean diesel" never was never will be , BUT sheep believe the bull. IF you really had a single Clue you would never make that statement.
the emissions from diesel have and ALWAYS will be FAR more harmful than leaded petrol cars. anyone claiming otherwise is a fool without a clue.

Swissxc90, Join the ignore list, you are a fool with a BAD attitude.

Swiss has an opinion. Judging by your rant it's you who has the attitude.

I disagree, the OP has come here for advice on how to overcome what sounds to be a complicated issue. The above post is inappropriate for this particular thread.
Perhaps we should get back on to subject and keep our opinions to more appropriate threads.

TT

+ 1 on changing the fuel filter.

Wow! Lovely comment left there above 🤭

When I bought the car, I had no idea of the parts removed or changed. I have only in the last few days found the egr and the CAT removed. So please remove yourself from my post. Mong.

To all the other lovely people on here, turns out it's a faulty injector. Tonight it's decided to pi$$ diesel all over my engine and drive WOOHOO! but, hopefully after fixing it, it'll be spot on! I'll keep you updated. Thanks!

The injectors are a fail on the 2ltr but if you have to replace it then it’ll be a dealer jobby, they have to be coded to the car. I hope it’s been something as simple as a loose union on the injector... Good luck

TT

Snap. Me too! Looks like a lose screw. Too dark now, will look into it properly tomorrow. Really appreciate all the tips!

Great to hear that my suspicions of a misfire have a high probability of being correct.

And for those who don't like my opinions: tough.

Good news it has identified itself then....

You don't need the dealer to replace the injector - they are one of a number of classes and you need a matched set of 4. If you change all of the injectors to a different class - then you need the ECU settings changing, that will be a dealer (or Volvo Indie) job. The class is marked on the plastic top of the injector so you can tell what you need - it's a single digit number on the top left of the plastic housing. If you just change the faulty injector, make sure it is the same class and then no programming needed.

Good luck.

The Mong.

Thank you. It's just the one, and it's a number 5 on the injector. Looking at it soon, just having a big fat breakfast!

Once you've got it working, trade it in for the 2.0 Petrol model.

That 2.0d (peugeot/ford) engine is not enconomical enough for the hassle of seeing "engine system service required" every few weeks.

Second hand diesel cars ranging from 2005 to 2010 (Euro 4 emission regs) are going to cause you constant problems at this point in their life cycle. They will be gummed up with all kinds of muck and soot etc. It's just not worth owning them, especially given that these cars will FAIL their mot if any of their Particulate filters etc have been removed.

And given that petrol is significantly cheaper than diesel at the moment.... to me it's just not worth owning them.

If you REALLY need a diesel engine in this car, you should go for a D3/D4/D5 engine, which is a Volvo engine and can only be found in Volvo cars.

That 2.0d engine can be found in Peugeots, Citroens, Fords and lets be honest, those manufacturers are not associated with longevity.

I had good economy out of my 2d but thanks to the EGR it was pretty gummed up inside. I was lucky with mine, I had age related issues but nothing major apart from the AC and an ignition switch going. I could achieve low fifties on a run as long as I kept the speed sensible but the ECO gumph definitely was the failing on those engines.

TT

Thanks for the advice. If I could afford to buy a new car , trust me I would. If this is a little cost of a new seal, I have to keep it. 2 kids, a small beauty business from home, bills who etc, I just simply don't have the cash. Maybe one day tho eh!

That's not been my experience.... with reasonable maintenance the 2.0D unit is easily capable of 200k plus. I agree they do tend to gum up but it is an easy job to remove the inlet manifold and clean it up (which might need doing once around 100-150k) and they're no more susceptible to this than the earlier D5's.

Although the roots of the engine are primitive (back to the XUD PSA units of the early 90's) it's a nice torquey lump and the characteristics of it suit that car well and 50+ mpg is the norm on a good run. The 7% premium we pay for diesel fuel does not come near to balancing out the economy difference between the 2.0D and 2.0 petrol.

I my experience the bigger problem with the 2.0D in the S40/V50 platform is the crappy Ford alternator and starter motor that invariably give up between 100k and 150k.

The PSA lump is a solid unit. I’ve run various motors with PSA Diesel engines in em and they were very reliable. I’ve run em in Ford, Citroen, Peugeot and LDV all of which gave good Mpg which PSA units seem to give. Sadly, that’s about the only thing good I’ve got to say about the French Auromotive industry

TT

My 2.0d (although euro 3) hit 200k the other day. Still on its original clutch as far as I'm aware unless it was replaced in its first 80k before I bought it 8 years ago.

Never intended to keep it this long but it has been so reliable so far that it's not worth getting rid of when it costs next to nothing to run.

As above, 182k and on original clutch as far as I'm aware. Had from 126k and nothing on engine replaced apart from filters and engine mounts. Gets full service every 6k and runs like a dream!

I used to service my motors every 6k, it’ll last forever.

TT

Don't come here as a new member, ask for help then insult our members. The gentleman just posted an opinion. He didn't outright call you names.

Mine isn't treated quite so nicely and gets serviced once a year so generally around every 14K.

Glad you've found the cause, interesting that nothing was found in VIDA for the faulty injector.

Let us all know how it goes when the repair is done.

No, he told her she was killing her kids

Whilst it can be hard to tell such things at the side of the road you have bought a car that is not legal. You are responsible for making sure the vehicle you drive is legal. You now need to make it legal to continue using it. You may also have invalidated your insurance due to the modifications so could be in real trouble if you had a bump and they cancel your policy. I would go back to the seller and tell him to buy it back or cover the cost of returning it to standard. Even in a private sale you can make a miss sold claim.

Yes, please, do. I can hardly wait for the outcome. Gripping stuff !
Better than Christmas telly !

judging you by your posts,, fkwit is what you are
someone comes here for help and gets accused of killing kids ,, and That according to you is Fine, BUT telling your "mate" he has a bad attitude for doing that, AND has his facts wrong isnt ok,,, , have an ignore like the rest of the bellends

You are entitled to your opinion.... however humble it may be.

Let's stop the name calling and not continue it :)

I couldn't agree more. I try to shy away from any form of conflict or taking any sides on forums but some of the content of this thread has become completely unnecessary and pretty depressing really and the tone in the last few of my 13yrs of participation here seems to be declining. This is supposed to be a car forum for Volvo owners and enthusiasts. Whilst some of the points made may have a very valid argument behind them perhaps we should all be thinking about how we convey it when written down. There's certainly never a good reason for name calling and insults.

Hopefully the above is taken in the spirit it was written with which was good intention.

Iain