Probably taking the T4 off the road for a resto...

[clarkey1984]

With the steadily rising amount of niggling faults it's accumulated, and some aspects getting steadily worse, the only option I can come up with going forward is to retire it for a bit and buy a super cheap stop gap just to get to work and things while it's done, pretty sure I can tackle most of it myself.

The following is wrong with it...

The boost randomly comes and goes, sometimes I get a nice 18psi, other times I get about 9, sometimes just 6, turning the engine off and back on again fixes it, but it always comes back, seemingly at random.

A rough hunting idle that sometimes results in it stalling at traffic lights etc, the same remedy fixes it, for a while.

Occasional misfire over 3000rpm, noticeably worse in 3rd, even moreso in 4th, stop and start sometimes fixes it, sometimes it doesn't, a similar kangaroo style scenario if I forget to change down and try and accelerate at around 1200 rpm on occasion.

Repeated check engine light illumination relating to O2 sensors low voltage or slow response, both sensors 1 and 2, the light also goes out again on its own sometimes as well, the light being on (or off) having no correlation with the above issues either.

The oil consumption is now quite biblical, with the accompanying smoke as you'd expect, as the stem seals are completely f--ked, well at least that's what I presume it to be, no smoke on boost or when driving, lots of it on overrun or after idling when warm.

The turbo return pipe is leaking like hell, the entire underneath of the car is covered in oil, all the way to the towbar.

Headlight washers and wipers need fixing as neither work.

Timing belt is overdue.

Needs a race cat or similar as while being decatted is ok, I'd rather be spot on legal.

Engine fan likes to be on permanently, but only sometimes, engines not hot when it does this, no relation to temp at all.

Clutch biting point is getting rather high, also judders when warm, it really hates towing the caravan.

Probably a few other minor niggles as the car has done 181k, but all that said, it is far too good to scrap, I love this car.

Then once all that's done I'll be looking to get a sensible remap too, may even go down the modded t5 manifold route and a better / bigger turbo, or get mine rebuilt, it probably needs it at this kind of mileage.

[martin93]

Hooray! I'm glad you're going to fix it and not throw it away like so many others do when they get to this age and mileage. Taking it off the road while you do it is definitely the best option too, as you're not going 'Ooh I must get this head back on for Monday otherwise I can't get to work'... etc. It just allows you to do the best job you can do.

Mine was off the road for a year while I sorted it, but several months of that year did just involve the car sitting and cultivating moss while I decided what to do with it, and then involved some significant structural welding along with the other V40 issues such as suspension, rusty brake pipes and the wiring loom under the radiator.

I would definitely be having the turbo rebuilt as a first port of call, mainly just due to the mileage. Have the intake pipe off the turbo and see if you can wiggle the turbine. Any play means it's due a rebuild, and any oil in the intake pipe definitely means it's on the way out.

The misfire over 3000rpm definitely sounds ignition related to me. I'd be thinking about some coilpacks if you've already put plugs and HT leads in (if it has HT leads... can't remember my phase 2).

With regards to the cooling fan being on a lot, is it just on when the engine light is illuminated? As when there's a fault in the engine management system, limp mode (if activated) tends to set things to default values including putting the cooling fan on all the time. Also, the fan will run if the air con is switched on.

Another thing I'd do is check all your metal brake pipes at the back if they haven't been replaced already, especially the ones above the fuel filter and the one which runs behind the fuel tank. Although your oil leak may have preserved these. I would also have a waxoyl party in all the sills and on the inside of the rear wheel arches. The latter of which I would have the boot trim out and spray it in the cavity below the air outlet vents and around the inside of the fuel filler recess. Mine had rusted badly in these areas and it was a bu***r to repair. Prevention is the best cure!

[emrfaruk]

Cooling fan being on all the time could be triggered by the pressure sensor mounted on the AC dryer unit. It is a 3 pin sensor that screws in to the dryer.
If it -falsely- senses that AC pressure is high all the time, ECU keeps the fan turning.

My s40 does this problem time to time. Disconnect it, start the engine, hit the sensor few times with something hard. Shut off the engine. Connect it back. Problem solved.
(At least till next time.)