Time to Bite the Bullet (Phase 1 GDI)

[warweezil]

I think its about time to bite the bullet and solve the idle/starting issues with my GDI engine'd heap. I was hoping that she would hold out till next bank holiday as with my father having just been taken into care I'm back and forth to the nursing home rather a lot - on top of working five and a half days a week. Ive put 10k mileage on her in the last 14 months and driving it like I stole it hasn't helped sort the problems ( a 51k mileage car for £150 with 6 months MOT I feel like I did steal it) and yes I am aware (now) that a low mileage GDI engine'd car was probably asking for trouble......

The problems are getting worse, as well as being a bitch to start (you have to turn over till she "tries to catch" then release the key and try again at which point she usually fires) after arriving at a junction she often dies and can be a pig to start, Hot starting can be a problem where she fires without running (with the whole engine shaking like crazy as she fires but *not quite* catching and running) unless you press the throttle at which she just runs over with no effort to run, and today, she did something weird that I have never encountered on any other car and once before on this one.

She died, I restarted to hear a massive amount of "pinking" and a lot of white smoke coming from under the bonnet and even thru the air vents in the dash. I immediately switched off, but she then wouldn't restart (even the trusty emergency easy start can failed) and I had to wait till she cooled below 55dgrees before she would run - again -it would fire, but not run.

On top of this is the erratic idle which causes no end of amusement to my colleagues when it "revs itself" across a range of 500 - 1500 rpm (they joke that the car is getting impatient to go) then it revs to around 2000 RPM for about 15 secs before finally reverting to a steady idle.

Strangely she still has plenty of poke, pulling up to "licence losing figures" without any real effort, sadly the "Italian service" alone hasn't worked - despite my leaden foot

If I can get far enough ahead at work I will see about borrowing a lift for a couple of days pull the inlet and see what I find as well as fitting the cambelt kit I got back before xmas and a new fuel filter - along with the rear brake pads and IF I can get that all done and running sweetly I can crack on and fit the phase 2 headlights I took out of one of the cars we processed (its an ELV yard I work in)

Wish me luck - and any tips anyone has.....

Oh and how long would you guys reckon on taking over a GDI degunking?

[warweezil]

It gets worse... I had a short access window to a lift at work. Popped the car on there and swapped out the fuel filter - Ive had a new one laying around for weeks. The old one was covered in corrosion, when upended there was brown sludge running out of one end, and rusty fluid from the other, I think I may have just removed to original item!

Problem is that since that she firs and runs for a few seconds before stalling out again, wont rev.... Theres a big pile of cars at the back of the yard waiting for a visit from the baler, this one could soon join them. Im going to try to get the manifold strip done today.

Starting to havte this car, Its chosen the worst possible time to play up.

[druid]

There are a few other things that can be done, like clean the throttle body and follow the re-learn procedure. I understand your frustration though. Dont give up on it!

[warweezil]

I'm fast reaching the end of my fuse with this bucket of bolts. The day before my Father was rushed into hospital it really played up. No work was possible after that as I was dealing with a family death. Went back to work this week so had a chance to pull the beast apart and clean the EGR which although coked wasn't as bad as I expected. I cleaned out the inlet manifold too, lots of black sludge came out when I rinsed it in petrol

I put it all back together and knowing I had almost no battery left I kicked her into life with easy start. She started ok and seemed to be idling a little more smoothly, I took it up the mad mile and back and found that running at speed is as before - no problem, but arriving back at work found the car refusing to idle, worse once I got it running I ran it at a steady 2000 rpm and noted that again it varies by around 250rpm with no throttle movement from me, returning to idle it immediately stalled out and refused to start,,, it turns over and fires (trying to "catch") but wont run - if you touch the throttle while turning over it seems to stop "trying" to start. I doesn't do the "surging" at idle anymore it seems. it just dies and refuses to start, which it did a couple of Saturdays ago in traffic much to my annoyance.

Worse still, It refuses to communicate with my mates Snap On OBD machine so I cant even look for fault codes.

There is room on top of the 5 high pile of scrapped Bodyshells for this car... and with the family stuff that needs my attention I may end up driving the digger over this and buying a car that just works - And it sure as hell wont be another V40.

[warweezil]

Well its hard to get the relearn done with a car that wont idle. its a bitch to start without easy start, and wont idle,,, and if it stalls when hot it wont restart... could be this will be scrapped soon. I have way too much going on to mess with this too much. The MOT is out in Sept but the car could be gone by then.

The EGR clean hasnt helped any. right now I regret the day I ever saw this thing.

[warweezil]

Ive hit a wall with this car. It wont talk to any of the OBD readers I have access to.

I have to admit I doubt I would buy another Volvo after this experience.

[druid]

Originally Posted by warweezil

Ive hit a wall with this car. It wont talk to any of the OBD readers I have access to.

I have to admit I doubt I would buy another Volvo after this experience.

If it wont read it "might be" the loom either under the wing or rad. With your mad reving sounds like a magnet in the throttle but only on later cars.....
GDi owner is cursed is... with "what it might be"

[Rooster]

Do terraclean do petrols aswell??

Wonder if that would be an option rather than stripping the engine to clean,

Remember we had one as a dump car at work years ago and it wouldn't idle as it only got used for short journeys round town,

I borrowed it for a week and after been thrashed up and down motorway for a week it ran great altho used a dipsticks worth of oil

[druid]

Originally Posted by Rooster

Do terraclean do petrols aswell??

Wonder if that would be an option rather than stripping the engine to clean,

Remember we had one as a dump car at work years ago and it wouldn't idle as it only got used for short journeys round town,

I borrowed it for a week and after been thrashed up and down motorway for a week it ran great altho used a dipsticks worth of oil

Terreclean sounds good but it wont reach the places GDi's coke up. I phoned up and got the usual gdi intake of breath and them he told me the above.
No fuel goes through anything till it gets to the cylinder 'cos it direct injection...
A thrash is what helps.

[warweezil]

I tested the OBD readers today they all work ok so its definitely a car issue. I was looking at my old Pug 405 TD sitting in a corner of the yard - it needs some welding but right now its looking a more viable proposition than the Volvo, I'm seriously considering putting the V40 up for sale as spares or repairs, the engine is good but the starting/idle issues are taxing my patience and with all the stuff going on around me right now I don't need the problems.

Its a shame shes tidy inside, outside only has a problem with an area of peeling lacquer on one side of the bonnet, it drives very nicely and happily cruises above 70mph and with only 65k on the clock has many more years left in her if only she would start more easily and idle... or at talk to the OBD readers so I could diagnose the problem!