Yearly Archives: 2020

BMW 1 Series ABS Fault Found

We are seeing lots of BMW 1 Series and 3 Series with ABS faults caused by the same fault.

The codes for this particular BMW were –

5DC1 – Wheel Speed Sensor Rear Right Extrapolation
5DC2 – Wheel Speed Sensor Exciter Ring Rear Right Periodic Fault

After seeing these codes on the Diagnostic Scanner we needed to take a look at the rear right Wheel Speed Sensor and Reluctor Ring to see if there were any obvious faults.

We could see the problem straight away, what seems to happen with the BMW drive shafts is that rust starts to build up underneath the reluctor ring pushing it away from the the shaft causing it to catch the ABS Wheel Speed Sensor.

To repair this fault you can either try to remove the rust from the drive shaft and replace the reluctor ring and wheel speed sensor (if required), we have seen problems with this repair as once the rust is removed from the drive shaft the outer diameter is smaller and the reluctor rings can come loose and cause more issues.

We replace the complete drive shaft to ensure this cannot happen, in this case we replaced the ABS speed sensor too as it had been damaged due to its contact with the reluctor ring.

Once replaced we cleared all the fault codes from the BMW and carried out a road test whilst checking Live Data on our Scanner to make sure the speed sensor was reading correctly.

Aarons Autos car service garage.

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Hyundai I20 Timing Chain Noise found and fixed

A customer brought their Hyundai I20 into us to check for an engine noise which they were concerned about.

As soon as the car drove into the workshop we had a good idea what the problem was, it sounded like the timing chain was trying to escape from the engine!

After having a good listen to the engine the next step was to strip off the timing chain cover to allow us to visually check the chain for condition.

With the timing chain cover removed we checked the timing chain, guides, gears and tensioner for wear, the chain tensioner was at full extension and the chain was still loose!

Whilst trying to turn the engine over manually to align the timing marks the chain actually started jumping teeth (it had only been the chain cover stopping this happening whilst driving).

Timing chain cover where the chain had been rubbing!

On inspection of the parts we could see everything was worn to excess and the customer had been very very lucky the chain didn’t slip whilst driving as that would have caused serious engine damage.

The fix

Once the timing chain kit had been replaced and the engine rebuilt the car purred as it should.

We later found out the Hyundai I20 had not been serviced for several years and thousands of miles leading to this problem.

Regular servicing using the correct lubricants will prevent premature wear on all engine parts especially chains, guides and gears.

Aarons Autos car service garage.

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EGR blocked on this Renault Traffic.

This Renault Traffic came into us with its EML (engine management light) on and had a lack of power.

The first job was to carry out a diagnostic code read which showed up several codes relating to EGR valve faults.

As it is quite a big job we needed to get authorisation from the customer to remove the front end off his van access the EGR valve.

Once we had removed the front end we could access the EGR valve and start to remove it, once removed we could see the problem.

The EGR valve and pipes were completely full and blocked with carbon deposits which was stopping the valve from working properly.

We replaced the EGR valve and cleaned out all the pipes to and from the valve, this cleared the codes and allowed the vehicle to drive at full power.

Unfortunately due to the amount of carbon build up in the pipes we determined that the rest of the intake system would have similar carbon deposits in them and may need cleaning in the future.

More cleaning may be required!

We advised the customer to take the van on several long journeys at an average RPM of 2500 this will allow the engine to carry out a regeneration of the DPF (diesel particulate filter) and help clean out carbon deposits from the intake system.

This will no doubt have to be carried out several times to get the engine into a good internal condition.

The biggest problem with modern diesels is that people drive them economically and on short journeys, this is what causes the carbon deposits to build up and cause issues, ideally they should be used for long journeys at least once a week to allow the engine to clean itself.

For more info on EGR or DPF faults don’t hesitate to contact us.

Aarons Autos car service garage.

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Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info.

Golf / Jetta TDI with DPF and boost faults.

This Volkswagen Jetta came into us with its engine management light, DPF light and glow plug light illuminated. It had very little power and needed some attention.

Firstly we carried out a diagnostic code read to see what fault codes were causing the light to be on, several codes relating the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) being blocked or soot content to high and one relating to boost pressure lower than expected.

Next we tried to clear the codes and restart the car to find out which codes stayed live, in this case all the codes stayed.

We tried to carry out a Diesel Particulate Filter Regeneration which with this particular car has to be done whilst driving.

You have to drive the car in 4th or 5th gear at approximately 2000 rpm until the DPF light goes out, this can take up to 40 minutes depending on how blocked the DPF is.

The regeneration did not work, so back to the workshop for some more tests.

We tested the differential pressure before and after the DPF, this is done using a pressure gauge which is connected on to the pressure sensor pipes, if the pressure is to high the DPF wont allow you to carry out a regeneration and the DPF will need to be cleaned out using chemicals either on or off the car.

The DPF soot content on this Jetta was very high so we decided to remove the DPF and have it chemically cleaned.

Whilst the DPF was off we decided to check in to why we were getting a code for low boost pressure, we checked the turbo actuator pipes for leaks which all seemed ok then we checked to see if the actuator was working using a vacuum tester, the actuator wouldn’t hold vacuum.

We removed the turbo actuator and tested it against a new one (see the video below)

Once the DPF had been cleaned out and we had replaced the faulty turbo actuator it was time to retest the the car.

We cleared the codes and took it for a road test, all the warning light extinguished and we had full power, brilliant.

After speaking to the customer we realised that the car had lost power several months ago and he didn’t have it looked at until now due to the fact of not just one warning light being on but three on the dash.

The car wouldn’t carry out a driven regeneration of the DPF (which they do regularly under normal circumstances) due to the faulty turbo actuator which then caused the DPF soot content to increase until it was full causing all the warning lights to come on.

The Moral of this story is ‘Warning lights are important‘ if you have a warning light come on on your car get it checked out before it causes any more damage.

Aarons Autos car service garage.

Your friendly car garage in Derby

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Power Flex Suspension Bushes For This BMW Z4.

Suspension bushes on all cars go through tremendous stress on a daily basis, some manufactures have got the design right and the bushes can last the life of the car whilst other manufactures just didn’t quite get there!

One of the problems with BMW’s in general is the front suspension bushes. Most of the BMW range suffer with the front suspension arm bushes either failing or being so worn that it causes the car to wander on the road whilst driving and can feel unstable when braking.

Replacing the bushes with either after market bushes or genuine bushes does sort out the problem, but with the condition of the UK roads and the fact that most BMW’s come with low profile run flat tyres the new bushes can be worn out within a couple of years.

The solution on this BMW Z4 was to fit some Power Flex nylon bushes, these bushes are mainly used in Motorsport but can be fitted to road cars.

Watch this video to see just how much movement was in the old worn bushes compared to the new Power Flex nylon bushes.

On the Z4 replacing just the lower suspension arm rear bushes was enough to transform the steering from a loose discouraging feel to a nice tight direct feel that a sports car should have.

For more information on whether Power Flex bushes would suit your car or just for more information give us a call on 01332 205070

Aarons Autos car service garage.

Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info.

Citroen Berlingo with ABS Wiring Fault.

A 2014 Citroen Berlingo came in to us with an ABS fault to be looked at.

First thing to do was carry out a diagnostic code read to see why the ABS light was on, the particular code for this Citroen Berlingo van related to an open circuit on the rear left wheel speed sensor.

We checked the actual wheel speed sensor for a fault but it checked out ok, next job was to check the wiring from the sensor back to the ABS pump.

Most of the wiring for the rear ABS sensors is hard to access as it runs inside the van. once we had determined that there was in fact a break in the wiring from the left rear sensor and the ABS pump (by checking continuity of the wires) it was time to start stripping the interior and physically check the wiring for a break.

After removing the passenger seats and lifting the carpets to access the wiring we noticed part of the raised carpet flooring had been trapping the ABS wiring loom between a raiser and the body and over time had rubbed through the wiring and caused it to short out against the body.

We repaired the wiring and and rechecked for continuity through the loom which we now had. Time to clear the stored fault codes and check for a wheel speed signal using the live data on our diagnostic scanner, perfect, the signal was good and the same as the rear right wheel, time to rebuild and road test.

Aarons Autos car service garage.

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Land Rover Discovery 4 Front & Rear Wishbone Replacement.

The owner of this Land Rover Discovery 4 decided he wanted to replace all four of the lower suspension arms as they had excessive wear in most of the bushes (common problem).

After a bit of research he booked it in with us to carry out the work for him.

Anyone who has tackled this job before will know its not a five minute job, especially when the bolts seize inside the bushes!

First thing we always do on jobs like these is to wire brush all the bolts and spray them with freeing oil in the hope to make life easier for us.

This did work on 50% of the bolts but there were several that no matter what we tried they needed to be cut out.

After replacing all the arms it was time for a full geometry setup as the arms had adjustments for Camber, Castor and Toe.

I must admit once all the work had been carried out the Discovery 4 drove perfectly, there was no more wandering at speed the steering was precise and not loose, it felt like it should do.

We did advise the customer to bring the Discovery 4 back after a few hundred miles so we could re-check the geometry once all the suspension components had settled in.

Aarons Autos car service garage.

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Vauxhall Corsa D 1.2 (A12XER) Timing Chain Rattle.

We had this little Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 booked in with us for a ‘really bad engine noise’.

Once the car was in the workshop it became apparent very quickly what the noise was, the Timing Chain was rattling so bad we were surprised it hadn’t jumped a tooth and caused engine damage!

When we were stripping the engine down to put the Timing Tools in place we could see just how badly stretched the chain had become, the crank locking pin went straight in but both cam shafts were out by quite a lot.

There are several variants of the Vauxhall timing chain engines most of which requiring different timing tools which we have, 1.0 – A10XEP, 1.0 – A10XER, 1.2 – A12XER, 1.2 – A12XEL, 1.4 – A14XEL, 1.4 – A14XER, 1.4 – A14NET to name just a few.

Timing Tool A is for the Camshaft Position Rings, Tool F is for the Camshafts.

After removing the timing chain cover we could start to see what had caused the problem, the oil was very black and there was a lot of burnt carbon oil inside all the covers.

All engines require regular servicing to keep them in tip top condition but especially modern engines that run a timing chains rather than a timing belt, we are seeing more and more engines requiring timing chain kits prematurely due to a lack of servicing, poor quality oil or the wrong spec oil.

Once we had replaced the timing chain kit and re-aligned all timing marks it was time to clean all off the engine casings and refit, replace the oil and filter and refill the coolant.

When we removed the oil filter this gave us another indication of what had caused the problem, the middle of the oil filter had been sucked in, caused by the paper element of the filter being completely full of oil carbon and struggling to allow fresh oil through it, which in turn starves crucial parts of the engine of oil (timing chain) allowing them to wear, over heat and stretch.

On this particular car we advised the customer that over the next 20,000 miles they should have several oil and filter changes to help remove carbon deposits that we couldn’t see or get to whilst doing the job and this will help increase the life of their engine.

Aarons Autos car service garage.

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2019 Ford Ranger 3.2 Low Oil Pressure Light On After Service

We recently came across a problem in the Garage which we have not come across before, which was the ‘Low Oil Pressure’ warning light coming on after replacing the Oil and Filter on a 2019 Ford Ranger 3.2.

After searching on a couple of the Motor Trade platforms we use it seemed that we were not the first to come across this problem, but we spoke to our local Ford Dealer and they said they knew nothing about it.

There was apparently a technical bulletin which had gone out to dealers saying that if the oil and filter change was not completed within fifteen minutes this problem would occur due to the oil pump draining and not being able to re-bleed itself.

Personally we believe this is a poor design, when we drain the old oil from your car we want to remove as much of the old oil as possible (obviously some oil will stay in certain places of the engine) allowing the new oil not to be diluted with it.

In this particular case the only way we could bleed the oil pump was to flood it, we added five litres more oil than specified to bring the level inside the sump up to the bottom of the oil pump meaning it didn’t have to pull the oil up but just push it.

Once we had got the oil pressure up we drained off the extra five litres of oil, road tested the car and then re-checked the level.

Aarons Autos car service garage.

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Broken Catalytic Converter On This Vauxhall Mokka.

A Vauxhall Mokka came into the garage today with its engine management light on in need of some diagnostic work to find out the reason why.

After speaking to the customer we soon found out that we were not the first Garage to look at the Mokka.

It had gone into another garage who had replaced the ignition coil pack due to diagnostic trouble codes relating to cylinder miss fires, the coil pack cured the problem and the customer left happy.

After a couple of days the engine management light came on again so back to the Garage she went.

This time the diagnostic codes related to Oxygen sensor (lambda) faults? But rather than checking live data on the scan tool or checking the sensors with an oscilloscope they proceeded to change the sensors and clearing the fault codes to turn off the engine management light.

After another couple of days the light came on again but rather than take the car back to the same garage the customer looked on Google and found us, gave us a call and got herself booked in.

Once the car was in our workshop we plugged in our Diagnostic scanner and carried out a full code scan of the vehicle, all modules were clear of codes except for the Engine Control Module (ECM) which had codes relating to ‘Oxygen sensor faults’.

We then carried out some live data testing on the Oxygen sensors to see what was happening, straight away we could see a problem, both Oxygen sensors were reading the same, this is not good!

Both Oxygen sensors showing the same pattern.

The basics of Oxygen sensors are that they read the gases which are being produced by the engine before and after the Catalytic Converter, and if the Catalytic Converter is working correctly the first sensor should be switching and the second sensor should be pretty static (on idle), if this is happening then the gases coming out of the Cat are cleaner than the gases going in to the Cat meaning lower carbon emissions.

Once we had checked the Oxygen sensors were working properly (not giving false readings) we needed to check the Cat’s internals to see why it wasn’t working.

With the Cat removed it was obvious why we were getting the same readings on our live data, the honey comb centre of the Catalytic Converter which catches and burns off the carbon from the engine had broken up and was allowing the gasses to pass by.

The Catalytic Converter had broken inside.

A new Cat was fitted and we ran another scan, this time no codes returned and the Oxygen sensors were working as they should.

Both Oxygen Sensors now reading as they should.

The customer now has a car which is working as it should, more economical and with a lower carbon output.

Aarons Autos car service garage.

Your friendly car garage in Derby

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