JamieH86

Ta. No smoke earlier, I happened to be in the kid's room when the service chap took it for a run and looked out the window, as one doesn't often see someone else driving one's car, and other than a puff on intial move away, it was clear (and that looked like just vapour). He said the idle was rough. Then did a second run and it was ok. I guess that was the last gasp of the injector as it is now firmly... wobbly.

Sorry to derail this slightly, but to get on topic I had the car serviced today and realised it was the first time the fuel filter had been changed since August 2019 (5+ years and 63,000 miles ago). That done... the mechanic picked up a fault with injector 1 on the scan and then blow me, if it didn't then... blow! Went to go to Sainsbury's and the engine was bucking like an angry mule and struggling much beyond 20mph. Managed to detour to a very local garage who had a quick look and said yes, seems to be firing on three cylinders. Fortunately I have a mechanic who quoted £60 to £100 labour to replace the injector, if I supply it. Thinking though... whilst he is in there is it worth replacing all four? Assuming they're all the same age, if one goes, will the rest follow? You can get 4 x reconditioned injectors for £200 to £300 so the whole job of replacing four so should be no more than £500 all in. It might also make sense of the emissions troubles I had if the engine wasn't optimal and also, in another thread I started in the summer, some intermittent hesitancy/vibration.

I am also in South Wales. Had my cam belt and water pump done a few years ago at CapitalMOT in Cardiff. Good price and good job.

All true... I am half thinking is this some miracle they perform and the other half is it just snake oil in a fancy uniform.

Yeah same. I could park it in the Sahara in summer and I swear it'd still be misty in the morning.

I am wondering if a full engine bay clean and engine carbon clean is worth it? There's a very well reviewed one near me that does it for £180.

True. Well the test limit applied was - and I've never seen this before - 1.8. Not 1.5 or 3.0. Anyway the first (and only) rev was 1.2. So down again on the previous tests this year but a bit up on the last couple of years. I did look through the MOT history and every seven or eight years (2009, 2017, 2024) there seem to be high figures that then drop the next year. First step now is to have it serviced, oil changed, fuel filter etc (and a CV boot, as an MOT advisory) and just keep an eye on efficiency/MPG.

Nice. Fortunately I have no smoke or oil loss.

I won't no, though it is nice to be able to drive again! I'll post later what the test result was. I mean if it was 0.3 or something I would say case closed. But if it was 2.8 then I will look further. Though it is just 300 miles shy of 250,000.

Good news - we have a pass. Haven't seen the emissions result yet but it was noted on the online MOT history that sadly, the plate value was unreadable.

The good news - with the EGR fix and clean there is a definite improvement in performance. Things I must have got used to before, and only noticed today by their absence, are gone. Such as, slight hesitation/judder pulling away in first such as on entering a roundabout. Bad news - still averaging 1.3 after six revs on the retest. Very little movement and that is after another Forté, the above work and a run beforehand. The terrible news - my son accidentally slipped whilst painting, fell out of his window, as a gust of wind opened the passenger door and the sharp end of his pallette knife has taken out the plate on the passenger door beam with the 0.8 plate value now lost. The boy is fine. So, new MOT booked at my usual place on Wednesday. The place I had it done last week was on a recommendation but they are the only garage I have ever been to where they "don't do emissions", not so much as a fuel cleaner and a speedy run, and my mechanic said not to go back. Seeing as they want a new booking now anyway, I will go to my usual place. Either they'll properly apply a value of 3.0 or do a fastpass (the place last week does not do them) and they tend to apply 1.5 to that so if it starts at 1.3, job done. Will of course update.

Hi all, update is... stuck and dirty EGR valve. Will Forté again tomorrow and retest.

On the one hand it's good... on the other a nice manky filter would have made things possibly simpler!

Had a look at the air filter this morning. Installed in July, it honestly looked brand new. No dirt on it or in its housing area.

Yeah I was just going through that myself. Well my two options seem to be check out where the issue could be, or deface the plates and go elsewhere.

Yeah true. I didn't get a fast pass fail sheet from them, not sure if they tried it. I didn't go to my usual place this year (ATS) as earlier in the year they did a few things with some other work that dented my confidence in them, but they do always start with a fast pass. So tempted to book with them from scratch though. But it could easily be 1.6 or something and then we're back to square one, plus I can't take it out for a spin now first! Will report back findings from when any dirty bits have had a closer inspection, starting with the intercooler hose.

One other thought... let me know if this is wrong. On the 'fast pass', which it passed in 2023, they pass it if the result is under 1.5 on the first rev attempt. This year of course it wasn't so they did six full revs. However... when taking it back to retest, oughtn't they to have started from scratch with a fast pass (which at 1.3/1.4, it would have passed)?

Yeah I'll take the hose off tomorrow and check there are no cracks or holes.

Should be getting it to a garage to check them tomorrow, haven't got a reader myself. Come to think of it though, I had a thread here about a slightly worn intercooler hose (end result = patched it) where it hadn't been properly replaced and so was rubbing on the brake fluid business behind. Anyway, there was a slight oily residue in the hose. Not a lot but some. Is that expected at all?

No not got a DPF I believe. 2005.

I mix short local trips with longer ones when I can to balance it out. The idle is pretty smooth to be fair, not lumpy. Just another source of my confusion! A rough, smoking engine failing I could understand...

This the badger?

Where, without wanting to sound like a total banana, would I find it?

Yeah whole bottle and I topped to half a tank with premium diesel. In fact I should add, it was tested twice today. Took it in after a few hours driving and it averaged 1.6 down to 1.3 on three revs. So I went out for another hour, giving it the red line on dual carriageways etc, and they did one more test where it was 1.4. So seems to be stuck there. Will certainly be looking at the filter.

Well this is what the question is. They're certainly applying the limit that everyone else always has. Luckily I have full history and receipts etc from new. The first MOT in 2009 applied 3.00. It passed at 2.62. 2011 it dropped to a 1.50 maximum and passed at 0.93. As an aside in 2016 the engine temp was 81 degrees and it passed on 0.07! In 2018, the maximum seems to have changed to 0.8 as that is the first smoke test with that as "plated value".