170TDi very noisy engine/no power, then it cleared

[RallySimon]

Drove to work this morning in my 170TDi Elegance 4x4 with no problems (23 miles). The car has done approx 12,500 miles.

Drove to Tescos at lunch time (about 2 miles) and again it was fine.

Came out of Tescos, started the car, it started normally and sounded fine ticking over.

Went to pull away and as soon as I increased the revs and found the biting point on the clutch, instead of the usual smooth sound and power, it became really rattly like an old diesel would sound (eg, knackered old transit van), and there was not the usual smooth delivery of power as I lurched forward.

No warning lights came on, and I dipped the clutch and at tickover it sounded fine again. Letting the clutch up and bringing the revs up again though and it sounded horrible. Any application of the throttle really sounded bad. I pulled over quickly (still in Tescos car park) and turned it off and lifted the bonnet.

Couldn't see anything amiss and pulling out the dipstick showed it covered in oil - hard to tell the exact level as the engine had just been running but its not been using oil and last time I checked it was about in the middle.

Put the dipstick back, started the engine again. Sounded fine at tickover, so I reved it and it rattled again. Reved it once more and it cleared and would then rev smoothly and quietly. Shut the bonnet, and had a quick test drive giving it some beans down the empty back end of the car park, and normal service was resumed.

Drove back to work, seemed OK. Turned it off, waited a minute, restarted it, still seemed OK.

So now I'm worried in case its going to do it again or if its the start of a bigger problem. :(

Any ideas what was happening?

[hmibennett]

DPF burning off, perhaps?

[RallySimon]

It did a DPF regen middle of last week - indicated when I got home by the usual signs of tickover up to 1000rpm, fans going full blast and burning smell at the rear. I sat and waited for about 5 minutes until it finished and have done about 100 miles since then, so hopefully it shouldn't need to do another yet.

This wasn't the same either, it sounded and felt like there was something wrong with the engine :(

[Lady Elanore]

Although I don't have a Skoda at the moment, I do have a VAG car and wondered if it is standard to have a DPF light on the dash when it burns the soot off? I only ask as I have never had a DPF burn off in any diesl car I have owned (mainly because I do highish miles on motorways/fast roads), but it would be nice to know, so I don't panic if it should happen.

[bilun777]

Do skoda diesel engines have the dual mass flywheel/clutch problems?

[hmibennett]

Probably best to get it onto a dealer's diagnostic readout, then.

[Terfyn]

DPF burning off, perhaps?

What else it is - it is not the DPF burning off. There is no noise in this process - only a vile smell and the revs idle at 1000 instead of 800. Register it with your dealer so that any guarantee claims - if required - can be made.

It sounds as if there might be a bit of misalignment or loose bolts between engine and trancmission.

[rockhopper]

Although I don't have a Skoda at the moment, I do have a VAG car and wondered if it is standard to have a DPF light on the dash when it burns the soot off? I only ask as I have never had a DPF burn off in any diesl car I have owned (mainly because I do highish miles on motorways/fast roads), but it would be nice to know, so I don't panic if it should happen.

Hi Lady Elanore

No lights, no indications, just a foul smell, engine tickover at 1000rpm and the fan noise, The light comes on if you have a problem. Then it's time to take to Skoda to do a dealer regen. at £££££

Mike

[Lady Elanore]

Hi Lady Elanore

No lights, no indications, just a foul smell, engine tickover at 1000rpm and the fan noise, The light comes on if you have a problem. Then it's time to take to Skoda to do a dealer regen. at £££££

Mike

Yikes!

Thanks for the reply though. Think I will keep my foot buried in the carpet, just for good measure you understand

[RallySimon]

Thanks for the replies so far.

Just to clarify, when I say rattly, I mean as in very noisy combustion - engine running rough - not rattly as in something loose.

I have just been out to the car now some 3 hours later and checked the oil and its about a third of the way up the patterned bit on the dipstick, so still hasn't really changed since I last checked (it does look quite black though, might get it changed before it reaches the 18,000 miles its estimating to first service).

I started it up and reved it a few times again and no unexpected noises. Will see what happens come home time in another couple of hours.

I need to visit the dealers tomorrow for some touch up paint (nasty stone chip in the middle of the bonnet), so I'll ask them to plug it into the computer and see if it says anything while I'm there.

I did discover while reving it, when its not in gear, no matter how hard you floor the throttle, it won't go past 2,500 rpm, even if you bury the pedal in the carpet and keep it there! Its fine when in gear so I presume this is a safety feature to preserve the engine on all Yetis and not something else wrong?

[mellyboy]

Thanks for the replies so far.

Just to clarify, when I say rattly, I mean as in very noisy combustion - engine running rough - not rattly as in something loose.

I have just been out to the car now some 3 hours later and checked the oil and its about a third of the way up the patterned bit on the dipstick, so still hasn't really changed since I last checked (it does look quite black though, might get it changed before it reaches the 18,000 miles its estimating to first service).

I started it up and reved it a few times again and no unexpected noises. Will see what happens come home time in another couple of hours.

I need to visit the dealers tomorrow for some touch up paint (nasty stone chip in the middle of the bonnet), so I'll ask them to plug it into the computer and see if it says anything while I'm there.

I did discover while reving it, when its not in gear, no matter how hard you floor the throttle, it won't go past 2,500 rpm, even if you bury the pedal in the carpet and keep it there! Its fine when in gear so I presume this is a safety feature to preserve the engine on all Yetis and not something else wrong?

Mine is low revving in neutral, first time noticed this is any car I've owned, been doing more shortish runs at the moment, no probs with DPF, only noticed one regen since had my Yeti, fan running when left car, Oil is black because it is cleaning your engine, Hope your engine checks out ok certainly haven't the same thing with mine.

[Terfyn]

I do repeat my suggestion that you report the problem to the Dealer as you may want to claim on the guarantee. I had a major problem with my XT, loss of power and stalling. A mass flow sensor was suspected (replacement £421) but could not be proven from the computer readout so it was a case that they would replace the sensor at my expense (the XT was out of guarantee) but not promise a cure. I am sure that a new Yeti diagnostics are better than Nissans 2003 XT system but get the problem recorded on your service notes in case there is a problem in the future.

[The Plumber]

I did discover while reving it, when its not in gear, no matter how hard you floor the throttle, it won't go past 2,500 rpm, even if you bury the pedal in the carpet and keep it there! Its fine when in gear so I presume this is a safety feature to preserve the engine on all Yetis and not something else wrong?

2500rpm is the limit set with the Off-Road button engaged, also the limp home mode restricts RPM (not sure on limit here). Otherwise would have expected the engine to rev freely upto it's top end limit.

TP

[RallySimon]

2500rpm is the limit set with the Off-Road button engaged, also the limp home mode restricts RPM (not sure on limit here). Otherwise would have expected the engine to rev freely upto it's top end limit.

TP

I'm sure when its idling, I used to be able to rev it more than that, so it does sound like its got upset about something then. The Off-Road button is definately not engaged (I checked). It will happily pull past 2500rpm when accelerating in gear, in fact drives quite normally, but the earlier issue with the noisy engine has obviously upset it.

Will see what the dealer has to say tomorrow when I go see them.

[bilun777]

2500rpm is all mine has ever done in neutral,so quite normal. :yes:

[RallySimon]

2500rpm is all mine has ever done in neutral,so quite normal. :yes:

Thank you for that, if thats the case then at the moment, fingers crossed, its back to normal, as I'm now back home. Started it up and everything was as normal, drove home in my usual spirited manner and 3500-4000rpm in the lower gears was no problem at all, brief blast at 70mph (ahem +VAT ) along the A14 for a mile and then the usual 'wacky races' up the A10 north from Cambridge.

Left the stereo off so I could listen and no funny noises, no warning lights, and certainly didn't feel like it was in limp home mode, still had all that oomph that makes me smile.

Still won't rev past 2500 in neutral, but don't really know if I've ever tried to rev it past that before, and the post above kindly confirms that its probably normal.

I will still be going to the dealers tomorrow lunch time (10 minutes from work) to order a touch up paint, so I will mention it to them as advised above so they have it logged, and ask if they can plug it in and find out if any faults are recorded.

Its hard to describe the noise it made, it wasn't like something was loose, or flywheel problems or anything like that - just really poor combustion, making the engine sound like a really rattly old knackered diesel (and with about the same amount of power). Whatever it was, it suddenly cleared when I'd restarted it and reved it a few times.

Obviously worried now it might do it again, particularly when I'm on my own at some wild remote location on a rally :(

[jan25]

Mine has been very "knocky" for a few moments after first starting on a couple of occasions. No problem with power, though. It was definately combustion knock (just as described by the OP) but cleared very quickly on each occasion. It hasn't done it again for a long time now. I presumed something upset the engine management - which then sorted itself out.

Sounds like it may be worth getting the dealer to check it out.

[Onesque]

How much fuel have you got in the tank ie nearly empty or recently refuelled?

My initial thoughts were contaminated fuel either something dragged through from the tank due to low level or in the fuel on your last refill. Hopefully now burnt off and out of the system.

[RallySimon]

Mine has been very "knocky" for a few moments after first starting on a couple of occasions. No problem with power, though. It was definately combustion knock (just as described by the OP) but cleared very quickly on each occasion. It hasn't done it again for a long time now. I presumed something upset the engine management - which then sorted itself out.

Sounds like it may be worth getting the dealer to check it out.

That does sound very similar to mine, I only had it running long enough to drive halfway across the car park, so I guess in reality 20-30 seconds? Will see what the dealer says, but would rather it didn't do it again!

How much fuel have you got in the tank ie nearly empty or recently refuelled?

My initial thoughts were contaminated fuel either something dragged through from the tank due to low level or in the fuel on your last refill. Hopefully now burnt off and out of the system.

Refuelled last Friday from the same Shell garage I always use (on the main road by Cambridge Airport), and done about 100 miles since filling up, so the tank was pretty full. I always fill up when it gets down somewhere in the last white section of the fuel gauge, so hopefully not fuel contamination, but you never know. Like you say, if it was, hopefully burnt off now.

Finally treated my monster to a wash on the way home last Friday, so for the first time in months its actually a nice clean and shiney red instead of dirty 'road' colour , and then it goes and does this - maybe it prefers to stay dirty! :S

[Agerbundsen]

Simon,

i do occasionally get a Diesel knock sound shortly after a start-stop-start cycle. It clears itself in a few seconds, so I suspect there are some electrons in the ECU that get lost for a short time.

[roguebrit]

That does sound very similar to mine, I only had it running long enough to drive halfway across the car park, so I guess in reality 20-30 seconds? Will see what the dealer says, but would rather it didn't do it again!

Refuelled last Friday from the same Shell garage I always use (on the main road by Cambridge Airport), and done about 100 miles since filling up, so the tank was pretty full. I always fill up when it gets down somewhere in the last white section of the fuel gauge, so hopefully not fuel contamination, but you never know. Like you say, if it was, hopefully burnt off now.

Finally treated my monster to a wash on the way home last Friday, so for the first time in months its actually a nice clean and shiney red instead of dirty 'road' colour , and then it goes and does this - maybe it prefers to stay dirty!

I don't suppose you got any water, lurking in the filler area, into the tank when refueling?

[RallySimon]

I don't suppose you got any water, lurking in the filler area, into the tank when refueling?

No, it was still dirty (but dry) when I refuelled it at the lunch time - didn't get it washed until on the way home.

Been round the dealers today and told them about the problem - they were somewhat rushed off their feet when I turned up unannounced, so they're going to plug it in and see if theres any fault codes when I go back on Thursday to collect the touch up paint I've ordered.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions from everyone on here - its nice to have some other Yeti owners to talk to when things like this happen.

[RallySimon]

Been to the dealers - no faults logged on the computer, so wait to see if it happens again (hopefully not).

Unfortunate experience of road rage on the way back to work when a raving lunatic in a white transit van rocketed past me on my left as I was joining a roundabout to turn right, then swerved across in front of me to also turn right - then even though I'd ignored this daft stunt and not bothered to flash my lights or blow my horn or respond in any way, as I pulled up behind him at traffic lights half way round the roundabout, he opens his door, half gets out and starts point and shouting at me. I couldn't hear what he said so just ignored him, then as we set off with me maintaining a fair distance from him, halfway down the slip road off the roundabout onto the A14 he starts jumping on the brakes. Clearly a demented nutcase, and I was glad when I turned off at the next junction and he carried on. There really was absolutely no need for any of that kind of driving or behaviour, and I wonder how many other people he's upset today with his attitude problem. :wonder:

[roguebrit]

Unfortunate experience of road rage on the way back to work

I hope you don't get any repeats - seems it was a one-off.

Idiots like that should be taken off the road - for ever, if I had my way. I had a friend who ran a donor organ transport business - he was an ex-police driver anyway - and had totally legit hidden blue lights etc in front grille. You should have seen how quickly idiot behaviour subsided with a quick blast of those - and must have contributed to some laundry bills, I imagine. How I wish you had been an unmarked police car, or one had witnessed this.

[Guest Tim31]

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Edited 18 May, 2012 by Tim31