Yeti 2.0D EGR and Temperature issues

[SomewhereInEngland]

I have a 2010 Yeti 2.0TDI. Mileage is 186K and it unfortunately had the emissions 'fix' when it came out. Runs on Shell VPower after changing about 9 months ago. I tend to drive economically. I commute 26 miles each way with about 50% being dual carriageway and complete a 65 mile each way fast run once a week.

 

About 2 months ago I was forced to fill with economy fuel. Within a couple of miles the EGR light came on and the car lost acceleration. ODB check indicated an EGR fault. The car will get up to 70mph, but its slow. The hotter the engine the faster it get there and the better the acceleration. The engine will not regen. The car had a full service 2 month prior to the fault.

 

I have run system cleaner through the engine which has improved the situation (DAE tank mix and a inlet spray). I have also run a light high octane petrol mix through at about 500ml per half tank. This seems to help running.

 

What I have discovered is that the car is difficult to get up to temperature. Running at about 2000rpm helps. Over reving draws too much cold air. If I can get up to 85 to 90 degrees on the gauge, I can switch off and back on (whilst driving at constant 60-65mph) the EGR light goes out and usually stays out. The car returns to full performance. I cannot run the heaters at all as it kills the temperature and the EGR goes straight into fault, even at constant RPM and load. Temperature fluctuates quickly between 80 and 90 depending on RPM and driving conditions. Driving up a hill will initiate the fault and it can take longer to get the car to reset. 

 

However, sometimes the EGR light will not come on at all and I can complete most of a commute until I get to an engine braking situation, when the EGR sometimes goes into fault. A quick on/off usually resets.

 

I can usually do about 5 miles on the flat before the warning light comes on. This happens as the car get to about 80 degrees.

 

On long runs, the EGR can be at fault but can clear itself if I can keep the engine hot enough for long enough. It has to be at 90 degrees though. The engine temperate never goes above 90 degrees.

 

The fault indicates a very expensive EGR change, which is not what I want for a old but very roadworthy car (who know what will fail next). I have read that there may be an issue with a secondary thermostat, which controls the cooling to the EGR. I am thinking that if this causes the temperature to stay low on the EGR, it will never regen. If I can get a few regens in then the EGR may self clean.

 

Can anyone shed ay light and any suggestions less expensive that a new EGR?

 

Many Thanks

 

John

 

[KenONeill]

22 minutes ago, SomewhereInEngland said:

What I have discovered is that the car is difficult to get up to temperature

This may be a clue. Using a proper diagnostics tool (eg VCDS, not a hand-held gadget) measure the reported engine temperature because the CTS may be failing.

[langers2k]

Sounds like a faulty thermostat 😕

[Llanigraham]

Agree with Langers, this sounds like the thermostat has failed, so worth getting that checked.
I'd also get all the fault codes checked; that is the only way to get the true picture.

[weasley]

I suspected a thermostat failure on mine due to slow warm-up but it was checked out as OK.  It's just a function of diesel engines running wide-open-throttle all the time and therefore in winter drawing a huge amount of cold air through.  Combined with the aerodynamic cooling of forward movement you get an engine which takes ages to warm up (mine barely got to 80+°C oil temperature on my 15 mile journey to work).

[kenfowler3966]

What do you mean by economy fuel?

 

My cars are always fuelled by the cheapest supermarket deal, most recently 121p/lt for diesel in York. I was shocked to see the price at my local M1 services of 152/lt!!!

 

I have never used anything but the  cheapest fuel and never had an issue over many 100's of thousands of miles. Must be good marketing to persuade anyone to pay extra for the snake oil additives, with the users then convincing themselves it is somehow better, to justify the extra cost.

[SomewhereInEngland]

Thanks for the replies.

 

CTS and thermostats don't look that costly and are well worth it if it will keep the car on the road. This helps point a direction to the garage so we can start simple. I will get a proper diagnostic check and see where that points.

 

As to economy fuel, I used to stick Shell basic fuel in and the car seemed to work well, until the emissions fix was applied then the economy dropped, the engine would cut out and acceleration got worse. The car also stuttered, misfired and had horrendous rattle on acceleration in winter. It actually had an injector failure within a week of the fix being applied. Skoda have had the car on a number of occasions and seem to think the downgrade in performance is acceptable.

 

Shell VPower seems to have reduced the symptoms and overall the added cost has been offset by improved mpg.

 

I think I may have been one of the unlucky ones. However, I am determined to get this car through 200k miles and a lot further if possible. The reason is that I cannot see as good a replacement on the market at the moment. Pity about the problems, but fundamentally this was a fantastic car for what I wanted (until it got fixed). Its still great, but not as good.

 

Thanks again for the feedback

[J.R.]

What engine code and HP is your 2.0 TDi please?

 

I ask because having bought a car where the fix has already been done I dont know whether it would be better with it removed or not, I have no frame of reference.

[SomewhereInEngland]

I was told by the Skoda dealer that applied the fix that it couldn't be removed. That was the first thing I asked after the problems occurred. I even rang the helpline and they said no. Once its on its on. However, this is probably a legal stance they have to adopt because they were breaking the law and don't want some smart arse getting the fix taken off and then taking them to court for making a car illegal again.

 

Companies claim to be able to reverse the fix, but I personally don't know if this works or could make the situation worse. I can guess Skoda will not be happy if they find the fix is reversed, and I am guessing their diagnostics will check. I would also guess they will immediately re-apply the fix and tell you it had to be done to complete other work. So, If you do get the fix, don't take that car to a Skoda dealer for maintenance. 

[Llanigraham]

The "fix" can't be removed by a Skoda dealer, but there are several members on here who had had the ECU rewritten by independent companies to remove it and put it back to the original map, with no problems.

I don't think a dealer will be able to tell what has been done, and if they can all you need to do is tell them that you do not want the "fix" re-applied. Again several on here have done that with no problems and no repurcussions from the dealers.

Your other option, especially on a 10 year old car with that mileage is to find a local independent VAG specialist and get it serviced there. Where are you in the UK? State that and someone might be able to recommend someone.

[KenONeill]

That^, or even a remap by a reputable company.

[J.R.]

No Skoda dealer or even any independant will ever have their hands on my Yeti.

 

Famous last words............................................

 

Somewhereinengland.

 

If an experienced person were to drive your car without ever having experienced it before the "fix" what would their observations be? Or if you replied without your prior knowledge would you say it drove badly, had a problem? misfire, stuttering, rattling?

 

Also what power/code is your engine please.

[SomewhereInEngland]

On ‎28‎/‎02‎/‎2020 at 16:00, J.R. said:

No Skoda dealer or even any independant will ever have their hands on my Yeti.

 

Famous last words............................................

 

Somewhereinengland.

 

If an experienced person were to drive your car without ever having experienced it before the "fix" what would their observations be? Or if you replied without your prior knowledge would you say it drove badly, had a problem? misfire, stuttering, rattling?

 

Also what power/code is your engine please.

If an experienced driver drove my car, then they would probably feel that it drives OK, but has issues. They would notice a general stuttering on acceleration and constant speed at about 2000rpm and on light overrun. In winter, they would definitely notice the diesel rattle. Sudden unexplained power loss would certainly get their attention, however, I have only had that once, but whilst overtaking uphill. The car is more thirsty that it used to be on general driving (about 5% down), but is still capable of very high indicated mpg with skill and luck (78mpg indicated is the best I have had on a commute. 68mpg indicated is usual.). However, hypermiling may be part of the cause of the current problems.

 

The car is a model E with the base level 2.0TDI.