Volvo s40 problems

php-fox

I bought a volvo s40 diesel a month ago from my local reputable dealer from whom my family purchased 2 cars before.
2008, 160k (km) on the clock.

I've done about 4.5k on it so far.
Yesteday (Friday) I was going to work and the engine just stopped, cut off on M7. The car is on warranty, so I got it towed back to the garage. They fixed it in an hour. As I was told, the problem was with fuel filters, they got clogged up. So they cleared out the fuel tank, changed filters, etc.

Today, I was on the way to Kilkenny and after about 30km, the engine stopped again. Same problem as yesterday.

To say the least, I'm very pissed off about it.

Was I sold a dodgy car? Is it possible for fuel filters to get clogged up again after only 30 km of driving? And I didn't add any more fuel by the way. Whatever I had or they put in.

What are your thoughts on this?

Thanks

barura

Was the diesel from a reputable source? If it's dirty, literally and figurativly, it will mess up your engine to no end, especially if you got a bad batch.

php-fox

Well, I am not an expert on fuel. I buy diesel from my local petrol station which I did for years with no problems.

And I occasionally buy it from one of the stations along N7 which are pretty reputable in my opinion.

But the problem doesn't seem to be with the engine. It's running fine. It feels like it just runs out of fuel. Broken fuel pump, could it be?

php-fox

Oh yes, the garage said that the pressure in the tank was low.

Row

Like barura said Sounds like you got dodgy diesel....tbh I think it would take more than an hour to replace the fuel filter and clean out the tank..
What engine have you got ..1.6 or 2.0 diesel..?

php-fox

1.6 diesel.
They spent an hour, an hour and a half at most.

I thought about bad diesel. However, if they cleaned everything out, why did it break down again in the same fashion. That's what I don't understand.

Row

Did they replace the diesel that was in the tank..?
if they did and flushed out the fuel system tank/flow/return hoses/fuel filter then there maybe a problem with the hp pump itself....there is no intank pump on the 1.6 diesels.
i'd be guessing they picked up low "fuel pressure" fault codes...did they pick up any other fault codes...?

barura

php-fox wrote: »

1.6 diesel.
They spent an hour, an hour and a half at most.

I thought about bad diesel. However, if they cleaned everything out, why did it break down again in the same fashion. That's what I don't understand.

Because you put the diesel back in, maybe.

php-fox

Row wrote: »

Did they replace the diesel that was in the tank..?
if they did and flushed out the fuel system tank/flow/return hoses/fuel filter then there maybe a problem with the hp pump itself....there is no intank pump on the 1.6 diesels.
i'd be guessing they picked up low "fuel pressure" fault codes...did they pick up any other fault codes...?

I am not sure what they did to the fuel. But my guess would be they put in some for me. Because when I got the car back, there was only half of what was there before.

Low "fuel pressure" is the only error code I am aware of. That's why I think it's not about bad diesel.

Row

php-fox wrote: »

Low "fuel pressure" is the only error code I am aware of. That's why I think it's not about bad diesel.

With dealer level diagnostic equipment they need to compare the actual hp pressure in the rail to what the ecu requires at differant rpms & engine loads.
If its not reaching the correct value then it could be a faulty high pressure regulator on the hp pump or the high pressure pump itself maybe at fault.

Before you go pulling out the hp pump/reg ensure that fuel lines/tank were flushed out and a new filter was fitted...:)

redzone

Hi , I have a 05 S40 2.0D and the exact same thing happened me most recently last Sunday, also on the M7.

This is the 3rd time in 2 months, on 2 occasions it restarted after being left for a while and it had to be towed the other time.

I see from a few other posts here on boards that a common problem is with a plug under the main fuse box comming loose. Mine is in the garage at the moment so I will be ringing the mechanic in the morning to get him to check this out as he can't really find anything else wrong with it.

Worth a try before you go pulling other stugg apart.

redzone

Typo, last line should read 'stuff'.

php-fox

redzone wrote: »

Hi , I have a 05 S40 2.0D and the exact same thing happened me most recently last Sunday, also on the M7.

This is the 3rd time in 2 months, on 2 occasions it restarted after being left for a while and it had to be towed the other time.

I see from a few other posts here on boards that a common problem is with a plug under the main fuse box comming loose. Mine is in the garage at the moment so I will be ringing the mechanic in the morning to get him to check this out as he can't really find anything else wrong with it.

Worth a try before you go pulling other stugg apart.

Thanks for the info. How is your car doing now?

The garage told me that it's the injector fuel pump that's broken. They're fixing it right now.

Hellrazer

Never seen a fuel pump go in one of these.... I dont think thats the problem.
Sounds like a stuffed up DPF.

Dpf has to be replaced and recharged at 120k and Ive seen so many trade ins that it wasnt done on as it is an expensive replacement and people just didnt bother.

Its a 1300 euro fix on the 1.6 diesels.


You say the car just stopped--did you try to start it again??When the dpf is on the way out the car goes into limp mode--feels like its chugging, and about to run out of juice--complete lack of power.

php-fox

Hellrazer wrote: »

Never seen a fuel pump go in one of these.... I dont think thats the problem.
Sounds like a stuffed up DPF.

Dpf has to be replaced and recharged at 120k and Ive seen so many trade ins that it wasnt done on as it is an expensive replacement and people just didnt bother.

Its a 1300 euro fix on the 1.6 diesels.


You say the car just stopped--did you try to start it again??When the dpf is on the way out the car goes into limp mode--feels like its chugging, and about to run out of juice--complete lack of power.

The car stopped very 'cleanly'. The engine simply turned off without any noise or noticeable strangeness.
I tried to restart it several times with no success. Again, there was nothing unusual apart from the engine not starting up.

Regarding DPF, I can't really argue about it as cars is not my trade.
The car is under warranty, so I assume the garage wouldn't have sold me a car with 160k on the clock that had an expensive replacement to be done, only to have me a month later come back.

I will keep you posted when I get my car back. We'll see what the cause is.

Hellrazer

php-fox wrote: »

The car stopped very 'cleanly'. The engine simply turned off without any noise or noticeable strangeness.
I tried to restart it several times with no success. Again, there was nothing unusual apart from the engine not starting up.

Ok could be the pump alright but I cant say Ive ever seen one go.

Regarding DPF, I can't really argue about it as cars is not my trade.
The car is under warranty, so I assume the garage wouldn't have sold me a car with 160k on the clock that had an expensive replacement to be done, only to have me a month later come back.

Most peolpe assume that as long as the cars still driving its not an issue especially at 1300 euros--But DPF replacement is a serviceable item at 120k.

I will keep you posted when I get my car back. We'll see what the cause is.

Id like to know alright.Its a strange one as the only things that ever give problems are alternators and brake control modules--other than that the s40 is reliable as anything.

php-fox

Hellrazer wrote: »

Ok could be the pump alright but I cant say Ive ever seen one go.




Most peolpe assume that as long as the cars still driving its not an issue especially at 1300 euros--But DPF replacement is a serviceable item at 120k.



Id like to know alright.Its a strange one as the only things that ever give problems are alternators and brake control modules--other than that the s40 is reliable as anything.

Do you think I need to inquire about DPF?
Make sure that it was replaced?

Hellrazer

php-fox wrote: »

Do you think I need to inquire about DPF?
Make sure that it was replaced?

Definately.You dont want to be hit with that bill if it fails just outside the warranty theyve given you.It is due again at 240k so keep that in mind.If it was done at 120k it will still need a regen at 160k(or should have gotten a regen) so make sure either way.

An 08 with 160k on the clock sounds like it was an ex-lease car with that type of mileage.

With that type of mileage Id ask for a full service history check.If you want to pm me the reg I can check if any warranty work was carried out ie the two items I mentioned earlier.Again two things you dont want to be hit with.

Row

Peugeot/Citroen usually recommend replacing the dpf around 150k kms on the 1.6hdi 110bhp (same engine as the volvo) they will also topup the additive fluid.
Tbh once a good grade of 5w 30 fully syn (low ash) oil is used the dpf's tend
to last longer.
I have seen original dpfs lasting till around 200k kms without replacing...:)

To check how your filter is you will need to get it hooked up to a good level diagnostic equipment and check the differential pressure...filter load...average distance beween regenerations.

@Hellrazer....What procedure do volvo us when they reset the additive system on the s40's (after additive topup)
With peugeot/citroens the additive counters are reset back to zero.....the additive pump is activated (5 times to prevent airlocks) and if need be the engine ecu is told its had a new dpf.

@php-fox...have you got the fault codes (if any) that were logged when the engine cut out...As Hellrazer said hp pumps on these don't normally fail...could be the fuel regulator on the pump..?
If your hp pump has failed then your injectors may also need testing.

php-fox

Got the car back today.
The garage is still unsure what caused the problem. They replaced the fuel tank pump, injectors, and fuel lines. As I was told, I've a got a brand new fuel system now.

No idea what happened. But it took two weeks to fix it. Sounds pretty serious to me.

php-fox

@Row.

No error codes at all.

@Hellrazer sent you a PM with my car reg. Thanks for the offer! If DPF needs attention then I should definitely get the garage to service it before the warranty runs out!

Great help guys!

bazz26

Are DPFs covered under warranty? I thought they were classed as a consumable?