Rafe Dent
Member
- Posts
- 36
- Location
- Annecy, France (Geneva)
After experiencing worsening sluggish performance and a horrendous tick-over - but strangely enough quite good mid-top end performance, I visited L/R to get quote on leak back tests/ injectors etc wow, thousands of francs.
So I decided to take the forum advice that made the most sense and found a local self-proclaimed expert who worked in a garage that reeked suitably of old diesel. They carried out what I can see now was a thorough test - extracted all injectors onto the workbench and performed leak back and flow rate tests at various pressure settings up to 1,300 bar - on all 4 injectors with print-outs as 'proof'.
At this stage I was probably about 150 euros down if he'd put them all back in again, but his advice was to change the 2 he'd diagnosed as inoperative - so that added 220 euros each. He insisted on changing the filter (according to him the root of most problems and should be changed at 20,000km on any diesel) which added a chunk, and so I came out 800 euros down eventually.
But what a difference! The full test was not the most expensive part - and the test so fully explained all old engine characteristics (such as low speed roughness, high speed fine) that I can't see how anyone could diagnose anything much without this sort of full professional test. Turns out he's one of only two centres in the department who can do it.
Test results attached. Hope this helps others diagnose strange TD4 running characteristics.
So I decided to take the forum advice that made the most sense and found a local self-proclaimed expert who worked in a garage that reeked suitably of old diesel. They carried out what I can see now was a thorough test - extracted all injectors onto the workbench and performed leak back and flow rate tests at various pressure settings up to 1,300 bar - on all 4 injectors with print-outs as 'proof'.
At this stage I was probably about 150 euros down if he'd put them all back in again, but his advice was to change the 2 he'd diagnosed as inoperative - so that added 220 euros each. He insisted on changing the filter (according to him the root of most problems and should be changed at 20,000km on any diesel) which added a chunk, and so I came out 800 euros down eventually.
But what a difference! The full test was not the most expensive part - and the test so fully explained all old engine characteristics (such as low speed roughness, high speed fine) that I can't see how anyone could diagnose anything much without this sort of full professional test. Turns out he's one of only two centres in the department who can do it.
Test results attached. Hope this helps others diagnose strange TD4 running characteristics.
