Td5 low on power.

Hi Everybody, my second post and still getting used to the forum but im getting the hang of it . Ive also had a look at other threads but they dont quite hit the nail in the head.
Anyway, I have a question regarding my Td5 Defender 130 (2001 model), she now has 425,000kms on the clock and is running really well however it really struggles for power. When taking off its like its nearly stalling and to get it going requires significant revs and throttle. Getting up to speed takes a very long time and theres not much power in the mid rev range and once up to speed you need at least half to 3/4 throttle to keep it at 100 or so km/h. Going up any hill in 5th gear is nearly impossible and to try and stay with the traffic requires you to be going flat out. but usually will loose 20km/h. Towing is a real struggle and am beginning to think why they gave these cars a 3.5t rating when they can barely pull themselves. Im sure this is just an issue of age and kilometres, but it has always been maintained very well and im just looking for any suggestions on what to do short of chipping the ecu (which i dont really want to do)
Hope somebody can help!
Cheers

Could be anything really best bet would be to have it code read and read the actual values.
At that mileage it could well be the camshaft worn but that's just a guess

Ok thanks mate, I'll look into getting in code read then. If it is the cam like you said would that otherwise make the engine run a bit rough and maybe blow more smoke then usual? Because it is running real smooth and doesn't blow much smoke at all, so it's got me puzzled.

I can only go off what I've seen before and at very high mileage we've had some low on power or misfiring and we've seen on some the actual valve lobes worn down and also the live for the injector. But that was a total stab in the dark guess, much better if you get a code read and some actual values
A free check you can do is disconnect the mass air sensor that comes out of the air box and take it for a drive and see if its better, if it is then replace the sensor
Hope this helps you some what

1. Do you still have EGR? ...if yes check if the valve is not clogged/bloched
2. oil in ECU red plug
3. wastegate modulator... stuck wastegate rod... turbo pipes delaminated
4. ...and so on

some live data would be a big help

Thanks td5tool, Ill have a look at the mass air centre and take it for a drive and let you know. As far as misfiring is concerned that isnt a problem at the moment as it is actually running smooth.
sierrafery; the EGR is still in the vehicle as the engine is completely unmodified, i have had a feeling that after all the km's if could be blocked so that will get looked into. I will also check out the couple of other things you mentioned as well. I am thinking i will have to take it to get read... maybe not for a while at the moment but will need to be done. i will keep you all updated on the results i get from the advice ive been given. so thankyou all

Just a side note, i probably was been a little harsh on the car; in the higher rev range is the main problem but still requires flooring up any hill, so it might not be as bad as i first made it out to be but it has definitely had a decrease in power, but thats to be expected of any car with 425k on the clock!

for the EGR buy a bypass kit and get rid of it ASAP, if there's oil in the red plug replace the injector loom...also ASAP

gunked up Map sensor and/or buggered Maf will cause this too.

Thanks for all the replies everybody!
At the moment im going to go ahead bypassing the EGR, replace hoses with silicon ones and see how that fairs, i would say the EGR would be fairly chokers because i bet that hasn't been checked at all. I'll let you all know what the difference is like.

Watch the bolts don't shear on the exhaust manifold

td5tool said:

Watch the bolts don't shear on the exhaust manifold

Click to expand...

I'll keep that in mind... I've heard they can become a bit brittle and weak over time.