Clio 1.5 dci problems - Injector help?
Clio 1.5 dci problems - Injector help?
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Discussion

crofty1984

Original Poster:

17,064 posts

234 months

Friday 14th December 2012
quotequote all
My girlfriend's 51 plate clio is poorly, can anyone help?
We're pretty sure it's an injector problem. Do they need to be coded? Do you need to buy all 4? Can they be reconditioned?
It used to make a ticking noise on 1 injector, but the garage has successfully sorted the ticking. But not actually fixed the car WTF?

Anyway, her email to me:

Woman I need to impress with my manly knowledge of automotive fixery said:
Um. Not sure how to lay this out, so here's all I (we) know.

My engine coil light is on all the time now. Starting it (especially in this weather) has become a huge problem, it's really struggling to 'catch' if that makes sense? It turns over fine, so battery isn't a problem.

[garage name] have said I need a new injector. I can get proper Renault ones for £100+VAT, but I have to buy four. They said they can get Dacia parts for about £75 +VAT apparently. There's somewhere in Norwich that will sell Renault ones for £150 each + VAT.

Would you have a look about and see if you can find me the cheapest injector you can find? Basically I'm not sure the car is going to last a huge length of time, so doesn't have to be the best parts because they'll outlive it. If you can find somewhere that will fit them as well let me know, or I can get my garage to do it.

Kind of need to know tomorrow if poss, so I can let [garage name] know what we're doing
Any advice appreciated.

rb5er

11,657 posts

202 months

Friday 14th December 2012
quotequote all
Scrap it any buy another car

the_stoat

516 posts

241 months

Friday 14th December 2012
quotequote all
'coil light' to me suggests glow plugs which are a quick and easy fix. I would try another garage.

crofty1984

Original Poster:

17,064 posts

234 months

Friday 14th December 2012
quotequote all
the_stoat said:
'coil light' to me suggests glow plugs which are a quick and easy fix. I would try another garage.
That's the first thing I thought of. Apparently the garage has already changed them. I'm tempted to do it myself anyway.

Actually, that's a lie, my first thought was get rid as mentioned above. Followed by "convince her to buy a Mk2 VW Scirocco". Yeah, you know you want the poor man's DeLorean!

benjfrst

857 posts

220 months

Friday 14th December 2012
quotequote all
if its a 1.5dci id be looking at a sticky egr valve. will make it almost impossible to start from cold.

remove and clean or replace and stop using supermarket diesel

daemon

40,169 posts

227 months

Friday 14th December 2012
quotequote all
rb5er said:
Scrap it any buy another car
^^^^^^^^

This

Hateful engines, once they start to go wrong, they cost a fortune.

In fact, ebay it as spares or repair, get more money that way.

benjfrst

857 posts

220 months

Friday 14th December 2012
quotequote all
daemon said:
rb5er said:
Scrap it any buy another car
^^^^^^^^

This

Hateful engines, once they start to go wrong, they cost a fortune.

In fact, ebay it as spares or repair, get more money that way.
not this. fix it.

beeblebrox

184 posts

188 months

Friday 14th December 2012
quotequote all
crofty1984 said:
We're pretty sure it's an injector problem. Do they need to be coded? Do you need to buy all 4? Can they be reconditioned?
Yes. No. Yes.

If starting the engine is difficult but it runs OK once it's fired up, that doesn't suggest injectors as the most likely candidate for replacement. The injectors and glow plugs are in very close proximity on the K9K engine, and share a wiring loom - is there any chance the garage could have damaged the wiring or glow plugs when fixing the leaking injector seal (the source of the ticking)?

The first thing I'd do is get a fault code reader hooked up and see what the ECU is telling you. A cheap OBD2 reader will probably give you enough to go on without spending lots more on a Renault-specific unit.


rb5er

11,657 posts

202 months

Friday 14th December 2012
quotequote all
benjfrst said:
daemon said:
rb5er said:
Scrap it any buy another car
^^^^^^^^

This

Hateful engines, once they start to go wrong, they cost a fortune.

In fact, ebay it as spares or repair, get more money that way.
not this. fix it.
If its very cheap to fix then yes fair enough fix it, but there is no point ploughing hundreds of pounds into a 12 year old Clio in which case its much better to get rid.

benjfrst

857 posts

220 months

Friday 14th December 2012
quotequote all
just said, remove egr, clean it, replace. start car.

had this exact problem on a megane 1.5dci and its a common problem

so dont scrap the car. dont plow hundreds into it. fix egr issue.

daemon

40,169 posts

227 months

Friday 14th December 2012
quotequote all
benjfrst said:
daemon said:
rb5er said:
Scrap it any buy another car
^^^^^^^^

This

Hateful engines, once they start to go wrong, they cost a fortune.

In fact, ebay it as spares or repair, get more money that way.
not this. fix it.
From the original post - " Basically I'm not sure the car is going to last a huge length of time"

The garage has already changed the glow plugs.

The cost of a single injector is looking like £100-£150 plus fitting.

Thats a lot of money to be putting into a 12 year old car reaching end of life
This wont be the end of it.

Once these engines start to go, they become money pits.

Been there, done that with renault 1.5 DCi's.

benjfrst

857 posts

220 months

Friday 14th December 2012
quotequote all
daemon did you fall in a black hole for the 17 minutes between your post and my last.

daemon

40,169 posts

227 months

Friday 14th December 2012
quotequote all
benjfrst said:
daemon did you fall in a black hole for the 17 minutes between your post and my last.
Neither you nor i have seen the car, therefore we have to rely on the diagnosis of those who have already been working at the car and have diagnostic equipment at hand to read the codes - ie, that its down to one or more injector.

Its like someone posting here saying, "i'm on the titanic and the engineers have said that the ship is sinking", and someone on here saying 'no, no, no, i've had this problem before and it just needs the hole sealed over with a bit of tape.'

I personally would have it with another mechanic for a second opinion but rarely have i found with a 1.5 DCi of this age that its the simple option. Yes, great if it is, but i wouldnt be throwing hundreds at this car.

benjfrst

857 posts

220 months

Friday 14th December 2012
quotequote all
daemon said:
Neither you nor i have seen the car, therefore we have to rely on the diagnosis of those who have already been working at the car and have diagnostic equipment at hand to read the codes - ie, that its down to one or more injector.

Its like someone posting here saying, "i'm on the titanic and the engineers have said that the ship is sinking", and someone on here saying 'no, no, no, i've had this problem before and it just needs the hole sealed over with a bit of tape.'

I personally would have it with another mechanic for a second opinion but rarely have i found with a 1.5 DCi of this age that its the simple option. Yes, great if it is, but i wouldnt be throwing hundreds at this car.
I didn't read the bit where the garage had it hooked it up to any diagnostic equipment. Have another read, did you?

Your right, we haven't seen the car and without seeing the car your advice is to scrap it, citing many 1.5dci woes but with nothing other than hearsay in a rover headgasket esque manner, if you want to expand on that it would help.

Mine is to clean a component - 30 mins and free if you follow any of these handy case examples.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=1.5dci+egr+valve+...

You are making far more assumptions than me.

I am making an experienced constructive opinion, being stranded with a 1.5dci in the middle of nowhere, with an internet enabled phone, a socket set, and a can of diesel to use as a cleaner.

benjfrst

857 posts

220 months

Friday 14th December 2012
quotequote all
The Crack Fox said:
crofty1984 said:
Any advice appreciated.
Don't throw good money after bad (the car, not the GF), take her away somewhere nice to cheer her up (the GF, not the car), EBy the Clio off then buy something like a K11 Micra for £1000 that will run forever and probably be christened with a girly name because she loves it so much and it never lets her down.
Absolutly brilliant. Mumsnet has taken over pistonheads.

daemon

40,169 posts

227 months

Friday 14th December 2012
quotequote all
benjfrst said:
I didn't read the bit where the garage had it hooked it up to any diagnostic equipment. Have another read, did you?
I'd think its fairly reasonably to say that its unlikely they diagnosed a faulty injector just by opening the bonnet and looking at the engine - or is that something else you can do too?

benjfrst said:
Your right, we haven't seen the car and without seeing the car your advice is to scrap it, citing many 1.5dci woes but with nothing other than hearsay in a rover headgasket esque manner, if you want to expand on that it would help.
I had since put the caveat in, get a second opinion but dont throw money at it.

No, its not based on hearsay, its based on experience buying and selling cars over this past 5 years, and based on experience from colleagues also in the trade. Rarely is there a simple solution, and the O/P has already started spending £££'s on the car, which looks set to continue.

benjfrst said:
Mine is to clean a component - 30 mins and free if you follow any of these handy case examples.
I'm going to make a stab in the dark here that neither the O/P nor their girlfriend are mechanically minded, so therefore they are likely to get this done by a mechanic - which is more cost and based on something that happened YOUR car, not whats happening to THEIRS. By all means they should have these things checked - but do so at minimum cost - these engines are horror stories.

benjfrst said:
You are making far more assumptions than me.

I am making an experienced constructive opinion, being stranded with a 1.5dci in the middle of nowhere, with an internet enabled phone, a socket set, and a can of diesel to use as a cleaner.
So based on something that happened your car in the dark some rainy night some time ago, thats whats happened to theirs is it?

I reiterate - get a second opinion. If its a simple fix then great, however these engines are horrors and i personally wouldnt be putting more money into it.



daemon

40,169 posts

227 months

Friday 14th December 2012
quotequote all
benjfrst said:
The Crack Fox said:
crofty1984 said:
Any advice appreciated.
Don't throw good money after bad (the car, not the GF), take her away somewhere nice to cheer her up (the GF, not the car), EBy the Clio off then buy something like a K11 Micra for £1000 that will run forever and probably be christened with a girly name because she loves it so much and it never lets her down.
Absolutly brilliant. Mumsnet has taken over pistonheads.
Whilst written deliberately in an amusing way, the underlying message is correct.

benjfrst

857 posts

220 months

Friday 14th December 2012
quotequote all
daemon you are hard headed.

OP if you don't want to blow money on a new car, treating your wife or expensive and inept diagnostics email me my username at google mail.

daemon

40,169 posts

227 months

Friday 14th December 2012
quotequote all
benjfrst said:
daemon you are hard headed.
No, i'm a realist with experience with these cars.

benjfrst said:
OP if you don't want to blow money on a new car, treating your wife or expensive and inept diagnostics email me my username at google mail.
Fault resolution by email. Brilliant.

Rammy76

1,054 posts

213 months

Friday 14th December 2012
quotequote all
I've got to agree with daemon, although no one can guarantee it over the internet, I think now would be a good time to get it on eBay and do as The Crack Fox says and get a good little Japanese (petrol) runaround.

Out of interest, how many miles has it done?