Odd power loss issue - 07 GLXR

[AussieRob78]

Hey folks, could do with a little advice

My Triton randomly loses power, can be fine for weeks and then happen a few times in a day. It doesn't cut out or become un-driveable, but when you put the foot down it doesn't rev hard or accelerate much. The turbo still spins up though. To rectify it, I pull up at lights / pull over, shut the engine off and restart, and it's fine.

It has thrown the standard P0106 code twice since I have had it, but after cleaning the MAP sensor and resetting the code, the CEL did not come back on for a couple of thousand km, even when the power loss issue occurred.

The fact that it's rectified by shutting the engine off and restarting says to me it must be a sensor issue.. but I'm no mechanic!

Anyone had the same issue? Any thoughts?

[coughy]

have you checked the throttle body to make sure it isnt getting stuck with the black sludge ???
as i have heard of the throttle body can do it
have yoou got a scan gauge or anything like that to see what pressures and so on are doing??
maybe even the scv is getting sticky

[AussieRob78]

No scangauge as yet, but I do have a dongle coming soon to run with torque, so hopefully that will shed some light on it.

I haven't checked the throttlebody yet, no. Haven't really been sure where to start.

And SCV? What's that? (yeah... i know... I'm a n00b... hahaha)

[Naff]

Have you noticed any surging?

[coughy]

scv
suction control valve it is used to regulate the fuel to the rail

look at this post might be of interest to you
viewtopic.php?f=38&t=17316&hilit=suction+control+valve

how many kms? on the ute??
um just had a thought when was fuel filter replaced last??

also maybe the turbo actuator arm isnt moving freely??
do you have a vacum leak to the turbo somewhere??

[AussieRob78]

Haven't noticed surging

The ute has 190,000km on it

Will be replacing the fuel filter soon

Not sure how to check the turbo actuator (thankfully I have mechanically minded relatives and mates)

Would have thought the fact that killing the engine and starting it again, even without a cool down period and having that fix the problem would rule out a vacuum hose issue?

[Thongsbot3000]

Do you have a 3.2L and a Blank in the EGR ? If so i'd get rid of it. Have pulled that code P0106 (MAP sensor) a few times. Since removing the Blank, 3000kms later haven't pulled it since, touch wood !. Also clean MAP sensor and the small pipe from the MAP sensor back to Manifold. Check the Intercooler pipework (e.g. Hose clamps nice and tight, check if hoses slipping off a liitle)

[AussieRob78]

It's a 3.2... dunno about the EGR blank, it has been set up with a catch can so I would (or rather, have been told) to assume it doesn't but I will check. It's had big $$ spent on it during its life so not sure what exactly has been done

[Cowboy Dave]

If it has a catch can I would actually assume it does have a blank. Most people tend to fit both together in my experience. And yeah I would remove it for diagnostic purposes and later fit an electronic solution to the eternal EGR problem.

I'd also agree with the comments above re MAP sensor and hose.

I noticed your comment on sensor vs vacuum hose. I can see the logic in it but if it was a vacuum hose perhaps there's a change in pressures associated with turning the motor off that alters the status of the hose?

In an 07 model you have to expect though that sensors and valves might be getting towards needing replacement and I guess the same applies for hoses and the emergence of blockages etc. It's just a matter of working through the main variables one at a time ticking them off - there's a good chance you'll hit it eventually.

The two main sensors are the MAF and MAP. MAF is airflow and MAP is effectively boost pressure. Both can get dirty and misbehave and the MAP line can get clogged. MAF cleaner spray can clean both as it turns out.

Then it is SCV - commonly they wear out or get clogged. You can clean and polish them which brings quite a few back to life and saves you a fair lump of cash vs the cost of a new one.

Fuel filter is an easy one always worth doing IMHO.

There's a variety of things in the EGR setup that can stuff you up. There's a sensor in the manifold that can get clogged, the EGR valve can die and I think maybe there's a small motor on the flap that dies too? I'm a bit hazy on that last one. These produce error codes usually so shouldn't be that hard to diagnose.

As others have suggested you can then look towards turbo setup. So check all hoses and the wastegate and look for leaks or loss of movement.

If the car has ever been chipped then check the plug at the back of the fuel rail. They sometimes work loose a bit having been interfered with when chips are plugged and un-plugged. If the limp modes are mostly when you're giving it a lot of stick then it is potentially the fuel rail limiter (which is a PITA).

If you haven't solved it at that point on your own you're starting to look like needing the experts I reckon.

[AussieRob78]

Thanks for the replies folks! Gives me some good starting points.

I'll be back when my engine is in bits over the floor and I need help....

[desblaze]

Just checking how you went on with this issue. Over the past 2 weeks I seem to have a similar problem. Noticed it when I went to overtake on the highway. ML 07 auto drops down a gear, revs up high to between 3000 - 4000rpm and starts to surge, won't change gear until I back off the throttle all the way and lightly apply it again. Seems to be anything over 3/4 throttle is causing the same issue. I have a catch can but not plate. Will be doing a manifold clean on it soon. Hope that will fix the issue and then buy the air temp mod.

[coughy]

that to me seems like the rail limiter is not holding
when i put my chip on my 2010 it was doing the same sort of thing the fuel raill limiter was bugging out and i couldnt get the higher revs to stay there it would feel like i was running out of fuel back off and it was all good..
got a new rebuild rail limiter from old m8 tony @SPVINDUSTRIES and all is good now i can turn the chip up and no problems
even check your rail plug at the other end of the rail it is the one closest to the fire wall a real pain in the arse to get to
cheer coughy

[orangeLight]

Hi,

I’m don’t think I have any new suggestions to contribute. However, perhaps my experience working through the issue may help. I had issues with mild surging and occasional power loss. The power loss seemed to coincide with holding a relatively constant throttle position for extended periods of time. Thanks to this forum I’ve worked through it. This is what I did:

1) EGR blank installed
2) Complete inlet & manifold cleaning as per the guide on the forum. Its a fairly big & messy job but worth it in the end.
3) Change fuel filter
4) Cleaned the MAF sensor
5) ‘Repaired’ the fuel suction control valve (as per another guide on the forum)

After all this the vehicle was generally good - a bit more power and the surging was pretty much gone. However, I would still get the occasional power loss and one time the engine light came one. So I spent the money and purchased:
-ELM327 OBD2 OBDII WiFi Car Diagnostic Wireless Scanner (from eBay - Australian retailer)
-OBD Fusion App for my iPhone

I could see it was throwing P0106 errors.

The hoses to the MAP sensor (remember this is different from the MAF sensor) seemed good (tightly connected and clean). So I tried cleaning the MAP sensor. I’m not sure if this is a good way but I just sprayed some MAF cleaner into the little hold of the MAP sensor and shook it out.

6) Clean MAP sensor


That was a few weeks ago and I can state without reservation that it runs smoother and has not thrown the P0106 code once.

Good luck!

[RHKTriton]

Its entirely possible for the gunk to get to the MAP sensor. I've cleaned out the hose in the past and g#ve the sensor. Port a burst of sensor cleaner.

[AussieRob78]

So the issue is still occurring. I had a major service done a while back, and had new fuel filters fitted. It's still occurring. I have a couple of mates with the same vehicles and the same issue.

I thought maybe it was gearbox related, as I felt a clunk / diff slap type thing when it happened, but that doesn't happen all the time, plus my one of the fellas I know has a manual, and I have an auto.

I noticed on a recent trip that when the powerloss happens, the trip computer stops registering all fuel usage. I went from 10l/100 down to 3.3l/100. I reset the computer and it sat on 0.0l/100. It's happened twice since, with the same fuel usage reporting each time. As usual, pulling over and restarting the motor solves it.

I haven't checked for a blanking plate yet, however one of the lads I know did have one and has removed it so it will be interesting to see how he goes

[boatpc]

Have you tweaked the MAF sensor pins.
My 3.2 would throw the odd limp which was fixed by restart or obd on the run.
End up being those pins not contacting, probably due to me removing it for cleaning.

[AussieRob78]

Ok, so not sure about the rail limiter idea, I'm going to look for the blanking plate first. Being a second hand vehicle, it's hard to know what has been done to it.

I'll check the MAF pins, although the connection is firm at the MAF side of things. No dirt on the plug / pins either (well, last time I checked).

I'll have a look in the next couple of days and see what I find. I don't generally drive it far enough during the week for any issues to arise

[coughy]

well next time it happens just try to lift the throttle let car idle back to a 1000rpm then try and squeeze the pedal again dont mash it
mine was similar when the rail limiter was letting go under full noise it would feel like it is running out of fuel
with out the chip and with chip it was like it was towing a 100tonne boat behind and go no where

[RHKTriton]

So coughy, does the spring in the limiter weaken or are other bits wearing away?

Re the pins on the MAF, I gave them a couple of degrees of twist with a pair of long nose pliers, never misses a beat.

[boatpc]

As RHKTriton has said, give them a slight twist to guarantee connection.
My maf plug was tight fit but the pins where the problem, no sudden loss of power since done on mine.

[coughy]

thats it RHK the spring once it lets go ie lets the fuel past it it will never seal again and will keep on bypassing the fuel and the truck cant build up enough pressure to run at higher rpms
i got a up spec up tony and mine has never done it again..

[RHKTriton]

So an 8yr old limiter may be a bit weak and give a symptom of punch lacking, or is it more a problem with chipped units?

[trition1]

We have a 2007 misi triton 3.2 4m41 engine. For the last year since we've had it, it has an intermittent fault p0106. We have replaced the intercooler, map sensor,air filter, fuel filter, have again cleaned the egr out (which was still reasonably clean) sprayed the maf sensor with maf spray and all the hoses look fine. Now mainly this fault accurs when cruising and go to slow down then put the pedal down to speed up again, the truck loses power. We pull over and turn the engine off and then turn back on and its all back to normal again. Occansionaly the engine light will come on. This is mainly when the outside temperture is over 15 degrees and is starting to happen more often. All readings read fine on the computer and the ecu is fine too. Has anyone had this issue and managed to fix the problem?

[Thongsbot3000]

^^P0160 or P0106 ?

P0106 - Sounds like Blank Plate installed in the ERG pipe which therefores trips the MAP sensor.
Its an after mod that ML's dont take to kindly too. Sounds like the previous owner installed it

P0160 - Reads on net as 02 sensor circuit no activity issue.. Dont know much of this one

[coughy]

We have a 2007 misi triton 3.2 4m41 engine. For the last year since we've had it, it has an intermittent fault p0160. We have replaced the intercooler, map sensor,air filter, fuel filter, have again cleaned the egr out (which was still reasonably clean) sprayed the maf sensor with maf spray and all the hoses look fine. Now mainly this fault accurs when cruising and go to slow down then put the pedal down to speed up again, the truck loses power. We pull over and turn the engine off and then turn back on and its all back to normal again. Occansionaly the engine light will come on. This is mainly when the outside temperture is over 15 degrees and is starting to happen more often. All readings read fine on the computer and the ecu is fine too. Has anyone had this issue and managed to fix the problem?

have you checked the map line and the manifold for blockages?? also cleaned the line and sensor with maf cleaner
cleaned the maf sensor as well at the airbox??

u have a scan computer available to check some more??
and where in aus are you??