Usually, I start the diagnostics examples with INPA/ISTA data, then I analyze these data, and the conclusions are based precisely on these data.
But very often, the vehicles’ owners can make many conclusions using logical thinking. This time – a clear example of that. After purchasing the car, the new/happy owner of the N43 series engine detected that the engine vibrates and shivers, and the cylinders are turned off. Diagnostics data indicated quite a bleak picture. But, looking at the injectors, the conclusions were harsh, even without diagnostics. What exactly and why? Read in the continuation of the entry.
But, before inspecting the injectors, I will start (as usual) with diagnostics data. I will mention only the most interesting. There are error messages regarding turned-off cylinders, incorrect Multiplicative type LTFT, and incorrect IBS data.
The vehicle’s owner has tried to solve the situation and purchased and installed an “alternative” NOx sensor.
Needless to say, that live data confirm – the sensor is not sending the data. EUR 300 .. 400 are wasted.
The efficiency of cylinders looks like this:
Injector data in Stratified charge:
The situation can be described shortly – “everything is bad”. The injector of the 4th cylinder has leaked in idle; injectors of cylinders No. 1, 4 and 2 have massive flowrate corrections.
I asked the owner of the car to take pictures of the injectors. Here they are:
Let’s leave the different (black) injector for the dessert; it is the easiest with it.
Manufactury dates of other injectors:
January 25, 2010; release 07
January 15, 2011; release 08
May 13, 2010; release 08.
What conclusions can we make?
First – each injector has been replaced individually. This is not the case with “group” change. One injector – with a different release than others. Between injectors of the same release – a half-year difference in manufacture date. They are not from one batch.
Second – these were used injectors when they were installed on this car. The car had a warranty till the Year 2012. If there were problems during warranty time, all injectors (or, as a minimum – all of the current bank) would be replaced once, installing injectors of the same release and batch. When the warranty ended, the actual release of the injectors was already the 11th (the last one).
The second – black – injector. It even has a different code!
Here, this is an injector, which was before *048 first (!) release!
What does TIS/ISTA say? ALL black injectors should be replaced immediately! Dealers were performing this replacement during the warranty recall.
If we assume that the dealer would be the one, who replaced other injectors, this one also would have been replaced a long time ago. In turn, if we assume that this injector has not been replaced, the car hasn’t “seen” the dealer maintenance during warranty time, and no free-of-charge recall operations have been performed on it. And without any illusions – used & old release injectors from the junkyard have been installed.
Whatever this car’s history, it clearly has three used & old release injectors from the junkyard and one museum exponent, which should be replaced without thinking installed.
These are simple conclusions that can be made by only checking the data of the injectors. Without expensive diagnostics equipment, without special knowledge.
When I saw the images of the injectors, I didn’t have the question “what could happen to them” anymore…
