Tag Archives: derby garage

2016 Ford Transit DPF soot content to high.

This Ford Transit came into us with its Engine Management Light (EML) on and running in Limp Mode, after a quick diagnostic plug in we could see that the DPF soot content was well over 100% and it was unable to carry out a dynamic regeneration.

Vehicles with DPF’s require a long run at least once a fortnight to allow for a Dynamic Regeneration of the DPF.

We cleared the codes and attempted to carry out a static regeneration of the DPF which again was unsuccessful.

By monitoring the voltage of the exhaust temperature sensors we could see there was no change during the whole procedure and the exhaust temperature didn’t go above 170 degrees.

The first thing to check at this point is the Diesel Vaporizer which is located in the exhaust front pipe (normally seized).

Once we had removed the Vaporizer it was obviously blocked (see video).

We cleaned the Vaporizer and made sure the feed pipe wasn’t blocked and also checked the heater element was working by spraying WD40 into the Vaporizer and powering up the heater element with a 12v power probe, the WD40 should start to mist out of the little hole.

Next we refitted the Vaporizer and attempted the static regeneration again.

Success, the voltage of the temperature sensors dropped and the DPF temperature went up to over 600 degrees and you could smell the soot and carbon being burnt out of the DPF.

Lastly was a long road test to make sure it didn’t go back into Limp Mode and no codes returned.

Aarons Autos car service garage.

Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info.

Vacuum Pump Failure on Ford Transit 2.0 EcoBlue

This Ford Transit EcoBlue was recovered into us with a very hard brake pedal and no brakes which sounded like a brake servo fault.

To test the brake servo we removed the vacuum feed to it to see if it was holding pressure but instantly found out that there was no vacuum to it.

Tracing the vacuum pipe back checking for leaks or breakages to the vacuum pump we found no vacuum at all.

After removing and stripping the vacuum pump we could see the plastic internals of the pump had broken up into several pieces.

We replaced the vacuum pump and carried out a road test, everything seemed OK so we handed the van back to its customer.

Unfortunately the customer only managed about 60 miles before the exact same fault occurred again.

Once the van was back with us we removed the new (genuine Ford) vacuum pump to find it had broken up exactly the same as before.

We carried out an oil pressure test on the van and check for oil pressure up to the vacuum pump which all seemed OK.

After speaking to Ford technical services we were told this is know a known problem by Ford and is caused by ‘wet belt degradation‘, bassicaly the wetbelt is breaking up and the small parts off rubber are blocking oil ways and pick ups and intermitantly starving parts of the engine of oil, the main one being the vacuum pump.

The Fix

Even though this van has only covered 90,000 miles and is a 2017 and Ford recommend the wetbelt to be replaced at 144,000 or 10 years they are now saying they will not cover the warranty of the vacuum pump unless the wetbelt is replaced at the same time.

The first thing we did was to remove the sump to access the oil pump and check for the rubber deposits, we were amazed at what we found, we have been replacing the wetbelts on the Transit EcoBlue and EcoBoost engines for quite some time now but have not seen deposits like this before.

After removing all parts required to carry out the wetbelt and oil pump belt replacement we had to vigorously wash out all accessible galleries, pipes and engine internals.

We replaced the wetbelt kit, oil pump belt, front cover and sump then ran the engine up to see if we still had good oil pressure, which we did.

it is not recommended to use oil flushes with engines that run wetbelts as this can also damage the belt so we ran the engine for 60 miles and drained the oil again to get as much debris out as we could.

Warning!!

If you have a Ford Transit EcoBlue or a Ford car using the EcoBoost engine make sure to keep on top of the servicing and use the correct oil, if you have brought one recently and have no service history get the wetbelt replaced as the consequences are very expensive compared to replacing the belts.

Ignore Fords recommended change interval and aim for 8 years or 80,000 miles, and even if you are not doing massive miles every year still at least have your oil and filter replaced as a preventative measure.

Aarons Autos car service garage.

Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info.

Little Peugeot Wet belt caught just in time!

This little Peugeot 208 1.2 vti was booked in to have its wet belt replaced due to another garage noticing rubber in the oil when it was serviced.

”Make sure to use vehicle specific oil when Servicing”

Once we had stripped down the engine to access the wetbelt we had to fit the timing tools to the camshafts and flywheel.

When we removed the wetbelt you could clearly see its poor condition and by gently pinching the belt see the cracks.

After replacing the wetbelt kit on any vehicle it is good practice to clean out the oil pump pick up due to the rubber debris blocking it and causing oil pressure issues.

Make sure to use the specific oil for the car due to their additives which help prevent premature belt wear.

Aarons Autos car service garage.

Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info.

Another EcoBoost having its wet belt replaced just in time!

The Ford 1.0 EcoBoost engine fitted to the Fiesta, Focus, B Max and some Ford Connect vans is ran by a wet belt (runs inside the engine) and Ford recommend it should be replaced at 150,000 miles or 10 years.

This Fiesta was 8 years old and had only done 80,000 miles and you can see by the pictures the condition of the belt and the debris inside the oil pump pick up caused by the failing belt.

Replacing the wetbelt and oil pump belt is a time consuming job, you have to remove about 90% of the engines ancillaries to be able to access the wet belt and to be able to fit the timing kit which ensures the new belt goes on in exactly the right place.

Wetbelt strip down process

Remove coil packs, fuel rail and rocker cover
Remove AC compressor, AC pipes, alternator and catalytic converter
Drain engine oil, drain coolant, remove drive shaft, starter motor and sump
Remove water pump and aux belt tensioner
Rotate engine to TDC and fit crank timing tools and flywheel locking tool
Fit camshaft timing tools
Remove crank pulley using a Torque Multiplier
Remove front engine cover
Remove wetbelt, oil pump belt and oil pump and inspect

Normally we can just clean out the oil pump pick up but in this case we decided it would be a good idea to replace the oil pump whilst it was stripped down because it was so bad.

There are several other seals and washers we replace when rebuilding the engine such as the block to front cover seal behind the water pump and the crank bolt friction washer (Ford advise fitting this due to early problems of crank slip).

Wetbelts are becoming a big problem in all makes and models of vehicles and we advise you get yours replaced well before the recommended interval to reduce the chance of failure.

Aarons Autos car service garage.

Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info.

2018 Ford Transit Wet Belt Failure

This Ford Transit was recovered into us after breaking down on the M5, the customer said he suddenly lost all power and pulled into a laybuy.

After a quick investigation it was very apparent that the van had no compression and we suspected the wet belt had failed causing the crank shaft to keep turning without the cam shafts which has caused internal damage.

We removed the front end of the van including head lamps, radiator and bumper to allow easy access to the wet belt cover.

Once we removed the cover we could see that the wet belt had indeed failed, several teeth were missing from the belt which had allowed the crank and cam shafts to turn separately and caused piston and valve contact.

Check your timing belt history! We recommend 80,000 miles or 8 years.

With a quick inspection of the damaged parts we decided it would be cheaper for the customer to fit a reconditioned engine than for us to repair his damaged engine.

Ford are aware of the premature failure of their Wet Belts which on this model were due at 150,000 miles or 10 years but as far as we are aware they are offering no help if the vehicle is out of warranty.

When the new engine arrived we started swapping all auxiliary parts from the old engine to the new engine carefully inspecting for damage or wear in the process, all gaskets and seals were replaced at the same time.

With the engine and gearbox built up it was time to refit them into the van and get to a stage where we can run the engine and test for any leaks or blows before refitting the front end.

Starting an engine after such a big job is always an intense feeling no matter how confident you are, but after checking and double checking we were happy with our work and we turned the key…….. and voila, life.

We left the engine running for some time to allow the oil and coolant to get up to temperature and so we could check for any problems.

All good so time to refit the front end and road test, after the road test we recheck all levels and hand back to the customer.

Aarons Autos car service garage.

Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info.

Peugeot Boxer Timing Chain Noise

This Peugeot Boxer had a serious engine noise and an engine management light on when it came to us for Service.

Firstly we had to diagnose whether it was from the engine internals or auxiliary items such as air con compressor water pump etc.

Once we had determined it was indeed from the engine we needed to strip down to find out what was causing the noise

After removing the timing chain cover it became pretty obvious what was causing the noise, the chain had stretched so much that the adjuster was fully out and the chain was still loose.

After removing the chain we compared it to the new chain and it was a full link longer, the teeth on the crank gear had become rounded and all the chain guides were starting to break apart (debris in the sump).

When we fitted the timing tool to the engine prior to removing the chain we could see that the stretched chain had allowed the timing of the engine to be out by a full tooth.

With the new timing chain kit fitted to the engine and all debris removed we treated the engine to a new oil filter and some fresh oil and gave the key a turn.

The difference was night and day, the engine ran smooth with no worrying clattering and rattling just ticking over like it should.

A quick code scan with our diagnostic machine tells us that all the fault codes relating to the stretched timing chain have gone.

Time for a good road test, final check and hand back to the customer.

Aarons Autos car service garage.

Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info.

2017 Audi TT 1.8 TFSI With Fault Code P00b7 – Fixed.

This Audi TT was brought into the Garage with its Engine Management Light (EML) on, after carrying a Diagnostic Code Read we could see numerous codes in its ecu the main one for us was P00b7 which related to poor coolant flow!

When checking the live data we could see that the engine coolant temperature sensor was reading at over 100 degrees whilst the radiator temperature sensor was at a stable 40/45 degrees even after a road test.

The cooling system on this car is controlled by an electronic thermostat which is built into the back of the water pump housing located under the inlet manifold.

To access the water pump housing we removed the inlet manifold for ease, once the manifold was off we removed the water pump and housing for inspection.

When we removed the cover off the electronic thermostat we could see that the gear on the operating motor had broken off meaning that it couldn’t open the thermostat.

The Fix

Using genuine Audi parts we replaced the water pump and water pump housing along with its drive belt then rebuilt the engine so that we could retest for operation.

After running the engine up to temperature we rechecked our live data, the engine temperature sensor was now reaching 98 degrees and then dropping as the thermostat opened and we could see the radiator temperature increase too.

Once the car had been road tested and rechecked for leaks it was handed back to its owner.

Aarons Autos car service garage.

Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info.

Volkswagen Scirocco with a leaky Inter-cooler.

This VW Scirocco came into us with an intermittent running fault, it would randomly put the engine management light on and go into limp mode.

Firstly we carried out a diagnostic code read to see if there were any stored codes and what they related to?

Several codes were stored relating to faults in different systems! Oxygen sensor, Boost pressure and EGR system.

We decided to carry out a smoke test on the intake system as all of these faults can be affected by an air or boost leak.

(A Smoke Tester fills a system with lightly pressurized smoke allowing the user to see any small leaks that may not be obvious to the naked eye.)

We found a leak from around the inter-cooler area but the car needed stripping further to be able to access this area, once the bumper had been removed we could see clearly that there was a split in the inter-cooler housing which was small enough to allow the car to still run reasonably well but bad enough to throw out several sensor readings.

Big Strip Down To Remove The Inter Cooler.

After we replaced the inter-cooler and cleared all related fault codes we carried out a road test and checked live data, all sensors were reading as they should and the car drove perfectly without putting the engine management light on and no more limp mode.

Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info.

Re-opening on 1st June 2020 to the General Public.

We hope everyone is taking care and doing their best in this strange and worrying time. Trying to fight this Corona Virus is a bigger job than most of us initially thought but we do seem to be getting there and some of those business’s that were affected by Covid19 are starting to re-open.

Aarons Autos will be re-opening its doors as of the 1st June 2020 and once again be offering its excellent ‘Services’ to the general public and local business’s.

We are putting several measures in place to keep our customers and staff safe from the Corona Virus;

We are fitting a Perspex screen across the whole office counter which will have a small cut out for customers to pass keys through and for them to make payments (card payments are preferred but we will accept cash)
We will be enforcing a one customer in reception at a time rule and customers will not be able to wait in the reception area whilst large repairs are being carried out.
All customers vehicles will be wiped down with anti bacterial wipes pre and post work being carried out, technicians will wear gloves whenever possible.
We will be supplying small hand sanitiser bottles for customers and technicians to use after any transactions.
We ask that customers will leave out their ‘Locking Wheel Nut Keys‘ and ‘Service Books‘ where required so we do not have to search around the car trying to find them (reducing contact inside the car).

If you have any other worries or queries please don’t hesitate to contact us.

MOT’s have been extended, but we are urging customers to have their MOT’s carried out as soon as they possibly can (or feel safe enough to do so).

There are several reasons we are suggesting getting your MOT done sooner rather than later;

18 months is a long time for your car to go un-checked, if you had not had your car Serviced just before the ‘Lock Down’ and your MOT was due how do you know if your tyres, brakes or suspension are safe!
Garages are going to be inundated with MOT’s that are actually due on the date you want yours doing (12 month MOT’s) so imagine the difficulty for the garage to deal with double the amount of MOT’s, this is why we suggest contacting us early so we can spread out the work load.
Think of your local Garage. If NO MOT’s are carried out in April or May what will happen next year? Garages will have less work in those months and possibly struggle.

If you would like to book in for the first week of June please contact us by email info@aaronsautos.co.uk or our Facebook page ‘Aarons Autos Derby Ltd‘ if you would like to contact us after the 1st June just call us as normal between 8.30 – 5.00 and we will be happy to help.

Finally, stay safe and take care.

Top Again for Aarons Autos by Three Best Rated.

Dear Aarons Autos,
Congratulations! You are now listed as one of the Top 3 Car garages in Derby. We would like to Thank You for providing consistent high-quality service in your area of business. Our review team either approved or updated your business listing using our rigorous 50-Point Inspection which includes everything from checking reputation, history, complaints, ratings, satisfaction, nearness, trust, cost, and general excellence.

Three Best Rated® was created with a simple goal to find you the top 3 local businesses, professionals, restaurants, health care providers, etc., in your city. We display only businesses that are verified by our team since customers deserve only the best.

That’s not all… Businesses do not pay us to list them ever. You do not pay us for the listing at any time. We believe that local businesses provide better and personal services locally. Local businesses know your city better since they live there too. Our policy is free to list because if you can pay to list, then is it really the best business?

It has been an honour and a pleasure to work with you. Share this exciting news!

Cheers,
Melinda Crawford,
ThreeBestRated®

These are the emails we love to receive, and the best bit is we have no input what so ever, all the information comes from YOU! our customers. Click the Award to see the results.

We would like to say a massive thank you to all our customers new and old without your trust, feedback and reviews we would not be able to get the ratings we have.

“Thank You”

Aarons Autos car service garage.

Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info.