Help needed

[Anonymous]

Hi all,
Help my car is not well. I drive a 12 plate Asphalt still under warranty. Went out in the car today, as I started to descend down a steep hill I had to hold back for some cyclists, when I got on the straight I put my foot down to overtake. Suddenly it lost power, almost felt like fuel wasn't getting through. The warning light came on with a message engine fault repair needed. I got to the bottom of the hill and turned around to get the car back home, approx half a mile. It struggled intermittently climbing back up, I live 1000feet up. When I got home the fan sounded like a helicopter and stayed on for approx 5 minutes after turning engine off. I turned the engine back over and the speed limiter came on saying 19 miles, have I knocked something accidentally or is this a safety feature? I have turned the speed limiter off, but the fault light remained on and the fan is still on loudly when I switch engine off. My main concern is the dealership is nearly 20 miles away and I am not sure if I will be doing more damage by driving it there, also will it actually get me there.
Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly received. It's not the temp sensor fault I have already had that replaced.

Thanks

Jacquie

 

[pete.garratt]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but you could be suffering from one of the other known foibles of the engines in petrol RCZs.

These revolve around the timing chain. These can sometimes stretch or move in relation to the camshaft, throwing the engine timing off. The engine management system then gets a bit confused, so to protect itself, goes into what is known as limp mode - with the reduced power you've noticed.

Additionally, there have been occasions where other owners have had their temperature sensors replaced a couple of times before fixing that issue for good. I understand there are a couple of different repair types done over the years. You may want to search the forum for associated topics.

The good news is that the dealer network should be well informed now, so shouldn't take too long to get to the bottom of it.

Also, so far as I know, you shouldn't do any damage by driving. Obviously, be aware you don't have normal performance, so drive accordingly, taking extra care at junctions etc.

My advice is to get it to a dealer as soon as practical. This is an issue that will be covered by warranty, if you have one.

 

[Anonymous]

I would fully concur with Pete.

 

[Anonymous]

Sounds exactly what I had last week.
I pulled out at a junction onto a B road and suddenly had very little power. It juddered and laboured as it slowly built up speed to be able to cruise at a suitable speed.
I managed to get home (approx 25 minutes driving in this state) & the fan, as you say, sounded loud & unhappy for a good five minutes after turning the engine off.

A home-tested fault diagnosis offered "P1338". Not overly helpful but gave us something to go on...
Found that the service done as part of the sale didn't give me new spark plugs or air filter!! Changing these didn't solve the problem however, but it did take us to the ignition coil - new one of these and my RCZ is purring like a sleeping lion....

Don't be down-heartened, get yourself to the garage (or if I've given you enough hope, someone you may know may be able to help you) and you'll be back in smooth, purring RCZ land before you know it!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys much appreciated for your advice, I plan to contact garage today.

Jacquie

 

[RCZash]

No help from me I`m afraid, just best wishes you get it sorted soon. :thumbup:

 

[Anonymous]

I would fully concur with Pete.

been there and its the timing chain issue... have a google and also search for R56 mini timing issues (use the same engine and they are much more up on the "whys" than we are)

 

[Anonymous]

Mine is at work at the moment with a coolant problem and it's having the timing chain done at the same time.

I've brought hubby a facelift DS3 Techno home with the same engine our RCZ and the power delivery is quite different. The RCZ is quite linear and smooth, but the DS3 appears to give you a bit a shove. It's got the Active City Brake Control fitted, not sure if I'm prepared to test it though LOL.