Loss of Power after Cape York Trip

[Aussiebull]

G'day again.

Well we made it to the tip and back, but unfortunately not without some issues. We were traveling really well until about half way back when I noticed a loss in power, I had cleaned the air filter regularly as the dust is really bad. This progressively got worse and then the Electronic throttle control and engine light came on, I pulled over and everything looked ok, started her and ETC light is gone. This happened again, and we we got to Lakeland to pick up the van I cleaned out the air box and MAS sensor and reset the engine light. Everything looked good but under load with the van on I struggled to get past 90klms heading into Cooktown, No warning lights but quite sluggish, she will have bursts where she is running beautiful and then sluggish again, cannot feel as much without the van. I have read older posts where it could be the ETA , TIPM FRS, MAP or EGR, hoping not all but the dust must be effecting something somewhere. I have her booked in to be looked at on Wednesday when I get back into Cairns . Anyone had these symptoms after long trips on dirt roads?

[drover]

Have a look inside the hose from air box to turbo, it should be clean if any dust or grime then the air box lid wasn't fitted correctly and has let dust thru, not uncommon as the lid needs to be carefully positioned before putting the clips back on.....

My first spot would be fuel filters, drain a bit off into a jar, let settle and look for any floaties in the fluid, colour should be the same all over, a pale blue, yellow, green or red, even clear but it should be an even colour... if you let it sit for 30 mins or so it will show if water in fuel as a layer on bottom of jar ............ if lots of water it will show pretty quickly as the fuel and water will disperse and is easy to see... if your drain sample is dark then its contaminated...

Have bounced over a lot of dirt towing and never had any dramas, well the odd loose bolt but no engine dramas.... check all hose clamps and hoses for holes.

A blocked fuel tank breather can cause similar, just haven't looked into it on these WK2's.

[Aussiebull]

Cheers Drover, Yes there is redness in the hose to the turbo, but can assure you that the filter box was correctly installed each time, could not find any cracks or holes with the exception off the whole in the bottom of the airflow box that looks standard, I had a major service completed prior to leaving that replaced all of the fuel filters

[drover]

Redness in the hose sounds like dust to me, check the inside of the air box lid .. It isn't a K&N filter is it ? A good spray of the MAF sensor may be in order......


Check that all the hose clamps are tight, run chalk along the filter seal, both sides and lock down the air box lid, open it up and the chalk line should be unbroken on the housing to show it seals................

I'm untrusting and I would be pulling the fuel filter out to check, they can be pulled and replaced, they are easy to see if they are full of gunk, they should be grey to dark grey after normal wear but if black then they are stuffed and it can happen after any refuel......... I do mine at 10K.....

Need a pan and a 27mm socket, after doing a water drain, just unscrew the filter, will dump a litre of fuel, second one less messy, put them back in if okay, replace if not.. be carefull as the plastic bolt head will chew easily....... I always carry an old old cap off a filter just in case.

To prime fuel line, foot off brake turn engine to ON allowing the pump to prime, you can hear it, do this about 8 times, then put foot on brake and start engine it should fire up normally, let in run for a few minutes.....

[Aussiebull]

Thanks Drover

I do run a K&N with snorkel but only on the black stuff and repaced with brand new OEM before heading off. Do you mean run chalk on the rubber top of the filter? then check the rim of the top filter box?

[drover]

Both sides can show if poor seal or the edge is getting crimped .............. I know it feels like it couldn't have a gap but you be surprised at times when there can be a gap though will usually show as a snail trail of dust in lid.... but the hose should be black, do a glove test and it should be clean..... Even here when the pine tree's do a pollen dump, august, my air filter will be full of it along with the engine bay, like a bucket of yellow talc has been thrown under the bonnet, the intake pipe will still pass the clean glove test, so you have or have had a bad seal somewhere or the K&N has let it in on a dusty windy day, sealed roads don't mean no dust, but the dust is more a worry for the MAF as it will just combine with the oil and soot further in.

My guess be dirty MAF or fuel filters......... some codes would be handy.

[Jeeper6]

I have heard some blokes even putting a smear of grease between the two air box sections to ensure it seals.

I too run a K & N air filter Aussiebull with a snorkel. I am heading to the Cape in September to do the OTT plus CREB and I too will be taking out the K & N and fitting a standard paper filter, as well as carrying spares.

When ever I do an oil change, which is quarterly for me, I check the inside of the intake pipe as it has to be lifted out of the way anyhow, and also where the breather pipe that goes in the intake toward the turbo, both have always been clean. There should not be any dust...

AB If you had it serviced prior, it is possible the monkey didn't ensure all 3 tabs at the back of the air box were locked in correctly which would have left a gap for dust...hope not!

As Drover wrote, there would be tell tale dust inside the top of the air box if the seal was not perfect.