The Dispatch | Expert | Scudo Hub

i "serviced" my EGR valve on my HDi. it is very easy to do, you just have to remove the air filter housing if you want to permanently "fix" it. the kits are available cheaply on a well known auctioning site. on newer vans than a mk3 (newer than 2007) you would have to get it remapped also but on anything older it does not know its been "permanently repaired".

these 1.9s will run without the ECU even being plugged in...  all be it very rough and smokey. if it wont run at all i would be checking to see if fuel is being drawn up. i would get it to run on easy start/brake cleaner and let it suck up fresh fuel from the tank.

11th of may.. so a little while..
thing is, because its a van the tax is ridiculous. the insurance is cheaper than the tax! (same for my 1991 panda 4x4! £92 a year! tax is almost £300 a year on something with a <1L engine!)

thing is, i can afford it.. but i really dont want to give them more money that i have to. the state of the roads here in Derby is shameful.
i was really hoping my Ebike would pass its MSVA test but they keep failing that on components that passed on the previous test. the DVLA hate Ebikes.

my worry is that i change the alternator out again and the fault still continues. i only say that because the alternator "should" be charging. the battery light is on which should be enough resistance to excite the windings. an old trick i learnt years ago was to (with the engine running) feel if theres a magnetic pull to the alternators pulley with something like a spanner. if you have magnetism, the alternator is working. if you have no magnetism then its not working. (seriously try it, it works!).
i have no magnetic pull (on the alternator and my effect on females) 

what. do. i. do. ?

ill kick myself for selling it. i made that mistake in the past. i have the van structurally perfect.

if you jiggle the speed slider control does it change?
my money is on the speed selector slider acting up. you can take it out and clean it but its more easy to just replace the whole unit. being all electrical it does make it more easy. there will be loads about if you hunt for one.. old taxi repair places, general scrap yards, facebook, ebay..

yeah i have in the past.. it can be hard but with a solder rework station its not so bad. flux paste and the fine tip for the hand held part of the rework station. you only have to blast it for about 3 seconds and the solder repairs its self. you dont even need to add more.. the flux does all the work for you!

i dont know if im allowed..  lol i dont want to get in trouble..  i guess it can be removed if its not good.

Delphi diagnostics. the Chinese copied it and its just as good as the original. even the software is good!

i have one in Derby if you want it..  its free.

welcome to the life of these vans! not much really goes wrong with them to be fair. just make sure that you do rust prevention. in the sills and front sub frame. believe me it will pay off and more than worth spending like £30 on a few cans of Dynax S-50 to spray inside the cavities.

yeah.. thats the one. i do work at another scrap yard in Derby but all i do at it now is throw tyres into a bailing machine. boss and i had a falling out over pay. i was doing welding work and and loads of repair work while just sat on very near minimum wage. so ive been made to do one of the worst jobs in the yard haha. minimum of 2 people at a time working the bailer but often i am on my own on it sigh. 9 years at a company and still on very close to minimum wage just a few pence above. its a good job i work 2 jobs! ive actually been off work for the past 4 days with a bad back so be interesting to see if i have a job to go back to. not really fused as i can get drier more light work elsewhere for minimum wage. you get soaked bailing tyres.

it was always the dream to get into loomes scrap yard. i did try to get into Sims once but again thats just been sold to someone else!

it is so rare for an ecu to self destruct. its always down to something else.

yes the OBD scan tools..  they will always power up when plugged in as the obd port has a battery live in it that powers them up.

now thats interesting.. i have never known an "immobiliser" light on the dash to flash on mine. which light is that?  just looking at the dash now..  using this rather large photo stolen from here (https://dispatchexpertscudo.org.uk/foru … hp?id=1543) which light is that?

i am guessing the one next to the unlit glow plug light bottom left and the lit ECU light?
could be a water in diesel filter light though i just cant make it out.
i sadly dont have my handbook..  to hand.

let me know or take a photo of it and attach it on here.
this is most interesting.

yes do report back if anything works.

i think we need to start diagnosing why you cant connect to the ecu via the OBD port. it sounds to me like the ecu is not powering up.

so. my knowledge on these vans is not all that good (yes really).

do you get all lights on the dash come on when you turn the ignition on? including the yellow transistor...  err the thing that looks like a "K" otherwise known as the check engine light?

if that lights up it usually means that the ECU is in good order while on ignition only. (seriously try it on other stuff, if you uplug the ecu the check engine light goes out..  its a good way to find out if the ecu has a power issue)
the ECU will still power up even if it has an immobiliser fault..  say the RFID chip in the key stops working. you will still get the yellow "K" looking light

one thing to try is a jumper cable clamped to the metal body of the ECU then to the negative battery terminal. this would eliminate any earthing faults.

i also would actually unplug the main ecu connectors (with the battery disconnected) to see what the condition of the connectors are like.

i would also check your ignition switch.. you can test the switch easy. drop the steering wheel down using the adjuster, take off the cowling top cover and you will see the main igntion switch plug.
unplug all connectors with large wires they will be colours like white, blue and i think yellow..  maybe others. they will be the only large wires. 
now make sure you van is in neutral or if you are unsure keep the clutch pressed down because the next step could engage the starter motor.
get a thick ish bit of wire and bridge across the different wires on i think the left side plugs (youll get some little sparks but the power in a car battery is very safe to touch so worry not about electric shocks it wont happen). one will be battery power, one will be ignition switch position 1 (acc), one will be ignition switch position 2 which is glow plug mode/engine run (the one that powers up the ecu), and one will be the starter.
you are effectively bypassing the ignition switch. if you power glow plug mode and the ecu "K" light comes on this is good it means the ecu lives again and the solution is to replace the ignition switch
i repaired a Vauxhall Zafera with this same fault once.. been to 3 separate garages and they diagnosed it with a dead ecu. these "plug in" mechanics only know what an ECU will tell them. you need an old school mechanic.
shame you are not local to me i would have come and had a look..  i really like electrical work on vehicles.

now as far as i know, the ECU does have a relay..  i am pretty sure its commonly referred to as the "glow plug" relay. i have never known one to fail but i guess its a possibility. its located kinda behind the drivers side headlight (if its right hand drive)

i mean you could also test for voltage on a sensor while the ignition is on too. that way we would know if the ECU is functioning. give the mas air flow sensor a unplug and test for voltage on the different pins. one of them (i think there's 4 or 5 on these) will have some kind of voltage on it while the ignition is in glow plug mode. #
to test for voltage use a simple bulb test. get a small wattage bulb like say a side light bulb, earth one side with some wire and the other side will be the testing probe. try not to short anything out with it though..  the ecu does auto kill power to the sensors if it detects a dead short thanfully, it wont burn its self out.
now i think the sensors only work on about 5v so the bulb will only glow a bit..  i could be wrong though i have tested many ecus over the years..  it all merges into one.

on some vehicles, pin 1 on the OBD port can be an ignition live but its not standardised. i am not sure if our vans are like this.

i hope some of this helps in some way.

fun fact:  the "K" on the ECU light on our vans is the electrical symbol for a component called a Transistor.

as said, cam belt change just due to age more than anything and then buy a few cans of Dynax-s50 and cavity rust proof it.. everywhere. the vehicle its self will last for years.
i can tell you all the common rust spots i fixed on my van. the rear of the sills have 2 sections, make sure to get it into both.
you can get access through the bolt holes that hold the lower sliding door rail on from under the van.
if you poke your finger in the whole you can feel the bolt sticking through but also the 2 skins you can get the dynax spray tube into each one.
one can for each sill, and maybe 2 more cans for other places. the front sub frames are common again they have 2 sections you can get into with the dynax tube.
poke it all the way in and start spraying as you slowly pull the tube out.
i have just done it to a replacement door for my old 90s Fiat Panda 4x4. finding rust free doors for them is almost impossible!
i also recommend doing something with the 2 sections on each rear corner under the bumper. a good clean out with a jet wash and a nice thick coating of some brush on underseal. they are literal places where the rear wheel
flings up all the spray and dirt that get stuck in there and starts rusting it all out. nice to nip it all in the bud before it becomes a problem.

you'll enjoy having it, i know i do. and if you want to go all crazy like me, you can even retrofit aircon into them... but that does take a bit of doing. not impossible though! i even pretty much made a "how to" thread on here haha.
oh and the headlights come apart on these real nice too if you put them in the oven for 10 mins at 80.c. nice if you want to retrofit bi-xenon projector lenses.

sorry forums tism filled eccentric here.

welcome, welcome!