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Renault Scenic - Engines - 2.0 Petrol engine missfire

10K views 19 replies 4 participants last post by  GreenVanMan 
#1 ·
Hi Im John & I drive a 2004 Scenic 2.0 Privelege Plus and I have been having this problem on & off for the last two years. It only happens intermittently when the engine idles very roughly and you can "feel" the missfire through the seat....I have had it in to the dealer on 3 occasions and every time they tell me there is nothing wrong. On 2 out of the 3 visits, I have been handed back a damaged vehicle! In October last year they finally changed the coils after my repeatedly saying it was as if a spark plug was breaking down. Due to a problem I had today, I decided to explore Google and see what I could find on the subject. According to various posts I have found here and elsewhere, It appears that a batch of coils are faulty but I do not know whether they are Sagem or Denso as I cannot see the make. However, I can see the number 4-252 on the side of the coils. Can anybody tell if these are ok or suspect from the number given? Today it began to idle roughly & was running like the proverbial smacked A*se when I pulled into the supermarket. Ater about an hour or so when I came to go home it started ok initially and after about a mile, I noticed the warning light for exhaust emissions was on ( statically, not flashing ) and it was running extremely roughly. When I got home, I called my local dealer and arranged for it to be looked at the following day. I then rang Renault UK & explained the scenario regarding the multiple visits and no fault found etc and stated that I had no faith in the dealer and was in fact convinced that come tomorrow, I would be given back a damaged car with no engine faults discovered and be out of pocket to boot. To say they were less than helpful would be an understatement.

Having just started the car after 3 hours or so, the warning light is no longer on & although the engine is far from running smoothly, it is a lot better than it was. My dilemma now is whether to go ahead with the appointment tomorrow or keep my fingers crossed and cancel..if I go to the dealer, can anyone suggest the direction to point them in to remedy this problem??

Apologies to all for the length of my first post, any input would be greatly appreciated.....

John
 
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#2 ·
The coils in your vehicle should be Denso items, however if they were Sagem the date code of 4-252 (day 252 of 2004), so well within the 330-3 date..

I can only suggest some commonish issues with the 2.0

1: Clean the throttle body..
2: Have the Injectors ultrasonically cleaned and tested
3: Have the Lambda sensor tested for correct operation..

When the vehicle is playing up is there any increase in Exhaust smoke etc?
 
#3 ·
Hi Webcode, thanks for the quick reply. To update problem from yesterday, last night I tried the car and after starting it, the light never came on. I then went on a journey of less than a mile during which the same light came on and was flashing quite rapidly. According to the manual, this light is to monitor the exhaust gases and when it behaves in this manner they advise to reduce speed & contact dealer. As far as an increase in exhaust smoke, I cannot say for sure as it is not something I have been in the habit of looking at I'm afraid, I am the kind of guy that climbs in starts up and drives off ! However, on arrival back home last night,my 8 year old daughter noticed a very strange pungent odour coming from the tailpipe that she described as smelling similar to a spent firework??

Am I correct in assuming that item 3 in your response (regarding the Lambda sensor), is the sensor that monitors the exhaust gases & is responsible for the warning light coming on? If so, can you identify the location and advise whether I can replace it myself?? I am loathe to take it into my local dealer and the next nearest one is 20 miles away & I am not happy at the prospect of driving my iffy car over there.
I assume the local dealer will want to put the car onto his diagnostic kit first (£47 +VAT) then charge me ??? for the part required plus a rather large labour bill, what in your opinion is the possible cost involved if I took it into the dealer as opposed to doing it myself and the correct diagnostic procedure that should be followed ? Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this follow up lengthy post and for any guidance given, I appreciate it given the proximity of the festive season and the early xmas bonus I got on friday ( My Cards !) I need to keep the bulk of my cash in my pocket rather than in Arnold Clarkes !!
 
#5 ·
Selwonk, After fridays news, it will be for sure! However, for the first 18 months it was used for journeys of less than 2 miles a day. For the past six months until last friday, I was commuting 50 miles a day. Should I go ahead and replace the Lambda sensor or not? Or do you think I should wait for Webcodes suggestion, I would have to agree on the Star issue regarding Webcode, or do you think perhaps that was him on TV the other night and not a fiery comet as reported...........

regards,

John
 
#7 ·
Selwonk, sorry to appear stupid, but are you saying I should replace the Lambda sensor and it is this that is causing the warning light to come on and also the sluggish runni9ng? I am unable to give it an Italian tune up due to the following :

1: it wont go that fast as it is..
2: The manual says to reduce speed when light flashes ( as in speed camera trigger mode??)

If you think the Lambda is causing the fault, is it the little jobbie at the top of the exhaust down pipe?

John
 
G
#8 ·
Can't help you on the Lambda sensor - WebCode will be able to tell you how involved it is to fix it. I also wouldn't recommend an Italian Tune Up at this stage - it's only recommended on a car that's running properly. I just thought you'd be interested in what causes the eggy smell...
 
#10 ·
Sounds like you have a defective Lambda sensor and/Or the CAT has failed.

A defective CAT would lead to the Sulphur smell you have described in your post..

Now the senario I am thinking about is as follows.
The lambda sensor fails, probably telling the vehicle is is running lean, so it tells the vehicle to "overfuel", some of this fuel is not burnt and ends up in the exhaust gas. This enters the CAT and destroys the monolyth..

Either way take it to a garage and have an emmissons check carried out to confirm..

Let us know what they say..
 
#11 ·
Thanks Webcode, as for the Cat failing, it has just had it's first MOT (in octber) and I asked the garage doing it to check a "rattle" that I thought was coming from one of the front wheels, on picking the car up, they informed me that it was the cat that was rattling internally but that it would not affect it from an MOT point of view. Given what you are saying,do you think that perhaps the Cat has given up the ghost and that is what is causing the problem if so, would that cause the warning light to come on? It is booked into the dealers for investigation on monday am, will keep you posted and thanks for all the help ..it is very much appreciated...

John
 
G
#12 ·
The dealers ( although expensive re the diagnostic ) should be able to solve the fault by looking into any faults that have been logged by your vehicles computer. They will also be able to clear the faults.

The dealer also has very specific dectection conditions + fault finding procedures for

Catalytic converter fault finding

Oxygen sensor fault finding

If the diagnostic tool shows "Oxygen sensor On Board Diagnostic: done ... ACTIVE" or "Validation of the oxygen sensor repair ...1DEF", the control cycle has not been carried out correctly. In this case, the dealer must repeat the cycle of testing ensuring that the detection conditions are complied with.

If after the test, the diagnostic tool shows "Catalytic converter operating fault ... ACTIVE" or "Validation of catalytic converter repair ... 2DEF", they must refer to the fault finding method associated with this symptom.

In short the whole process takes a long time to complete if done in strict accordance with instructions.

If you have just received your P45 just before Xmas I can totally symp with you having experienced the same thing last xmas. Go work for yourself if you have skills. I can recomend these people to look after your initial start up ( good luck )..

Stu ( L20 )
 
#13 ·
Scenic sorted

Thanks to everyone for their help, got the car back and the fault was no 3 ignition coil. Cost me £60 labour and £34.00 for coil, everybodies help & comments were very much appreciated. Thanks again and I hope you all have a real good xmas.Cheers, John
 
#16 ·
I certainly will be sticking around as I'm sure my wheels will play up again in the (hopefully far off) future ! Special thanks to Webcode, Selwonk & Laguna II.......as an aside, having trawled the net, I have secured a job as a self employed parcel driver paying £20 an hour so it looks like I won't have to tell my 8 year old that Santa's Renault powered sled is on the blink after all !! Thanks folks, have a good festive season...regards, John
 
#18 ·
Yes it does,obviously you need to have a reliable motor (perhaps I should P/x the Scenic then ?) and the rates of pay are as follows: If you work between the hours of 18:00 to 06:00 it is £19.95 per hour between 18:00 & 06:00 it pays £23.95 per hour. If you want any more info here is the link to the site.........www.logistic-link.co.uk Not sure if the Megane avatar is a good or bad omen 'tho :)

I will try it for a while and see how it pans out re wages earnt & cost of fuel etc. if I can be of any further help, let me know.

John
 
#19 ·
Had a similar problem with my wifes nearly new scenic, rather than mess about with useless dealers I went ahead and replaced all 4 coils myself, less then 30 minutes job. They only cost me £14.99 each new, and guaranteed for 3 years ! I recommend shopping around. A significant saving on the dealer, which they quoted £240 for !! After the replacements the car runs and idles a lot better, without the 'rough' feel you get when a coil is at fault. Even when a cars still under warranty its worth doing the job yourself, to get it done properly, as you care about your own purchase, as they don't give a dam !
 
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