Renault Espace Diesel problem Vol1

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Fri 6 Aug 2004 22:42
Renault Espace Diesel problem Vol1 - Richard Mk2
I have a Renault Espace Diesel 2.2 DCi(Registered in 2000) and have had repeated problems over the last few years which my garage have failed to identify.
It starts up fine - but after driving for a while (usually on motorways for 1hour ) I experience a major loss of power accompanied by a warning signal and can limp along at about 30mph until I reach a hill! Quite often if I stop, turn the engine off and wait for 5 minutes it will start again and appears to be OK.
My garage keep telling me that its the EGR valve (they say thats what the computer tells them!) - and have replaced it 4 times now. I don't believe them!!
Any ideas?


Volume 2 is now over here :-
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=4&t=54...5
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Sat 7 Aug 2004 18:21
Power Loss - Renault Espace Diesel - Richard Mk2
I have a recurring loss of power on a Renault Espace Diesel 2.2Dci.(X Reg) which has just recurred again

It usually occurs after driving on the motorway at speed for a while following which I experience a loss of power - just no acceleration - especially when you come to an incline. I get a warning light 'Electronic Incident' (helpful eh?).

usually stopping the engine for a few minutes seems to relieve the problem - but not always!

My Renault dealer have decided the problem is with the EGR valve and have replaced it 4 times now - so I suspect they're barking up the wrong tree. Logic though seems to indicate that it must be either the fuel injection or the regulator.

Has anyone experienced similar problems or have any clue on the cause? The dealer has agreed to take it in as an emergency case this week so any pointers would be much appreciated.
Richard Mk2
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Mon 9 Aug 2004 12:05
Power Loss - Renault Espace Diesel - Graham7
I have the same problem. I have a Grand Espace III Evolution, 2.2dCi Expression.
This has happened to me about 6 times now (including a total breakdown) - loss of power plus the SERVICE indicator on the dashboard. The car is still under guarantee and the "repairs" have been as follows:
- upgrade software
- fault not found
- valve replaced (presumably EGR?)
- some turbo pipework replaced
- injectors changed
- turbo changed
Basically they do not seem to know what the problem is. According to somebody I know (not from Renault), the problem lies in the software and Renault are working on it. I have no idea when they will find the solution. I hope it is before the guarantee runs out.....
It is a shame becasue it spoils an otherwise excellent car.
I am currently searching the web to find other evidence of this problem and would also appreciate any pointers.
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Tue 28 Sep 2004 10:02
Power Loss - Renault Espace Diesel - Older_not_wiser
May I suggest that you get together with (multiple?) others with seemingly similar problems on:-

forum.parkers.co.uk/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=8
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Thu 9 Sep 2004 11:55
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Espace
I am having exactly the same problem on the same car with smoke belching out of the exhaust pipe. I confirm the 5 minute stop is the solution in the worst case but am often able to continue by being very gentle on the accelerator until the "service" warning signal disappears. In addition, ever since day 1, there is often a lack of power when accelerating from 2nd gear and then it suddenly picks up. The car has only done 45,000km.
I doubt if the quality of the diesel is the problem as we fill our Ford Focus (156,000km) from the same pumps and it goes like a bird.
The car has been regularly serviced and the problem pointed out to the garage. As you say, they put it through a computer and will change "x" amount of parts without getting to grips with the problem for which there is probably no solution. I have a friend with the same problem on the same version and another with the latest Espace (25,000Km) who has the same lack of power problem in 2nd but not the warning signal - at least not yet!
I am not prepared to spend my time going in and out of a Renault garage. I consider the matter a safety issue (what it if it happens when overtaking?) and consider it a design fault in the diesel injection system. I have written to Renault France accordingly and await their reply. Standby
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Sun 26 Sep 2004 16:51
Renault Espace Diesel problem - steve sedona
i had a simmilar problem with a sedona that turned out to be a faulty brake light switch.as the throttle is operated by electric ecu if there is a fault in this circuit when you press the brake thereis a signal sent to the throttle ecu to kill the power and it goes into reduced power.i would sugest taking the car to a fuel injection speciallist,try yellow pages,who know what they are doing.
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Sat 15 Jan 2005 12:51
Renault Espace Diesel problem - mrbeginner
and i had the same thing happen to my citroen picasso and yes it was the brake light switch not been adjusted properley!try it you never no
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Wed 15 Sep 2004 11:18
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Steve Gregson
I also have a Renault Espace Diesel 2.2DCi registered April 2002. I have been having similar problems (power loss, total power failure etc.) since last December. The car has been in and out of the Renault dealership and has had two EGR valves and all the injectors changed during that time. The many visits to the dealership have been made much worse by injectors having been badly fitted.

I find that after it has been in for repair, it runs for 1500 or 2000 miles and then the problems start all over again. The problems started at 58,000 miles, just inside the warranty period, but the car has now done 75,000 miles.

To be fair to Renault, although the vehicle is outside the warranty period, they are still supporting me as it is an ongoing and unresolved problem. During the summer they lent me a new top of the range Espace for six weeks as mine let me down again just before taking the family to work on our house in France. We did 8,000 miles in it!

Well, I have just got mine back again and am setting off to central France again at the weekend. They assure me it will be OK now but I have heard that so many times in the last 9 months that I am afraid I do not believe it. If anyone knows more about this problem please email me - gregsonsteve@aol.com
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Wed 15 Sep 2004 13:49
Renault Espace Diesel problem - JohnM{P}
I had a similar problem with my 1.9 Laguna dCi
(see Forum search author: JohnM , body: Laguna , Jan 2003).

After 155000 miles and 'changing air valve' and 'changing solenoid and adjust potentiometer', the fault became more and more frequent. When it happened when I was near the dealer, I took the car there and left it running.
The ecu upgrade 'CD9' appeared to sort the problem; it did not re-occur in the following 5000 miles before I swapped the car with a colleague.
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Sat 18 Sep 2004 11:14
Renault Espace Diesel problem - DL
Most interesting indeed.

These modern computer controlled diesels are nice to drive......but when they go wrong the dealers (and manufacturers...) are often stumped, as in this case.

You'd have thought, that given the volume of complaints in this small thread, the problem would have been sorted out long ago....

And yes.....what if it were to happen in the fast lane at 80mph?
--
groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....
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Tue 28 Sep 2004 09:47
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Big Cat
DL is spot on. These modern diesels are just getting too complicated for their own good. One of the advantages of diesels used to be their relative simplicity compared to petrol engines. That seems to have now passed.
Give me a nice Rover L-series anyday.
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Tue 28 Sep 2004 12:42
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Number_Cruncher
Indeed,

My family has been running diesels since the late 70's. Now that they are so complex, we have reverted to petrols.

The step change in diesel technology has happened quite recently - common rail, etc. I can't afford to be an unpaid tester for the motor manufacturers - I am going to leave diesels alone for a few years until it all settles down.

number_cruncher
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Thu 30 Sep 2004 20:11
Renault Espace Diesel problem - lizard
i am curious to know if you have had solution to your problem and if so what was carried out to rectify it. also renault do issue regular software updates and are currantly up to cd28 so could be worth a try at your dealer again. Renault will sometimes send a renault engineer to inspect some troublsome cars, may well be worth pushing for this at your local dealer.
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Thu 30 Sep 2004 21:25
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Richard Mk2
THe latest visit to the dealers ended up with a new booster pressure switch (at their cost) and a new Airflow Valve (at my cost).
Everything worked fine for the next 4 weeks and then the problem recurred! Again - a brief stop and it seemed OK again (I've never noticed the black smoke that someone else refers to - but I've not been looking particularly!). I've not been back to the dealers yet but I will need to at some stage. I will try pushing for them to get a Renault Inspector in and see if that gets us any further.
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Tue 7 Dec 2004 22:18
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Jona
Hi my Espace is exhibiting very similar problems (along with a whole host of other faults). They claimed it was the glow plug relay board which they changed (didn't fix it).

Is there any way of telling what s/w version the engine management system is at or is the a Renault only piece of info. Had the car from new since Jan 01 and afaik it hasn't had a firmware upgrade (they's chnaged most other things).

Have to say it is the worst car I have ever had...fantastic design concept but utterly useless bit of engineering.
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Thu 6 Jan 2005 13:38
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Dickie Espace
Blimy, I thought it was just me. I have a Jan 2002 2.2 Dci that matches all the symptoms posted. Sometimes it clears by itself (switch off / switch back on) although sometimes when we switch off, it will not re-start - so a bit of a gamble that one. First time it happened was in France, 6 up with roof box and caravan in tow. Joy.
Renault have changed the ECU a couple of times, changed a 'valve' a couple of times, cleaned up the 'valve' a couple of times, and fitted a new TDC sensor. Followed by some more modified TDC sensors, and apparently yet a further modified TDC sensor - about 11 in all I think.
It happened just before Christmas again - 'valve' clean up this time.
Happened again over Christmas, but cleared on next start up.
The warranty is out on Monday and it bothers me that I may now have to pay someone to tell me that they dont know how to fix it.
Has anyone had the problem successfully cured? If so what was the problem - so I can tell the main dealer.
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Sun 9 Jan 2005 16:37
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Richard Mk2
Final solution! - After another couple of failed attempts to solve the problem I've had enough so I decided to pass the problem back to the dealer before the problem results in some of the far more radical problems which seem to require the entire injection system to be replaced etc. So I've done a part-exchange (getting a good price from the dealer) and reverted back to petrol model which appear to be more reliable.

Richard Mk2
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Sun 9 Jan 2005 19:45
Renault Espace Diesel problem - br
Hi
Great discussion. My Espace 2.2dci had no pick-up this morning and refused to go at more than 20mph, so I've printed these replies off for the garage who 'fixed' the problem barely six weeks ago by replacing the airflow valve and the glow plugs. On the previous occasion, I suddenly lost power and limped over to the hard shoulder on the motorway with the major fault light showing on the dashboard. Interestingly, when I went to pick the car up after the repair, it still had the same problem when they tried to move it from the workshop, despite the replaced parts. They kept it over the weekend and finished the repair on the Monday, as it was 5.15pm on a Friday. Midway through the Monday morning the dealer called to say the car was now ready for collection. What had they done? Reprogrammed the computer that they had forgotten to do on the Friday. Is this a clue to the solution to this apparently common problem?
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Mon 10 Jan 2005 10:43
Renault Espace Diesel problem - mac_kix_windoze
So pleased to have found this discussion. we have had this ongoing problem with our 52 2.2dci since we bought it in October last year. it's been to the dealer 7 times now. Each time it's "fixed" but then the problem occurs again after a short time.

The last time was 2 days before Christmas - we were due to drive to our skiing holiday in France on Christmas day. We took it in, explained our anxiety over driving 1500+ miles in the next week fully loaded and with 4 kids on board. They kept it in for a day and they were unable to find any faulty component. we drove all the way to France with no problems, however on our return journey the engine cut out, at 80mph in the outside lane of the motorway (so to the guy who asked the "what if...?" question in a nearlier post, I can tell you it was veery scary), no power steering, no brake servo, nothing. Luckily the traffic was light and I was able to slip onto the hard shoulder aithout major incident. After a 5 min switch off, it went again until about 4 hours later when it did it again. we have had instances where even a switch off wouldn't allow us to restart, so I guess we were lucky (!) this time.

That was the final straw - we also tow a caravan and if we had been towing when that happened it could quite easily have casued an extremely nasty accident. I've been back to the dealer last week and asked for a part exchange, with goodwill as I just can't trust the car any more. We're due to go back to France in April and I don't want a repeat.

By the way, we've also had EGR valves, glo-plugs, intakes and whatever replaced over the course of the last 12 months.

I think we're going to swap for a petrol version. I'll be showing this thread to my dealer too.
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Fri 14 Jan 2005 19:49
Renault Espace Diesel problem - David P
A colleague of mine has had the same problems, and unfortunately my 52 2.2Cdi looks like it is starting. No warning lights so far, but loss of power when trying to accelerate from standing start or low speed. I'll print off the list of responses for my dealer, and live in hope in the meantime.
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Mon 17 Jan 2005 20:04
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Steve D
I am that colleague. I first noticed the problem within the first couple of months of getting my 51 2.2d Grand Espace Priv. The electrical incident warning light would come on and the car would feel very sluggish. The dealer repaired it a couple of times before it became a real problem but then I had my first of many calls to the AA. I have had to call them at least 5 times where they have turned the egr valve around as a temp repair. One AA mechanic told me that they had a training video on this problem because it happens so often (with vans at least). Dealer has replaced the valve at least twice (didnt get any paperwork because the car was under warranty) and they have modified a pipe? at some point which they said would fix the problem. To be fair, that did fix the problem for about 12 months but I had the same problem again just before xmas. Dealer had the car for two days and replaced gaskets and all sorts. Symptoms are black smoke on acceleration, engine cuts out when cold, loss of power etc. I will be looking for a new car in May, I will not be buying an Espace (or any renault)
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Mon 17 Jan 2005 21:53
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Steve D
by the way, I also noticed a drop of about 3mpg fuel consumption before it started playing up in December. I get about 35mpg normally and from reading others comments, egr valve problems reduce fuel consumption and I start to think about how much this problem may have cost me in unnecessary fuel bills!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Mon 10 Jan 2005 10:51
Renault Espace Diesel problem - mac_kix_windoze
Glad you got a result Richard. Can you tell me which petrol model you went for?
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Sat 15 Jan 2005 10:29
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Roly93
I thought the French car manufacturers were experts at diesel cars, as they were the country that embraced diesels long before they became popular in the rest of Europe ?
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Mon 17 Jan 2005 22:09
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Aprilia
I thought the French car manufacturers were experts at diesel cars,
as they were the country that embraced diesels long before they
became popular in the rest of Europe ?


I think that country was Germany.
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Wed 19 Jan 2005 15:47
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Le Grand Crapaud
I am convinced that the dCi engines are under lubricated. Turbo seals fail due to high heat and this can be brought about by improper functioning of the EGR valve. If the valve stays closed combustion chamber temperatures will rise as no cooling NOx gases are being allowed in. Why? Because the valve is stuck and this has happened due to the turbo seals starting to fail. This will allow oil to enter the induction system and cause the engine management light to come on - as well as black smoke. Eventually (read Laguna 2001 -> problems on the site/Car-by-car breakdown) the engine oil will be sucked into the induction system and the car will run on and finally expire in clouds of smoke. Just changing the EGR valve is only a temporary measure (probable cost around £275 inc VAT) as it will soon become stuck again. Howver if you are lucky this could be in the open position, which will result in poor running.

There is a fair bit of information about this engine and its problems on Parker's Forum.
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Fri 21 Jan 2005 19:14
Renault Espace Diesel problem - walt
Hi,

same problems here (2.2 cdi, yr 2002) ... going into repair several times, replacing EGR, problem solved for a few thousand miles, to appear again afterwards, blablabla

BUT ....

my dealer finally got a solution : admitting there was no real solution , he proposed to disconnect the EGR valve (seems to be no problem)

and yes .... I'm driving over 30000 miles now, without having any (other) problems !

My question though : what about the new Espace IV models ? according the dealer, this serie seems not to be affected by this problem ! True ? or just sales-talk ?
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Fri 21 Jan 2005 21:06
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Aprilia
....
my dealer finally got a solution : admitting there was no
real solution , he proposed to disconnect the EGR valve (seems
to be no problem)


I don't think this is a good idea. By cutting out the EGR you may cause the engine to run hotter than it was designed to - you are increasing the combustion temperature at part-load.
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Fri 21 Jan 2005 22:54
Renault Espace Diesel problem - trancer
Not suggesting that it is a good idea, but bypassing the EGR valve seems to be a popular "mod" on the VW TDI forums I look in on. They do it mostly to keep dirty exhaust gasses out of the intake though. No word on any ill effects yet, but there may be in the long term, and I imagine it is illegal and could also cause insurance company woes if they had reason to know about it.

I know its a completely different engine, but I would assume that EGR valves do the same thing regardless of the engine they are fitted to.
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Sat 22 Jan 2005 15:11
Renault Espace Diesel problem - walt
I'm not a technician, so I just mention the dealers' arguments : EGR is only there to get a lower emission of unhealthy gasses(?) - no other impact at all

(sorry for my english - I don' t know the exact words/description)

question is : I want another car : I like the Espace (best in his category I think - largest as well in the 'grand' version), but I'm not looking forward to have the same kind of problems with the serie IV... any experiences ?
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Sat 22 Jan 2005 18:01
Renault Espace Diesel problem - C82N
....
>>
>> my dealer finally got a solution : admitting there was
no
>> real solution , he proposed to disconnect the EGR valve
(seems
>> to be no problem)
>>
I don't think this is a good idea. By cutting
out the EGR you may cause the engine to run hotter
than it was designed to - you are increasing the combustion
temperature at part-load.


Surely peak combustion temperatures will occur at full load and under these circumstances, the EGR valve will be closed? If the EGR was disconnected, I would have thought that at part load (when the EGR valve is open) the combustion temperatures would not exceed the engines operating parameters of the engine, as defined by the peak load temperatures.

Under part load conditions, I was under the impression that the engine is running with a large amount of excess air anyway. This also means that combustion temperatures would be less of an issue, further backing up the above statement.

I agree with you that disconnecting the EGR will raise cylinder temperatures, and I would not recommend carrying out this procedure without the consent of a dealer.

I also understand that we are dealing with a very complex issue here, and my logic in this post could well be wrong and/or outdated!

Cheers,

Chris.
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Sat 22 Jan 2005 22:17
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Aprilia
Well, I'm not a Diesel engine expert, but I do know that Diesels run with high levels of EGR compared to petrol engines. 10-30% EGR on a Diesel is typical.

The objective of EGR is to lower NOx (oxides of nitrogen) emissions. At high temperatures, nitrogen burns. NOx emissions can be reduced by reducing combustion temperature and EGR is used to achieve this.

EGR is generally not used at full throttle - so combustion temps will be higher at full throttle. But how long does the engine run in this regime? Not long, full throttle is usually a transient condition. Compare this with part-throttle where the engine spends most of its life (motorway cruising etc).

If think blocking the EGR port is risky. You are definitely increasing the combustion temperature quite substantially and the exhaust gas temperature will be substantially higher - which will take it toll on the turbocharger.
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Fri 28 Jan 2005 16:38
Renault Espace Diesel problem - bwfc
Is this still a problem on the new shape Espace Sept 03 onwards?
I'm thinking of buying one, found a suitable one, but when I rang to book a test drive in a couple of days time, I was told that "there had been a recall to fix a minor problem with the glow plugs"

2 things:

1) How thick can dealers be? Fix it in 2 days and I'm a serious buyer.
2) Or am I the thicko for still contemplating it!
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Sun 30 Jan 2005 13:18
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Vel What ?
Hi There

I'm a little new to this site.


But I have been reading problems about EGR valves on the Espace, now I have a 2.2DCi Vel satis and t has just gone throuh it's first EGR valve, the warning system came on saying "fault with fuel injection refer to dealer " and the loss of power.

The car is a complete bag of nails it's 16 months old,and so far has alesat 2 days per month at the dealers for various problems;-

Electric windows
Keycard (being able to rmove while driving)
Various rattles & intermittent problems.

Just recently , it needed the seals in the clutch slave cyinder replacing, followed by a complete clutch, and the full front section of the exhaust including cat,and now the eGR valve.

I'm just glad this is a company car and I'm not paying the bills, the exhaust wasn't covered under warranity and the cost of the parts was £600 on there own, so there's fitting on top of that.

The car has 44,000 miles on, and i just wish I would have gone for a different car, this ngine seems to e more trouble than it's worth, I don't feel the performance or the fuel econoy is that good, at around 70 to 75 on the motorway it aavergaes 35 mpg on a good day and about 33 on a bad day, if I do a lot of town work this is down to around 26 - 27mpg not what I would expect from a diesel.

My previous car was a 115bhp passat an dthis only ever had one problem at 90,000 miles the air mass meter sensor failed, resultaig in a drop in performance.

Do anyone know if the EGR valve fitted to the latest 2.2DCI is the same valve as fitted to the earlier engine.

When the dealer removed mine it was completely coked up with soot, the last time I saw anything like this it was caused by over fueling, could this be the problem or not enough air, this would certainly suggest why even on medium throttle at night time I can see smoke in the headlight f the cars following behind.

Help anyone, as the dealer says the car is ready and I'm not convinced it has been fixed.

Jus on a completey different not I have a 2.2dci Xtrail on hire and this is quicker and more ecomical than the vel satis (don't buy one with your own money!).

This is my first Renault and it will be the last(if I have a choice), also I have asked the lease company to look at taking the car back as it is costing me mney.


Thanks for listening !
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Thu 3 Nov 2005 22:49
Renault Espace Diesel problem - René
Hi there!

Still owning the Vel Satis? I'm about to buy one within 2 days, MY 2002. Any development on the situation?

regards from Hungary
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Sun 30 Jan 2005 15:24
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Packer
Is this still a problem on the new shape Espace Sept
03 onwards?
I'm thinking of buying one, found a suitable one, but when
I rang to book a test drive in a couple of
days time, I was told that "there had been a recall
to fix a minor problem with the glow plugs"
2 things:
1) How thick can dealers be? Fix it in 2 days
and I'm a serious buyer.
2) Or am I the thicko for still contemplating it!
Unless you want continuous grief and have a burning desire to throw thousands of pounds down the drain don't buy a Renault, at least not a diesel although I have no knowledge of the petrol version
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Sun 30 Jan 2005 15:16
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Packer
I have exactly the same model of engine in my Espace, June 2001 and it is indeed the EGR valves. They apparently are prone to becoming sooted up and then jam in the open position so that the car is getting too much of the exhaust gas recirculated. When it is off turbo there is not enough oxygen to produce much power. Renault don't give a damn and only want to get you into a new car. They offered me 25% discount off a new vehicle but due to horrendous depreciation I would still have been thousands of pounds out of pocket. The fault is dangerous as my wife found when trying to pull out of a side road only to find that she had no power. Two franchised dealers were unable to solve the problem. I took the car to a diesel specialist who recommended that I allow him to put a blanking plate into the EGR system after the new (6th or 7th in 40,000 miles)EGR valve had been fitted. The valve opens and shuts as it should, the computer thinks that everything is great but no exhaust gets recirculated. Results so far are no problems after several thousand miles, 50 miles more from each tank of fuel better performance and less smoke. I am told that the downside will be a little more oxides of nitrogen but this is not tested anyway on the MOT. Upside is less soot which is tested for on the MOT.
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Sun 30 Jan 2005 15:30
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Crinkly Dave
Article on the Laguna in this months Car Mechanics suggests this may be a weakness on the diesels sufficient for them to suggest the petrols are a better buy
Also that the failure can lead to higher temperatures at the turbo which leads to its failure. 2nd point seems less certain to me, as the EGR does not operate continually anyway
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 23:15
Renault Espace Diesel problem - br
Success at last for us all?
My Espace lost power again yesterday, for the fourth time in four months and was promptly taken to the Renault dealer. I got it back today and asked the normal question 'What did you do to my Espace this time?' and got an answer that hasn't been on this discussion - they replaced the EGR valve (again) AND THE FEED PIPE (for the first time). Apparently there is now a MODIFIED feed pipe to the EGR valve that doesn't allow the old particles to be sucked in to the new EGR valve, thus causing the problem we all seem to have experienced. Apparently if tne modified feed pipe isn't fitted at the same time, the power problems will recurr. I don't know why it has taken so long to be identified by Renault, but, fingers crossed (that's both the local Renault service manager and myself)this will permanently solve the problem. As I drive about 2,000 miles or so a month, time will tell whether this works. I'll keep the discussion posted.
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Tue 31 May 2005 14:02
Renault Espace Diesel problem - shouldhavekeptmyv40
Does anyone know if this modified feed pipe works? ... is it available from all dealers?
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Thu 2 Jun 2005 21:36
Renault Espace Diesel problem - lizard
I have still encounterd egr valve problems after the fitment of the new pipe,so it would seem not to make much of a difference only time will tell,however the egr valve itself has now superceded to a new one. maybe this will be the end of it. some how i doubt it!
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Tue 5 Jul 2005 18:15
Renault Espace Diesel problem - br
My modified feed pipe to the EGR valve has worked - over 8000 trouble-free miles and four trouble-free months! If just the pipe is replaced, you will still have the same problem. Both the feed pipe AND the EGR valve must to be replaced at the same time. Also remember, that, if you have the repair done by Renault, they guarantee their repairs for 12 months. If they know you are claiming against this guarantee, they will do everything to get the job done properly. Maybe this is an instance when it really is worth taking the vehicle to the dealer rather than trying to save a few quid!
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Wed 5 Oct 2005 15:27
Renault Espace Diesel problem - br
I have now travelled over 12,000 miles without problem (touch wood), following the simultaneous fitting of the modified feed pipe and EGR valve. Has Renault got it right? Let's hope so!
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Fri 4 Nov 2005 11:12
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Espace
Further to my message posted 9/04, Renault France arranged for the main dealer in my area to inspect the car. The garage appeared very reticent in going into too much detail, almost as if they were under instructions from Renault. They were clearly aware of the problem and informed me that the fix was fitting a larger diameter pipe and replacing the filters. Most of the cost involved labour and Renault would pay for part of it. The fix, a full service, 2 new tyres, front and rear brake pads, changing the A/C fluid came to £1000, including the Renault discount, if it was applied - two A4 sheets of paper divided into parts and labour makes its comprehension rather difficult. But I have to say that it seems to be working and would confirm what has been said in the last messages posted that Renault have got it sorted.
That said, if the fix was a larger diameter pipe then it?s a design fault and Renault should have arranged for a general recall on all the models concerned and paid for the cost of the fix themselves. During my discussions with Renault France, I pointed this site out to them as well as a couple of others in French. They suggested that only ?whingers? posted their problems on the Internet instead of discussing the matter with their garage. Personally, I would have thought Renault and any major corporation would protect its reputation by posting an official response on a site such as this one, especially as the contributors have already discussed the matter on numerous occasions with their local garages and simply want the problem resolved.

I shall not be buying another Renault. Pity, as I have had 3 Nevada?s (one of which was a diesel) and a Scenic with only a few minor problems. I still have a MkII petrol Espace with 250,000km that now serves as a workhorse and goes like a dream and was the reason for buying another Espace. Manufacturers these days are making cars that are more and more sophisticated and beyond the comprehension of the average mechanic and only the Japanese manufacturer seem able to combine sophistication with reliability. I shall probably replace it with a Toyota unless anyone knows better.
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Sun 13 Nov 2005 12:10
Renault Espace Diesel problem - SS069
br,

I have read through this forum a couple of times - you seem to have the solution, but........was your problem the same as mine ???

Mine's a 2001 Espace 2.2DCi which has covered 116,000 miles with full dealer history. She runs great & goes like a train when its cold, but when warm & I try to accelerate hard the engine cuts out. If I flick the ignition key off then back on the car runs fine untill I accelerate hard again. The car also does the same going along the motorway at about 65/70 miles per hour.

Before I take it to the dealers, I would like to be bestter armed than they are, so to speak !

I have cotacted all the dealers who have serviced the car & all that's been done to the car apart from the services, is that the clutch hydraulic mechanism has been changed & that was at the last service - unless thae dealers are witholding info !!!

I look forward to any repplies on this matter.

SS069
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Fri 18 Nov 2005 23:09
Renault Espace Diesel problem - br
Hi SS069
My Espace is a 2002 2.2dci, so the motor is the same. My problem started at 34,000 miles, but the temperature didn't seem to matter, though was more likely to happen when the engine was warm as opposed to hot. On some occasions, I turned the engine off and waited a couple of minutes, then on again and that worked, but this was not always successful. When the problem occurred for me, I wasn't always accelerating on a motorway, though sometimes I was, sometimes I was just cruising or I was somewhere else, like coming off a roundabout (scary!). I think a key difference between our problems is that my engine never cut out, I just had the wriggly light show on the dashboard and the buzzer sounded constantly for a few seconds. If you have had your problem repaired before by a Renault dealer within the last year, just remember that they guarantee their repairs for 12 months. If you're within that time, tell them that you are claiming under this warranty. My local Renault dealer did all they could to repair the problem (including a courtesy car if one was available) and eventually solved it. I'm no mechanic, but my gut feeling is that our problems are different, though I'm logging yours mentally should I ever have something like that happen to mine, which touch wood, it wont! Just for the record, I've now done over 15,000 trouble-free miles, which I hope will continue. Good luck!
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Fri 18 Nov 2005 23:18
Renault Espace Diesel problem - br
Hi SS069
Sorry, one thing I forgot to mention about my problem is that my engine just lost power and limped over to the hard shoulder or wherever (including the local Renault dealer once because I was so close) with this warning light on the dashboard. If restarting the motor didn't solve the problem, my Espace was taken to the dealer by the breakdown company. Good luck!
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Wed 15 Feb 2006 14:27
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Big Jan
Traded in my 2001 Espace 2.2dci yesterday. Hurray!! Farewell to limping home at 30mph, clouds of black smoke, unexplained elctrical problems, huge bills for work......

Have bought nearly new 1.8 Ford C-max, and am now beginning to relax again.
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Thu 6 Apr 2006 20:26
Renault Espace Diesel problem - crazymom
Hi, I have been reading the forum in hope that i get an idea as to what is wrong with my darling Espace!

I have a 1997 2.2 dt and it has over the course of the last week become sluggish and now it has started to judde, sudden lose of power with plumes of blueish/white smoke coming from the exhuast. It then will stall with no warning and complete lose of power steering(scary stuff)

It then takes 4 or 5 goes to start it again. I have been told that it could be dirty injectors/dirty fuel lines.

Also i am looking at replacing all filters on the car but have no idea where to find them!(i begrudge taking it to renault)

Hope someone out there can help me!!

Oh another thing(sorry this is turning into a bit of a novel!) does anyone know if the fuel filter is a cartridge or spin on/off type!

Thank you
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Sun 14 May 2006 22:26
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Espace IV - 2003
All - I have an Espace IV - 2003 . Today when my wife parked up in the driveway, pressed the START button, the engine then sort of stopped but carried on making a very strange chuffing sound and black smoke was pumping out of the exhaust. The START button did not stop the engine as it should do, my wife pressed the START button again and nothing happened. Still smoke and chuffing noise. I got in the car and noticed the Electonic brake release lever was flashing and the light around the electronic key was flashing; no error indications were on dashboard. So I pressed clutch down, pressed START button and the engine stopped. Has anyone seen this before. This is the NEW Espace IV.
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Mon 15 May 2006 08:31
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Xileno {P}
Can you tell what engine, 1.9, 2,2 or 3.0. I assume it's diesel.
And what's the mileage?

If you push and hold in the START button for 5 secs, it should kill the engine if it doesn't shut down automatically.
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Mon 15 May 2006 10:11
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Altea Ego
Check your oil level NOW

It sounds like the turbo oil seals have gone and its running on its own engine oil.


------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Mon 29 May 2006 21:35
Renault Espace Diesel problem - bjk
My 52 reg 2.2dci Privilege has just gone into permanent 'limp home' mode. The dealer has failed to find any fault on previous occasions! Now out of warranty and basically told to stuff it. Sitting on my drive and valueless. Have printed off all of the espace and egr discussion and off to see the dealership manager for a 'chat' tomorrow. Have emailed Renault UK and Renault France giving full history of all the car's three years of problems. We must keep complaining and applying pressure. The French are good at making their point (blocked ports etc) and we should learn from that (but not from their lack of engineering prowess!). I'll report back.
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Mon 29 May 2006 21:54
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Xileno {P}
What mileage is it on now?
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Fri 2 Jun 2006 05:43
Renault Espace Diesel problem - bjk
My espace is now on 44000 miles. Renault UK have been in touch, after a strong letter from me. My dealer is to collect and repair the car, even though it's 6 months out of warranty. I've been offered a 'deal' on a new car, but just want this one repaired, sold, and go back to Audi. Time to wake up and cut my losses.
Have told the dealer of this site's many comments re EGR valves and he replied 'It can't be. The computer would have told us.' Shades of Little Britain here - 'Computer says 'No'.'Only not so funny.
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Mon 5 Jun 2006 10:03
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Xileno {P}
How very sad all this is. I remember driving a 2.2dCi Espace about three years ago as a hire car, fantastic drive, I was amazed at how well it cruised - I got up to 90mph with no problem where it would just cruise in amazing comfort and refinement all day long - if allowed... And it drove like a car as well, not all soft and wallowy despite having what I would describe as traditional Renault comfort. I hope you get your problems sorted out.
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Mon 12 Jun 2006 17:09
Renault Espace Diesel problem - oldpostie
My Renault problem was different, but when clutch cable number 3 broke on my Ren.9, Renault paid the repair bill although it was out of warranty by some months. It had done 30,000 miles though.
The AA man said he could replace the cable blindfolded, as he had done so many.
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Wed 7 Jun 2006 13:37
Renault Espace Diesel problem - sph
crazymom,
did you find a solution to your problem? our R plate espace 2.2dt is having similar problems, struggles to start, loses power, stalls and belched an ugly cloud of smoke out the back.

It does feel like a fuel line problem but reviewing other posts here it could be valve, ECU, injectors or a number of other extremely expensive guesses.

We are probably going to ditch the espace but need to get it in a stable condition to part ex, any info on a solution would therefore be of use.

Thanks
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Mon 12 Jun 2006 16:58
Renault Espace Diesel problem - redphoneman
In reply to SS069,

hi just a quick question can you help have the same problem with my espace did you manage to get yours fixed been in garage now for 8 weeks still not fixed any help would be gratefull many thanks john
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Fri 28 Jul 2006 19:23
Renault Espace Diesel problem - espace prob
Hi we have a renault espace 2.2dci 2001. we seem to have the same problem as alot of people-cutting out and then starting fine. can anyone help, we've already had the glow plugs changed but the problem is still there. Can anyone help before we spend more money at the renault garage.
Does anyone know what my rights are with regard to renault - Ive just spent £164.00 and the problem is still there.
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Sat 24 Jun 2006 17:29
Renault Espace Diesel problem - gus2000
ss069,

I read your post and thought'exactly my symtons for exactly same engine, same age and mileage'. My problems started early Jun 06, car runs ok if you accelerate "very" gently but forget about overtaking and going uphill with confidence. Did you get any resolution to your problem? Car is going to Renault this week and I want to go fore armed!!


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Sun 30 Jul 2006 17:54
Renault Espace Diesel problem - espace prob
ss069. Hi just wondering if you managed to get ur car sorted and if so what was the problem in the end. We have the same model as you and looks like the same problem as you. can you help?
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Fri 16 Jun 2006 09:15
Renault Espace Diesel problem - kiteman
I have had the same problem, when I took it to my renault dealer they put it on the computer it picked up a fault but it was no longer there, said it could be the turbo going (£1000 ish) so not to keen to do this on a wim. Does anyone have a conclution to this.
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Sat 24 Jun 2006 18:00
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Nogoespace
I appear to now have this problem with my 2.2dci espace. I can be going along at full or half throttle, warm, engine fine when cold. Engine will then cut out, followed by the electrical fault sign and the beep. I just turn the ignition off and back on again and everything comes back to life so far, although I have now been getting the fault three times in quick succession. It has happened in the fast lane and is pretty scary, so I would like to find a solution. So far we have heard:

EGR valve mods

New EGR valve

New EGR and feed pipe

Are any of these a solution or should I just get an EGR valve and flog it quick?

Any help much appreciated
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Sat 1 Jul 2006 20:17
Renault Espace Diesel problem - bjk
Eventually. my dealer took my car back, although 6 months out of warranty, and repaired it. It was, guess what ...... egr valve choked up with carbon deposit. They fixed it and I went to Ford, who had a great discount on the Focus 1.8 tdci Sport. For £3,500 I get a new car with 3 years warranty. Most important. I escape Renault, the pink fluffy dice. The new Focus cost £10, 995 and I get £7500 pex. Goodbye Renault. Hello Ford, let's see how you do.
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Fri 28 Jul 2006 18:44
Renault Espace Diesel problem - espace prob
Hi there we appear to have the same problem as you had . Our Renault garage told us it was the glow plugs but it hasnt cured it. Is yours now sorted and if so what was the problem in the end?
Renault have offered us a free diagnosis but what if its wrong again.
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Fri 28 Jul 2006 19:10
Renault Espace Diesel problem - espace prob
Hi there did you manage to get your car sorted. we seem to have the same problem, renault told us it was the glow plugs but what a surprise the problem is still there. Could you tell me what was wrong with yours in the end?
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Fri 28 Jul 2006 19:54
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Ross_D
Why all the problems with EGR... simply disconnect it. Ours has been disconnected for nigh on 10k now. Never had a problem since!
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Fri 28 Jul 2006 20:33
Renault Espace Diesel problem - dazzler
After reading through these threads im feeling pretty worried as i have just bought a 2003 renault kangoo 1.5dci. has anyone got a renault diesel that hasn,t gone wrong?
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Fri 28 Jul 2006 20:38
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Altea Ego
yup,1.9s and1.5's are on the whole as good as gold.

the 2.2s appear to be a shopping trolley full of woe
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Sat 29 Jul 2006 19:00
Renault Espace Diesel problem - LaurieK
I think I have got this one cracked!

My 2.2 Grand Espace 2002 has been suffering the same problem. It had the enlarged supply pipe and a new EGR valve, but then a few weeks ago started playing up again - starting to go up a hill it cuts out, beeps and displays the engine computer problem symbol - and recycling the ignition cured the problem temporarily.

I am off to the south of France tomorrow, and was away working until this morning, so couldn't get the garage to fix it, and in any case they seemed to be lost with the whole thing: so far a new EGR and last time a whole set of glowplugs (which I don't think I needed).

I decided to sort it our myself. Thinking the symptoms through gives a reasonable diagnosis:

1. The EGR valve is considered to be the culprit by Reanult.
2. When this is changed the car runs ok for some time before playing up gain.
3. It is an intermittent problem.
4. Recycling the ignition clears the fault.

The last point is crucial. I suspected that the EGR valve was getting gummed up with exhaust residue, which in turn slows down the operation of the EGR. The computer senses the position of the EGR - but since it is not moving as fast as it should, occasionally the valve does not reach its commanded position in time to satisfy the transit logic of the computer. The EEC then decides the EGR has failed, and so the warning and the beep occur along with the loss of power.

Recycling the ignition resets the EEC, and since the EGR has by now moved to its correct position the fault is cleared, so the car pick up again.

The solution is simple, and does NOT involve running without the EGR connected.

1. Remove the air cleaner box by undoing the single Jubilee clip on the right hand side and gently lifting it out of its mounting rubbers - these tend to dislodge so make sure you don't lose any into the engine bay.
2. Remove the 4 x 13mm bolts securing the EGR feed pipe (the light 25mm or so diameter pipe running from high right down to the front of the EGR (which is the lump on the front of the block).
3. Disconnect the connector plug from the EGR, and move it out of the way.
4. Remove the 3 x 10mm bolts securing the EGR actuator from the main body. One of these is out of sight underneath the valve but it is fairly simple to get out.
5. Gently twist the actuator until it can be slid out of the main body to the right.
6. Clean the whole of the actuator and valve chamber using brake cleaner (about £2.99 a can) and ensure that the spindle in the centre of the valve moves in and out freely. Pay particular attention to the insode of the barrel and the two valve seats which become apparent when the valve is moved.
6. Replace in reverse order.

I did this this afternoon in about an hour total ( including recovering two bolts that I foolishly left on the front of the engine bay which fell into the back of the rad) and it has just had a very extensive test run through places where it always misbehaves - it seems fine - and it SEEMS to be running smoother - am I imagining that?

I will do this annually, or get the garage to agree a cost to add to routine servicing, and keep a car that is otherwise brilliant.

Laurie
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Mon 31 Jul 2006 09:38
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Ross_D
I see EGR as an unessesary evil. Yes it may slightly reduce NOx emissions, but at the expense of others such as CO2 and CO. If you have ever seen what it does to the inside of your engine, you'd be shocked....
If it works with it disconnected, I'll leave it disconnected. Others, of course, may have other views on this, but I certainly wont be removing the valve to clean it every 6000 miles when I can just leave the multiplug unplugged and gain a few more MPG's into the process :-)

I've also read the ECU file off ours with my KWP2000 interface (I dabble with ECU tuning as a hobby, I've got all the kit needed) and have looked at the EGR duty cycle. The EGR is not commanded at anything over approx 3000 rpm and anything over 20% manifold positive pressure (Its not a direct read off from the maps, its based on engine load etc) and so peak in cylinder temperatures are not going to be affected by EGR removal.
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Mon 31 Jul 2006 16:51
Renault Espace Diesel problem - espace prob
We disconnected the EGR and headed off to plymouth. only got as far as taunton till we lost all power again- HELP
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Mon 31 Jul 2006 17:04
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Ross_D
These ECU's will run ok with the EGR disconnected (Ours certainly does), unlike some others, so it sounds as if your problem may not be related to the EGR valve.

Are there any common circumstances when it loses power? Hot, cold, accelerating, decellerating etc? Speed?

Injectors on the 2.2 DCi could be dodgy, ours used to cut out on acceleration, turned out to be an internally leaking injector.

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Tue 1 Aug 2006 09:41
Renault Espace Diesel problem - espace prob
It seems to do it when the car is warm( usually after about 20 mins of driving). If we add power when going up a hill or if we go above 65/70 on the motorway it does it but always goes again after a few minutes. Renault said it was the glow plugs but that didnt work, they are going to give us a free diagnosis so we will see what it throws up this time.
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Tue 1 Aug 2006 09:58
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Ross_D
My money is on an injector. Would be an idea to check the leakback rates on all four injectors. That involves a bit of manual labour and not just connecting it up to a diagnostic machine, so it might be worth asking for it to be done.
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Tue 1 Aug 2006 11:01
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Armitage Shanks {p}
MJ. I haven't gone thru all the entries on this thread but, as a diesel owner, I don't see how any fault after 20 minutes of driving could be anything to do with the glow plugs, which are used to pre-heat the engine for starting!
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Tue 1 Aug 2006 14:29
Renault Espace Diesel problem - espace prob
the annoying thing is that renault are so booked up they cant fit us in till next monday. I think mechanics have forgotten how to think for themselves. you would have thought that they would have known the glow plugs have nothing to do with the symptoms we are getting. Well ive been to the C A B and will not be paying for anymore work if the problem is not cured. Will def tell them about your suggestions.
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Tue 1 Aug 2006 14:32
Renault Espace Diesel problem - espace prob
might have to go and buy a haynes manual
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Tue 8 Aug 2006 12:36
Renault Espace Diesel problem - irekul
might have to go and buy a haynes manual

haynes dont do a manual for the espace dci or the petrol version as renault didn't sell enough of them to make it worth while ! I wonder why ?
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Tue 8 Aug 2006 12:30
Renault Espace Diesel problem - irekul
I think I have got this one cracked!
My 2.2 Grand Espace 2002 has been suffering the same problem.


yep I had the same loss off power at low revs and did the same as you ,and I couldn't believe how much black hard crap was bunged up. the valve could hardley move, its done 80,000 miles trouble free till this happend, and yes it did the trick.! power is back to normal and no zig zag light.
I have been told that it if you use 5-30 or 5-40 fully synthetic every 10,00 not 18,000 then the problem should be solved for good. but that remains to be seen. it would be interesting to know what oils the other people have been using and at what intervals?

{Message trimmed down. There is NO need to quote ALL of the text to which you're replying to. Just a brief summary or "in reply to xxx" is enough - DD}
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Tue 8 Aug 2006 17:19
Renault Espace Diesel problem - espace prob
we have now had our espace back in the renault garage and it turns out that our problem is with the fuel injectors ( we need to have 2 new ones). Fair play to our local renault garage though they turned out to be very helpful and didnt charge for diagnosis' they do however charge an absolute fortune to fix it, but hopefully this will be the end of our problems (fingers crossed).
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Tue 8 Aug 2006 18:43
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Aprilia
they do however
charge an absolute fortune to fix it, but hopefully this will
be the end of our problems (fingers crossed).


Blimey, that's a triumph of optimism...
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Tue 8 Aug 2006 22:13
Renault Espace Diesel problem - wiltsman
Can anyone answer the following:
Could a fault in the egr valve could damage the tappets?
Could a badly fitted cambelt damage the tappets?

I have just had a new cambelt and egr valve fitted to my 2001 espace 2.2dci. Whilst on a test drive by the servicing company the engine lost power and started making a typewriter type noise. An engine specialist says it sounds like damaged tappets they also stated the timing was ok on the cam belt.(could the noise be something else?)The car is still with the servicing company & waiting to be fixed. Apparently even to remove the rocker cover the engine has to come out as it's so deep set into the bulkhead!

This is obviously gonna cost squillions of pounds. In fact should I be paying as the damage was done in the servicing companies care? If not .............For hire : 42 follically challenged male willing to do anything legal to raise the readies:-)

Thanks everyone
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Tue 8 Aug 2006 22:18
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Altea Ego
The garage have put the belt on incorrectly (timing?) and screwed it.
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Tue 8 Aug 2006 22:31
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Aprilia
Can anyone answer the following:
Could a fault in the egr valve could damage the tappets?


Can't image how...
Could a badly fitted cambelt damage the tappets?


Yes.
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Thu 10 Aug 2006 16:44
Renault Espace Diesel problem - jrrs1
Time to add my 4 penneth...

I too have a 2002 Mk3 Renault grand espace 2.2. dci.
I had/have the exact same problem as this thread , i say 'had/have' becuase i had it in May/June this year and got it fixed after some extensive work/troubleshooting only to find that last week its started again...
Let me explain...
It started in May and the following happened;
-lost power once, stopped and restarted engine after a break and all was ok, thought nothing of it.
- over the coming weeks/month it got worse and worse, to the extent i struggled to drive it to the garage, i also learnt that you need not stop when you got the problem, just flick the ignition of then on again and all is well - however at this time its happening every 30 seconds or more. It seemed related to pressure on accelorator, e.g. as soon as i got past a certian point in any gear it died... this info led to confusions at the garage!
- I went to a private garage who used a generic ECU reader to find that i had glow plug issues, great i thought- easy fix, so 4 new glowplugs and £130 later, down the road, 30 seconds again and it dies...
- Next i go to my local mechanic, who suggests a specialist ECU reader for diesels, he doesn't have one so i'm refered to a Diesel specialist, they spend the next 5 hours checking everything in their knowledge only to come back and (NOT CHARGE ME!!) - they suggest an Airflow meter may need replacing but its an expensive 'trial' only to find its not that..
(they check all the ERG valves which they say can cause problems)but there are no issues with them - the general concensus is that loss of power would explain a lot more but it dieing is more rare.
- So next it goes to Renault main dealer ( yikes... £95 hour labour charge)
They analyse it and state its my fuel pressure switch,£95 analysis cost - cool i think, £60 part and £240 fitting, so i buy the part and my local guy fits it for £120..
- however, after fitting i test it and same problem!!!
- so back to Renault i go ( some time has elapsed since the first problem...!!) they take it again, refund my £95 analysis and i agree that they keep going until they fix it , but i only pay for the fixed item and labour... so here we go.
- Renault come back and replace the diesel fuel filter, no change!
- They carry on for 10 days on an off until they seek guidance from renault UK technical team, a specialist looks at it and says its Injector No.4 - so they order up an injector and seal kit ( circa £200 ) and fit it ( circa £350 ), with a bill of about £650 INC VAT....
- i drive it and great it gone.. i negotiate the price for poor service and pay £500

7 weeks later ( or last week !!) it happens again, first just once, and now a week later 20-30 time a journey and getting worse.

I just know its now Injector no. 2 or 3 or whatever and another bill for £650 is in its way..

It goes back to Renault again on 16th!!.

John
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Thu 10 Aug 2006 21:47
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Aprilia
jrrs1

I would seriously think about getting shot of this car, either through the auctions or in p/x.

I have seen a number of people with CR Diesel problems rack up massive bills. Before you have finished you'll end up with four new injectors and still be having problems. Then they'll say its a HP pump problem (swarf in system). Once you've spent £1k+ on repairs it gets hard to pull out and you end up spending £2k and the things still not right. I reckon the number of people in the UK who can really crack these systems can be counted on one hand.
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Fri 11 Aug 2006 09:28
Renault Espace Diesel problem - irekul
like I said , they stopped making these before they sold enough for haynes to make a manual ! !why?

Judging by what I have read they (renault)may have realised that the design is slightly flawed.and desided to start with a clean sheet, mk4.
having said that I read that the laguna has a simular history with deisel & turbo faults, mostly on the 1.9dci. as they use the same power train as the espace.(do they still make those ?)

on the whole I think that the renault espace mk3 in general are very reliable,if serviced properly (10,000 not 18,000 with 100% synthetic) but I agree that yours is a money pit and you should think about cutting your losses.
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Fri 11 Aug 2006 15:23
Renault Espace Diesel problem - jrrs1
Thanks for the comments guys... I'm thinking about getting this problem sorted ASAP and then getting rid, couldn't sell as is , as it undriveable...
I've since spoke to the 'diesel specialist' that i referenced in my earlier post and hes going to check all the injectors for £90 ( there appears to be a £80k machine that can do this!!)
Car goes in on Tueasday so i'll keep you all updated..

Out of interest are there any known problems with the MK IV engine? 150PS version???
Thinking of getting a 2003/20004 diesel grand..

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Fri 11 Aug 2006 21:09
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Xileno {P}
3.0 dCi is the one to have.
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Sat 12 Aug 2006 13:23
Renault Espace Diesel problem - jrrs1
3.0 DCi is out of my price range on the new model
Is the 2.2 DCI in Mk4 guise any better than the one were all having trouble with!
Buget will be about 10-12k, Autotrader lists about 3-4 local to me...
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Sat 12 Aug 2006 22:22
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Xileno {P}
"3.0 DCi is out of my price range on the new model"

In which case I would get the 1.9 dCi.
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Sun 13 Aug 2006 14:23
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Wytze
Hi All,

jrrs1 pointed me to this forum. Made a lot of sense, since the forum describes .... exactly the problem with my 2001 2.2 DCi Gr. Espace.

Summary: Driving with normal power from engine - no indication whatsoever that something is about to turn sour, than engine just shuts down while driving, engine trouble lights up, turn ignition key off and on again, engine will start, continue few km's, same story. My Espace is a 2001, first owner and has done some 160k km now. EGR was replaced several years ago after a 'power loss' problem). A Renault dealer in CH replaced the high pressure sensor (77 01 052 268) but this did not solve the problem. Not even for a while. ECU reports three errors: Fuel pressure, glow plug and a third one, which I do not recall at the moment, but I remember it sounded less relevant - I made notes, but my car log is still in the car... at the repair shop.

I'm at the point where my local specialist determined [this is his frist go on the car] that injectors needed to be replaced. He used specific ECU tools while driving in the car to reach this conclusion. Gonna cost an arm and a leg, and will keep the team posted of any progress.

Regards, Wytze
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Wed 16 Aug 2006 14:36
Renault Espace Diesel problem - jrrs1
OK, hers my latest update....

It went back to AW diesels local to me, I dropped the car of yesterday morning as I thought after finding a number of possible fixes through this thread ( e.g. modified feed hose, cleaning actuator and egr valves etc) I may get somewhere?

The chap 'Andy' I think worked on it for another 3 hours (he had previously done 4 hours) he took the head off and checked it over, inspected injectors (confirmed that no.4 had actually been replaced recently) took out actuator and cleaned it (he noted there was a lot of gunk, oil etc on it, he cleaned it all up along with the EGR valve.
Along his travels he found a number of bolts not tightened and some missing (which he replaced) - Thanks Renault!!!

He tested it again and confirmed still problems.

He is also now perplexed by the problem but as he never charges unless he fixes the issue he really can't spend any more time on it (having now done 7 hours), clearly I will be seeing him and giving him a drink - what a nice change to find someone so honest! With such integrity!

To my surprise when I picked the car up it not longer cuts out!, BUT, it really does have no power, struggling to pull out of junctions etc, the only way you eventually get a 'small' amount of acceleration is when the turbo kicks in, but it still only feels like a 400 ton truck with a 900cc engine....
This is different to before where the car did cut out but apart from that more or less drove normally in terms of performance.

I was recommended to go to another specialist with more experience... so a VERY pianful 40 minute journey (as you can imagine at about 30-45 mph)

I had a chat with new 'diesel specialist' chap and he showed me a EGR valve and a trick where he drills a hole and puts a pin in the base to keep it shut and this according to him fixes the problem.... so yet another variation on a fix to add to the list guys....

The guy will work on it in between a Galaxy diesel, another espace etc, and I should have an update for next week.
Here?s keeping fingers crossed .... Jrrs1

PS- ECU showed all EGR faults and a turbo wastegate error...
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Wed 16 Aug 2006 20:32
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Wizcab
Hi can I join the "CLUB" 2.2dci Race Now on No 4 Injector replacement various fuel faults Engine Dies on hard accelleration Replaced Injector Renault Paid even though I had done 120k but was still under 3 years old (Taxi). Out of warranty now, No power EGR taken out and blasted and replaced whent OK for a while 2months later 2nd Injector as it stalled on tick over no warranty £470 dealer, 2months later
Stalls at 72/5 MPH can pick it up by rebooting the cpu getting more frequent Diagnose Injector (by leak off test ) another £470 dealer shears injector bolt in block , engine out job and hellibolt to re fit new injector Dealer paid for cock up I paid for inj initial fitting 1 month later
Will not start on the key but quite happy to start on a smaal incline (Bump Start ) But still capable of 90mph and good acceleration last week sooty smoke no power Dealer diagnoses Injector pump two days later phone call we also replaced an injector ( I recon the pump did not rectify the fault so the bunged in an injector or something and I got lumbered for the lot I Claimed the pump and the injector and am having them diagnosed by an independant diesel speciallist who is also going to find out why this week it keeps stlling under acceleration which can be restarted by a quick flick of the ignition key.
Surely trading standards must have some umph with such a common problem !!
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Wed 16 Aug 2006 21:13
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Wytze
my 2.2 dci supposed to be ready 2day (e.g. 10 bizz days later), but parts did not yet arrive. I my case I decided to replace all 4 injectors (only one was found defective). Will keep you posted!
Guys at Renault: *DO* pitch in while you can...
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Thu 17 Aug 2006 10:44
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Wizcab
Suggest you ask for any defective parts and have them reconditioned for next time..... There will be a next time !!!

{Shouting amended - DD}
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Thu 17 Aug 2006 16:09
Renault Espace Diesel problem - espace prob
well we have now had our espace back from renault after having 2 new injectors fitted ( the other two had already been replaced by previous owner, we think) and all is good. We had a long time to wait untill the problem was fixed but I have to say, the customer service we recieved from our local renault garage (S J Cook & son ) was really good.
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Thu 17 Aug 2006 21:07
Renault Espace Diesel problem - jrrs1
I see a few more have joined the fold, welcome....
Here's my update... ( its not good!!)
New 'super diesel specialist' informs me he has made a modification teh EGR valve abnd power is back as it shodul be... ( thats the only good news!!)
The bad news, is that out of the 3 old injectors all 3 need repalcing :-(
It appears that two have the housing's cracked and one has a poor leak back test result??
So.... £243 vat each and 180 vat labour for diagnosoi to date, egr mod and removal/repalcment of the 3 injectors , which is in labour terms is not a bad deal, what i am annoyed about is the cost of the parts.
My guy has suggested i try and find them chepaer and hes happy to do the rest, so i'm on a mission to get the price down, i've contacted 3 resources from the net and one from local motorfactor... waiting to see what prices i can get .
If anyone happens to have 3 espace 2.2 dci injectors available i would be more than happy to give you a great price, i'll even drive to you (in my dad's volvo!!) and pay cash if necessaryl!
However reading the people who have had all injectors replaced only to have more problems i am tempted to sell/px this after the fix!
More updates to come.........
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Fri 18 Aug 2006 01:01
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Aprilia
jrrs1

If you look at my post from last Thursday you''ll see that I said you'd end up with four new injectors. What seems to happen is that one faulty injector is replaced, problems remain and so the next step is to replace all four. They it still doesn't run right so they go for the pump.
Seriously, I would get shot of this vehicle as soon as it runs (auction if necessary) and buy yourself a reliable petrol car. Unless you are doing 20-30k miles+ each year a CR Diesel is just not worth the risk. That's IMHO anyway!
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Fri 18 Aug 2006 09:18
Renault Espace Diesel problem - P 2501
Aprilia - Anyone in the backroom who even considers not taking your advice is extremely foolhardy.

I have lost count of the amount of times your advice has proved 100% correct on the strength of just a brief outlined post (for myself too).

Please don't ever leave the backroom.

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Fri 18 Aug 2006 11:24
Renault Espace Diesel problem - jrrs1
Update: Best price for NEW injectors £205 inc (but they want your old ones back to refurb - refub units seem to be about £150-190 ish)

Aprilia - ( nice bike BTW) thansk fro the advice, i am actually looking at getting shot of it after the injectors...
Anyone got any views on......
Audi Allroad 2.5TDI or
Audi Allrioad 2.7 Biturbo (petrol) with LPG conversion
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Fri 18 Aug 2006 18:03
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Wizcab
XXXXXXX Update XXXXXXXX
Just had my two injectors independantly assesed Both were US and unrepairable so it WAS faulty Injectors High Pressure Pump was also US ...... Renault dealer tells me that they have a tool from Renault that they stick in the EGR valve by removing a plate and it "Aggrivates " the carbon on the inside, a quick fix I think But mine is going in for Diagnostics on Wednesday next and will have this done Will post results next week I expect the fourth of my injectors to be faulty Quoted £238 Incl from Bosch dealer £235.19 plus vat from dealer... labour £142.8 plus £30.01 For kit injector plus releaseing fluid and carbon disolver think the carbon disolver might be a quick fix

{Shouting amended yet again! Next time I'll just delete as it's easier - DD}
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Fri 18 Aug 2006 20:32
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Aprilia
Good God, that's going to be an expensive repair if the pump has to be replaced as well !
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Fri 18 Aug 2006 21:17
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Wytze
Small update, nothing big. As said, in my case, decision was to replace all 4 injectors. Unfortunately, the delivery was already delayed and eventually only 3 came in. Seems that there is a huge demand for injectors. Anybody?? In any case, another grounded weekend. Plan is Tuesday rdy. BTW: I have dropped on Wed a note on www.renault.fr pointing them to this thread and asking for feedback. So far, none. Suggest we all do the same. Just ask for their view. See what happens :-) - - Wytze
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Fri 18 Aug 2006 21:50
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Xileno {P}
Maybe Renault should add the allegedly troublesome 2.2dCi to the Yellow OTS.
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Sat 19 Aug 2006 20:52
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Wizcab
Yes it was ..... £1500 on top of the other £4k this vehicle has cost me in the last year but as it has done 160K i would never rrecoup the money it owes me so have to keep throwing good money after bad.
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Sat 19 Aug 2006 21:47
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Xileno {P}
Crazy. CR diesels, aren't they great?
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Thu 24 Aug 2006 21:00
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Wizcab
Thursday Escrap now back New rear wheel baring new TDC sensor New No 3 Injector No help from renault.... refused due to high milage. help from dealer aprox £400 knocked off bill as goodwill gesture £848 later..... TDC sensor replaced. 4th and last injector replaced after stalling on road test and nearly putting mechanic through window running ok at the moment.. EGR valve cleaned N/C. air con condenser diagnosed with leak N / C ( £448 plus VAT plus 2 hours labour... perhaps next time) Diagnostics N / C . Didn't I do well perhaps it was because I gave the service manager these 22 pages of thread. have just bought a condenser on ebay for £30 New .... Hope it fits..
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Tue 29 Aug 2006 19:28
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Wizcab
Friday running like a dream / then nightmare turbo blows smoke everywhere cant turn off at the key had to stall it on the clutch...AA to dealership..... Suspect turbo / intercooler / cat dealer sonario fit all new and hope it cures...STOP enough is enough !!! buying a Kia seddona
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Tue 29 Aug 2006 21:08
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Xileno {P}
You were lucky, often they won't stall particularly if the clutch is past its best.
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Thu 7 Sep 2006 00:48
Renault Espace Diesel problem - wedgeallgone
Found out today from the rac europe that renault france if the turbo blows the engine etc upto 150,000km they will replace the engine free of charge regardless of age i can, t see renault uk doing this !!!!! car still in alencon going nowhere
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Tue 19 Sep 2006 15:54
Renault Espace Diesel problem - AlanMc
Apriia

Has anyone given indications that Renault have fixed these diesel problems on the Espace for the latest reg models (eg, 2006 /06 onwards) have been solved on the 2.2dCi 150bhp models, Or even on the new Espace J81 version with 2.0 dCi 175bhp?

My wife is looking to trade in her 2001 petrol espace for a new diesel one and the thought of one of those cutting out on her on the motorway puts me right off..
Thanks
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Tue 19 Sep 2006 17:24
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Aprilia
Apriia
Has anyone given indications that Renault have fixed these diesel problems
on the Espace for the latest reg models (eg, 2006 /06
onwards) have been solved on the 2.2dCi 150bhp models, Or
even on the new Espace J81 version with 2.0 dCi 175bhp?



I've no idea. However in July I picked up a brand new (well, 700 miles on the clock) Renault Megane Diesel from a rental co. Within 50 miles I had a loss of power and the engine warning light on. I would not buy one - but then I'm more cautious than the average person.
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Thu 7 Sep 2006 00:23
Renault Espace Diesel problem - wedgeallgone
just got back from france my car is still in renault garage at alencon 2.2 dci.new high pressure pump new egr new injectors new airflow sensor did 150km and did the stop at 80 mph coasted to hard shoulder no power steering no brakes renault are scratching their heads same in france as here only in france i have found out the 1.9 dci is just as bad
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Mon 11 Sep 2006 17:28
Renault Espace Diesel problem - wedgeallgone
The car is now ready for collection will keep you posted on whether fixed or not going ove rto france on friday the bill from main dealer for 4 new injectors and rails plus diagnosis and road testing is alot cheaper than uk at 887 euros final bill
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Sat 7 Jul 2007 14:56
Renault Espace Diesel problem - lexxicographer
MK IV also! I have had a 2005 Grand 2.2dCI for 9 months with all the usual symptoms. So far it has had a new air/fuel meter and, of course, now the EGR valve.
Running fine now, but I fully expect the problem to recur. If so will be trading in before out of warranty. Will be going back to petrol.
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Mon 6 Aug 2007 10:44
Renault Espace Diesel problem - ticket to ride
Hi Laurie,

Thanks for your very detailed report on EGR problems with the Espace DCI. I have a 2002 Espace DCI which has done 43k miles and is begining to have these dreaded problems (loss of performance but no smoke mainly on hills ) . I've read the threads on honestjohn - How has you Espace performed since you started cleaning out the EGR ?? Have you had further problems with injectors, turbos etc.

As my car has been regularly serviced I contacted Renault UK but they said that EGR problems were not recognised although they admitted cleaning may help. No out of warranty support here

Tony
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Mon 6 Aug 2007 11:06
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Dynamic Dave
Hi Laurie
How has you Espace performed since you started cleaning out the EGR ??


LaurieK was only here the once, and has not returned since:-
Date registered: Sat 29 Jul 2006
Last visited forum: Sat 29 Jul 2006

Maybe someone else can respond?

DD. BR Moderator.
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Wed 13 Jun 2007 13:21
Renault Espace Diesel problem - J C
Had same problem told sencor in injectors not working.
Replaced injectors been ok up to now.

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Tue 29 Aug 2006 17:35
Renault Espace Diesel problem - 1999espace
Hi - have 1999 2.2 RXE Grand - 64,000 miles - loads of problems - the loss of power problem has been solved at CAT - EGR + injectors done but CAT seems to have solved the problem twice - an expensive solution for what must be a design fault
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Tue 29 Aug 2006 17:41
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Xileno {P}
Is it dTi or dCi?
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Tue 29 Aug 2006 21:46
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Xileno {P}
Almost a year later and where are we?

www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=34096&...#
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Sat 2 Sep 2006 19:58
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Wytze
Here's my update. See previous posts.
Summary: Espace 2.2 DCi, 160k KM, first owner, 2001. Bottom line: engine suddenly stalling = one defective injector.

Early July all of a sudden engine stalls. Ignition off-on-start makes it run for a while until it stalls again, etc. ECU read out indicates fuel pressure and glow-plug problem. Big Renault Dealer in CH replaced fuel pressure sensor (diagnoses 62, pressure sensor 201, workshop 125, test drive 62, small stuff 12, total incl. tax: 498 CHF, later he promised a refund for everything but the part). However, sudden stalling problem remains, on top intermittently 'loss of power' (= ECU running in 'safe' mode, right?), disconnecting battery resets ECU, but stalling remains.

Diesel specialist back home used special Bosch computer tools during test drives. He experienced the stalling and concluded loss of fuel pressure caused by cyl.1 injector (he explained how he can determine why it is cyl. 4). He swapped injector 4 with # 1 and tested again: problem moved to cyl. 4. He suggests replacing injector. He advises to replace all 4 while on it. 4 injectors are ordered. Unfortunately one remains in back order. Unfortunately again the injector at cyl.3 - last one to replace - did not want to come loose. Who said Murphy did not exist? I was told that Espace injectors get stuck due to design problem: injectors are exposed to some water and the O-ring which is supposed to keep the water out is not up to its job => rust acts as super-glue between the injector to the engine. I got the replaced injectors back. Anyone for some "good-as-new" injectors with one defective :-))
Total costs: workshop 441, parts: fuel-return pipe (advised to replace when replacing injectors) 85, 4 injectors @ 244 each, ECU read out 22, small stuff 8, environment 5, total including tax 1829 E

Did it solve the problem? So far (=300 km test drive) it did.

Cheers, Wytze
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Mon 11 Sep 2006 16:53
Renault Espace Diesel problem - jrrs1
Ok and heres my update ( also see previous posts)
Summary: Espace 2.2 DCi, 65k miles, second owner, 2002. Bottom line: engine suddenly stalling = all faulty injectors..

Back in Feb car went into limp mode twice but seemed to 'fix' instelf.... 4 months later in June the stalling starts, initilaly once or twice on a journey moving to every 15 seconds if i was lucky after about 1 week of use.

( excuse the values but i'm approximating)
1. Mechanic in brighton uk ( i was working there) uses a generic ECU reader and finds a glow plug pre heater problem, advises me to replace gloplugs - £120
NO change
2. Diesel specialist ( Bucks) spends 5 hours on it, cant find problem, suspects airflow ( he check the egr and it looks ok) - no chnarge as he cant find problem ( very nice man!!), refers me to Renault.
NO change
3. Renault - 1 hour diagnostics, advise Fuel pressure switch problem - £ 90 diags + quote of £260 to replace switch, i decide to use local guy, i buy the switch £70 and he charges me £100 to fit - £260 ( total)
NO change
4. Back to Renault and advised them, they would not refund incorrect diagnosis as i had someone else fit it! - they take car for 2 weeks!!!! ( i go on holiday ) on return i am advised tehy have changed Fuel fillter , NO Change. They then identified injector no 4 as faulty, replace it and claim all is well - Bill comes to £700, i complain about teh time of the fix, and service , i get £250 off so i pay £450.
CAR IS WOKRING.....but its cost me £830

5. Six weeks later..... same problem starts again, randonly stalls, again i use for a week or so and it gets progresivley worse- i call renault but they cant fit me in for 3 weeks!! so i contact local dieslel guy (again) and emplore him with the contents of this thread to have another go - he again spends 3 hours but cant get anywhere and refers me to a Higher authority in diesels in Wellingborogh.
NO Change
6. The car is left at new specialist for a week and i am advised that teh 3 old injectors all have problems, poor leak back test?, + internal mechansim issues ( e.g. cracked)- am advised to find a better price than renault which are quoting £284 each injector!! i find a very nice man at an injector specialsit and pay £205 each * 3 + £250 labour, i am also advised of a mod to the EGR [ drill hole in base, insert split pin to force unit closed or open i cant remember but either way its a permament fix] (by all accounts i get more power + 40 miles extra per tank) - £865
CAR FIXED

And running fine, done about 3k miles and no problems, car is visibly quicker and i also get about 550 miles to a tank now ( which is more than before)
However the fix has ultimatley cost me just short of £1700

And whilst i'm on the subject of cost, i have also had to shell out for 1 x n/s ABS sensor + 1 x n/s wjheel bearing + 1xfront set of pads +1x master clutch cyclinder + 4x tyres, tracking / track rod ends = £1200

The car has cost me £2900 so far this year and it gets worse!!!

I'm at 70k and am due the 72k major service (499) and a cambelt change(499) , renault have quoted £1000
Have now found a specialist who will do them for (170)+(330) = £500

And I know i still need to have new rear discs+pads + wiper blades - which i will do myself but still cost £130

So still another £630 to find next month

All in all this years motoring will of cost me over £3500 + the £2000 depreciation i have no doubt lost!! £5.5k

I could of leased a car for a lot less than this....

RANT OVER.... Apologies - but i had to get that off my chest...

Cheers John
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Mon 11 Sep 2006 17:03
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Adam {P}
For five and a half grand you coul have leased a Lamborghini for 5 months! (Sorry to rub it in!)
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Mon 11 Sep 2006 16:59
Renault Espace Diesel problem - jrrs1
Wytze,

Contact this chap and see if he'll buy your injectors, even at 4 x £25 it would surley be worth it!

www.uniteddiesel.co.uk/

Cheers John
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Thu 30 Nov 2006 10:35
Renault Espace Diesel problem - 123
High pressure fuel pump...

I just bought a 2003, 50K miles Renault Espace 3.0 cdi, which a couple of weeks back started to experienced these power loss issues. First while kick-downing the automatic transmission, later on in speeds in excess of 100 km/h and eventually in city traffic. Drove the car to the Renault dealer, they ran all kinds of tests on it, and they told me that the high pressure fule pump is faulty. Great. However, they also told me that Renault knows that this is a weak spot in the Isuzu(!) manufactured engine and that they might pay the cost to fix it, if my car is eligible. I really hope it is, because the pump costs something like 2000 euros and it takes 20 hours to change it...

I'll let you know how it goes...
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Tue 5 Dec 2006 11:26
Renault Espace Diesel problem - jrrs1
Update:
Car is running fine since all the work done.
If anyone wants the guy details i used in Wellingborough, email me : jrrs1 at hotmail dot com
If you wnat to buy the Injectors yourself and save a load off the Renault prices (circa £100 saved each!), call the nice gut at www.uniteddiesels.com
Anyway the reason for posting in...
My wife was so mad by the whole Renault thing she wrote to the Chief exec in France.
Not expecting anything back we were surpised to geta phoen call of apologie from his UK right hand man ( UK operations?) and promised a letter from the CEO himself.
Low and behold it tunred it , apologising, stating loses for the group and desperate restructures...etc etc , sorry, sorry etc usual letter i guess.. but it also promised a £200 voucher for service at a renault dealer.
However that was now 4 weeks ago and nothings tunred up... they have until end of the week and then they'll get another letter of complaint....
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Tue 5 Dec 2006 17:38
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Xileno {P}
I am struggling to see any link between "stating loses for the group and desperate restructures" and a troublesome dCi Espace...
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Fri 15 Dec 2006 15:11
Renault Espace Diesel problem - crazymom
I posted a messege a while ago about problems with my 1997 2.2td espace. We had problems with it bellowing white smoke and juddering to a stop. We though we had solved the problem by changing all the filters. It worked like a dream for about 6 months and then started juddering again and producing tons and tons of white smoke. The car would then stall and not want to start again.

We had been told that it sounded like a contaminated fuel system and to have the system drained and flushed. We had this done on Wednesday and nope it hasnt fixed the problem at all.

We are at a lose now as to what can be wrong with it, it has been off the road for near on 3 months. We now think it could either be a) the fuel pump, b)dirty injectors, or something completly different.

Please, please could someone shed some light as to what it might be and how to go about fixing it! I could really do with the car on the road now, with 4 children its not been the easiest of times!

Thank you!
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Mon 18 Dec 2006 10:23
Renault Espace Diesel problem - makman
I have an Espace 2.2 dci, year 2000.
I've had lots of times over the last 6 months when the thing has just cut out on me, be it on a motorway or driving through urban areas, usually after 30min to 1 hour of driving.
Wait for anything between 10mins to 4 hours and eventually it will start again.
I have a renault mechanic friend who looks after the Espace for me and he's had it for weeks on end and couldn't find the problem.
Eventually when the Espace wouldn't start at all he found the problem.

When the engine is switched off there is a valve that shuts to cut air off to the engine, don't really know what this valve is called.
This valve is operated by a vacuum through a small pipe.
The idea is that the engine shuts down straight away, a clean stop, and doesn't run on for a few seconds and judder to a stop.
It looks like this valve for some reason was closing during normal running, cutting off air to the engine and the engine just stops.
If the valve partly closes the engine will carry on running but you can't get any power from it.
This valve is now disconnected, for 2 months now, and the car is just fine.
I can go into the engine compartment, flick this valve closed and the engine stops!!
The engine now has an untidy shutdown when I switch off but otherwise keeps running.
I'm going to get this valve replaced in the New Year as running the car for 2 months now with no problems I'm sure this has been the problem all along.
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Sat 6 Jan 2007 11:31
Renault Espace Diesel problem - mark p
Hi John we have just purchased a Renault Grand Espace 2.2 & have only had the car 6 weeks & we have experienced the same power loss on the Motorway (with a BEEP from the engine management system & a service error light showing) after driving for about an hour & a half. We did manage to get home albeit on reduced power. My wife also had a problem two days before trying to get up a very steep bank where she had parked the car, she called the RAC out and he restarted the car & it went up the hill ok, so I am guessing this is all connected? I have contacted the previous owner of the vehicle who did all her driving in France and the car has been serviced there she said 2 years ago she had the same fault and the French Renault Garage replaced all of the injection system & this cleared the fault, now it looks like it has returned. The dealer I have purchased the car from has told me to take the car to the garage they use & they will pay the repair bill so I have printed off many of the letters on this thread & yours in particular as you have given such great detail in your posts. Last thing to ask you is the car still running ok?
Regards Mark
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Thu 25 Jan 2007 23:15
Renault Espace Diesel problem - jrrs1
Hey all,
Sorry been away from the board for a while....A few updates..
Firstly we sent another (second) letter of complaint to Renault ( after I gave them a chance to send the vouchers they promised), and after another 2 weeks I got a further apology letter and £200 in vouchers, at last!
Only pain with this is even though I needed the 72k service, using the vouchers at my local Renault dealer it was still cheaper to go to a local specialist even without the vouchers!
I've ended up getting a full set of wiper blades (front & rear) £84!!!! And misc. bits a bobs, oil etc just to use them up...
{I digress} - - To answer some questions....

Xileno {p} 1. The link between the , 'difficult trading and restructure' was apparently their excuse for the poor service is received at my local Renault dealer, , I waited ages to be even talked to and the service and attitude was poor and jobs just not done, car not washed etc, I guess the correlation to their apology was based on poor revenue and sales+internal problems+restructure issues = the trickle down to my local garage, where they don?t have enough staff+the staff have poor knowledge+limited stocks and long lead times = me hacked off!

Mark p 2. My car is still running and has been fine ever since I had all the injectors replaced and the ERV valve modified, I?d guess I have done about 6-8k miles all without issues... [Crossing fingers]

Hope this helps.....

Cheers John
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Fri 12 Jan 2007 23:34
Renault Espace Diesel problem - 2937
hi there
Did your espace give you any warnings on the dash board ?Did the fault show on the diagnostic tests.I have same car no warnings,no clue from diagnostic tests .the engine does not cut out just a power loss every once in a while.
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Thu 18 Jan 2007 11:52
Renault Espace Diesel problem - makman
Hi,
Re: warnings signs when my Espace cut out.
There were none at all, nothing to forwarn me, it just stopped and that was it.
It went through all the Renault diagnostics and although bits of things came up there was nothing to point to the reason, this valve thing, for the shut down of the engine.
Its still running with no problems.
Did a 450 mile trip last Sunday and it performed without a problem.
Wish I could upload photos to this site then I could show you just where this valve is, its so, so, easy to get at when you know where it is.

Regards
makman
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Thu 25 Jan 2007 23:19
Renault Espace Diesel problem - jrrs1
2937 - This sounds more like the ERV valve issue... e.g. not opening correctly due to carbon deposits or a fault, the ERV re-circulates the exhaust gas in order to improve emissions but can cause the power problems...
In fact modifying it improved my performance and economy! Get it looked at....
Cheers John
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Sun 18 Mar 2007 19:00
Renault Espace Diesel problem - youngy
ive got a 56 2.0 175bhp(the very latest diesel)and i am experiencing the same problems as above,my dashboard reads check injection and regenerate fap,does anyone out there know what this means

kevin
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Sun 18 Mar 2007 20:43
Renault Espace Diesel problem - geoff1248
It means that you've bought a Renault :D
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Sun 18 Mar 2007 21:24
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Screwloose
Kevin

You're just the latest to have got bitten by the dreaded Filtre Aux Particulates. It's a box in the exhaust on a Euro 4 emission rated diesel that traps the diesel soot and periodically burns it out in a sort of horizontal chimney fire. It's aided in this task by an additive stored in a tank and a truly Heath Robinson control system. Would be a wonderful idea - if it actually worked.

If you don't drive the car above 50mph for an unbroken six minutes, then the car can't start this afterburner process and the filter gets blocked. Once the exhaust pressure sensors note a pressure differential across the filter, they flag that message.

Don't ignore it; now the light's come on, it will block completely in about another 50 miles. A ten-mile high-speed blast might fix it; but this is a Renault..... It may now need to go to a dealer for a forced regeneration.

You should have been given one of these:-

The Official Renault Handover Guide for Diesel Engines with Exhaust Particle Filter.

(These instructions should be followed to ensure diesel engines fitted with an exhaust particle filter (FAP) operate under the best possible conditions.)

What is a FAP used for? To protect the environment: the FAP stops particles being emitted from theexahust system and is currently used only on diesel engines. By filtering the exhaust gas the particle filter stops over 95% of particle emissions.

How does it work? The FAP accumulates the particles of soot and eliminates it periodically by automatic regeneration.

What is regeneration? It is the elimination of soot by high temperatures in the FAP. To make this regeneration process easier, the engine should be used regularly at a sufficient level to ensure high enough temperature of the exhaust gas. During the regeneration phase, high temperatures in the FAP may cause a smell of burning. Especially during the first regeneration.

What does this mean for the customer? There is no particular issues for the customer except for the specific driving conditions stated below. Regeneration is an automatic process that occurs during normal driving conditions.

Recommendations for driving

Just as fuel consumption may vary, the FAP contamination may vary with driving style. Drive progressively without harsh acceleration to reduce the rate of FAP contamination and to limit the number of regenerations. Driving in this manner also reduces fuel consumption

Warning Note

The temperatures during FAP regenerations is high. DO NOT PARK THE VEHICLE ON A SURFACE WHERE THERE ARE MATERIALS THAT ARE SENSITIVE TO HIGH TEMPERATURES.


Specific conditions for Megane II & Scenic II

Vehicle driven for long periods in urban areas:
AT Low Speed
For approximately 180 miles
The message "FAP needs regeneration" or an orange light, or both (depending on the vehicle: refer to the drivers handbook) may appear on the instrument panel.

This message indicates that the FAP is almost fully saturated with soot. If these driving conditions continue, the FAP will be fully saturated after approx 50 miles.

In this case, the advice given is the same as that stated in the drivers handbook:
In order to enable the particle filter to be cleaned, we recommend that you drive the vehicle as soon as possible until the waring light goes out, at an average speed of 50mph (80km/h) providing that the following conditions allow it:
traffic conditions
legal speed limits

Regeneration typically takes about twenty minutes from the moment it starts, if the driving conditions remain favourable. The warning light or the message will then disappear. Nevertheless, if these instructions are not observed, a second warning (service warning light + Injection warning light) may appear. It is recommended in this case that the vehicle be returned to a Renault dealer as soon as possible to carry out a forced regeneration.

Important note: Certain types of operator who drive only in urban conditions, taxi, police, local delivery operators, etc must be made fully aware of the operational requirements for the Megane II & scenic II fitted with this FAP engine prior to purchase.
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Mon 19 Mar 2007 10:06
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Xileno {P}
I don't think the 2.0 has a FAP.
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Tue 20 Mar 2007 19:19
Renault Espace Diesel problem - youngy
How in the hell do you know all this stuff,the car is usually driven taking the kids to the school at speeds up to 45mph,these trips are in total 3.0 miles round

Kevin

{Shouting amended - DD}
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Tue 20 Mar 2007 19:20
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Aprilia
Walk the kids to school?
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Tue 20 Mar 2007 19:27
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Armitage Shanks {p}
If you are 'talking' to screwloose he knows this because he does it for a living!
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Tue 20 Mar 2007 19:29
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Aprilia
BTW - my reply was not meant to be flippant. Routine 3 mile round trip is not doing this car any favours at all. Walking really would be better for all concerned - then use the car when you have long trips and FAP has some chance of getting up to temp.
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Tue 20 Mar 2007 19:58
Renault Espace Diesel problem - youngy
ok, thanks. point taken.
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Tue 27 Mar 2007 01:42
Renault Espace Diesel problem - poddyboo
Hi there,i am new to all this forum business,having searched google for help,i came accross this site.As renault are messing me about i would really appreciate if someone here can help me out.

I have a renault grand espace 2003 model..3 ltr..Few weeks ago was on the motorway,went to overtake in the fast lane and just suddenly without warning,full loss of power,scared the crap puta me,especially as wife and kids in the car as well..but luckily the motorway was quite and not much traffic about..managed to get back into slow lane,but then car just went back to working ok.

.I booked the car into renault..booked it in on a thursday 8am,they got back to me at 5pm and said they need to keep the car in as the insurance accessor needed to inspect it before they carry out any work on it on the warrenty...Our 3yr warrenty ran out in dec,but we bought an extra year warranty..

The warranty accessor didnt turn up until monday (today) and asked the mechanics to stirp down the engine,and also they needed to get at this ERG valve which i was told is quite difficult to get at,and it is a 3 hr job to get at it,and they needed my permission to do this.And if the erg is damaged by carbon emissions,the warranty will not cover this??Is this so?

Is there an ongoing problem with this erg valve?As i have notcied on this forum that a lot of people have had trouble with this erg valve,so i would assume renault are aware of this problem.If they are aware they certainly didnt tell me today,they made it look like it was a problem just with my car..If anybody can clarify this with me,be appreciated...
I am awaiting there decision tomorrow on the accessor decision on the state of this erg valve,and i would like to know if this should be covered under warranty

I have had nothing but trouble with this espace since day one...It has left us down so many times..othere problems with the electrics draing the battery and so on....

I would appreciate any help as to where i stand with renault and my warrenty on this erg valve???
Any help at all would be appreciated
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Tue 27 Mar 2007 23:52
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Aprilia
I would appreciate any help as to where i stand with
renault and my warrenty on this erg valve???
Any help at all would be appreciated


30 years of experience have told me not to touch Renaults. I am not keen to work on one, let alone own one. The last time I drove one (last July) it broke down on me. It was a Megane estate, 2.2dCi with 700km on the clock and less than a month old.

I would be **extremely** surprised if your aftermarket warranty covers the EGR valve. I think they will say that its contaminated and therefore 'wear and tear' item and not covered. The only aftermarket warranty likely to cover this sort of thing is Car Care Plan (also known as Black Horse warranty) - possibly.......
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Wed 18 Apr 2007 16:58
Renault Espace Diesel problem - mack1
Hi
I have same issue espace 2003 3.0 dci need pump. Did Renult pay up.If so have you any details
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Thu 19 Apr 2007 12:21
Renault Espace Diesel problem - mack1
Hi

Did you get any where with renault
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Thu 19 Apr 2007 13:26
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Dynamic Dave
Hi
Did you get any where with renault


If you're asking forum member "123" then he last visited the forum: Thu 30 Nov 2006.

If you want, I can try emailing him on your behalf, but there is no guarantee that his email address is still valid.

DD. BR Moderator.
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Tue 27 Mar 2007 23:27
Renault Espace Diesel problem - injection doc
In 2003 I went to purchase a new espace 2.2dci £23k then & struck a deal & wanted 24hrs to mull over! On the way out the dealership a guy walking in said don't ouch one & told me his woes with this new generation vehicle! I could'nt belive what I was hearing but I took his advice and reading what you are experiencing I wish I could go back & thank who ever he was. I think you guy's need to touch watchdog & get some help. It sums up manufactures & dealers responsibilitys, but I think in years to come it will bite Renault back hard & so it should
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Wed 28 Mar 2007 01:32
Renault Espace Diesel problem - poddyboo
Crazy or what.....The renault garage got back to me today after the warranty accessor had a look at the egr valve,,,and said it was faulty due to carbon emissions and the warranty would not cover it,,,and it would cost me 1400 pounds to replace and get car back on the road,,,,And this is a little over 3yr old car,,,I went beserk and said no way was i gonna pay that amount of money for a part that i feel should last far more than 3yrs,,,Also the turbo valve rings were blown but they said warranty would cover them...That i find strange,as after seeing on here where someone said,that if the egr valve sticks in the closed position then it would cause the turbo rings to fail,,well then surely the egr valve is a faulty mechanical item that has to be covered under the warranty?? please tell me you opinion on this??
Also will my car run with the egr valve disconnected?
I rang renault uk who after looking at the amount of times my car has spent in the garage said they would look into it,,,,I am also considering legal advise on this as i really think they a re taking the micky,,,
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Wed 28 Mar 2007 08:43
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Collos25
The number of times the EGR valve features in this forum in cannot hardly be an unknown problem to Renault although they will quote the millions of cars with the same valve running without any problem.The price seems rather high having only changed them on Lagunas but at a fraction of that cost,are they difficult to reach on the Espace I know the clutch master cylinder entails taking out the dashboard maybe its as difficult.
I thing you will have to wait and see what they come up with first also try and source the cost of replacement from an alternative small garage just in case Renault are not known for their generosity and service standards, I would think as far as going to court it would have to be the small claims court armed with a full independant engineers report on the problem.
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Wed 28 Mar 2007 11:34
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Screwloose
poddyboo

£1400 to replace the EGR valve is a nonsense. What exactly are "turbo valve rings;" something invented by them? I've never heard of them.

There's a strong whiff of MBE coming from your garage's little tales. The symptom [dropping into limp-home under load] doesn't fit the putative diagnosis. This sounds more like a garage, that's well out of it's depth, waffling hard and trying a rip-off. What's the position if this work doesn't fix it?

Ask them for the exact fault code recorded by the problem.
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Wed 28 Mar 2007 12:41
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Xileno {P}
Might be the fuel pump. I've heard of a few failures on these 3.0 Isuzu engines.
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Wed 28 Mar 2007 21:47
Renault Espace Diesel problem - poddyboo
This gets better,,,heard back from the renault garage this morning,and the price has gone from 1400 pounds to 240 pounds...They said that after careful examination of the egr valve this morning that they disagreed with the insurance accessors diagnosis (he said carbon deposits caused the problem on the valve thus causing it not to be covered by warranty) and the garage are now saying the valve has a mechanical fault and it should be covered by the warranty,and that the 240 pounds is to cover the cost of cleaning the manifold as they said it is advisable to do this ,now that the engine is stripped down..I agreed the 240 pounds and said just do and let me have my car back...
And to pee me off even further i now have to wait till monday next for them to get a part...they have had it in their workshop since thursday last..
Whether my threats of legal action,threats to go to bbc watchdog,calls to renault uk head office..made them do a complete turnaround on the 1400 pounds to 240 pounds remains to be seen...
There was no ways i was going to pay the 1400 pounds without a fight..especially as the car is very low mileage and only just over 3yrs old,,,
They said they will have car ready monday or tuesday...and as we are going away to france on the easter weekend the long drive will test it out good,,...so if any of you are on a ferry to france and see a renault espace ,53 reg,being towed off the ferry,then it most likely will be me knowing my luck with the damm thing...

The good news is we have made the decision to get rid of it in the next few months and i really cant wait,,never again a renault,,pitty as when they go good they are good,but just too many problems and spends far too many visits inside the dealership,,,,so this story may be over for me,,,,but i better stay quite till i get it back on monday or tuesday...many thanks for the advice,and i am so glad i have come accross such forums as this,,,be my first port of call before my next purschase for sure...and i definitely recommend to any poor sod i see with a renault salesman...once again thanks a lot...Pat
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Mon 2 Apr 2007 12:36
Renault Espace Diesel problem - mamabelle
We bought this vehicle on 1/12/06, to accomodate or three kids and my parents. Size and look were perfect. Seller was a "people carrier specialist" Within the 3 month warranty it loss power 5 times. Renault diagnosed EGR valve, seller paid and fitted this. 9 days after the warranty ended, loss of power occurred again. Seller provided c/car but sent it to "diesel specialist" his diagnostic showed fuel injector. I asked if all 4 needed changing he said why? Price quoted to fix was 270 pounds. Then we were told 439.35 for replacement, first quote was for reconditioning. We were not happy but, he confidently said this was causing the problem. We agreed, we paid, we took it home. Picked kids up from school, not a two minute journey as school is in a different town, before I get told to walk. Loss of power occurred again. This 3 kids and my mother were in the car, the lorry missed us but the vehicle shook when it when past. Diesel said well must be something else. I have called Legal Services, Trading standards, Which? legal services, Renault UK and frankly this is just a waste of time. If we trade this in we lose 2000 pounds, in just four months. All the vehicles that get traded in will be bought by someone. It the Easter hols and we cancelled a driving holiday to france, my kids aren't happy, I can't sleep, my partner is fuming. This is a menace to us and to other road users.
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Mon 2 Apr 2007 14:38
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Aprilia
Someone else bitten by these wretched vehicles then..

There is no such thing as a 'three month warranty'. For the first six months of ownership any fault is assumed to have existed at the time of sale, unless the seller can prove otherwise (or show that you have caused the problem).

Don't delay. Get this car to a good diesel specialist immediately (or Renault) and get a report on the problem and estimate of repair costs (be prepatred to pay up to £150 for this).

Then get all your documentation together (sales invoice, dated bills from earlier repairs). Send the seller a copy of the report and ask that he confirms, within 7 working days, that he will meet the repair costs. Send the letter Special Delivery. If you get no reply then write again saying you will be taking the case to the Small Claims Court. Again, if no reply then go online and fill in a SCC form. If the facts are as you say then you WILL win.

Once the car is fixed then trade it in. Then do some carefull research before buying a replacement!
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Wed 4 Apr 2007 19:19
Renault Espace Diesel problem - poddyboo
I find myself online in here again looking for more advice..My renault epace which has been in the garage just over 2 weeks now where they originally quoted me 1400 pounds as they said the warranty wouldnt cover it (3yr old car) they then got back and said it would cost 240 pounds instead as the warranty will cover it..
The 240 pounds is to clean the manifold as the warranty would not cover this..they said it has lots of carbon deposits....and it shold be cleaned now that they have the engine stripped down for the warranty work of replacing the egr valve..
What i would like to know is,How difficult is it to clean the manifold?And surely if they had to strip the engine down to replace egr valve and turbo rings that it would be quite easy to clean the manifold of the carbon deposits?
Would they be charging the warranty insurance for this work and also charging me for this work??
The garage renault watford ,where my car is,i have lost all respect for them and wouldnt trust them to carry out a repair on a wheel barrow,,,
Eve if they had to wait for parts,,,surely a company like renault can have have parts couried to them within 24hrs?I could have went to france myself and had them back...they have taken over 2 weeks to do this work,,i pick my car up tomorrow...............
A few months back i asked for a price for wind deflectors for the windows,both sides..they quoted me some outrageous price....and that i would have to wait a week unti they get them in and then fitted...
Few weeks later,we were in Ireland,i popped into a renault dealer in ireland,asked for the window wind deflectors...they said they could have them next day and fit them there and then..much cheaper price..and aslo in euros,,cheaper again....And they actually had them sent by courier overnight from the uk....Unreal or what..
anybody wants to buy a renault grand espace initale...contact me here....fast sale required....cant wait..thanks
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Tue 8 May 2007 17:38
Renault Espace Diesel problem - nobbylad
On the way to work this morning my 02 2.2dCi Espace developed the loss of power/black smoke symptoms with NO warning lights etc on the dash.

Phoned a friend (experience mechanic) who advised probably the EGR valve and to get it checked out with a diagnostics at a dealership.

Booked it in this morning for them to look at this afternoon, when I got in she started up OK but still limped out of the car park. On the road though after a minute or so, big plume of black smoke, then the engine picked up and was running normally. I have only recently started using the car in earnest in the last few months after sending a company car back. So effectively it's been standing from August '06 to Feb '07 with the odd trip to the waste disposal station and back again at weekends.

I've been putting Redex diesel treatment in the last few tanks as I felt like it needed cleaning through and when I had the problem this morning and then it clearing on the way to the dealership, I assumed some deposits had become dislodged and 'worked their way through' the system. Drove all the way to the dealers without issue, thought it polite to drop in and let them know I wouldn't need the diagnostics, only to walk out, start the engine and then loss of power again, however the engine management warning came up on the dash.

Took it back to the dealer, they've had it for around 4hrs and have just phoned to say that they've replaced no.1 heater plug and they also took off the EGR and cleaned it (apparently it was pretty clogged up). Apparently there were half a dozen faults originally, but they said it was a common problem, asked if I'd been doing limited mileage/low revs etc and said that once they'd cleaned it all up, the only constant fault was the heater plug.

The diagnostics check was originally £85 incl. - however the total bill is £105 incl.

Fingers crossed this sorts the issue out, I'm confident, but only because the dealer seemed to know what they were doing and checked/cleaned the EGR etc without prompting.

Will report if the fault occurs again - apologies for the long (first) post!
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Mon 21 May 2007 14:56
Renault Espace Diesel problem - jrrs1
Hello old friends....
I'm sorry to say i'm back......

Check my Espace ownership troubles in previous posts..

The reason i'm back is as that even though in August last year (2006) i had ALL 4 injectors replaced i have just been advised (after another loss of power / misfiring) that an injector has failed.

I really hope it's no.4 as renault did that , the other 3 i bought on-line ( at significant discount to renault) and had fitted privatley..

So i am now paying for diagnostic work again on this piece of pink fluffy dice

As soon as its repaired its going, no question, i will never buy a Renault again!

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Mon 21 May 2007 15:03
Renault Espace Diesel problem - jrrs1
Oh and just a note to Aprilia...

You were right!
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Wed 30 May 2007 13:45
Renault Espace Diesel problem - JF1967
Hi all

Another one to add to the list of the failing 2.2 DCi Espace.

Bought mine 7 months ago on 51 plate with 34,000 miles and 4 previous owners (should have spotted somthing then).

6 months trouble free motoring but then all the symtons that have ben described re loss of power after aboiut 30-40 mins driving, engine fuel injection warning light, resets itself when switched on etc. etc.

Local mechanic ran daignostic couldn't find a problem and cleared historical faults re EGR valave. Symptons persist - so I take it to the local Renault (Hull) dealer. They say problem is with glowplugs and a historical fault with EGR valve. They replace glowplugs at cost of £270 including diagnosis but after 15 minutes driving (engine moderately warm) it reoccurs.

Discover this forum and thread - my hgeart sinks and I take it back to renault. They after my complaining agree to another 2 hours of diagnosis (say they can't provide me with the glow pugs as they have been skipped). They say problem is now with the loss of pressure on fuel injection pump and could be 4 figures to replace. No sign of failing EGR valve of glowplugs on this diagnosis. They want to do another 2 hours of diagnosis but want to charge another £150. Having contacted previous dealer who stamped the service book, the vehicle has already had glowplus, EGR valve, adn a new gear box in the last 3 years.

I've now taken it to a local electrical and engine specialist who after diagnosis thinks the problem is with the injectors but is not sure how they can be easily removed.

The Renault garage say they've never come across this problem before but look shocked when 1 show the 33 pages of discussion this thread has generated!!

Can anyone advise on an easy solution to the removal of the injectors for testing and repair - does it require the engine to be removed?

After they are repaired I shall be selling the vehicle and never buying another Renault. Anyone got experience of the Fiat Ulysees 2.2?




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Fri 13 Jul 2007 21:22
Renault Espace Diesel problem - nigelatdsj
Hi, I am both new to this post and not an Espace owner. I stumbled across it looking for something else.
I noticed how many posts are refering to loss of power with no fault codes displaying. recycling the ignition often clears the fault for a while.
I have a Ford Galaxy 1.9 TD. I had similar problems with intermittent power loss. It was so bad I had to crawl out of the Dartford tunnel in 2nd gear. Once the powerloss had come in, recylcling the ignition only worked for about 1/2 mile. No fault codes on diagnostics, went into Ford main dealers approx 7 times (on warranty thankfully). They couldn't fix it because there was "no fault" to work with. A chance conversation led me to contact a Turbo repair company in Hampshire. I explained my symptoms and they said "that is the turbo". I convinced my local garage to take a chance on this. They removed the turbo, sent it to the company in Hampshire, recieved it back 4 days later (refurbished at a cost to the garage of £270). The garage refitted it and the problem has now gone away (well 18 months ago actually). It seems that some turbos have a variable nozzle system in them which can clog up with carbon if you only cruise around and don't give it some throttle now and again.
I am not sure how appropriate this information is for the Espace but it took me 6 months of repeated garage visits and multiple diagnostic visits before I (me not the garage) came across the solution>

I hope this may help.
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Fri 25 May 2007 00:21
Renault Espace Diesel problem - charliedrake
Hi
i see this problem seems to be common! i have had my espace for a year now and had no problems in fact i love this car but this morning i was going to work after selling my motorbike, to be SAFE! and it lost power it would gather speed but very slow it seems to lacking fuel?. any way the dash light then came on in the shape of an electrical symbol. It has lost power like this before but never for very long and i put it down to the fuel!. The car has done 105,000 miles and still runs fantastic Normally!
what dealer did you use and would you recommed?
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Sat 26 May 2007 16:22
Renault Espace Diesel problem - crog
I too suffered from this problem which seems to be very common. My car lost power on its way up a french mountain. A local Renault dealer replaced the EGR valve and a "joint" at a total cost of 312 euros. Oh and of course small print in the Warranty Direct policy I had taken out at a cost of £600 disallowed a claim. FYI I had them do the 54000 mile service at the same time at a cost of 289 euros. So far the problem has stayed away. .

However I have suffered another problem since. On returning to my car recently the low oil warning light came on. Looking in the engine bay there was oil everywhere and the dipstick read below minimum. The RAC found a 2" diameter hole in the side of the engine where all the oil had leaked from. They concluded that something had clearly fallen off the engine, but not knowing what could only tow me home, it being friday night.

I eventually found a dealer willing to take it in the following wednesday (my local Renault dealer quoting 7 days before they could investigate) and the RAC duly towed the car there. The part that had fallen off was a blanking panel cover which gives access to the injector pump. But no underlying cause could be found. All breather tubes were clear. I eventually picked up the car and paid the £90 bill but was advised to keep an eye on things. The following Monday there was oil splashed all over the rear of the car and all over the engine bay. This time it had come up through the dipstick shaft. The oil was topped up and I limped it back to the Renault dealer. After some time investigating they traced the problem to a crack in the rocker cover which was, they tell me, forcing air into the engine, increasing the pressure until something gave way. At this point Warranty Direct were called again. Once again they found small print to exclude the claim so I ended up footing the full bill of nearly £600. I can only hope that at this point the garage has in fact cured the problem.

I'm curious if anyone else has had a similar problem. Also if I should try for a goodwill payment from Renault and if so if anyone has any advice on the right way to approach them. The garage says it has never seen this problem before.

My original thought had been to run the car for a year and then return to a lease car when the warranty had expired, and before the car gets too close to its expensive 72000 mile maintenance. Having shelled out nearly a £1000 in unplanned maintenance in the first 6 months I'm now faced with the dilemma "Do I keep going and try and spread my costs over a longer period, or do I cut and run now?" Thoughts welcome here too.

Am I the only person who has fallen foul of Warranty Direct's small print? (Fair question. Potentially libellous copy removed)
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Sun 17 Jun 2007 16:14
Renault Espace Diesel problem - joe mc
I've used this forum a few times to help me sort out problems I've had with my Espace DCI so I thought it was about time I contributed back with some of my experiences. I bought the car privately in May 2006 with 98000 miles. Shortly after developed fault resulting in engine cutting out when accelerating and engine injection warning sign showing. Local Renault dealer took two weeks to find that one injector was faulty and relaced it at cost of £550.
Two weeks later car developed the loss of power problem (as in previous posts). I checked the EGR valve and found it heavily crusted up. Cleaned it as described in previous posts (sharpened hacksaw blade worked well) and put it back together with trouble free motoring for next three months.
Next the car developed the stalling fault and injection warning sign. Back to the Renault dealers who after a week of looking couldnt find a fault (I had worked out it was an injector). I got the car back (same problem persisting) and took it to a different Renault dealer who looked at the car for two weeks. I suggested that it might be an injector and they said they would consider it. After two weeks they thought that all four injectors and fuel rail required replacing at a cost of £2500
I thought it was time for a third opinion so I took the injectors that the garage had removed to a local diesel injection specialist who said that one injector was faulty but the other three were OK. The check took twenty minutes and cost £30. (A bit cheeper and a lot quicker than the local Renault dealer)
One injector replaced and the car worked fine until two months later and the car starded billowing black smoke when starting and accellerating. Two local garages said the engine needed replacing at a cost of £3000.
I was advised by a friend to check the turbo. I took the hose off the pipe from the turbo to the intercooler and found it full of oil. The car didn't need a new engine but a turbo. Reconditioned one bought for £380 and no problems since.
It might be oversimplifying things but I've found that the engine stalling and engine injection warning sign coming on is related to an injector fault. This can be checked by a specialist for £30. My specialist can also repair and overhaul injectors for £70 each
Loss of power and smoke seems to be the EGR valve and can be cleaned and overhauled at home.
I hope this helps anyone with similar problems
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Sat 7 Jul 2007 15:56
Renault Espace Diesel problem - madf
>Joe
Many thanks,
My two conclusions:
1. Never buy a Renault cos the design sucks.
2. Renault dealers suck.
madf
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Sun 8 Jul 2007 10:23
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Galad
Is this the longest thread yet on HJ TM and should it be recommended to Renault dealers everywhere?
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Mon 16 Jul 2007 13:20
Renault Espace Diesel problem - muppster
Well, having stumbled across this site I reckon I should add my tuppence worth to the Espace saga!!
I purchased a 52 reg 2.2Dci The Race model last year and have encountered the problems listed above, namely cutting out for no reason!

Currently my Espace is out of action as for some reason it will not start....turns over fine but just wont fire!

Back to the cutting out bit though..... mine has done it about 6 times now....and its interesting that on 4 of the occassions, the latest being last week, it has happened on EXACTLY THE SAME PIECE OF ROAD each time!
I drive back home from work and after about 2 miles I have to join a dual carriage way....I put my foot down on the slip road to speed up and bang...loss of power. Engine cuts out...management light comes on, come to a stand, leave it a minute, start it up and off we go!! This does not happen at other similar points ie on other slip roads or joining the motorway for example, but there just seems to be something about this particular bit of road that my car does not like! At another certain point whilst going along the engine judders and feels like it may cut out but does not.
Surely this is too coincidental in that it has happened at different times of the year, in different weathers and in different road conditions. It can not take me exactly the same time to the second to get to the certain point in the road where this keeps happening. There are traffic queues, traffic lights etc so it must take differing amounts of time to reach this point.
Has anyone ever mentioned the possibility of underground cables providing some kind of magnetic force or other interference which knocks out the engine management system?
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Mon 16 Jul 2007 13:36
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Xileno {P}
I doubt it. More likely the problem is temperature related and at that point where you've driven two miles the temperature is at a point where something is getting upset. Plus of course you're putting your foot down to join the dual carriageway which may trigger the problem.

Stand by the slip road one day and wait for 2.2dCi Espaces to start piling up ;-)
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Wed 18 Jul 2007 00:01
Renault Espace Diesel problem - joe mc
Hi Muppster.
See my post above. I had the same problem with engine cutting out on the same bit of road. The road was a slight incline after a junction. The cutting out coincided with changing up the gears and putting my foot down to get up the incline. Also coincided with the point where the turbo kicked in.
Problem was identified with a faulty injector. Diesel specialist told me that the injector would work fine when not under great load ie slight acceleration or revving whilst car was standing still. When you accelerate the injector is put under much higher pressures as it tries to deliver more fuel , more quickly to the engine (like when the turbo kicks in). As the injector fails under increased pressure the fuel returns through the top of the injector through the fuel return pipe to the high pressure pump. Fuel is starved to that cylinder and the sensors and CPU notice the imbalance and cut the engine.
The car should start again normally (either by switching the ignition off then back on again- bump start) or on the starter if you have come to a stop.
When the injector fails completely no fuel is delivered to the cylinder even at starter pressure and the engine will not start. Possibly what is wrong with your car now.
My problems continue, the air bag warning light comes on from time to time meaning the air bags are not armed. I have tracked that down to a faulty micro switch under the passenger seat.
New to the list, ABS light now coming on and annoying bleep every minute or so. When I track that problem down I will let you know.
By the way I only bought this Espace because I had my previous Espace 11 years ad did 250000 miles comparatively trouble free. But that's progress for you!
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Thu 19 Jul 2007 22:39
Renault Espace Diesel problem - muppster
Hi Joe,
Thanks for that.
My car is still in the garage and they think that the fuel pump is, well, knackered!! Not providing enough pressure to force the fuel through.
The car will still bump start but just will not fire, even after cranking for 10 minutes!
They reckon the injectors are ok..... but so far they havent filled me with any confidence on anything!!
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Mon 23 Jul 2007 00:07
Renault Espace Diesel problem - joe mc
Hi muppster,
I know what you mean. Renault garages have a very primitive way of checking the injectors, which involves taking the fuel return pipe off each of the injectors and attaching a pipe to the top of each injector. The other end of the pipe is placed in individual bottles to measure what diesel is being sent back without being injected into the cylinder. Only problem with that is (see my earlier post) where an injector is only failing under load or pressure this staionary test doesn't work. It means getting the injectors out and putting them on a test machine. I don't know why the garages are so reluctant to do this. Once I had it done the problem was identified straight away and the problem injector replaced.
Good luck!
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Mon 23 Jul 2007 20:10
Renault Espace Diesel problem - 659FBE
The only way to test an injector properly is on a test stand. Measuring the volume of fuel from the spill pipe is a waste of time.

I wonder if anyone has the means of printing this thread out on a continuous roll of paper - it would make an excellent presentation to the MD of Renault.

659.
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Mon 23 Jul 2007 22:32
Renault Espace Diesel problem - joe mc
659

I agree. I think that Renault already know that their set up is poor. But since the garages are making a fortune messing around with diagnostic tests which don't identify the cause and charging a fortune foe a hopeless injector leak test which don't find the cause either why would they want to change things.
From the posts above it is clear that most of us have identified the various symptoms and the causes so I am sure that the garages also know. But why sort it out straight away when you can mess around for a week (or two as in my case) and charge a fortune.

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Mon 23 Jul 2007 22:42
Renault Espace Diesel problem - stuetmac
I have a 52 2.2dci Race, owned from new with 50000 miles on the clock. I've had countless EGR valves under warranty and countless break downs. I now take it to a local garage where the diagnostics and reset are free!

Recently the problem got even more frequent, and after reading this website today I have had the valve disconnected from the computer, it got home alright anyway.

We are off to France on holiday in two weeks so I'll let you know how I get on.

(PS white clouds of smoke at start up on cold days are normal, its the diesel pre heater, keep your doors shut, turn off the blower, try to keep moving and hold your breath!

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Wed 25 Jul 2007 17:38
Renault Espace Diesel problem - muppster
Well.....here is the latest news!!!

Due to time constraints I had to take it out of my local garage and get it to a specialist Diesel and Electrical workshop who said....it wasnt the pump at all but the injectors!!
They replaced 1 completely duff one and attempted to recon the other 3...... the car now starts, runs until you go for a bit of power and then it packs up!!
So...... 4 new injectors please sir!! Cost of £1160+VAT fitted.

I'm at a loss to guess what will happen next, my 1st garage was convinced the injectors were ok and the pump was knackered..... my 2nd garage is convinced the pump is ok and the injectors are knackered!

So, two weeks have gone by, the car MAY be ready tomorrow....... more news soon!!
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Wed 25 Jul 2007 17:56
Renault Espace Diesel problem - Xileno {P}
"So...... 4 new injectors please sir!! Cost of £1160+VAT fitted."

Just as well it's been economical - when it's running ;-)
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