Renault megane DTi Limp mode problem - nicknack
Hi, just wondering if I can pick your collective brains about this.

I've got a 1998 Renault Megane 1.9 DTi which runs perfectly....except for in the rain at high speed.

If I drive on a fast road in the rain with lots of spray, the engine will suddenly without warning go into "limp mode" meaning it idles at 1000rpm and I cannot accelerate etc. This problem seems to persist for as long as it's raining.

If I switch the engine off and back on again, it is sometime ok for about 5 - 10 minutes before doing the same thing again.

Renault have had my car for 3 weeks but haven't found any fault codes on it. It also hasn't rained and they've been unable to make the fault occur - they have no idea what's wrong with it and cannot mend it.

It sounds to me like water getting in somewhere causing a short circuit - but what do I know!

Any experience of this, suggestions etc would be great because I'm stuck.

Thanks
Renault megane DTi Limp mode problem - jlo
Hi,

don't know if this helps but my Father had a Citroen C5 2.2dHDI and had a similer problem.

Turns out that the air filter is mounted quite low and during wet weather the filter got soaked. This did not allow enough air through, which in turn made the engine managment think 'somthing wrong' and it would switch in to limp home mode.

Might be worth checking you air filters and see if they are wet.

Cheers

Jlo
Renault megane DTi Limp mode problem - storme
i was gonna say that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sounds like water is getting in,,,if you can,,re-route the inlet to the airbox...lift it up...mine sucks in thru the grill
so i get a "ram air effect" and the air is colder so that helps combustion :)

a common car for this problem was the old ASTRA GTE,,it sucked in so much water it blew the pistons !!!!!!!!!
Renault megane DTi Limp mode problem - nicknack
I know I've left this a long time - but I'm still stumped.

Air Filter isn't the problem, been looked into and checked.

Any other possible solutions? Or anyone had similar problems?

Renault have been useless about the whole thing.

Thanks
Renault megane DTi Limp mode problem - Aprilia
I suspect that water is getting into the electrics. Possibly a connector leading to one of the sensors.

No easy solution. I would get a hose and selectively water spray various areas of the engine (perhaps do it in quarters). When you find the 'sensitive' areas then start pulling connectors apart and look for water ingress. I would guess that it would be connectors around the lower half of the engine - the upper half stays pretty dry.