‘Limp-home’ mode

My 2002 Ford Galaxy 1.9 TDI has just been on a

500-mile trip and, an hour before arriving home, it went into ‘limp-home’ mode and took forever to crawl up the gears to 70mph. A similar thing happened briefly a couple of days beforehand, but once I pulled over and restarted it seemed to run fine for the rest of the day. At idle, I can hear the turbocharger working, but once I am running through the gears it seems to be stuck. There is no warning light on the dashboard. Is this a common issue and would it be fixable without replacing the turbo as I have only had the car for six weeks? The car is due for a service. Jamie Warriner My first concern is that you say you have only recently bought the vehicle and that no light is showing on the dash. When the engine goes into ‘limp-home’ mode, the EML should illuminate as a code will be left in the system. The first check I would make is whether the engine management light is illuminating when first turning on the ignition and before starting the engine. If it is not, I suspect either the bulb has blown or been removed.

The next points to check are that the intercooler hoses are in a good condition and have not developed any cracks or splits. The most common reason for the problem you have is that the vehicle is sensing an over-boost – this will result in a code being set and the vehicle entering ‘limp-home’ mode. Turning off the ignition and turning it on again will reset the system and restore normal engine performance until the next time the sensor detects an overboost. This is normally caused by the turbo getting coked-up and may be rectifiable by using a turbo cleaner.

As the vehicle is due for a service, I recommend this is done as soon as possible. Regular oil changes are critical to maintaining the condition of the turbo. I would also read the codes from the ECU, which should give you a more accurate indication of the actual fault.