Diesel Diagnostics

& Aftermarket Training www.dieseldoat.com AUSTRALIAN WORKSHOP MANAGER

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Fault Code P0089 – The Highs & Lows Of Diagnosis

you’ve got one stashed away or you better
get yourself one.

When a surging, loss of power, stalling,

starting, or even fuel economy symptoms
occur the most common component
replaced on many diesels is the Suction
Control Valve (SCV). Most of the time it
By Clinton Brett isn’t the SCV that is actually failing and

Fault code P0089 often causes technicians Pic shows plunger spring broken &
to pull their hair out, it’s one of my separated
favorites - because it has the ability to
show up in a common rail diesel for more
than 20 different failures that I am aware injecting fuel at the correct time into each
of, there may be more! cylinder.

One of the key problems in diagnosing So, lets begin diagnosis by connecting
these “easy” faults is the inability of the some clear line to a separate fuel supply.
scan tool to communicate with the vehicle Why use clear line when diagnosing
or the many descriptions available from diesel fuel system faults? Many who have
tool to tool of this fault code. Some of attended my training or have called me for
the most expensive scan tools will not Diesel Help, know the answer to this.
diagnose this fault without you doing the
diagnosis. Clear fuel line enables you to see the air
bubbles if present. Air within the diesel
This is where some mechanics come fuel system is one of its greatest enemy.
unstuck when it comes to diagnostics. Most vehicles run black hoses and tubing
You’re lowering your standards by if you recall back to one of our previous and therefor you cannot see what is going
beginning to think like your customer. articles about the SCV then you will take on inside. Even the ones that do have clear
Many think by just plugging in a scan my advice seriously. low pressure lines are often old and faded
tool it’s going to instantly tell you what which can be difficult to see.
component has failed. Wrong! In this edition I am going to share how to
diagnose ONE of multiple failures which Many ask me this question- If there was
You must continue to keep yourself up to brings on the P0089 code in the Mazda such a leak where air was entering the
date attending training courses, teaching BT50 and Ford Ranger 2.2 4 cylinder, 3.2 5 system, wouldn’t you have an external
yourself and learning from others who cylinder diesel engines. leak? Often you don’t. On many occasions
know diesel. One of the key factors often when there is a leak present on the low
forgotten is that the common rail remains In this scenario, the vehicle has a pressure side (between the high pressure
a combustion engine that has pistons, complaint of poor performance, engine pump and the fuel tank), the suction of the
valves, intake and exhaust just like a light on (Code P0089) yet starts and idles fuel created from the internal transfer/
diesel engine did 80 years ago. All they’ve ok. feed pump of the high pressure CRD pump,
done is change how the fuel and air enters does not allow for an external leak. (This
the engine. The actual failing component is the is why you can run a separate fuel supply).
breakage of one 1 of 3 plunger springs If it was under pressure such as when an
located within the Siemens/Continental electric pump is fitted in line on the low
high pressure pump. These springs enable pressure side, then yes an external leak
tension to seat the plunger hard against can occur. Or within the high pressure
the eccentric cam which rotates as it is pump, fuel can leak externally but often
driven by the timing belt or chain. This does not cause a fault, it just leaks all over
allows a full plunger stroke to take place, the engine.
thus creating enough rail pressure to
maintain stable delivery of pressure to the Have a think about this- If the vehicle is
electronic operating injectors which are stationary overnight or several hours and
a pin hole is present on the low pressure
Pic 1 Scan shows fault codes

What do you do if there is not a fault code

present? Nah, who needs ‘em. They can be
very misleading and can take away our
valuable thought pattern. The scan tool
has many other valuable benefits including
the data, actuator activation, reset,
adaptation of components- electrical and
mechanical and some scan tools have a
scope function. If they don’t, then I’m sure
Pic shows plunger spring broken Clear fuel-line test

30 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017
Diesel Diagnostics
& Aftermarket Training www.dieseldoat.com AUSTRALIAN WORKSHOP MANAGER
www.aaen.com.au

side, what happens to the diesel within driving the vehicle at the time it fails. will remain intact for a while and continue
the fuel system? I’m not going to give it to operate for some time before beginning
all away, you’ll have to attend one of my Once you have connected and test driven to log the fault code.
courses to find out more. the vehicle with an eliminator tank and
confirmed there is no air within the fuel Other early signs of the failure happening
I have seen diesel leak from the low system and the vehicle continues to fault, before a code logs is an injector failure.
pressure system and that was from the you can now concentrate on the high Once the metal leaves the pump in a
fuel filter drain tap or the water sensor pressure side. If the vehicle did run well very fine particle form, it continues to
itself. Because it is a reservoir and the then you can start tracing back through flow through the pipe to the rail, rail to
drain tap is at the bottom, the weight of the low pressure side to diagnose the fault. the injector pipes and then through the
the fuel causes the leaks occur- yes if injector. Eventually the injector becomes
you’ve just read this sentence, the drain Now we are going to focus on the fault at blocked internally in one of its tiny
tap o-ring can be a great source of the hand- A high pressure failure. galleries and then a misfire, knock or
air entering. A drain tap o-ring often complete failure develops. The problem
gets overlooked for replacement during First of all let’s just read what rail with this is that not only does it go into the
services. pressure we are getting on the scan tool injector, the metal also flows back to the
when starting the engine. Ideally a CRD tank and recirculates to the filter (that’s
Why run the separate fuel supply? system should get a minimum of 200 bar how it works its way back to the filter).
pressure when cranking- instantly. Now
It’s really a simple answer which many this fault is not affecting the starting Yes I get asked that question. A diesel fuel
in experienced mechanics working on ability, so this should be a good reading. system will not operate without return
diesels have asked me. The time saved fuel. If it did not return, then the system
concentrating on one of the 2 systems can Often the fault occurs immediately when would itself hydraulic lock. Most systems
eliminate hours of wasted diagnostics the engine is under load (driving under full return about 80% from both the injectors
time. Just because this registers as a high acceleration whilst moving). In some cases and the high pressure pump back to the
pressure fault doesn’t mean it is not a the code has logged when free revving not fuel filter and tank.
failure of the low pressure side. moving. If this occurs then what is actually
happening, the suction control valve (SCV) If an injector does fail in these engines,
Often on this vehicle the scan tool will is stuck. What is sticking the SCV is the make sure you investigate for metal
display P0089, fuel pressure regulator fine metal fragments becoming caught in within the fuel filter before replacing the
performance outside parameters. the piston of the valve. This prevents the injectors. Replacing a set of injectors in
valve from moving at all when demanded a system which has metal re-circulating
Here is a list of components I have by the ECU. This is where you dismantle is going to cost another set of injectors in
witnessed having been replaced and still the fuel filter in which you have already the not too distant future. It would also
not rectified the fault- removed from the vehicle when you were be beneficial if the customer was aware
running the separate fuel supply. At this that the metal was coming from the pump
• C omplete rail (the rail is only a rail
with a rail sensor). therefore giving them the option of having
the pump done at the same time.
• Rail pressure sensor (not to be
replaced as a single item).
• Fuel filter
• Injectors
• Suction control valve (not available but
have used a s/hand part)
• Electric in tank pump

All these above parts including labour

time spent replacing can add up to
approximately $10000 and the vehicle still
has a fault.
Contaminated fuel & metal
I mentioned the SCV not being available for
this pump, but many will try a second hand point of time I would have had all the fuel
valve, fit it and if it is free of metal, it may drained from the fuel filter into a clean Siemens injector
run for a short time before failing. One of container. By letting it settle for ½ hour
the key areas of the failure is the metal gives you a good indication of how much A great way to confirm the failure is
from the spring jamming the SCV. metal or other contaminates are present- to connect your scan tool and read the
Now of course the failure is only a including excessive water. demand and feedback of the rail pressure.
spring, but do not think at any time If the demand is relatively higher than that
If there is excessive water present- approx of the feedback, then you are getting closer
about replacing just the spring. A diesel maybe filled more than half the container,
fuel pump is not component that should to determining the fault.
this is where water is the likely cause and
be dismantled (other than inspecting thinking that a diesel fuel system operated To determine if it is the pump, would be to
the internals). Without the correct on water- you should reconsider your connect an AMP clamp to the wiring loom
equipment, it is not possible to successfully career options. of the SCV. When the feedback pressure
reassemble and test before fitting to an
begins to drop off as the engine is under
engine which is going to be started and If there is excessive metal but minimal load, if the amperage increases (increased
operated. If something internal let go, the water, then there is a good chance current draw) then you’ve found the fault.
end result could not only be costly for you, the metal is from the spring rubbing
it is also very dangerous for the person internally. When the spring breaks, often it
F Continued on p32
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 31
Diesel Diagnostics
& Aftermarket Training www.dieseldoat.com AUSTRALIAN WORKSHOP MANAGER
www.aaen.com.au

F Continued from p31 that has an actual test

bench for CRD injectors.
The other 2 plungers are working to This will help determine
their maximum ability but you have one all the internal settings
plunger with a fully collapsed spring that are correct. Knowing that
is preventing the plunger from returning the spring has broken
to the cam, thus no movement resulting in means that there may be
no output from that delivery port. The ECU metal building up in the
is having to increase voltage supply to the tiny nooks and crannies
SCV without the result and will continue to of the high pressure
increasing the amps. The SCV valve is not After repair good scan system which will
eventually become stuck
elsewhere.

How to determine the

spring is broken once you
have removed the pump?

See the picture below

to determine what
component you are
looking to remove. It is
really quite simple to
After replacement good scan dismantle this section of
the pump. There are 3 to
remove and don’t worry,
SCV location on the pump
a sensor with a known stop point when it
reaches the maximum.

This failure is very well known throughout

the dealerships and diesel fuel injection
specialists. It is a very common practice
to remove the entire fuel system and
thoroughly clean including the tank. The
metal is very fine and becomes stuck in
every part of the system. At any given time
metal may dislodge and flow to another
injector causing a failure.

I have been involved with many

diagnostics on this vehicle model with Plunger assembly dismantled
km’s ranging anywhere from 40,000kms
up to 150,000kms being the average life of
this pump.

Would I recommend injectors be replaced

at the same time if the pump has a broken
spring?
Before repair scan data
Yes only if you have had them removed and
tested first to find out if they are damaged
or not. It is best you have your injectors
tested by a diesel fuel injection specialist

Revealed broken spring

the spring is not too high tension so it’s

not going to fly out at high speed and take
your eye out.

Why not attend one of my training

courses? Later in this issue you will find
where my next courses will be held, or
I can possibly conduct training at your
workplace. Contact me by visiting my
website, www.diseledoat.com

Before replacement bad scan

32 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017