Hi,
CRD 2.8 12/2006, automatic, about 180 thousand kilometers on the clock (110 tmiles). Used in proper winter conditions in Finland.
I have a strange intermittent problem. Sometimes (maybe between every 500 miles), when I start the car, it starts normally, then when I get going, the engine lacks power, won't rev properly, stalls or almost stalls, and some black smoke comes out of the exhaust. It feels almost like something was holding and trying to stop the crankshaft, or like the fuel supply was cut as soon as I push the pedal.
After this happens, the engine has always started immediately after quite normally (may require an extra turn or two when starting), but may also stall again. When I let/get it running at idle for a while the issue goes away, and it's like nothing happened. Not even fault codes or warning lights.
I can't connect this to any driving style or anything else either, except I think this happens more likely when there have been sudden temperature changes, like from +5 C to -10 C overnight. I have noticed that this could happen when temperature has recently dropped, but today it also happened when temperature rose from -26 C to -14 C in less than a day. My first thought was if it was due to moisture condensing in fuel line or elsewhere.
So far I have changed fuel filter, air filter, (engine oil & oil filter), and cleaned the MAP (boost) sensor (no dirt found). I also checked for blown head gasket, but that seems OK. Anyways, the problem still exists.
I wonder if it could be a blocked oil circulation in gearbox (automatic), AC compressor, or alternator feeding the glow plugs and pulling the power off the engine… Or a sensor… Or moisture somewhere…
During the summer time, I got a low boost pressure fault a few times, but that has not happened after autumn. No real fault found there either, but turbo has not been off the car. Maybe this is somehow related, but I have a feeling it's not. Low boost pressure should not stall the engine, it should just lower the power, right? And in the recent fault, no boost level pressure fault code appears.
Any suggestions?