Hi folks,
I need some advice on my CRD, with the short-term goal of getting it through inspection. Forgive me if this ground has generally been covered; I've done a lot of searching and reading but want to make sure I'm clear on everything before making an investment.
My problem is familiar, check engine light on for ages with P0401 and P0299 (I had a P0101 which went away after cleaning the MAP sensor) ... it runs fine, plenty of power, smokes on hard acceleration but not a terrible lot at part throttle and none at idle. Assuming the EGR valve is stuck shut, I've just been driving it as is, but my state inspection runs out Oct. 15. Lights come on within a couple miles after clearing. I've been toying with the idea of an SEGR or GDE tune for a while, and to be honest just kept putting it off as I focused on countless other projects.
My question is ... if I get a GDE tune, do I still need to address the malfunctioning EGR valve? I prefer the GDE to SEGR because I like the idea of the over-pressure protection being functional, but I am wondering if that feature is not working now anyway with the valve stuck shut? I'd like to have that feature working. At this point if I can just do the GDE tune and have it solve everything, I'd rather do that for $700 for a lasting positive effect than spend $900 to have the dealership replace the valve and have it inevitably fail again (or go to the effort of replacing it myself and have the same happen). I really don't think I can afford to have the valve replaced AND do the tune though. So, is just doing the GDE tune now a good option, or do I need to have a functional system to start before I do it? I know that sounds like a stupid question, because I realize the EGR valve will be largely unused once the tune is in, but I'm worried I could be hiding an overboost problem or other problem by just doing a reflash. Of course, I've been driving around with it like this for a good 10,000 miles anyway ...
Sorry if I'm missing something here ... most of my experience is with old diesels and all the computer business is a bit foreign to me. About time I learned though.
