Losing Power On Inclines

[ftaylor3]

First outing in our Benemar Tessoro 486 170 bhp. It is losing significant power on inclines. Never had a motorhome before.

 

[Gaston aires]

Fiat 130 Ducato is most efficient at around 2200/2400 RPM
Changing gear keeps the revs in prime condition and returns the best MPG as well. Engines like a good rev now and again to clean out the DPF.
I would guess Fords have a hotspot as well
Phil upmetank

 

[Neil S]

No further replies from the OP

 

[Janine]

No further replies from the OP

Hasn’t been back since the first post to check on the answers

 

[dunnah01]

The 170bhp Ford lump needs 60bhp and 1500 revs to hit it's peak torque of 405Nm so anything else is just burning fuel for the sake of it.



The Fiat lump needs twice the horsepower to achieve similar torque for some reason

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[jockaneezer]

Hasn’t been back since the first post to check on the answers

He hasn't got to the crest of the hill yet ?

 

[JB30]

Our 5 year old Benimar T486 has no issues in this regard, though it has an auto box. Occasionally need to be a little heavier with the right foot than I would prefer going uphill, but it’s down to the weight we carry when fully loaded. Empty of most things and water, it’s quite sprightly, IMHO.
I suggest getting it in for a check at Ford if under warranty, or else an independent specialist if you can find one - whereabouts in the uk are you? Happy to compare yours and mine (no ‘Carrry On’ jokes, please ) if you’re anywhere near S Yorks.

 

[Fatboy1960]

I had a significant loss of power suddenly on the motorway whilst going up a long incline accompanied by a warning light and limp home mode, mice had got in to the air filter (after being on grass for a week) and were happily eating my air filter - Till the turbo kicked in apparently

 

[Mclouis700]

I had a Bedford CF motorhome like that. The temperature gauge would go into the red just as we reached the top of one particular hill in Wales

We had a Commer Highwayman with a Perkins P4 to go up Shap it was first gear We could have walked up quicker ,mind you it was 1968

 

[GeoffC]

First outing in our Benemar Tessoro 486 170 bhp. It is losing significant power on inclines. Never had a motorhome before.

Is it brand new? When I got my new motorhome I had real problems going up steep hills. To the extent that I thought I'd made a terrible decision in engine choice However once the engine had run in a bit and loosened up it became a lot better. Plus I learnt how to sort of drive it better and give it a bit of welly/revs. It's now after 20k miles a much nicer drive.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Apacheman]

Stick the cruise control on , works for my Moho better than not having it on. No idea why ?!

Like you find travelling at 60 6th gear in Cruise mode rarely have to change gear for hills. 2.3 140bhp Ducato Autotrail up plated to 4T.

 

[Jay L]

Has anyone had their engine remapped? Autotrail Fiat Ducato 2.3 130Hp. I've been told that the engine and turbo is the same for the 130 and 150 Hp variants and only a setting (changed via a laptop) will give better economy as well as more power. Not sure about the 180 Hp version though.
Would this invalidate insurance (even if I told them)?

 

[Cariad]

Our first new-to-us motorhome would lose power on inclines. An investigation revealed that there was too much carpet under the acceleration pedal so the turbo could never kick-in. An easy and cheap fix to this problem - just remove some carpet!

With subsequent motor homes we have had installed a plug-in Torquing Diesel module which greatly improves uphill performance.

Fiat 130 Ducato is most efficient at around 2200/2400 RPM
Changing gear keeps the revs in prime condition and returns the best MPG as well. Engines like a good rev now and again to clean out the DPF.
I would guess Fords have a hotspot as well
Phil upmetank

 

[Pausim]

Has anyone had their engine remapped? Autotrail Fiat Ducato 2.3 130Hp. I've been told that the engine and turbo is the same for the 130 and 150 Hp variants and only a setting (changed via a laptop) will give better economy as well as more power. Not sure about the 180 Hp version though.
Would this invalidate insurance (even if I told them)?

No the turbo is different and on the Euro 6 engines I think the gear ratios may also be different.

 

[TerryL]

Has anyone had their engine remapped? Autotrail Fiat Ducato 2.3 130Hp. I've been told that the engine and turbo is the same for the 130 and 150 Hp variants and only a setting (changed via a laptop) will give better economy as well as more power. Not sure about the 180 Hp version though.
Would this invalidate insurance (even if I told them)?

Yes, same engine, wish I'd done it years before. Upgraded 130bhp to (the guy said) 158bhp and it was immediately apparent with much improved torque, which is what I asked for, making it much better to drive with less gear changes. Didn't do much for the fuel consumption, probably about 2-3mpg but that's 10% so okay - I haven't changed my driving habits so probably realistic.

I told the insurance company, they weren't interested.

As for the OP, if it's a new engine it can take up to 10,000 miles to loosen up and develop full power. Don't thrash it but then again don't pussyfoot around and every thousand miles give it an "Italian Tuneup", 20 mins at higher revs, 2500+.
Ours is now at 140,000 and couldn't be sweeter.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Phill D]

Has anyone had their engine remapped? Autotrail Fiat Ducato 2.3 130Hp. I've been told that the engine and turbo is the same for the 130 and 150 Hp variants and only a setting (changed via a laptop) will give better economy as well as more power. Not sure about the 180 Hp version though.
Would this invalidate insurance (even if I told them)?

I have had my 2.3 130 2012, remapped about 6 years ago.

Done at Avon running it’s now 180bhp but more important 420nm torque.
It has been an absolute dream.

 

[BrownGoose]

I had this problem, turned out to be a fault in the turbo charger, best to get it checked ASAP as apparently it isn’t wise to run the engine without it.

 

[Gaston aires]

Our first new-to-us motorhome would lose power on inclines. An investigation revealed that there was too much carpet under the acceleration pedal so the turbo could never kick-in. An easy and cheap fix to this problem - just remove some carpet!

With subsequent motor homes we have had installed a plug-in Torquing Diesel module which greatly improves uphill performance.

I still think you should give the engine a good blast frequently to clear the DPF.

 

[Pete D.]

Has anyone had their engine remapped? Autotrail Fiat Ducato 2.3 130Hp. I've been told that the engine and turbo is the same for the 130 and 150 Hp variants and only a setting (changed via a laptop) will give better economy as well as more power. Not sure about the 180 Hp version though.
Would this invalidate insurance (even if I told them)?

I'm having my Peugeot HDi 130 remapped this week and have contacted Comfort insurance to ask if this would compromise the insurance cover. They said they weren't concerned about it and it would not alter my premium. They also said that I should tell them when I have it done just to update their records.

 

[Wh05apk]

It's interesting, the op hasn't posted since last week and there are a lot of "theories" and "Solutions" being posted, but at the moment we still don't know if there is a fault and the engine is losing power, or if it is just unreal expectations?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Ray-Vic]

Could be that he realised there wasn't an issue after all, or that he has found a solution elsewhere and not been minded to come back here to let people know

It's kicked off a good thread though as it's good to read how people deal with the difference in power between a car and a motorhome.

 

[RV72 SAM 🏴]

Look behind you there's a heavy piece of kit attached to your cab. Unfortunately a manual will need you to change down to accommodate the inclines, also good advice if traffic allows it, knock it dow a cog and increase your speed in plenty of time. Auto's a lot easier, my 9-Speed 140 flies up any hill, and coming down the gearbox does all the work.
Just got back from Tan Hill, highest pub in England 1,700+ feet above sea level, was a bit jittery in places
But I was a newbie in January with a new moho, just get a few miles under your belt and you will get the feel of it as I did after 3,500 miles . . .