Faulty DFI module?

[Bowen]

mate pretty common problem. check the connector from the harness, they can corrode and cause a bad connection leading to the no start.

I had the same problem, the connector was fouled up badly. I replaced the female connector on the engine harness side, scaled back and reinsulated the pin on the DFI module and it has been going sweet for 18months. cost me about 30c in connectors and silicone, and about 2 hours.

better than forking out 400 bucks for a new DFI module, or going to wreckers and getting one that could be near shagged anyway.

if the connection is good then yeah, probably up for a DFI. from memory there is a test for the DFI, but there is no test other than a SCAN tool for the CAS. both could possilby cause this condition, as could a problem in the immobiliser, that would produce a code though.

You can test the cas with a test light or multimeter , you just put pos on pin in dfi connection and earth on chasis and watch as somebody (not female going to bug u and get annoyed at you ) cranks the engine, you can test both the 3x and 18x signal

Iv read a lot recently that the earth can actually be to blame on these engines (cas and cam get earth from dfi) which gets it from the engine earth sometimes the alloy plate can corrode and cause a shitty connection

 

[tonym]

Interesting reading, thank you all. My sons XY Berlina V6 began stopping while driving it, usually once a week. Then it got 3-4 times per week. It then would not start one morning. A friend of mine said to disconnect the harness to the DFI and put it back on. Sure enough, it started just as he said it would. Problem solved! NOT quite. It still intermittently stops while driving and won't start sometimes. Remove the DFI plug/harness and it will start again. I've cleaned the pins and the harness best I can. Any ideas as to the "root" of the problem please. I am about to buy a DFI module, am debating buying just the module (about $145) or the module and coil pack ($229) Any advice please?

 

[EYY]

Best advice is to steer clear of aftermarket products.

 

[outlander]

I am about to buy a DFI module, am debating buying just the module (about $145) or the module and coil pack ($229) Any advice please?

With the car running, pass a hair dryer over the dfi. If it starts to idle rough, change the hairdryer to fan only to cool it down. Thats how I found out my DFI was faulty.

I replaced it with a second hand unit from ebay for like $30

 

[losh1971]

Question, what causes these to fail? Im n thinking of grabbing one one at the wreckers to keep in the ute incase the ute breaksdown. I just want to choose one of the right wreck, if i pull it myself.

 

[greenacc]

As EYY said aftermarket DFI's are terrible evil things and you'll be back in the break Down Lane with the same problem next year.
Losh, age and heat slowly kill them over the years. Any wreck of similar age should be fine with the lowest ks possible.

 

[losh1971]

Are Delphi units any good? They seem to have come down in price since i last looked a couple of months ago.

 

[greenacc]

Delphi should be the real thing.

 

[EYY]

Poor connections/high resistance is usually the killer for coils and DFI's. Bad plugs and leads mean more resistance and the coils can't do their job properly and things start to heat up. They do just die every now and again. It happened to me once, took me ages to diagnose. It all happened very suddenly and it was like it was running out of fuel.

 

[tonym]

Had to bight the bullet and put a new DFI unit in. Changed spark plugs too as they were due. I've been driving it all day, perfect!
Son took it an hour ago, just rang to say it stopped again! :-(