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Engine code

A17DTS engine faults.

Listed as: 1.7 CDTI (ecoFLEX), 1.7 CDTI. The faults belong to this engine code. They do not apply to every car with that name.

diesel

fuel

1686 cc

displacement

96 kW (131 HP)

power

5 fault write-ups. All are important.

Before you buy

Known faults

5 important faults

critical2

Timing belt: the replacement is due on time as well, not only on mileage

critical

This engine runs on a timing belt, not a chain. The belt drives the camshaft, and the factory specification calls for a mandatory replacement between 90 000 and 100 000 kilometres, or after five to six years. Whichever comes first is what counts.

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Because of the time limit the odometer is not enough here. On a car that has covered little but is eight years old, the belt is out of date even if it has done thirty thousand. The rubber ages and the cord loses its strength, and that happens independently of the mileage.

If the belt snaps, the engine is severely damaged inside, and the repair is an engine rebuild. That is why at a purchase the thing to pay attention to is not the noise but the paperwork: the invoice for the replacement, its date and the odometer reading at the time.

One common mix-up is worth avoiding. This engine has no timing chain, so a rattle audible at a cold start is not chain stretch. The 1.6 litre diesel does have a chain, and stretch is a known phenomenon there; the two engines are not the same.

between 90,000 and 100,000 km

What to check

  • Ask for the invoice of the timing belt replacement: the date and the mileage at the time are needed too
  • Count the years, not just the mileage: the limit is five to six years, and it can expire sooner
  • Check whether the tensioner and the idlers were replaced as well: the belt alone is not enough
2 more steps in the write-up

1.7 CDTI (A17DTS): a stretching timing chain and a cold rattle

critical

The timing chain stretches from 120,000 kilometres. The loose chain slaps and the timing slips, which leaves the engine flat and raises consumption.

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The symptom is a rattling or ticking noise on a cold start. If the chain jumps, the valves and the pistons meet, and that means an engine rebuild. The repair costs between 800 and 2,500 euros.

above 120,000 km800–2,500 EUR

What to check

  • Start it from cold and listen to the first seconds: rattling or ticking points at the chain
  • Check whether the noise stays when warm: a chain fault does not fade with warming
  • Have the fault codes read and look for ones about cam timing
2 more steps in the write-up

expensive3

1.7 CDTI (A17DTS): a leaking EGR cooler and falling coolant

expensive

The EGR cooler starts to leak from 130,000 kilometres and the coolant level falls gradually. The coolant reaches the combustion chamber through the exhaust gas path and burns there.

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The symptoms are white smoke from the exhaust and a slowly dropping coolant level with no puddle. If a lot of coolant reaches the combustion chamber, the cylinder head and the gasket can be damaged too. The repair costs between 500 and 1,200 euros.

above 130,000 km500–1,200 EUR

What to check

  • Check the coolant level and ask whether it has needed topping up
  • Look for a puddle under the car: if the level drops with no puddle, the leak is internal
  • Watch the exhaust when warm: white smoke means coolant is being burnt
2 more steps in the write-up

EGR valve and intake manifold: soot half blocks the channels

expensive

The EGR system recirculates the unburnt gases into the intake manifold, and together with the fumes from the crankcase breather this builds soot into the channels. The deposit gathers slowly, and by 150 000 kilometres the channels of the intake manifold can be as much as half blocked.

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The symptom is jerking under acceleration, an uneven idle and occasional stalling. Codes P0401 and P0402 appear in the fault memory, and black smoke can come from the exhaust.

The solution is proper cleaning of the valve and the intake manifold. Deleting the EGR in software is not a solution: it does not remove the cause of the deposit, and it also affects the compliance of the vehicle.

At a purchase the kind of use is what matters: in a car driven on short urban journeys the soot gathers faster, because the engine does not warm up properly.

above 150,000 km

What to check

  • Accelerate hard: jerking and hesitation belong here
  • Watch the engine at idle: uneven running and occasional stalling are signs
  • Have the fault codes read and look for codes P0401 and P0402
3 more steps in the write-up

Variable turbo vanes: soot sticks them, and power runs out above 2000 rpm

expensive

Soot builds up on the variable vanes of the turbo, and the vanes stick in one position. The cause is short journeys and skipped oil changes: those form a thick deposit that blocks the actuator mechanism.

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With stuck vanes the boost cannot be controlled: it either overshoots or fails to come. The symptom is characteristic: power runs out above 2000 rpm, blue smoke comes on throttle, and the control unit logs code P0299. A whistling noise is audible from the engine bay.

The repair is not necessarily a turbo replacement. The workshop first tries to free the stuck vanes and calibrate the actuator mechanically; a full replacement is only needed if the vanes are stuck for good. The fault appears above 150 000 kilometres, and the repair costs between 600 and 1800 euros.

At a purchase the service book says more here than the odometer: how often the oil was changed and what kind of use the car had decide how much deposit has built up.

above 150,000 km600–1,800 EUR

What to check

  • Accelerate hard: power should not run out above 2000 rpm
  • Watch the exhaust on throttle: blue smoke belongs here
  • Listen to the engine bay: a whistling noise points to the turbo
3 more steps in the write-up

Engine code

Factory data

Factory data

Engine family
—
Fuel
diesel
Displacement
1686 cc
Power
96 kW (131 HP)
Production
—

Generations

Which models it is fitted to

4 generations.

Information, not an expert opinion

We write the descriptions, and we put the source next to them. A person reviews them before they go out. They are still information, not a technical expert opinion.

  • A fault on the list does not mean the car you are looking at has it.
  • A fault missing from the list does not mean the model is fault-free. Write-ups are made model by model. Not all of them are done.
  • You decide whether to buy. This is no substitute for an inspection. That needs a workshop and a history check.
Details in the terms